Ethan's POV
It was 7:07pm when my phone rang; Amara's name was lighting up the screen.
"Hey," I said. "Is everything okay?"
"He found the book." Her voice was tight, careful, the way it got when she was holding herself together by will alone. "The one I used to explain before, about his dad."
"What book?"
"It doesn't matter. It's a kids' book, about a boy whose father lives far away and loves him anyway. I used it years ago so he would have some form of explanation that didn't scare him."
I heard a shaky breath. "He pulled it out tonight, out of nowhere, and asked me — Ethan, he asked me if the dinosaur guy is his daddy from the book."
I was already standing, reaching for my jacket. "What did you say?"
"I said I needed to talk to you first. I couldn't lie to him, Ethan. Not about t
