Her number had been there because she wanted to be reachable.

I had been treating reachability as something to use only after I could prove I deserved the trouble.

We discussed where Noah would spend the night and what support I wanted.

Mara would take him home and return for me in the morning.

I could stay with her too if I chose.

I didn’t choose it that night.

That was not a declaration that everything was safe forever.

We kept the contact arrangement clear and agreed to address the practical concerns the following day.