“I know.”

We ate dinner in silence.

Outside, a child laughed in the courtyard.

I wondered what our child would sound like when laughing for the first time, and whether Hannah would ever want me there to hear it.

PART 16

The first time Hannah asked to see me, the message came through two attorneys.

She was nineteen weeks pregnant and well enough to sit through a short conversation, provided it took place in a public setting with Benjamin nearby.

She chose a quiet meeting room inside a family resource center.