There would be plenty of time to treasure it later.

By autumn, Lauren and I had established a steady co-parenting routine.

There were mornings when I handled school drop-off and evenings when I brought over dinner because she was working late.

I learned which nights Mason needed to finish reading assignments and how he preferred his backpack packed.

I kept a spare set of clothes at my house and asked Lauren for the information I would genuinely need in an emergency: contact numbers, the pediatrician’s details, and the schedule she used.

Being useful required knowing the child in front of me, not the child I imagined.