“I’m sorry, Rory. I don’t understand. I’m not like Evelyn.”
She signed again, more emphatically, and again, it was a mystery to me.
“How can I be a good father?” I muttered, more to myself than to her. “I can’t even talk to you. And apparently, I can’t talk to Anna, either.”
Aurora’s face fell, her eyes dropping to the floor. I felt like the world’s worst father for making her feel that sadness, and for being powerless to talk her through it.
I stood there, frozen in the middle of the room, my mind racing a million miles a minute but getting absolutely nowhere.
I kept waiting for a message from my lawyer, Janet, with an update from the private investigator searching for Eleanor. So far, nothing.
For days, I’d been asking myselfwhyEllie left the girls with me. But I realized that was the wrong question. It wasn't the most important one.
They were my daughters, too. Eleanor’s motives didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if she was ever found. Nothing would ever be the same because I was a father now. I needed tobea father to Anna and Aurora, no matter the circumstances.
Aurora stood up and walked over to the Christmas tree, studying it intently. After a moment, she came back, took my hand, and pulled me toward it. She pointed at the tree, then made a series of signs.
From her expression, it seemed like a question. But I was lost.
“You want to know something about the tree?” I asked. She nodded, then pointed to the boxes of decorations. “You want to know when we’ll decorate it?” Another nod. A flicker of stupid pride warmed my chest—we were communicating. “Today. When Evelyn gets back, she’ll help you and your sister decorate it.”
She tilted her head, a confused look on her face. Then she pointed directly at me.
“Me? You want to know ifI’llhelp?” She nodded vigorously. “Well… I have to go to the hospital as soon as Evelyn gets here.”
She pointed at herself, then mimed being lifted onto shoulders, and finally pointed to the top of the tree. And that time, I understood perfectly. She remembered yesterday. She remembered my promise that we would decorate the very top, together.
Without even realizing it, I had made her a promise.
“You know what?” I began. She was still looking at the tree, so I gently waved my hand to catch her attention. When her eyes met mine, a thought struck me: Anna was right. I could call her without my voice. I just had to learn how. “You’re right, Rory. My work is important. But I think making this tree beautiful is the most important thing I can do today.”
Her smile was instantaneous. It seemed to light up the entire room, outshining every unopened string of lights we had.
Chapter Nineteen
EVELYN
It seemed like everyone in New York had the same idea as me that day: a last-minute bank run before the holidays. The place was packed. I took a number and waited for nearly two hours before I was finally called.
The bank manager, however, treated me with a politeness and attention I’d never experienced before. I’d love to think that was their standard service, but I knew the $1.5 million—the first installment of Logan’s payment—now sitting in my account had a lot to do with it.
Most importantly, I finally paid off my crippling credit card debt. The manager even suggested some profitable investments for the considerable sum that remained. But all I wanted was to get out of there. I could decide what to do with the rest of the money another day, when the city was less frantic.
I took a taxi back to the Holloways’ house. Standing at the door, I rummaged through my purse for the key. I hadn’t cleaned it out in ages, and it was a disaster of conference business cards (why does everyone at those things hand them out?), flyers from the street, and general clutter. Finding a single key felt impossible.
I was about to give up and ring the bell when the door swung open.
Aurora stood there, a huge smile on her face and a Santa hat perched on her head.
I closed my bag and asked, using my voice and my hands, “How did you know I was here?”
She pointed to the small monitor inside that showed the security camera feed.
“Were you watching for me?” I asked. She nodded. “Why?”
Instead of answering, she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, leading me straight to the living room where the Christmas tree stood. The strings of lights were laid out on the floor, and Logan was untangling the last knotty strand.
“Oh, good, you’re back,” he said, looking up. “Rory was getting impatient. Now we can get started. But first, eat something. I ordered Chinese. If you don’t like it, we can order something else.”
