Chapter 2
Even after drawing the curtains wide open, Elise didn't immediately look away.
She stood behind Grant and placed a hand on his shoulder, as though making sure I could see everything clearly enough.
A row of photographs hung on the living room wall.
In one, Grant was reaching through an incubator to touch Theo's tiny hand after he was born.
In another, Grant held Theo in front of the fireplace at Christmas.
There was also a photo of the three of them wearing matching space-themed outfits.
In the family portrait at the center, Elise rested against Grant's shoulder while Theo sat between them.
Elise was no longer looking at me. I pulled out my phone and took pictures of the photographs on the wall and the scene inside the house.
The screen trembled in my hand. I had to use my other hand to steady my wrist.
Grant set Theo back on the floor.
"Go make a wish." He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.
Theo closed his eyes and blew out the candles.
The moment everyone began clapping, he threw himself straight back into Grant's arms.
That kind of instinctive closeness couldn't have been built through a handful of visits.
Grant expertly wiped the frosting from the tip of Theo's nose before cutting his cake into small pieces.
For the past nineteen months, Grant had always said he'd stayed too long at the cemetery. That was why he sometimes came home smelling of rain, grass, or woodsmoke from a fireplace.
I had dried his coat for him, made him hot soup, and even felt guilty because I couldn't share the weight of his grief.
So this was where those smells had come from.
Elise walked over to Grant with a plate of cake and murmured something to him.
Grant shook his head and showed her his phone screen.
The phone I had left on the passenger seat lit up a moment later.
"The road by the cemetery is a little flooded. I might be another hour. Go ahead and have dinner. Don't wait for me."
I looked up at the window.
Grant stood beneath the birthday streamers, holding a mug printed with the words "World's Best Dad."
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek until I tasted the faint metallic tang of blood.
"Aunt Elise, when are we opening the presents?" a little girl ran over and asked.
"After Uncle Grant finishes his cake," Elise replied.
Theo immediately corrected her. "He's not Uncle Grant. He's Dad."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Grant didn't correct him. He simply pulled out a napkin and wiped Theo's fingers clean.
That silence told me more than any explanation ever could.
Once the birthday party ended, the guests began to leave one after another.
Grant crouched on the porch and retied Theo's loose shoelace.
Theo kept his arms wrapped around Grant's neck, refusing to let him stand.
Grant paused. "I have a home of my own."
Theo pointed at the white house and said earnestly, "This is your home too."
Grant didn't answer.
Elise stepped outside and handed him a wrapped box. "An anniversary gift?"
"Yeah." Grant glanced at his watch. "Audrey's been looking for this out-of-print picture book for a long time."
"Whenever you talk about her, you sound like such a good husband."
Elise spoke softly, but Grant frowned.
"Don't say that."
"I'm just jealous of her." Elise stepped closer and adjusted his collar. "She gets to have you every Monday through Saturday."
Grant caught her wrist and moved her hand away.
"Tomorrow is Audrey's and my wedding anniversary. Don't contact me for the next two days."
"I understand."
Elise smiled and stepped aside to let him leave.
Grant walked toward the car parked in the driveway, never noticing me across the street.
Only after his car disappeared around the corner did Elise look my way again.
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent me a photo.
In it, Grant was asleep on the sofa inside that house. Theo lay sprawled across his chest, while Elise rested against his shoulder.
Beneath the photo was a single sentence:
"Thank you for lending us your husband for eighty-three Sundays."