Emma's Secret: A Novel

drained.
    Peter grabbed the waist of her shorts. “I wish you’d listened to me when I told you not to go out this morning,” Peter admonished her. He peeled the shorts off her body.
    “I hate the treadmill.”
    The bed dipped as Peter knelt beside her. His arm snaked beneath her, and he lifted her up. She raised her arms as he pulled her shirt up over her head.
    “What did you do? Jump in the lake?” Peter chuckled at her as he worked her sports bra over her chest before throwing it across the room to their clothes hamper.
    “I thought it would help cool me down.” She opened her eyes and stared at her husband’s naked and chiseled chest. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body, unlike the pudginess that covered her midsection.
    “Wasn’t the Sunset Cafe open to at least fill your water bottle?”
    Megan shook her head. “It was too early.”
    Peter stepped off the bed and reached for her hands. He pulled her up and into his arms. “It’s going to be like this all week. Use the treadmill next time, okay?”
    Megan rested her head against his chest and nodded. She’d probably skip her runs for the next few days. Maybe she’d take the kids to the beach and just relax. She’d only been down to the beach once this summer, and it had turned out to be a mistake. Despite finding a quiet spot in the sand where they could build a sand castle, they’d quickly been swarmed by well-wishers wanting to welcome Emma home, and what should have been a calm afternoon turned into an overwhelming experience. Yesterday, Alexis had asked while they were making cookies if they could go back to the beach, and Megan said she’d think about it.
    Maybe she’d ask Laurie to join them to help keep an eye on the girls. On a day like today, the beach would be swarming with people. The lake breeze was refreshing in the humidity.
    “Do you think Emma is ready to try the beach again?” she muttered against Peter’s chest.
    He gently pushed her away and stared down at her. She tried to read the emotions in his gaze, but he quickly shut his eyes before leaning forward and placing a kiss on her forehead.
    “I think it wouldn’t hurt to try. And you know Hannah and Alexis would love it.”
    After their shower, Megan sat down on the bed and towel-dried her hair. She didn’t catch Peter’s words.
    “What did you say?” She lowered the towel into her lap and pushed her hair off her face.
    “I said Emma has a surprise for you downstairs.”
    Megan nodded. It was probably another picture. She was going to need to buy a new scrapbook soon, the way Emma was drawing her pictures. She picked up the towel again and squeezed the water from the ends of her hair.
    “We had a good talk the other night,” he said.
    She stopped and looked over at him. Peter had his towel wrapped around his waist as he stood in front of his closet looking for a shirt to wear.
    “And?”
    Peter shrugged. “That’s quite the little girl we have. I always wondered what type of child she would grow up to be, but I’m beginning to realize there is a layer of stubbornness beneath the layer of sweetness.”
    Megan smiled. He was only now realizing that?
    “I was able to make a deal with her, but only after some careful negotiating.”
    She nodded. “So you used your power of persuasion against your own daughter?” She wanted to laugh, but the look on his face told her he was serious.
    “She’s going to start wearing the clothes you bought her.”
    Megan’s grip on her hair tightened. “Seriously?” If she actually started to wear different clothes, that meant she was starting to accept the changes in her life.
    Peter nodded. “Just on Sundays, though. At least, that was the agreement. I figured if we started with one day a week, then it might progress into more. But she put on that skirt and tank top you bought her last week.”
    Megan’s eyebrow raised. “I’m shocked.” She’d seen the pink-and-yellow polka-dot skirt and a sunflower-yellow shirt in the local children’s store downtown and couldn’t resist. It screamed Emma.
    Peter sat down beside her on the bed. “It’s a good thing, right?” He stared down at his clenched hands in his lap. Megan reached over and laid her hand over his.
    “Yes, it’s a very good thing. This was one of the breakthroughs the counselor said might occur.” She took a deep breath and slowlylet it out. Might. Kathy had warned her it would be a slow process and not to expect major changes