Page 68 of Since the Day We Wished

“Of course,” Luke said. “Now, can you tell me what happened?”

After the principal explained what had taken place in Emma’s classroom, Luke’s veins bulged in his neck. He glared at his son as if he didn’t even know him. The principal hadn’t decided yet on what Jeremiah’s punishment would be but told Luke he would be the first to know.

“I’m so sorry about all of this, Mr. Kennedy. Is Ms. Wright still here?” Luke asked as they got up to leave.

“She went home for the day.”

He nodded and left the office as Jeremiah followed behind. Luke marched out of the building in furious silence, his steps quick, not speaking a word to Jeremiah until they got into the Range Rover.

“I need you to tell me why, Jeremiah. Why did you do that to Emma?”

“You lied to me! When I got the lunch money, your phone went off. I saw the texts from her and the stupid bracelet you gave her! How could you forget about Mom?”

Luke turned to his son, flabbergasted. “I could never forget about your mom. That couldn’t be farther from the truth—”

Jeremiah interrupted Luke before he finished. “Now it all makes sense. I know why you’ve been out late all these nights. You never really loved Mom, did you?

Luke couldn’t believe the words coming out of Jeremiah’s mouth. And what he said about Kate hit him like a physical blow that had knocked the wind out of him. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in the calmest tone he could manage, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Jeremiah, you’ve got it all wrong. I loved your mom more than anything. We moved down here because your mom always wanted us to live on the Georgia coast. I wish I would’ve told you earlier about me and Emma, but—”

“Just stop! Okay? You know what? When I move out next year, you’ll never hear from me again!” Jeremiah shouted at him. “I hate you!”

As Luke guided the car into the driveway, a wave of helplessness fell over him. Each pebble crunching under the tires was like a physical representation of his faltering relationship with his son.

“Son, I know you’re hurting,” he said in a gentle tone. “I promise we can work through this. I never intended for you to find out this way.”

“Don’t ever call me your son again. Leave me alone. We’re done. I don’t want to talk to you or have anything to do with you.” Jeremiah hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him.

The abrupt slam of the car door echoed like a thunderclap in Luke’s ears, its reverberations a stark reminder of the rift that had split open between him and his son. Jeremiah’s words, bitter and seething with resentment, replayed in his mind, each syllable piercing his heart like shards of glass, amplifying the echoes of his son’s final words: “We’re done.” The stark finality of those words sent chills down his spine. His heart ached, and he found himself at the crossroads of disbelief and regret, grappling with the harsh reality that his actions had led them here.

Yet amidst the turmoil of emotions, a sense of urgency nudged at him—the need to check on Emma. As much as his heart was breaking for his relationship with his son, he couldn’t forget the storm that Jeremiah had left in his wake at the school. Guilt twisted in his gut as he recalled the sequence of events. Emma was caught in the crossfire of a situation she didn’t create and didn’t deserve. He had an obligation, a duty, to mend what could be mended.

Without another moment’s hesitation, he reversed the car out of the driveway and headed toward Emma’s cottage. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, or if he had the words to comfort her, but he knew he had to try. Luke only hoped his words would be enough to make things right again.

Chapter 33

Emma

As Emma approached her quaint cottage, a wave of unfamiliarity washed over her. It was unlike her to return so early, and even her beloved companion Riley seemed taken aback by her sudden appearance. The dog lay asleep in his bed, only stirring awake when Emma shut the door behind her. With a wag of his tail, Riley bounded over to greet her, offering the type of comfort that only an animal could provide.

Emma set her keys and purse down on the living room table before making her way to her bedroom. The clothes she had worn that day, a pencil skirt and blouse, now seemed suffocating and restrictive. She needed to escape their constraints and the painful memories they held. Quickly changing into a comfortable, oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, she gathered her long hair into a messy bun, desperate to erase any traces of the hurtful words Jeremiah had spoken to her earlier.

Emma sunk to the floor, leaning against her bed, and closed her eyes. Riley sensed her distress and sat by her side, placing his paws on her lap, and licked her face. She reached up with both hands and rubbed behind his ears as she leaned her head on him.

“Thanks, boy. I love you too.”

This wasn’t the first time Riley had been there for her. Many times, Chad had left her in tears, especially on their anniversary when he served her with divorce papers. Riley was a constant for Emma and had a charming way about him that always brought her reassurance.

Her mind raced as her thoughts tumbled over one another, unable to slow them down. Emma’s deepest fear had been confirmed: Jeremiah had discovered the truth about her and Luke and he was far from accepting it. The future she had envisioned with Luke crumbled, leaving her heart aching with the weight of reality. As if that weren’t enough, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the entire town was aware of the events that transpired in her classroom today.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Riley barked and sprinted to the door. Emma stood up and followed behind him. Who could be knocking? Who even knew she was home? She didn’t want to talk to anyone.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Emma stepped over to one of the front windows and pulled back the curtain only enough to peek outside. It was Luke. Of course, it was Luke. He’d probably already gone up to the school and heard about everything that had happened.

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