Mason frowned.
“That sounds selfish.”
“It was.”
Owen stared at him.
“Are you still selfish?”
For the first time, Grant almost smiled.
“Sometimes. But I’m trying to notice it sooner.”
Carter remained quiet.
Finally, he asked,
“If Mom hadn’t come here, would you ever have told us?”
Grant’s face collapsed.
“I don’t know.”
Carter nodded.
“Then I don’t trust you yet.”
Grant closed his eyes.
“That’s fair.”
It was the first answer he gave that night that I respected.
## The Life We Built After Christmas
Nothing became perfect afterward.
Real families rarely change overnight.
Evelyn began visiting us in Denver every few weeks.
She attended school plays.
Learned birthdays.
