“Let’s go. If you hate it, you can always change it. Just didn’t think you wanted to sleep inside beige. The other room was gray, and honestly, that’s even worse. I kept it pretty neutral, so you can redesign it to your taste.” I looked over my shoulder to make sure she was keeping up. She was looking around the place, her head whipping from side to side. “We’ll give you the full tour in a minute, but I think it's nice to know where your own space will be, right?”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Okay, so all the bedrooms are on this floor,” I explained. “When Huey gets bigger, we’ll put a baby gate up here, stop him from making a run for it down the stairs.” I pointed to my bedroom on the left-hand side closest to the stairs. “This is my room. Just knock if you need anything, anytime.” I tried not to make it sound sleazy. “Down that hall is Devan’s room. And off to that side is the games room and home cinema.” I moved off to the right, down another short hall. “Down here were the guest rooms, but we’ve turned the middle one into a nursery and I got them to put a doorway between your two rooms. The nursery has two doors; the other one opens out into the hallway just outside Devan’s sitting room, so just let him know if you ever need a hand with Huey. I promise you, he’ll be all too happy to help.”

I shuffled the baby on my chest a little higher. “We’ll all be happy to help. You just need to ask. Isn’t that right, champ?” I cooed at the baby. I was kind of nervous for this part. “The doors all lock from the inside, though, just in case you’re worried. I want you to feel safe here until you know you can trust us completely.”

There was a short, plain hall, then it opened up into the bedroom. There was a soft pink abstract painting on the wall, and I’d tied it with the blush comforter set on the brand new bed. Hints of gold and deep forest green were dotted around the room, including the occasional chair in the corner and a pale wood bookcase, with just a couple of books to make it look less like a hotel.

“Like I said, change it however you like. The ensuite is through there.” I pointed off to the left. I scratched the back of my neck self-consciously when she said nothing, so instead I led her into Huey’s room. It was like hockey met the zoo, and I heard her soft laugh as she came inside. “With two uncles as professional hockey players, there weren’t a whole lot of ways this could go, I’m afraid.”