“The button says Accept,” Jack said.

I looked at the four faces around the table, every pair of gray eyes clear, steady, and unblinking.

I had spent eight long years building a wall of protection out of shift schedules, school drop-offs, and quiet mountain evenings.

Taking them to the Caldwell estate meant tearing down every line of safety I had drawn around our home.

“If we press that button, everything changes,” I said.

“They’ll be shocked.