“Still. You didn’t have to do all this.”
“Of course I did.” She said it like it was obvious, like there was never any question. “They’re good kids. We had fun. Didn’t we, girls?”
“Emily’s really good at making mac and cheese,” Alice said solemnly. “And she let us put extra cheese on top.”
“The controversial choice.” Emily’s smile was soft. “But I stand by it.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and my jaw tightened when I saw the name on the screen.
Natascha.
“I need to take this.” I looked at Emily, then the girls. “I’ll be right back.”
I didn’t wait for an answer, just headed straight through the kitchen and out the back door. The cool evening air hit my face as I answered the call.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Cam, oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Natascha’s voice was breathy, slightly panicked. “I just saw your messages. I had myphone on silent for a meeting and I totally lost track of time and?—”
“You dropped them off at an empty house.”
“I know, I know, I’m so sorry. I thought you’d be home in time. You’re usually home by 4.”
“I told you I had a job two hours away.” My free hand curled into a fist at my side. “And that my mom and dad couldn’t get them today. I told you not to drop them off until six.”
“I know, but I got invited to this brand awareness meeting and I figured it would be fine, that you weren’t far away. I just forgot about you getting back late. And hey, no harm no foul, right? They’re fine, aren’t they? Like, nothing happened?”
Nothing happened.
I closed my eyes, trying to count to ten. Made it to four. “They were sitting on the porch for god knows how long, Natascha. Alone. No key, no phone, no way to reach anyone.”
“I know that.” Her tone had shifted, defensive now. “You’re making this into a bigger deal than it is. Kids are resilient, Cam.”
“They’re seven and five.”
“And they’re smart. They knew to stay put and wait.” She sighed, like I was being unreasonable. “Look, I said I’m sorry. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again. But everyone’s fine, so can we just move past this?”
Everyone’s fine because Emily happened to come home when she did. Everyone’s fine because my neighbor was paying attention and cared enough to check on them. Everyone’s fine despite Natascha’s complete lack of judgment.
But I knew when it was time to admit defeat. “Yeah, sure, Nat. Everything’s fine.”
“It’s Natascha. I have to go now. Kiss the girls for me. Tell them I love them.”
She hung up before I could respond.
I stood there in my backyard, phone still pressed to my ear, listening to dead air. The rage was still there, simmering hot under my skin. But there was something else too. Something heavier. Resignation, maybe. The knowledge that this was my reality now. That I couldn’t control what Natascha did, couldn’t make her understand why this mattered, couldn’t change the fact that she’d always prioritize her platform over everything else.
I’d chosen her. I’d married her. These were the consequences.
I stared up at the sky for a long moment, dragging in air, hoping to cool the heat in my blood. The last thing I needed was to upset the girls after the day they’d had.
It took a few breaths, but finally feeling calm enough to deal with the girls, I shoved my phone back in my pocket and headed inside. The girls were at the kitchen table with Emily, who was wiping down the counter while they chattered at her.
They looked up when I walked in, and Alice’s face lit up. “Daddy! Can we have ice cream now?”
“After dinner, monster.”
“But we had mac and cheese!”
