Emma's Secret: A Novel

her little girl thought she’d had to come alone.
    “It’s not fair, Laurie. After everything she’d been through…” Megan pressed her lips tight.
    Laurie reached out, and Megan held tight to her hand.
    “No, it’s not. But it’s time to stop forcing Emma to forget the last two years of her life just because you can’t forgive.”
    Laurie was right. And so was Peter. Was she the only one blind to what Emma was going through? Was she the only one not listening to what Emma had been saying all along?
    “I don’t know if I can, Laurie. How do I welcome her kidnapper into our lives? I shouldn’t have to.”
    Laurie shook her head. “But you’re not. That’s her Papa she’s sitting with, Meg. There’s a difference.”
    Megan toyed with her coffee cup until she noticed Emma standing beside her.
    “Hi.” Megan twisted in her chair and helped Emma climb onto her lap. “Do you want to talk?” She kept her voice calm. All she wanted to do was hold Emma close and forget the rest of the world existed.
    Emma nodded. Her eyes were wide and solemn, and she wrung her hands together in her lap.
    “I’m sorry, Mommy,” she whispered.
    Megan wrapped her arms around her daughter and held tight.
    “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was scared, honey. I didn’t know where you were.”
    Emma turned and placed both of her hands on Megan’s face. “I was right here with Papa. I was safe.”
    Megan sighed. She reached for Emma’s hands and planted kisses on her palms. “But I didn’t know that, honey. It’s not safe to leave the house without telling me, okay?”
    Emma gazed over at Peter and then Jack. “You’re not mad?”
    Megan bit her lip. She was terrified. Worried she was making the wrong decision. Peter waited for a signal from her, a sign that all was okay. She couldn’t give that. Not yet.
    “Not at you, honey. Never at you.”
    How could she be angry with her five-year-old? Could she blame Emma for wanting to see her Papa? No. But she was furious with Peter for allowing it to happen.
    A seed of doubt sprouted in her heart. As much as she wanted, she couldn’t place all that blame on Peter either. Some of it, yes. He should have talked with her first. He should have told her, even if he knew how she’d respond.
    She wanted to hate Jack. She wanted to erase him from every aspect of Emma’s life even knowing that doing so made her look like a monster. But what she wanted to do and what she would do were two different things. They had to be.
    “Mommy?” Emma’s timid voice reached out and wrapped itself around Megan’s heart. “Mommy, can I go and sit with Papa again?”
    Megan’s heart ached as she listened to the sliver of hope enter her daughter’s voice. She opened her mouth and tried to think of an alternative to tempt Emma with. But her mind was blank.
    All she could do was nod and watch her daughter walk away. It hurt, more than she wanted to admit. Megan looked away. She counted under her breath, trying to calm herself enough to sit and watch Emma with
that…that…
Megan sighed. With Jack. Even saying his name hurt.
    “Megan,” Laurie whispered to her. “Megan.” Her voice, more insistent, had Megan glancing up. Laurie was staring beyond her shoulder. Megan half-turned in her seat to find Emma standing there, her hands clasped in front.
    “What’s up, honey?”
    Something like a smile flitted across Emma’s face. “I just wanted to say I love you.” She lunged toward Megan and wrapped her tiny arms around Megan’s neck.
    The constricting band that was wrapped tight around Megan’s heart loosened. As long as she had this, nothing else mattered. Nothing. Not her insecurities, not her fears, and not her anger.
    As she wound her own arms around Emma and held her close, she caught Peter’s gaze. A soft smile spread across his face as he watched her.
    After today, their lives were never going to be the same and Megan wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
    M egan sat out on the back porch and waited for Peter to join her.
    He’d wanted to come home to talk things over earlier in the day, but Megan needed time to process what had just happened. Her emotions were too fresh, and nothing would have been resolved.
    But she didn’t stew all day either.
    Laurie ended up taking both Hannah and Alexis out on their girls’ date, while Megan and Emma stayed home during the day. Things were quiet, with Emma playing in the backyard with Daisy while Megan cleaned