Chapter 2 - What James Saw
James waited until we were home.
Emma was asleep in her crib.
The Christmas lights on our tree glowed softly across the living room.
Nothing about the room looked dangerous.
That almost made the conversation harder.
I sat across from him.
“What did you see?”
He leaned forward.
“Last spring.”
My stomach tightened.
“The barbecue at your parents’ house.”
I remembered it.
Emma had not been born yet.
I was seven months pregnant.
Lauren had brought her son, Tyler.
He was five.
“What happened?”
“I went around the garage looking for a cooler.”
James paused.
“Lauren was yelling at Tyler.”
“That isn’t unusual.”
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“But then she grabbed him by the arm and shoved him against the side of the car.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Not enough to injure him.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Tyler laughed afterward.”
I stared.
“What?”
“He looked at me and laughed.”
James’s expression hardened.
“Then he said, ‘Mom gets mad sometimes.’”
A cold feeling moved through me.
“That’s what Lauren always says.”
James nodded.
“Exactly.”
He had confronted her privately.
Lauren told him Tyler was throwing a tantrum.
She accused James of being judgmental because he did not understand what it was like to raise an older child.
Then she asked him not to tell me because I was pregnant.
“And you agreed?”
His face changed.
“I thought I was protecting you from stress.”
I stood.
“You kept this from me.”
“Yes.”
“James.”
“I was wrong.”
The answer stopped me.
No excuse.
No defense.
Just wrong.
He continued.
“I should have said something then.”
I sat back down.
“Does Tyler’s father know?”
“Mark?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know.”
Mark and Lauren had divorced two years earlier.
According to Lauren, he was selfish, unreliable, and barely interested in his son.
My family accepted her version.
We always accepted Lauren’s version.
That thought stayed with me.
“What if we’ve been wrong about Mark?”
James said nothing.
I picked up my phone.
It was almost midnight.
I searched for Mark’s number.
Then stopped.
“What?”
James asked.
“I don’t know what to say.”
He reached for my hand.
“Start with the truth.”
I called.
Mark answered on the fourth ring.
“Sarah?”
His voice sounded surprised.
“Is Tyler okay?”
I looked at James.
That question told me more than I expected.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I swallowed.
“Because Lauren hurt Emma tonight.”
Silence.
Then Mark said three words.
“Was she angry?”
May you like
My stomach dropped.
He already knew exactly what kind of question to ask.
