I wanted her to arrive somewhere that felt familiar.

Brandon came carrying a small paper bag from a bakery.

Natalie brought a family photo album, but she left it closed on the picnic table until Harper asked what was inside.

That detail impressed me.

Too many adults had spent years making decisions for Paige without waiting to hear what she wanted.

I hoped her siblings might learn to do differently with her daughter.

Harper took a pretzel, inspected Brandon for a full minute, and asked whether he could climb the rope pyramid with her.