Emma's Secret (20 page)

“No, Meg, you’re the best mother I know. We just have a very sensitive daughter who is feeling neglected. And we’re both at fault. I think we assumed that our family would be completely healed with Emma being home. And that hasn’t exactly happened yet.”

No, they weren’t healing the way they should be. Megan knew that. Maybe it was because she thought it would happen in time and was too focused on helping Emma. That was her fault. The family wasn’t on the top of her priority list, and that was where she was failing as a parent.

“You ever feel like no matter how much you try, no matter how much you change, it’s never going to be enough?” She cleared her throat and wiped away the tears that trickled down her face.

Peter wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

“All the time.” He leaned his head against hers. “Maybe it’s because we’re both trying to do it on our own instead of together.”

That was the problem. They weren’t together in this. Instead of standing beside her and dealing with the attitude she was getting from Alexis, he stood there and watched, and then blamed her for not caring enough to actually deal with the issues. She wasn’t blind.
She saw how angry her daughter was, how hurt she felt. She was just at a loss on how to handle it anymore. Nothing she did was good enough.

But instead of telling Peter this, Megan kept quiet. Just one more battle she wasn’t ready to face. One more battle she wasn’t ready to lose.

Maybe, if she left it alone and gave it more time, the issue between them would heal itself. Wishful thinking, but right now, that was all she had enough strength for.

M
egan rushed around the house, cleaning an already spotless kitchen, entranceway, and family room. When Sherri arrived, they sat outside on the back deck and let the kids play.

There was an awkward silence as the two women sat at the patio table. Hannah and Alexis were at friends’ houses, and the women’s eyes were on Emma and Marie, who played with Daisy on the grass. The peals of laughter coming from both girls filled the backyard. Megan wished she could bottle and keep that sound forever.

She caught the sidelong glances Sherri gave her, but she wasn’t ready to start the conversation. Megan crossed her legs and rubbed her fingers. She was thankful that the woman was waiting for her to be ready, except Megan wasn’t sure she ever would be.

“Your daughter is beautiful.” Megan finally broke the silence.

Sherri nodded. “Thank you. She’s a real treasure.”

Megan poured fresh iced tea into their glasses. Her hands shook. Here was the one person who could answer the multitude of questions she had, so why couldn’t she think of even one?

“I’m sure you have so many questions to ask and you’re not sure where to start.” Sherri raised her glass and took a sip.

The compassion in her eyes was almost Megan’s undoing. She gazed out at the girls and watched how they played.

Megan cleared her throat a few times and then rubbed at the base of her neck. She asked the one question that meant more than the world to her: “You mentioned at the beach that Emma was quiet…”

Sherri’s shoulders relaxed as a smile crossed her face. “Very, but every time I saw her, there was a smile on her face.”

Megan cocked her head. “But how quiet? Did she talk much or was she just shy?”

When Sherri pursed her lips, there was a tightening in Megan’s heart. This was it. This was the bad news she’d anticipated. This was the nightmare she didn’t want to know but needed to hear—that Emma hadn’t been fine during those two years when she had been kidnapped.

“She was lonely. I try to stay tuned to children’s moods. Emma always had a smile on her face and a light in her eyes, but you could tell she was sad. I thought it was her lack of friends, so I would ask Dorothy all the time if Emma could come over and play. But now…now, when I look back, I know she was missing you. I wish—we didn’t move in until last summer—but I wish I had realized sooner what had happened.” Sherri reached out and covered Megan’s hands. “I’m so sorry.”

Megan shook her head. “Don’t apologize. Please. You were the one who made it possible for Emma to come home to us. And you gave her a friend. Please don’t ever apologize.” Tears gathered in her eyes as she squeezed Sherri’s hand. She owed this woman the world.

“The girls get along really well,” Sherri said. “You almost wouldn’t know they haven’t seen each other for a while.”

Megan leaned back in her chair. “Did you spend much time with the family who took Emma?” She wasn’t sure if she really
wanted to know whether they were the monsters she’d made them out to be.

Sherri scooted her chair back and crossed her legs. “Not much. I invited them over for some homemade iced tea once, but I don’t think it was one of Dorothy’s good days, and with all the kids running loose in my home, I’m afraid our visit was cut short.”

“So you didn’t see them much?”

“Oh, no, I saw them lots.” Sherri pulled her hair into a ponytail before taking another sip of her drink. “Dorothy was always out in her vegetable garden, and Jack could usually be found puttering around their yard. Emma was always outside, especially after Daisy arrived. I don’t think she watched much television at all.” She frowned. “Not like my own daughter.” Megan was startled by the intense look in Sherri’s eyes.

“Megan,” she went on, “they loved her. You could see it. I rarely ever saw her cry, and I never heard a harsh word spoken to her or saw them discipline her. I know Jack…”

Megan’s look silenced Sherri. She didn’t want to go there. She didn’t want to discuss those people with Sherri. All she cared about was Emma and whether she’d been okay.

She took a deep sigh and let the tension in her shoulders release. The sounds of the girls’ laughter washed over her, and Megan realized that she needed to look beyond the last two years and toward the future. She had to stop holding on to the hurt she nursed deep in her heart.

“Thank you.” Megan smiled at Sherri. “You brought my daughter back to me, and you…” Megan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “you’ve eased my heart. My number-one concern has always been that she was unhappy or treated poorly. I might never forgive them for what they did, but I can be thankful that they loved her in their own way.”

Sherri just smiled at her before leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “I wonder what those two are whispering about.”

Megan turned her attention back to the girls. They were huddled close together. Marie’s eyes were wide and a smile grew across her face moments before she reached out and swallowed Emma in a hug. The girls rocked back and forth for a few moments before Daisy got involved and jumped all over them.

A sense of peace settled in Megan’s heart. Seeing her daughter act as any other little girl proved to her that despite everything, she really was okay. Inviting someone over from a past Megan knew nothing about was okay. It didn’t hurt and didn’t push her daughter back to a time she wished they could forget. Instead, there was laughter in her daughter’s voice and life in her eyes.

If having secrets with her little friend was the result of this, then yes, it was okay.

S
ome days, Megan wished Laurie lived closer. On hot days like today, it would be nice to just hop over the fence and take a dip in her pool without having to pack things up and drive everyone over in the car. A few weeks ago, Laurie suggested she leave towels, sunscreen, and pool toys in her deckhouse instead. It made sense, since Megan and the kids practically lived there during the summer days.

Hannah sat in the front seat beside Megan, holding a tray of iced coffees and smoothies. The street Laurie lived on was full of potholes, forcing Megan to carefully weave her way. Laurie lived in the older section of Kinrich, where the Victorian homes were either falling apart or being renovated. Her street was scheduled to be repaved in the fall, but that didn’t help Megan much at the moment.

“Does Laurie have visitors today?” Hannah asked.

“I hope it’s someone with kids.” Alexis leaned forward and yanked on Megan’s seat.

Megan pulled up to the curb and saw a two-door car in Laurie’s driveway that she didn’t recognize. She followed the girls up the walkway and to the side of the house; then she slipped the lock of the wooden gate open and let the girls pass her by as they headed toward the pool.

Laurie’s backyard was gorgeous. If anyone had a green thumb, it was her best friend. Compared to her own house, where chaos reigned, Laurie’s historical showplace home, with its award-winning English garden, was a peaceful oasis. Megan would be lying if she said she didn’t envy her best friend’s life. Laurie did bookkeeping part-time out of the comfort of her home, with the ability to make her own hours. Megan loved being a stay-at-home mom and taking control of the Safe Walks program, but there were times she missed doing the books for Peter and working alongside him as they built up his real-estate business.

“Can we go in, Mom?” Alexis was in the process of flinging her flip-flops to the side and stood poised on the edge of the pool, ready to dive in.

“First, I need to let Laurie know we’re here. You know the drill, guys.” Megan lifted Emma’s shirt and wiggled it over her head. Emma threw it on one of the white wicker chairs by the pool and dipped her toes in the water. Hannah rummaged in a bin off to the side of the pool and pulled out water toys and Emma’s water wings.

Megan slipped off her flip-flops and pushed open the sliding door into Laurie’s spotless kitchen. With a quick glance over her shoulder to ensure none of the girls were swimming yet, she headed into the house.

As she rounded the corner from the kitchen to the front hallway, the smile on her face fell until her mouth gaped open. If Laurie’s eyes had been open, she would have noticed Megan standing there in shock, but they weren’t. Her eyes were closed and her lips were joined to the one man who had stood by Megan’s side while Emma had been missing.

Megan’s heart stopped for what seemed like an eternity as she watched her best friend wind her fingers through the black curly locks of Riley Thompson’s hair.

Images flashed through Megan’s mind of a similar scene. Except she stood in Laurie’s place, with her own fingers threaded through Riley’s hair as his lips hovered over hers…

She should call out to Laurie and Riley and let them know she was there. She should make some noise, clear her throat, or do something else. Anything else. Anything that would disrupt the scene she couldn’t ignore.

“Laurie,” Megan finally managed to whisper while clutching the bag in her hands tight. She knew her cheeks flamed bright red as she bit her lip, waiting for that awkward moment she knew was about to occur.

Time stood still as Laurie unwound her fingers from Riley’s head and shoved herself away from him. She blinked a few times before she looked up.

Megan wasn’t sure who was more embarrassed.

“Meg…”

“Um, I just wanted to let you know”—Megan pointed behind her—“that we were here, but um…” She swallowed before taking a step backward. “I think we’re actually going to leave.”

The silence in the room was overwhelming. Riley cleared his throat and took a step toward Megan, who in turn took another step back. She struggled to grab hold of the handle to the sliding door.

“Megan, don’t go…” Laurie called out behind her.

“Girls, change of plans. Let’s go get some ice cream.” She slipped her flip-flops back on and grabbed the purse she’d laid down on the patio table. Ignoring the drinks she’d placed there earlier, Megan
slipped her purse onto her shoulder, her knuckles turning white around the strap.

“But—” Alexis planted her hands on her hips and was about to argue but stopped. Megan wasn’t sure why, but she was thankful for whatever it was that made her girls reach immediately for their things and follow her without question back to her vehicle. It was all she could do to breathe and not allow the wash of emotions to drown her.

“Megan, stop. Please?” Laurie called to her from the front porch, wringing her hands as Megan struggled to process what had just happened.

“Are you okay?” Hannah slipped her hand into Megan’s as they neared the Jeep.

Megan bit her lip and nodded. She opened the doors and waited for the girls to climb inside before she made her way to the driver’s side. She kept her eyes down, refusing to look back at the house. She didn’t want to see the look in Laurie’s eyes right now, didn’t want to hear any excuses. And she certainly didn’t want to know if Riley stood beside her.

She wished the last five minutes of her life had never happened.

When the bedroom door clicked shut, Megan sank to the floor. She drew her knees up to her chest, buried her head in her arms, and gave in to the sobs she’d held back for the last forty-five minutes.

The memory of her best friend’s arms wrapped around a man Megan had once desired tore her apart. A heaviness settled over her as memories flooded of her own infidelity. No matter what anyone else said, she’d betrayed her husband with that one kiss. She knew it. Riley knew it, and even Peter knew it.