They had even played soccer together.

Preston felt relief so sharp that he laughed at himself.

‘I was ready to turn this into a legal matter,’ he confessed.

‘You wouldn’t be the first father to overreact,’ Naomi said.

The remark surprised him.

She had called him a father without hesitation.

He did not mention it, afraid that pointing it out would change the fragile ease of the moment.

That night he wrote a note in his personal calendar: ask the boys what they think before deciding what they need.