(Amelia)
Vivian spent the next twenty minutes listening to Ethan talk about dinosaurs as if he were giving a speech that mattered. She asked questions when he stopped, and he answered every one with growing excitement. I watched her closely, waiting for the questions about school, our home, or why I'd kept him away. None came.
Nathaniel sat beside his mother and barely spoke. His attention stayed on Ethan, especially when Ethan made Vivian laugh after correcting the name of a dinosaur she couldn't pronounce. There was something painful about watching them together. Five years had been taken from all three of them.
"Can I have cake?" Ethan asked me.
"You can have one piece."
He looked at Vivian. "Do you want cake too?"
"I would never let you eat cake alone," she said.
Ethan grinned a
