Emma's Secret: A Novel

again.
    This time she didn’t stop herself. She grabbed the phone and read the message.
    She needs to know.
    The phone fell out of her hand, hit the corner of the counter, and dropped to the floor. A sick tumult of emotions swirled inside of her as she repeated the words over in her mind. Her chest ached, and her heartbeat quickened until she felt like she was running a marathon. She shouldn’t have looked. Prying never turned out well. She knew that. Oh God, why did she look?
    A creak on the floorboards from the hallway shot through the house like a gunshot. Megan jumped and quickly bent to pick up the phone. Halfway down, she realized her hands shook. She grabbed the phone and slid it across the counter back to where the half-filled popcorn bowl sat and whirled around to greet Peter with a smile.
    “I was just about to bring you a piece of Jan’s pie.” She plastered a smile on her face and hid her trembling hands behind her back as she watched Peter approach.
    “I’ve been waiting for this all night. What took you so long?” He bent down and inhaled the coconut cream aroma before dipping his finger in the whipped cream on his piece and scooping up a large portion. “Want a taste?” he asked, his voice husky with emotion Megan didn’t understand, especially after the text message she’d read.
    Instead of responding, she reached across to grab his phone and handed it to him. “You have a text.” She busied herself by grabbing the dirty water glasses and placing them inside the dishwasher. She waited to see whether Peter would say anything to her, but he’d just set the phone back down on the counter and was eating his pie instead.
    “Who texted you?” The question rushed out before she had a chance to bite her lip. She reached for her pie and sank her fork into the creamy center.
    His brow furled as he looked up from his pie. “Just Sam. Why?”
    Megan shrugged. “Just wondering why she would text you so late at night.” She feigned indifference. Or at least she tried to. Peter must have caught a tone to her voice.
    “Did you read it?”
    Megan raised the fork to her mouth. “Do I need to?” What she should have said was yes. So why didn’t she? Why not just admit she read it and have him explain her fears away?
    Maybe because she wanted him to be truthful without forcing it out of him.
    Peter shook his head. “No. It’s just about a deal we’re working on. I was going over the numbers after the girls were in bed and had some questions for her.”
    Although the slight hesitation in his voice was barely discernible, she caught it. There was something he wasn’t telling her. Something he didn’t want her to know. A flash of uncertainty crossed his face, so she swallowed her words and took another bite of the pie that crumbled like dust in her mouth.
    She set her pie down. She’d leave it for the morning. “How was your night with the girls? Any problems getting Emma to bed?” Peter didn’t seem to notice the change in her voice, or that she’d discarded the pie, something she rarely ever did.
    Peter finished his pie and then leaned against the island. “Everything was good. They were up late, so hopefully they’ll sleep in.”
    Megan chuckled. “You’re kidding, right? Emma is always up at the crack of dawn.” She yawned at the thought. Sleeping in would be nice, though.
    Peter stepped toward her and placed his hands on her waist. “Is Sleeping Beauty tired?”
    Megan let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding as his hands touched her. She forced herself to relax. She shrugged her shoulders and yawned again. “It’s a little past my bedtime,” she admitted.
    He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her lips. “Why don’t you go on up to bed, and I’ll put the pie away.”
    Megan glanced down at the pie and then back up into Peter’s eyes. Were there ulterior motives to his offer? Was he going to text Sam back?
    “Will you be long?”
    He must have caught her glancing down at his phone. He picked it up and held it out face-first so that she could see him hold the power button until it turned off. He then replaced the pie in the box and found a place inside their overstuffed fridge. Megan continued to stand there, just watching her husband. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but knowing he kept a secret from her bothered her. More than it should. What if he was telling her the truth? What if she was reading into it more than there was?
    Peter