She had come into the hallway holding a book she wanted someone to read with her.

Charlotte, Violet, and Evelyn were five, their voices rising together from the living room because one had started crying and the others did not know why.

Maya rested against my chest.

Her weight shifted every time I moved, and I had to keep one hand under her while trying to speak to Elena.

“Slow down,” I said.

“We can talk when they’re asleep.”

“That is all we do.