“When did you start to remember?” Rob asked as he took another turn.
Rain was pounding so hard against the windshield that the wipers barely looked like they were working.
“I was having dreams. I didn’t…I didn’t realize that they were actually memories.”
James’ parents had sold their house after the divorce. I remembered being sad about it because it meant James’ tree house would disappear. We had visited it one more time before the house went on the market. He assured me that he wasn’t going to miss it. And that maybe one day we’d have a house with a yard and that he’d build a tree house for Scarlett. I absentmindedly touched my stomach. Liam now too. The thought made me feel sick. Part of me wanted to tell Rob to drive toward the hospital instead, but I had a feeling that right at this moment my husband needed me more than my baby. I felt drawn to the outskirts of the city. The sprawling lawns and ornate houses. James was here. Somewhere.
“How long has your mother been back in town?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t even realize that she was. James knew I guess.” He kept his eyes on the road.
James knew.I wondered if he missed her. If he ever thought about forgiving her. She had never even met Scarlett. My heart felt like it was breaking. What if she never got a chance to meet Liam? I blinked away my tears as I stared out the window.
“Do you remember me then?” Rob asked.
I knew he was trying to lighten the mood. I turned to look at him and it was like I saw flashes of our past. Which contained a lot of me playfully shoving his shoulder and him cheesing way too hard. “Yeah. You’re the brother that makes me laugh until my stomach hurts.”
A smile spread across his face. “The better brother.”
“That’s debatable.”
He laughed. “No, it’s a fact.”
“Riiiiight.” I bit the inside of my lip. He really was good at making me laugh. So maybe he could tell me about Liam in a way that wouldn’t make me feel like throwing up. “How’s Liam doing?”
All I could hear was the rain on the windshield again.
“I don’t know, Penny. But he’s a fighter.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “Like both his parents.”
