They walk into a small living room that’s littered with toys. There’s a small, bright yellow tent filled with stuffed animals in front of the couch. A pile of large wooden blocks and Legos fills the entrance of a hallway. On the far wall sits a shelf displaying photos in front of a line of books.

Photos of Anna.

She longs to go look at them but stays rooted, forcing her eyes away from the shelf. Those aren’t her photos. This isn’t her family.

But Mr. Raines must have followed her gaze. His jaw tenses before he exhales and says, “You can take a look.” His voice, still stilted, now carries a trace of welcome.

Lynell doesn’t move. “Are you sure?”

From the taut muscles in his face, she’s worried he will change his mind. But Mr. Raines gives her a nod and gestures to the shelf of photos.

Lynell hesitates a moment longer before walking over. Her chest seems to push against her heart. It only takes one glance to confirm Anna is an only child. Lynell stares at the framed photo in the center of the shelf.

Anna has a head full of curly dark blonde hair. She’s standing with her hands over her head, smiling at the camera. She’s holding a small ball in one hand and a blue plastic bat in the other. Behind her is a small, blurry, black dog. Lynell itches to touch the photo, to hold this moment of Anna’s life in her hands. But she keeps her arms at her side and looks at the photo to the right.

There, Anna is only a few months old. A light cloud of fuzzy hair is starting to grow, but she doesn’t have any locks yet. She’s laughing, and her chubby legs are covered in rolls, peeking out from her white onesie that says, “Wild Child.” She’s reaching out to the woman holding her, who has perfect, straight blonde hair and defined muscles in her arms. Her hands are wrapped around Anna’s middle, holding her up so she can smile straight at her.

Lynell wipes away a tear and turns away from the bookshelf. Mr. Raines and Daniel are both watching her, the former still frowning and Daniel with glistening eyes.

“Okay. Now, start explaining,” Mr. Raines says. He leans the rifle up against the wall next to the couch and sits on the arm. Lynell steps forward, opening her mouth, but is cut off when a woman enters from the hallway to the left of the couch.

“Josh?” she says. “Who was—” She stops short and freezes when she sees Lynell and Daniel standing in her living room. Mr. Raines—Josh—stands up and stops in front of his wife.

“Zoe, these are, um . . .” He clears his throat. “Anna’s birth parents.”

Zoe’s eyes widen and she sidesteps Josh so she can peer at Lynell. Lynell fills with a surprising desire to hug the other woman. Zoe is wearing silk pajama bottoms and a light pink robe, and she stands with perfect posture like a dancer. She’s got pointed, shiny, gold glasses held on the edge of her nose. Her face doesn’t give away any thoughts, but somehow Lynell feels accepted in her presence. As if this woman would welcome anyone into her home.