Emma's Secret: A Novel

“Can we just try to play together? Please? Without any fighting or arguing?” She waited for the brief nod from Alexis before she noticed Peter standing in the doorway holding the coffee cups in his hands. He held one out to her.
    “Crisis averted?” he asked as she brushed by him. Megan shrugged her shoulders before sipping her coffee and heading to the sliding doors.
    “Coming outside?” she called over her shoulder. Peter still stood in the doorway, his back toward her as he watched the girls.Emma walked out of the room carrying the bin of toys, while Alexis dropped onto the couch and reached for the remote control.
    “Where’s Hannah?” Peter glanced over his shoulder at her. If she wasn’t shadowing Emma, then she could probably be found in her room listening to her music or reading a book. She said as much to her husband before she went on the porch and settled onto the porch swing.
    The gentle breeze in the air felt refreshing against her skin. Her chest and shoulders were probably burned, since she’d forgotten to apply sunscreen. No, she laughed to herself, she just hadn’t bothered.
    Peter stepped outside and headed her way. He eased down on the seat beside her and held the coffee between his hands. She caught sight of his wedding ring and thought about their marriage. The odds had been stacked against them. Families torn apart by a kidnapping rarely stayed together. She was very thankful they had made it this far. Their life wasn’t perfect, and their marriage was still shaky, but there was hope for them.
    “Did you find her?” Megan asked.
    Peter nodded his head. “She was on the phone with one of her friends. She’ll probably come down soon asking if she can play over at their house tomorrow.”
    Megan cocked her head. “Which one?” It was nice to see Hannah interacting with friends again.
    Peter shrugged. “Not sure. You should let her, though.” He took a sip of his coffee.
    Megan rubbed the back of her neck. “I wanted to thank you for not getting upset with me earlier today when I freaked out.” It meant a lot to her that he didn’t blame her for taking her eyes off Emma. More than she imagined it would.
    “Why would I have been upset?”
    “Because I wasn’t watching the girls like I should have been.” Megan raised her mug to her lips.
    Peter huffed and reached for her hand. “You can’t watch her every moment of the day. I know you feel like you have to, that you’re worried she’s going to disappear again. I worry too. But at some point, we have to let her…just be a kid.”
    Megan squeezed his hand. “I don’t know if I can. All I did was turn my back, and we ended up living in hell for two years, not knowing what happened to her. I’m not sure I can stop watching her. I need to make sure she’s always here, safe.”
    “I trust you, Megan.”
    Megan choked up at his words. Part of her didn’t feel worthy of his trust. She didn’t trust herself.
    “What’s going on with you and Alexis lately?”
    Megan struggled to follow his line of thinking. What was with the change in subject?
    “I don’t know. Maybe you should ask her.”
    “I have. But I’m asking you.” Peter unwound his fingers from hers and wrapped them around his coffee mug.
    “I don’t know, Peter. If I did, don’t you think I’d be doing everything I could to fix it?” Why did she get the feeling this conversation wasn’t going to go well?
    An uneasy silence settled between them. Peter leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His head hung down before he glanced up and studied her.
    “I actually don’t think you would.”
    Megan was jolted back at his words. Was he serious? How could he say that?
    “I think it’s easier for you to ignore what’s happening right in front of you. It’s what you’ve done for the past two years. You get so focused on one thing that you lose sight of everything else.”
    Megan’s lips widened in surprise. “That’s rich, coming from you. You’re hardly ever home, so how would you know?” Anger boiled inside of her. How dare he accuse her like that?
    Peter sat back and sighed. “You’re right. And I plan to change that. But Alexis talks to me, so I do know.”
    “Know what? That I’m a horrible mother? That I ignore her and give all my attention to Emma? That I’d rather put a Band-Aid on the rift growing between us than sit down and deal with it?” She leaned back and closed her eyes.
    The swing they sat in moved, and