I carefully passed the sleeping baby to my husband and watched his arms go stiff under the weight of his own four-week-old daughter.

“Take your daughter, Peter, and don’t say one word until I come back down,” I told him in a voice as cold as ice.

He reached out reluctantly, avoiding my eyes as he settled Hailey against his chest, while Gretchen stood at the sink pretending a dishcloth was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Come with me, Austin, let’s go upstairs to your room right now,” I said, holding out my hand so we could walk up together.

He grabbed my hand right away and walked two steps ahead of me, but he stopped on every single wooden stair to turn around and make sure I was climbing safely without wincing.