Next of Kin

Content Warning: This section contains depictions of sexual content and ableism.

On the day of the first visitation with her birth mom, Chloe is a panicky mess. Warren takes the day off from work to be there for her, which settles her in ways she desperately needs. Warren was accepted for a two-bedroom apartment nearby, and taking the lease would let him get custody of Luke but leave Chloe in the lurch with Willow. When Warren asks if they can sign an official agreement to live together until Luke graduates high school, Chloe doesn’t hesitate, thinking, “Please stay after that too” (150).

In the car, Chloe plays the unmarked CD she’s heard on past drives but has never been able to identify. The band is Warren’s from high school, which he left when they started touring so he could get a job and receive custody of Luke. At the hospital for Willow’s appointment, Warren goes in with them, and Chloe is silently grateful, thinking she could get used to “the feeling of not trudging through appointments, difficult days, or fears alone” (155).