“Vi’s gonna hate me now,” I said weakly, “and you will too. I shouldn’t have asked you and Aidan to lie for us.”

Jed reached over and tugged on my T-shirt sleeve. “Mẹ won’t hate you,” he said.

“No, she’ll think I made you—her good boy—” I started to say, but Jed shook his head.

“She’ll know I had to, because it’s you.”

I turned to him then, remembering what he’d said by the bike sheds the day before too. “What does that mean? Am I so scary?” I nudged his shoulder, thought he’d smile back at me and maybe laugh. But instead Jed turned his head and looked at me.

“No. It means that she loves you, and I . . .”

I thought Jed was going to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead he shrugged and looked down at his feet, and then back up at me. And when he did, he was blushing.

I went red too. I was just about to speak when we heard the door to the big house open, and voices making their way down the garden to us.

It was Anika and Vi, walking on either side of Nora and each with a hand on her arm to steady her as she waddled along the path.

“Get in the apartment!” Vi said when they were closer, and Jed and I stood up and did as we were told.

Sam and Lily were still sitting on the couch, but Anika waved them away to make room for Nora and her big belly.

Nora made a whoosh sound as she sat and started rubbing her stomach. When I saw Anika watching the movement, I went to stand beside her. Without saying a word, she wrapped both her arms around my shoulders and planted a kiss atop my head. I reached my hands up and held on to hers, both of us clinging to each other.

“We’re going to help,” Vi declared, and I saw Jed let out a deep breath.

“Isn’t she, like, on the run from the police?” Lily said, and Vi shook her head at her daughter.

“It’s more complicated than that. . . .” Vi started to say.

“Is this a Vietnam thing?” Lily butted in. “None of this is like the war, Mẹ.”

“This is a decency thing!” Vi snapped, holding a hand up before Lily could say more. “I believe we have right on our side, and your father does too. Same with Anika and Luca.”

“They do,” Jed said, and Vi’s eyes swung around to where he was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. “It’s why I—”

“Not now, Văn!” Vi snapped again.

“I will never be able to repay all of you,” Nora said, and Vi went to her, bent down, and held both her hands and stared up into Nora’s face.