when I heard it. From the kitchen, Aiki and her mom were speaking in rapid Japanese.

“Matt no?” her mother asked. “What will you do when he finds out it’s Matt’s baby?”

My hand froze on the screwdriver.

Aiki laughed. “Kare wa baka dakara. He doesn’t know. He’s an idiot.”

“You okay there?” Robert noticed I’d stopped working.

I let my voice crack. “Just… emotional, you know? Thinking about becoming a dad.” I made sure to project my voice toward the kitchen. “I’ve dreamed about this my whole life.”

From the kitchen, they exploded into Japanese laughter.

“Kawaisou! Poor thing!”

“Yume wo miteru. He’s dreaming.”