The bedside clock changed.

I watched the digits instead of answering.

I had been asleep when he sent the message.

That much was true.

He had found a way to put the request in front of me without having to watch my face when I first read it.

At 2:15, we stood in the upstairs hallway beside Noah’s closed bedroom door.

The floor carried every small movement, so I kept my voice low.

“Does Noah know you want me upstairs?”