In it, none of us looked perfectly composed.

My hair was frizzy, Mason had ice cream on his sleeve, and Lucas’s smile was cautious.

Hannah was looking down at Hope with an expression I recognized from the day we first saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound.

Later I realized this was the first family photograph since the birth that did not feel like a performance.

It was simply a record that we had been together for one ordinary afternoon.

PART 17: The First Birthday