Chapter 3
The lock clicked just as I slipped the child's drawing back into Grant's coat. The ultrasound photo remained hidden in an inner compartment of my purse, pressed against my car keys.
He pushed open the door with an elegantly wrapped box in his arms.
"Audrey?"
I sat at the dining table with the lights off.
Grant paused, then walked over and wrapped his arms around me from behind.
He rested his chin on top of my head, his hand settling around my waist out of habit.
"Why are the lights off?"
His shirt still carried the chill from outside. A faint trace of sugary frosting lingered around his collar, along with Elise's perfume.
My shoulders stiffened instantly.
Grant noticed and immediately let go, circling around to face me.
"Are you feeling sick again?"
He crouched down and touched my forehead, familiar concern gathering between his brows.
During my first two pregnancies, he had always looked like this whenever I seemed unwell.
I turned my face away. "Was it raining at the cemetery?"
"For a while."
The lie came so naturally that he even raised a hand and ran it through his slightly damp hair.
"There was water pooling around Daniel's grave. I checked Elise's roof while I was there, so it took a little longer."
I stared at the spot of dried blue frosting on his cuff.
"Did you fix the roof?"
"The gutter was just clogged."
Grant placed the gift box in front of me, a hint of anticipation in his smile.
"Opening your present early won't ruin the surprise. Go on."
Inside the box was an out-of-print children's picture book.
I had been searching for it for nearly two years.
I had mentioned it casually over breakfast just two weeks ago. I hadn't expected him to remember.
When I said nothing, Grant took my hand.
"I'll pick you up at six tomorrow night. I reserved our old table by the window."
His thumb brushed over my knuckles, the gesture tender and familiar.
"Grant, if a married man has another child somewhere else, do you think he can still love his wife?"
His smile vanished.
Grant straightened and studied my face for several seconds. "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"
"I read an article today."
"What article?"
"A man hid the truth from his wife while helping another woman raise her child. The unbelievable part was that the child even called him Dad."
Grant's breath faltered.
He walked to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of water, turning his back so I couldn't see his expression.
The rim of the glass tapped lightly against the bottle.
"Stories online aren't always true."
"What if this one was?"
He took a sip of water before turning around.
"Then it would depend on the circumstances. Maybe the child lost his father, and the man was only trying to help."
"Does helping a child require letting him call you Dad? How is the man's wife supposed to feel?"
Grant's fingers tightened around the glass.
"Audrey, what are you really asking me?"
I looked at the man I had shared my life with for fourteen years.
He knew I needed a light left on when I slept. He knew I dug my nails into my skin when I was nervous. He also knew how desperately I wanted a child of my own and how much the two miscarriages had devastated me.
"I just want to know whether you're hiding anything from me. You know women can be sensitive during pregnancy."
"I'm not."
He answered without the slightest hesitation.
Then he walked over, cupped my face, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Don't let things you read online get to you. Tomorrow is our anniversary. I don't want you getting upset over a stranger's marriage."
The phone in my pocket vibrated.
I didn't check it in front of him.
Only after Grant went to the bathroom to shower did I take it out.
The unknown number had sent me another video, this one a little over ten seconds long.
In it, Theo clung to Grant's neck and refused to let him leave.
Grant gently patted the boy's back and soothed him in a low voice. "Don't cry. Daddy will definitely come back next Sunday."
Beneath the video, Elise asked, "Has he ever told you about this?"
The sound of running water stopped.
I locked my phone, then buried the ultrasound photo I had planned to give Grant at the very bottom of my suitcase.