I knew what she was worried about. “It’s okay, Nova. You’re doing the right thing. You made Huey safe, and that’s what all moms should do. There’s no rule that says you have to do it alone.”

The phone call switched over to the speakers of the car. She didn’t say anything else, but I listened to the sound of Huey’s cries—and her soothing noises that were more sobs than anything else—the whole way to her house.

She’d left the door unlocked like I asked, and when I walked into the room, she was still awake, though her whole face looked strained with the effort, her eyes opening and closing slowly. I walked over and picked up Huey, putting him over my shoulder and rocking him softly. Nova curled up in a ball, her sobs muffled by her pillow.

Reaching down, I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. “It’s okay. Sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

She nodded, and I moved toward the living room until her soft voice stopped me. “Devan?”

“Yeah?”

“You were right. I can’t do this on my own. I’ll come with you to Ann Arbor.”

My heart leapt in my chest, and I knew it was a shit thing to do, holding her to something she said when she was obviously distressed, but I couldn’t help it.

“You’ll never have to do it on your own again. I promise.”

And I always kept my word. Always.

Chapter Six

NOVA

I woke up in a panic, my hand moving to the cool side of the bed where Huey should be. As my brain came back online, I remembered calling Devan in the middle of the night. Of him picking up Huey and soothing him. Of falling into a restless, distressed dream state for hours until I passed out from absolute exhaustion.

I remembered telling Devan that I’d go to Michigan with him. I wasn’t having second thoughts.

After the first night of sleep deprivation, I’d thought, No. I can definitely do this.

The second night was hard.

The third night of trying to do it alone was absolute torture. I needed help. The only person who’d suffer if I clung to my pride was Huey.

The very thought that I could have dropped him from sheer exhaustion terrified me. I climbed out of bed, and the brightness of the day told me it was late. I looked down at my pajamas, which were covered in food and sweat and baby spit, and grimaced. I needed a shower, but first, I needed to make sure that Huey was all right. That Devan hadn’t run off with him in the middle of the night.