‘I still like a clean office,’ Preston replied.

‘But I suppose Neptune deserves an exception.’

She smiled.

There had been years when she could not imagine sharing a room with him without anger.

This ordinary afternoon did not erase those years.

It did prove that people could change in ways measured by tape, patience, and the willingness to show up again.

PART 22: The Question They Would Ask Someday

At six, the twins began asking more specific questions about why their father had not been around when they were babies.