“You miss…” She couldn’t even form the sentence.
“You and Benny,” he clarified quickly. “I miss…what we had. I don’t know. Maybe it’s stupid to even say it.”
Maybe?
He was divorcing another woman. What was wrong with him?
Gracie’s mouth went dry. Shock rippled through her, tangled with anger and confusion. For years, Sam had kept her at arm’slength, showing up only when it was convenient, never once hinting that he regretted leaving. And, now…this?
“I—” She swallowed, shaking her head. “Sam, I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
“You don’t have to,” he said gently. “I just needed to tell you.”
The silence stretched, then she drew in a shaky breath. “I need to go.”
“Yeah,” Sam said quietly. “Of course. Grace, listen, there’s more I want to say, but it can wait. I’ll see you on Saturday. What time is the big show?”
She looked out at the dark night, scowling. She should tell him not to come. Not to bring his problems and promises and lies.
“I’ll text you the info,” she said instead. “Bye, Sam.”
“Bye, Grace.”
She stood in the cold, staring at the snowy yard without seeing it. Her mind replayed his words on a loop.I miss you guys.
It shouldn’t matter. She knew Sam was an unreliable, selfish man who had shattered her trust and her heart. There was no future there—not for her, not for Benny.
And yet…
Benny. Her chest ached. She’d been worrying about him constantly these past few months. He had no father, lost his grandfather when he was in kindergarten, and needed someone to guide him through boyhood into manhood. Red did his best, and Jack had stepped in with kindness and steady strength, but it wasn’t the same. A boy deserved his dad.
She thought of Benny’s face lighting up when Sam actually showed up for something, the golden, rare moments when Sam’s attention was fully on him.
Gracie wrapped her arms around herself, shivering despite the coat. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let herself hope that Samwanted to be that kind of father to Benny. Even if hedid, she could never trust him again.
Still, his words clung like the cold.I miss you guys.
When she finally went back inside, she plastered on a smile for Benny’s sake. He was loading the dishwasher and still talking about cognition in dogs, while Red sat at the table, looking wiped out and satisfied.
As she passed, she gave her grandfather’s bald head a kiss. “Great chili, Benedict Starling.”
He smiled up at her, then back at Benny. “Gracie, I love that boy,” he said under his breath. “Don’t know what I’d do without him.”
She felt tears sting at the words. Did Benny really need his father when his great-grandfather was right here, being all the man Benny needed to emulate in life?
Much later that night,Gracie paused outside Benny’s door, easing it open just enough to peek inside.
The room was dark except for the soft glow of his spaceship nightlight, which cast pale blue beams across the ceiling where stick-on stars glimmered faintly. Benny lay sprawled sideways in his bed, the covers a tangled mess around his legs. His mouth was slightly open, his breaths deep and even.
Beside the bed, Sir Isaac Newton snoozed in his crate, his little chest rising and falling in time with Benny’s breathing. Good boys, both of them.
This was her world, she thought. This child, this dog, even. This simple, ordinary moment. She slipped quietly inside andtugged the covers up over Benny’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his warm forehead.
“I love you, sweet little man,” she whispered, though he couldn’t hear her.
She lingered a bit longer, letting the sight of him sink deep into her bones. But even that tender scene couldn’t fully push away the rattled feeling left behind by Sam’s phone call. His words echoed in her head.
Gracie bent over to peek at Newt, who opened one eye to acknowledge her, but didn’t move.
