Mary smiled. “But sometimes, the best things come from trying a flavor you’re scared of.”

But at the picnic, things fell apart. Evan’s other friends made fun of Sheldon for bringing a stopwatch to time the bounce of a volleyball. When Sheldon corrected their grammar, they laughed harder. Evan just stood there, silent.

“No, baby,” she said softly. “Feelings are the whole point.”

His mother found him there.