He gave her a crooked little smile. “I’m your only boy.”
“True.”
With that, he got off her lap and continued building with his Lego.
Back in the present, Lainey wiped her eyes. When had she started crying?
She inhaled and exhaled a couple of times.
The knock hadn’t come yet. But it would.
And what could she possibly say that would make it any easier? He left without a word, and she was left holding the pieces, and the only one who paid the price was the little boy upstairs.
She’d sent letters.
He’d never answered.
Maybe they’d gotten lost or buried or shoved into a box with someone else’s name. Maybe he just didn’t want to read them or answer them.
She didn’t know.
All she knew was that they had a son. And whatever happened next, no matter how hard it got, she would never let Luke feel like he was a mistake.
CHAPTER 35
The next morning,Lainey peeked into Luke’s room just as he was tugging a T-shirt over his head.
“Hey, kiddo,” she said softly.
He turned, looking a lot better than the night before. “I feel better.”
She crossed the room and pressed a hand to his forehead, relieved to find it cool. “You sure?”
He nodded. “I want to go to school today. Teacher said we might have a pizza party.”
Lainey smiled. “Well, we definitely can’t miss that.”
Downstairs, she packed a lunch just in case. Normal things. Small things she could control. Although nothing in her life felt remotely normal right now.
Luke chattered through breakfast and thankfully didn’t ask about the men in the living room last night. She didn’t offer any information.
She drove Luke to school, gave him a hug, and watched as he disappeared into the building.
On the drive home, her stomach twisted with nerves. By the time she pulled into the driveway, she was sweating bullets even though the AC was on high.
She walked into the quiet house and closed the door behind her. Not knowing when Finn would show up or what frame of mind he’d be in bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
She glanced at the clock. Was it only eight thirty?
Lainey turned on the coffeepot. When it finished, she poured a cup but couldn’t drink it. Instead, she moved through the house, picking up, doing laundry, catching up on the little things she hadn’t gotten to the past weekend.
She was waiting for Finn’s updated report and kind of hoped he’d email it over.
However, that was a wish that wasn’t going to come true. Lainey knew he’d be over soon. She just didn’t know when.
And somehow that made it worse.
It was late morning when she heard three firm raps on the front door. Her heart lurched.
