express trust.
She could not bypass the law.
The baby’s biological father formally relinquished his claim.
Social workers searched for relatives.
They located a distant cousin who declined placement.
There was a stretch in the middle when a caseworker warned us to prepare ourselves for the possibility that another family might ultimately be selected.
That possibility hurt.
I went home and cried in the garage beside that old box of baby things we’d never donated.
We didn’t tell the boys everything at first.
We told them there was a baby who might need a family and that we were trying to help.
Our oldest asked whether she would stay forever.
“We don’t know.”
Our seven-year-old asked whether she’d be allowed in his room.
“Eventually.”
He thought about it.
Then cried when we said yes.
Our four-year-old asked if babies ate chicken nuggets.
He was less emotionally complicated.
Eventually, we became
