Chapter 2
After Caroline introduced Ethan as her husband, the first thing he did was look down at Noah.
"How's your first day going?"
Noah immediately lifted the blue toy car.
"I found the parking lot."
"Yeah?"
Ethan crouched in front of him.
"Show me."
Noah handed him the car and pointed toward the wooden parking garage by the window.
Ethan followed his finger.
"You built that?"
Noah shook his head.
"Ms. Maya helped."
Ethan's hand paused.
Only for a second.
"Looks good," he said.
Then he reached up and straightened Noah's crooked collar.
Caroline handed him the backpack.
"Can you put his water bottle in? I can never find the side pocket."
Ethan took it and opened the zipper on the right without looking.
No searching.
No asking.
He knew exactly where it was.
Noah took the toy car back and pushed it into Ethan's coat pocket.
"Keep it."
Ethan touched the pocket.
"You'll want it later."
"No."
Noah shook his head seriously.
"For you."
Ethan smiled.
I looked away.
Another parent came through the door.
"Morning, Maya."
"Good morning."
I took the sign-in sheet from her and confirmed who would be picking up her daughter that afternoon.
She mentioned that her child hadn't slept well the night before.
I wrote it down.
When I turned back, Ethan was still crouched in front of Noah.
Noah tried to follow him toward the door.
Ethan put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're staying here today."
Noah scrunched up his nose.
"Why?"
"Because it's your first day."
"You stay."
"I can't."
"Mom?"
Caroline smiled.
"Mom has to go, too."
Noah clearly wasn't happy about that.
Ethan took the little blue car out of his pocket and put it back in Noah's hand.
"Tell me about the parking lot after lunch."
That was enough to get a reluctant nod.
I watched the three of them.
"How long have you been married?"
Caroline turned toward me.
She paused.
"Four years."
Four years.
Our wedding was three years ago.
My stomach clenched.
The classroom door opened again.
A little girl came in crying, both arms wrapped around her mother's leg.
I heard Ms. Laura call my name.
For one second, I was silent.
My fingers tightened around the sign-in clipboard until the edge of the paper pressed into my palm.
"Maya?"
"Coming."
I turned toward the child because the room still needed me to.
Her mother gave me an apologetic look.
"Rough morning."
"That's okay."
My voice sounded normal.
I pointed toward the reading corner.
"Give us a minute. We'll get her settled."
Behind me, I could still hear Noah talking.
Caroline answering.
Ethan moving through a routine he clearly knew.
I kept my attention on the child in front of me.
But my other hand had already moved to the ring on my left hand.
Ethan's eyes followed.
He recognized it.
Of course he did.
Three years ago, he had been the one to slide it onto my finger.
Caroline looked at me.
Then at Ethan.
She didn't ask anything.
Ethan's expression had already changed.
The classroom was filling up now.
One child was crying.
Another couldn't find his cubby.
A father near the door was asking what time pickup started.
I should have gone back to work.
But Ethan took one step toward me.
"Maya."
His voice was low.
I looked up at him.
"Don't."