I picked up the court petition and turned to the last page.

The notary stamp was sharp and square, with my son’s name printed right above the red county seal.

I folded the paper in half twice and tucked it into my sweater pocket before heading into the dining room.

The roast chicken sat in the middle of the table on Renee’s white ceramic platter, ringed by steam and roasted carrots.

Chloe was using her fork to sort her green beans into tiny straight rows, while Caleb reached over the basket of dinner rolls without asking first.

Daniel poured himself a third glass of water from the glass pitcher.