Avery's POV

Several months later, I was thirty-eight weeks pregnant and arguing with a contractor about cabinet handles. That was how I knew my life had improved.

"Those are not the ones I chose."

The contractor looked at the brushed brass handles already

Avery's POV

Labor was less graceful than every movie had lied about. There was no soft music.

No perfect breathing.

No beautiful speech about motherhood.

There was pain.

A lot of it. There was Maya telling me I was doing great when I was very obviously threatening

Avery's POV

One year later, my daughter destroyed her first birthday cake with both hands. I considered that a success. Lila sat in her high chair in my kitchen with pink frosting in her hair and absolutely no interest in the expensive wooden toys Dad had bought her.