Emma's Secret: A Novel

bet you miss running around in the backyard the most.”
    Megan gripped the doorframe. Emma’s soft voice walloped her heart into tiny pieces.
    “I miss the fairy lights too. They were so pretty.”
    Fairy lights? This was the first time Emma had mentioned anything like that.
    “Hey, Emma?” Megan whispered into the room.
    “I miss Grandma’s muffins and her bread and the way she smelled. I think it’s ’cause she baked so much. I hope she’s happy in heaven now and gets to bake bread all day long. Maybe Papa is going to go see her soon. Then I’ll be sad, ’cause I’ll be all alone.” Emma’s head disappeared from view.
    Megan’s heart hurt. How could she think she’d be alone?
    “Emma?” Megan whispered again. She tried to make her voice louder but couldn’t. Her daughter didn’t hear her anyway. She seemed lost in her own little world.
    Megan took a step into the room. She could have been a ghost, silent and unseen. Daisy didn’t even notice her presence. On top of Emma’s bed was a notebook, one of many Megan had bought for her to draw pictures in. It lay open, and there was an image of a small yellow dog and a girl sitting outside with round red circles floating above them.
    As hard as she tried, Megan couldn’t get Emma to admit she remembered much of the day when she was taken. But deep down, that memory had to be there. She just knew it. Otherwise, shewouldn’t remember the red balloons they watched floating in the sky that day. They’d planned to take the girls to their town fair to celebrate Emma’s birthday, and instead spent the day searching for their lost daughter.
    Megan took in a deep breath. She was going to do something she’d thought of for a while now. She wasn’t sure whether she was ready for the reaction, though.
    “Hey, Emmie?” Megan kept her voice at the same low level as the previous times she’d called for her daughter. This time, Emma’s head lifted in response.
    As much as it hurt, Megan placed a smile on her face as her daughter smiled back at her.
    “It’s beautiful outside. Do you want to help me make some lemonade?”
    Megan stepped into the room as Daisy lifted her head from Emma’s lap. When Emma smoothed out her dress and wiped at the tears in her eyes, Megan knew that she couldn’t pretend Emma’s responding to her other name didn’t happen. Even though she wanted to. So she sat down on Emma’s bed, pushed the book out of the way, and held out her arms. When Emma crawled up into her lap, Megan rested her cheek against the top of her daughter’s head and struggled to find words.
    “What are fairy lights?”
    Emma’s body stiffened for a moment before she relaxed. “Grandpa put pretty lights in my room. They went from one corner to the next”—Emma pointed upward—“so I wouldn’t feel lonely.”
    Megan wrapped a strand of Emma’s hair around her fingers. She was talking about Christmas lights. “That was nice of him.”
    Emma nodded her head and sniffed. Daisy lay down across Megan’s toes and whined for attention.
    “You miss him, don’t you?”
    Emma nodded again.
    Megan lifted her daughter’s face so that she could look into her eyes. Teardrops hung from her long eyelashes.
    “Would you like some fairy lights in your room? I think we have some extra ones in the basement. Maybe you could help me hang them up?”
    Emma’s eyes widened before a smile stretched across her face. Megan cherished the moment Emma wrapped her arms around her. Every gesture, every smile, every hug would never be taken for granted. Never again.
    “It must be hard to have two names, isn’t it?” Megan kept the tone of her voice light.
    Emma’s lips tightened and her brows knotted together for a brief moment before she shook her head.
    “No? Are you sure?”
    A frantic look crept into her little girl’s face. Her eyes widened, her nose flared, and a tiny tremor swept through her body. “My name is Emma.”
    Daisy stood up and barked. Emma’s panic was palpable, and Megan hated herself for doing this to her little girl.
    “It’s okay, honey. Your name is Emma. But sometimes it can be Emmie too.” She paused for a few seconds. “Right?”
    Emma’s arms unwound themselves from around Megan’s body. Her shoulders tensed under Megan’s touch.
    “Only to Papa,” Emma whispered.
    Megan swallowed. Papa. Of course. He had a piece of Emma’s heart, and there was nothing Megan could do about it. No matter how hard she tried.
    “Did you know,