There had to be another explanation.
“Did you tell Daddy?”
His expression changed.
“I tried.”
“What did Daddy say?”
“He said I watched too many superhero cartoons and babies all look the same.”
That sounded exactly like Ethan.
Practical.
Logical.
Certain.
I kissed Max’s forehead.
“You stay here for a minute.”
He caught my sleeve.
“You believe me?”
I hesitated.
“I believe that you believe what you saw.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“But Mommy…”
He whispered the next sentence so quietly I almost missed it.
“The baby looked at me.”
“What?”
“The baby with our rabbit.”
“What about her?”
“She smiled.”
I laughed nervously.
“Newborns don’t really smile yet.”
“I know.”
He nodded slowly.
“That’s why it was scary.”
That night, after both children were asleep, I lay awake replaying every moment from the hospital.
The labor.
The emergency rush when Lily’s heart rate briefly dropped.
