Chapter Eighteen
The following week, after staging a home down the street from her parents’ house, Lina stopped by for a quick visit. “Where’s Drew?”
“He’s a guest lecturer at Hopkins today. I really wish you’d stop calling him Drew. He’s your father. It’s disrespectful.”
“I went more than twenty years without seeing him,” Lina reminded her. “It’s hard to think of him as my father.”
“You call Phil’s father ‘Dad,’ and he’s not your father.”
“True, but he acted like my father.”
“But he’s not your father,” Alice said. “You have a father.”
“Okay. Let’s just drop this. I have enough stress in my life. This is so unimportant.”
“To you maybe, but I know it hurts your father’s feelings.”
Lina didn’t believe that for a second. She doubted Drew even noticed what she called him. “I’m meeting Liam next week.” Just saying it aloud increased her anxiety level. “He’s going to spend Friday night with us.”
“You haven’t met him yet?” Alice joined her at the kitchen table, setting a cup of tea before her.
“No, Mom. I would have told you if I’d met him. It’s just been hard with the kids and—”
“I’d like to meet him. Why don’t we have a family dinner? I’m sure your father and—”
“No,” Lina interrupted. “Not the first visit. After we’re used to him, I’ll invite everyone.”
“I don’t understand why you have to make such a big deal out of this,” Alice said.
“Because it is a big deal. Most normal people would think their husband having a baby with another woman is a big deal. So, can we just agree to disagree on whether or not it’s a big deal?” she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.
“Fine. I’m just trying to save you pain.”
“It’s too late for that.”
“Adele said they’d moved to the area.”
“Yes.”
“I know you’re upset about it, but my recommendation to you is to reach out and bury the hatchet. It isn’t good for you to hold on to this inner resentment.”
“I have zero desire to bury anything. I never want to see her,” Lina fumed. “She slept with my husband. She tried to destroy my marriage. And now she’s moved into my neighborhood.”
Lina’s first thoughts on the morning of her birthday were of Kim and the pictures Kim had sent her exactly one year ago. They would forever be associated with her birthday. She knew she would never be able to enjoy the day in the same way again. Phil had wanted to take her away for a couple of days, but with Liam’s upcoming visit that weekend and her new job starting the following Monday, she had too many loose ends to wrap up.
“You didn’t have to take the day off,” Lina told Phil when she found him in his study dressed in jeans and a sweater. He’d taken Logan to the bus stop earlier and woke her up with coffee and her favorite pastry. “I’m not even going to be here most of the day.”
“I will be,” he said, lifting his gaze from his computer display. “I need to finish putting the crib together and hang those shelves you bought.”
“I’m not afraid of her,” she said, knowing why he’d chosen to take the day off.
“Good.” He slid the chair back from his desk as she came up beside him, tugging her down into his lap.
“Did you talk to Megan about Liam?” She began to play with the hair at his nape.
“I did. She has too much going on to come up for the weekend. She’ll just meet him over Thanksgiving or when she’s home for Christmas. We need to talk to Logan and Katie.”
“We will tonight. Don’t expect a lot from Logan. He’s already said he isn’t going to be home when Liam comes over. I don’t think we should push—not at first, anyway.” She could see he wanted to argue, but he remained silent, probably because it was her birthday. “You’re getting grayer,” she said, her fingers trailing through the splattering of gray hair at his temples. “There’s a lot right around here.”
“I’m getting old.”
“You wear it well,” she said, thinking of how handsome he looked.
“I wear you well.” He curved his hand around the back of her head.
***
It was after nine when they arrived home from Lina’s birthday dinner. To Phil’s relief, Kim had been silent. Although Lina had claimed not to be afraid of Kim, Phil knew the memory of her previous birthday had weighed on her mind. He’d felt anger at Kim in waves throughout the day as he, too, relived the nightmare from the previous year. It was the anniversary of the night Lina had spent with Nick Drayton, and while he believed her that nothing had happened, the memory of her walking into Drayton’s town house while he stood on the porch still felt like a punch to his stomach.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Phil said to Logan and Katie when they all came into the house from the garage. “Your mom and I need to talk to the two of you.”
“You’re not going to tell us you’re getting a divorce again, are you?” Katie asked.
“No!” Phil and Lina said in unison.
“Good, because Mom’s birthday would be a really weird time to tell us. Last year it was the day after and—”
“Katie, enough!” Phil said. “We’re not getting a divorce.”
“Fine. You don’t have to get angry about it.” She dropped down in a chair beside Logan at the kitchen table. “It wasn’t like it was an unreasonable conclusion.”
Katie was right. They’d sat them down in the exact same spot a year ago to tell them they were separating. “Let’s do this in the living room,” he said, touching Lina’s arm before she sat down.
“Wait,” she whispered to him when he began to follow the kids toward the front of the house. “Let me tell them. I think it’s important that they know it’s my idea.”
“I’m sure you’ve both noticed that your dad and I have been transforming the guest room upstairs into a nursery,” she began. “Dad finished putting the crib together today, which was the final piece. We’re planning to have Liam spend the night this Friday.”
“I’m not going to be here,” Logan said, getting to his feet.
“Sit down,” Phil said shortly, anger rushing to his chest.
Logan hesitated for a fraction of a second before dropping back down onto the couch beside Katie. He was leaning forward with his knees spread wide and his elbows resting on his thighs.
“He’ll be here from about six Friday until five on Saturday. Nothing is expected of either of you. It would be nice if you could be here, but if you’re not ready that’s your prerogative.”
“You’re not going to expect me to babysit, are you?” Katie asked. “I want to meet him, but I’m—”
“No,” Lina interrupted. “No one is asking you to babysit. Dad has a limited time with him, and—”
“Can I go?” Logan interrupted.
“Let her finish, Logan,” Phil said.
Lina touched Phil’s thigh, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “I’m done.”
Logan jumped up and left the room.
Phil had to fight the urge to follow him. He was acting like a spoiled child.
“It’s okay,” Lina said, patting his thigh. “Baby steps.”
“I think he’s jealous,” Katie said. “He likes being your only son.”
“I think it may be a little more complicated than that,” Lina said.
“I don’t,” Katie continued. “If Liam was a girl he’d be fine.”
“I don’t like that we’re letting him leave,” Phil said to Lina as they got ready for bed. “He’s part of this family. You can’t just pick what parts you like.”
“I think this situation is a little out of the ordinary, don’t you?”
“We’re still his family. You’re letting him abandon the family. I’m not sure what kind of message that’s sending him. You don’t just bail when you don’t like a situation. He shouldn’t think it’s an option. We’re teaching him to be man, not a boy.”
“He’s upset. And I think Katie’s partially right. He feels threatened by Liam’s existence.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He yanked back the comforter.
“It doesn’t matter if you think it’s ridiculous,” Lina said, slipping off her robe before getting into bed. “It’s what he’s feeling.”
“I told him a year ago that no one could ever replace him.”
“Maybe you need to tell him again. He’s sensitive. You seem to keep forgetting that.”
“I think you babied him too much.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous. He isn’t you. Stop expecting him to act the way you think he should act. He’s his own person and a pretty extraordinary person at that.” She rolled over on her side, away from him.
“Hey. Don’t get mad at me.” He gently cupped her shoulder and tugged her backward. “We’re just talking.”
“He needs time, Phil,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be a rush. Liam isn’t going anywhere.”
“How much time?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just take it one visit at a time. But he has a big heart. He’ll eventually come around.”