Chapter 2
Owen pushed through the door with cold cheeks and a grin.
“I went all the way to Mrs. Ellis’s mailbox!”
I crouched in front of him.
“That’s a long ride.”
“I didn’t fall once.”
“I saw.”
He looked at Laura. Tears were still on her face.
“Mom, are you sad?”
She wiped her cheeks quickly. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
Owen considered that answer. Then he took her hand and placed it on the bicycle bell, showing her how loudly it rang.
I wanted to pull him away from the tension in the room. I also wanted to hear whatever Laura had been about to tell me.
I couldn’t have both at once.
I made pancakes. Owen talked through the entire meal about where he would ride when the weather got warmer. Laura cut his food into pieces she knew he could manage. We passed syrup across the table like any other Christmas morning.
When Owen went to build a block tower in his room, I asked Laura to finish what she had started.
She looked at the hallway.
“Jay told Owen he wanted to be around more,” she said.
“What does that mean?”
“He said things about you working nights. About being here when you weren’t.”
I gripped the back of a kitchen chair.
“Did you tell him he could talk to my son like that?”
“No. I told him to stop.”
“Did he?”
“I thought he did.”
I remembered Owen saying Uncle Jay knew about the bike. Had Jay promised it to him? Had Owen thought the bicycle came from Jay?
“Did Jay tell him he was taking my place?”
Laura shook her head, but she wasn’t certain. I could see it.
“I need to speak to Jay,” I said.
“I’ll call him.”
“I’ll call him myself.”
I stepped onto the back porch and dialed.
He answered on the second ring.
“Merry Christmas, man.”
“Did you stay in my house while I was at work?”
The silence lasted long enough for me to hear a car pass on the street.
“David,” he said, “let’s talk in person.”
“You can answer me now.”
“Yes.”
I shut my eyes. Hearing Laura admit it had hurt. Hearing his voice made it real all over again.
“Owen told me.”
Jay exhaled.
“I never meant for him to get caught up in it.”
“You told my son you’d be around more.”
“Laura and I were trying to figure out what to do.”
“You could’ve started by telling me.”
“I know.”
I ended the call before I said something Owen might hear through the kitchen window.
Inside, Laura was at the sink. I told her Jay had confirmed it.
She nodded without turning.
“I’m taking Owen to my brother’s this afternoon,” I said. “He was expecting us anyway. After that, you and I need to talk.”
“Are you taking him away from me?”
“No. I’m taking him to see his cousins on Christmas.”
She turned around. “Please don’t tell your brother before I get a chance to explain.”
“My brother won’t hear this from Owen.”
The words landed. Laura looked down.
I packed Owen’s new helmet and a few presents for my brother’s children. As I put his coat in a bag, I noticed a folded drawing on his dresser.
Three people stood outside our house. One was Owen, one was Laura, and one was a tall man with brown hair. I couldn’t tell whether the man was me or Jay.
Owen came in.
“Who’s this?” I asked as gently as I could.
“That’s you.”
Relief passed through me so fast it made me dizzy.
“Where am I going?”
“To see my bike.”
I hugged him. He wriggled free because he wanted to show me where he had drawn the bell.
At my brother Sam’s house, Owen disappeared into the living room with his cousins. Sam saw my face before I said a word.
He followed me to the kitchen.
“What happened?”
I told him enough.
Sam leaned against the counter. “Jay?”
I nodded.
He looked toward the living room. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”
“I might. I need to speak to Laura first.”
“Stay as long as you need.”
I watched Owen help his youngest cousin unwrap a toy. He was patient with her, holding the paper while she pulled the tape loose.
“I don’t know how to tell him,” I said.
“Tell him only what he needs to know. He’ll keep asking until he understands it wasn’t his fault.”
At six, I left Owen with Sam and went home. Laura was sitting at the kitchen table. Two cups of untouched tea stood between us.
“I called Jay,” she said.
“I know.”
“I told him not to come here again.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’d respect it.”
I sat across from her. “I need more than that.”
She told me when it began, how it had started with messages after Jay visited for Owen’s birthday, and when he first stayed over. She stopped twice to cry. I let her take her time, but I asked again when she skipped a question.
“Did you plan to leave me?”
“I thought about it,” she said. “I hadn’t decided.”
“Were you going to tell Owen before me?”
“No.”
“Then why did Jay talk to him about being here?”
“He got attached to Owen. Owen likes him.”
“That doesn’t give him the right.”
“I know.”
I looked at the clock. Owen would be eating dinner at Sam’s house. He would ask when I was coming back.
“I’m staying with Owen tonight,” I said.
Laura’s eyes filled. “Can I call him?”
“Of course. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and he loves you.”
I stood. She reached toward my hand but stopped before touching it.
At the door, I remembered her unfinished warning.
“What else were you going to tell me about Jay?”
May you like
Laura swallowed.
“He has a key.”
