Every time I step into this house and breathe in that warm baby scent, the same feeling takes hold of me. It’s like the world outside peels off my skin, and I’m walking into a dream, one of those fairy tales Jayden loves me to read to him over and over.
I move quietly up the stairs and find them exactly where I knew they’d be. Claire is kneeling by the wardrobe, folding laundry on Jayden’s bed, while he sits cross-legged on the floor beside her, a book open in his hands.
“Is this the fire lady?” he asks, pointing.
“Let me see.” Claire leans over his shoulder, squints, then shakes her head. “No, that’s Sam in a dress.”
Jayden giggles, a snorty little laugh that sounds just like his mom’s. “Sam isn’t a girl.”
“Oh, but Sam is in disguise,” Claire whispers, lowering her voice like a secre
