I had been so busy explaining Liam to myself for so long that I had nearly lost the capacity to just look at him and believe what I saw.

Chapter 5 — The Big Presentation

“This is completely ridiculous,” Liam said, walking back over to me and dragging both hands down over his face.

“I know it’s taking a long time,” I said, keeping my voice low and even, for Hazel’s sake as much as his.

“But we’re in the right place.

This is where she needs to be.

They’ll get to us.” I meant it to steady him, the way you steady a frightened person, because I still assumed his agitation was fear.

“You don’t get it, Paige,” he said, and his eyes were down on his screen, not on me and not on our daughter.