Adeline POV
I didn’t realize I was still holding my breath until the school gate disappeared in the rearview mirror.
I had picked up my boys and we were riding home. Elijah was in the seat behind me, his hand stretched forward and his fingers hooking the cuff of my sleeve. He always did that when he couldn't place his thoughts as if skin could anchor what words could not. Beside him, Caleb leaned his forehead to the window and watched the city float by.
No one spoke for a long stretch of road and part of me enjoyed the silence. I was in my head too.
“Mommy?” Caleb’s voice finally broke through. He didn’t turn from the window. “Can Mathias come to the school meeting too?”
The question was unexpected. It made my fingers tighten on the wheel before I could answer. I made myself breathe
