“He was proud of the work,” Aaron said. “He wanted to see it continue. He told me that the winter before he died.”
“We have a family,” I said. “That is what continues.”
He did not turn around to look at me, his fingers pressed against the glass of the windowpane.
At ten o’clock, his phone buzzed again with a text message from my sister Diana. He looked at the screen, a brief laugh escaping his throat before he cleared it.
“Diana says Ava drew a picture on the paper banner they are making at the house,” he said. “She used three different markers.”
“She was very excited about the welcome home party,” I said.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch the blue knit baby blanket that lay folded on the rolling cart. It was a simple twelve dollar blanket we had bought at the pharmacy down the road.
“Can you believe it, Elena, after all these years, we finally have a boy,” he whispered.
The word sounded heavy in the quiet room, carrying a weight that seemed to press down on the mattress between us.
