I scooped her up. “Of course I came, princess. I wouldn’t miss your birthday for anything.”
“Did you bring me a present?” Her eyes sparkled with hope.
“Emma Rose Henderson,” Harper called from the porch. “What did we say about asking for presents?”
“That it’s not polite,” Emma recited dutifully, then whispered to me, “But did you?”
I laughed despite everything. “Maybe. But you’ll have to wait until present time to find out.”
I set Emma down, and she immediately ran off to rejoin her friends, leaving me standing in the driveway with Jack, who’d abandoned the bounce house to come greet me.
“You made it,” Jack said, pulling me into a brief hug. “I thought you might bail.”
“Never. Nothing would keep me away from Emma’s birthday.” I’d been there when she was born, had cut the cord while Jack was off playing nursemaid with his ex-girlfriend. The less said about the viper years, the better. That little girl had me wrapped around her finger from day one.
“Fair point,” Jack said with a knowing smile. Then his expression shifted as he studied my face. “But something’s going on with you. Come help me with this bounce house and tell me what’s really going on.”
“Jack, I’m fine—”
“Sam.” He gripped my shoulder. “I’ve known you since we were kids. You’re not fine. Harper saw Chloe at the grocery store this morning and said she seemed off. So either tell me what’s going on, or we’ll assume the worst and will show up at your house tomorrow for an intervention.”
I looked at my best friend – the man who’d made catastrophic mistakes and somehow found his way back to his family – and felt the weight of my own secrets pressing down.
“I need to talk to Chloe first,” I said quietly. “Tonight. But yeah, I’ll tell you everything after.”
Jack studied my face for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. But Sam, whatever it is, trying to handle it alone is probably making it worse. Trust me on that one.”
I spent the next few hours pretending everything was fine. The party was controlled chaos – a dozen preschoolers, their parents, and an elaborate princess theme that Harper had somehow pulled together. I helped set up games, handed out juice boxes, and tried to act like I wasn’t slowly dying inside while watching Jack and Harper navigate parenthood with the easy partnership I’d been dreaming about having with Chloe.
“Uncle Sam, watch!” Emma called from the top of the slide. “I’m super high!”
“Be careful, princess!” I called back.
“You know you’re her favorite person besides us, right?” Harper said, appearing at my elbow with a cup of lemonade. “She asks about you constantly.”
“Of course, I’m her favorite uncle!”
Harper smiled. “Where’s Chloe? I thought she’d be here by now.”
I glanced at my phone. No new texts. “Running late.” It wasn’t unusual. Chloe was a terrible timekeeper.
“Sam.” Harper’s voice softened. “Everything okay?”
“We’re fine—”
“Don’t.” She shook her head. “Don’t do what Jack did. Don’t shut people out. I lived through that, and I’m telling you right now that it will destroy your relationship faster than whatever problem you’re trying to solve. You know this, too.”
Before I could respond, Jack called everyone to gather for cake, and Harper moved toward the kitchen, but not before giving me a look that said we’ll talk about this later.
Watching Emma blow out her candles, I thought about Leo’s fourth birthday back in February. Had there been cake, presents, and people singing? What presents had he received? What did he wish for when he blew out his candles? I’d missed so much of his life.
“Make a wish, princess!” Jack encouraged, and Emma squeezed her eyes shut dramatically before blowing out all four candles in one breath.
Everyone cheered. Emma beamed. And I felt like the worst person in the world for being here celebrating while my own son existed in limbo.
My phone buzzed. Jenna:Leo wants to go to the park. Can you come?
I silenced it without responding.
