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Tamila trails behind us, and I realize I haven’t spoken to her at all yet Stopping, I turn around and look at my wife “How are you?”

She peeks up at lad to see you”

“And I’lad to see you” I want to kiss her, but she’ll be embarrassed if I do it in front of Pasha, so I abstain Instead, I gently touch her cheek, and then I let nize as the one I sent hio

He proudly demonstrates all the features of the toy as I crouch next to hi his aniht down to the eyelashes, but there’s soh I can’t quite define what

“He has your fearlessness,” Taoing to be as tall as you, though it’s probably too early to tell”

I glance at her She often does this, observing ain, it’s not a stretch to guess what I’ I did have Pasha’s paternity tested before he was born

“Papa Papa” My son tugs at ain “Play with me”

I laugh and turn my attention back to him For the next hour, we play with the truck and a dozen other toys, all of which happen to be some type of car Pasha is obsessed with toy vehicles, everything froet him, he only plays with those that have wheels

After playtime, we eat dinner, and Tamila bathes Pasha before bed I notice that the bathtub is cracked and e of Daryevo is high in the Caucasus Mountains and difficult to get to, so it can’t be a regular delivery fros here

When I ives ht smile “That would be very nice, thank you I’ve had to ”

I s Pasha After she dries him and dresses him in his pajamas, I carry him off to bed and read him a story from his favorite book He falls asleep almost i with a powerful emotion

It’s love I recognize it, even though I’ve never felt it before—even though a s I’ve done estan

When I’m with my son, the blood on my hands doesn’t burn my soul

Careful not to wake Pasha, I get up and quietly exit the tiny roo for me in our bedroo love to her as tenderly as I can