Doing what needed to be done didn’t mean her heart wasn’t shattered by the loss of the man she’d loved so much. There’d been times, at the beginning, when she’d feared she might not survive losing him. But her boys had been there every morning, needing her to show up for them, and one day followed another, and she’d gotten through it somehow.
Since they’d been living on Gansett Island, she’d felt as if they’d turned a corner toward a future bright with promise. That was until Phil called to send her spiraling back to day one as if all the other days had never happened.
Enough was enough. That was the last call she’d ever take from him. She’d keep her promise to text him updates and photos of the boys, but otherwise, she would have no contact with him. She had full custody of their sons and felt it was the right thing to keep them away from Phil for now. Hopefully, when the boys were older, they’d be willing to entertain having their father back in their lives. That would be for them to decide when the time was right.
Her phone buzzed with a text.
I’m sorry. I love you. I always will.
If only she could block him and permanently remove him from her life, but for as long as their sons were minors, she’d be forced to remain in contact with him. The therapist had told her it was in the boys’ best interest to eventually repair their relationship with him. In the meantime, she was stuck in this emotional battlefield, never knowing when the next bomb would blow apart the fragile accord she’d found with her peace of mind.
She shook off her own problems to focus on the grenade that threatened to explode in Jared and Lizzie’s world, determined to do whatever she could to make sure her baby niece stayed exactly where she belonged.
* * *
Lizzie was on the floor, playing with Violet like she did every morning before her nap, when Jared came into the room, fresh out of the shower.
Sunshine had broken through the gray clouds and cast a warm, cozy glow on Violet’s playroom, which had become their favorite room in the house.
“There’s Daddy.”
Violet clapped her chubby hands and let out a squeal of excitement when she saw Jared coming toward them.
Lizzie could relate to that feeling as her heart did a happy jolt at the sight of her handsome husband.
“How’re my ladies doing?” he asked when he joined them on the floor.
Violet reached for him, and Jared scooped her up, making her squeal with laughter when he kissed the ticklish part of her neck.
Her daughter’s laughter was the most joyful sound Lizzie had ever heard. She could listen to it all day long.
Jared loved it, too, and went to great lengths to coax belly laughs from her.
They played for half an hour before Jared’s phone rang.
“It’s Auntie Kendall,” he told Violet. “Should we see what she’s up to?”
“Yayayayayayaya.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Hey, KJ, what’s up?” He listened for a second before nodding. “Of course. We’re here. Come on over. Sounds good. See you then.” After ending the call, he told Violet, “Yay, Auntie is coming to see us.”
“What’s she up to?” Lizzie missed having Kendall and the boys staying with them since they’d moved into a small house Ned Saunders had rented to them a few weeks ago. It was closer to the boys’ school and to the office Kendall shared with Dan Torrington, so the move made sense. But it was quiet in the house without them.
“She didn’t say. She just asked if she could stop by to see us.”
“She doesn’t have to ask.”
“I’ll remind her of that when she gets here.”
Violet entertained them with her toys and baby chatter until they heard Kendall come in through the kitchen door.
“Back here,” Jared called to his sister.
Right away, Lizzie could tell that her sister-in-law had been crying. “What’s wrong?”
“Several things.” Sighing, she sat on the footstool and held out her arms to take Violet from Jared. She kissed the baby’s cheek and gave her a hug as Kendall’s eyes filled.
