“That’s what parenthood is supposed to be, right?” John doesn’t tell her how sudden it all was, that Mary showed up in Darrow pregnant, and with a year of experiences she hasn’t been quite honest with him about. He doesn’t admit that he has no wedding ring and no memory of a ceremony because for him, it never happened. Through no fault of her own, Evie’s very existence is tied up in everything John doesn’t know, everything he hasn’t experienced.

“It’s a lot,” is all he admits instead, with a shrug and a smile.