I helped Josh pull on his pj’s, then lifted him into bed. He smelled of mango-scented shampoo and fruity toothpaste. I scooched in next to him, and Nate climbed in on the other side so Josh was nestled between us.

“Pimple squish!” Josh giggled, that lovely childish giggle that made my heart melt. “I like pimple squishes. They make my heart happy.”

Nate and I burst out laughing. Josh was a goofball. During last year’s holiday pageant, he’d put his shoes on his hands, stretched his arms above his head, and told the audience he was upside down, just to make them laugh.

Nate drew Josh tight against him, and Josh leaned against his chest. I leaned against them both and closed my eyes with gratitude, just breathing them in.

I never thought I’d get a chance to have a normal life. Before I met Nate, I hadn’t really belonged anywhere. I’d been an outsider. An orphan. Until I unexpectedly found out I was pregnant shortly after we’d started dating. But I got lucky with Nate. Marrying him, being a mom, had given me a chance to belong to a real family.

I kissed Nate’s fingers where they were wrapped around Josh’s shoulders. He was telling Josh a bedtime story, speaking in that soft drawl I loved, every word a lullaby.

“Once upon a time, a Native American chief and his wife had a beautiful daughter, who they were very proud of. For her thirteenth birthday, they planned a huge celebration. Swimming races and canoe races and bow-and-arrow contests. But a few days before her birthday, the girl became very sick.”

“If she had Mommy, she wouldn’t have been sick,” Josh interrupted. “Because Mommy’s the best doctor in the world.”

Nate nodded, and Josh grinned at me, toothy and wide. They were always so certain I could fix anything. The truth was, I was trained to show a reassuring level of confidence, but most of the time I was as helpless as the next person. I was just better at hiding it.

Nate continued in a faux-thundery voice: “ ‘The Great Spirit is angry with us,’ the chief said. He asked his wisest men, ‘What can we do to ease his anger?’ One stepped forward and said, ‘To stop the great sickness, one must sacrifice for all.’ ”

This was the point where I always jumped in. “Nate, the nice version, please.”

“The chief’s wife knew her daughter would die if she didn’t do something. So that night she followed the trail through the forest to the Great River until she reached the highest cliff. She looked at the rocks below and said to the Great Spirit, ‘Give me a sign that you’ll accept me as a sacrifice.’ ”