Page 50 of His Loving Wife

“I’m sorry.” Willow begins to cry.

“Go to your room.”

She wanders down the hallway and slams the door. Moments later, Noah follows her trail, scampering to his own room.

“Don’t you think that was a little harsh?” I ask Andrew.

“She needed to hear it. This vacation is about creating happy memories together.” He stomps toward our bedroom, but I still hear him mutter, “She has no right to ruin it.”

Andrew is ignoring the fact he’s nursing his own hangover, incurred earlier in the day in response to his own failures on the boat. He’s trying to be a disciplinarian, but our biggest concern right now isn’t Willow.

It’s Paul.

He might not have taken her tonight, but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t followed us here. I’ve thought I saw him twice in the past week, and after finding the jammer, I’m convinced he’s found us. He’s watching our every mistake, waiting for his next opportunity.

Andrew and I are going to have to work together to make sure he never gets it.

Chapter 25

Now

I only managed a few hours’ sleep.

Knowing Willow was home and safe made me grateful, but the aftershock of those other emotions continued to pulsate: my adrenaline as I raced through the house to find her, my anger when she returned smelling like sour booze, my disbelief that Andrew was so obstructive during the entire ordeal. Most acutely, my fear remained. I thought Paul had finally found a way to take my little girl away from me.

Beside me, Andrew rolls around in the bed, wrestling with his own hangover. At home, his drinking has improved. He’s only drunk sporadically on vacation, but yesterday he imbibed too much, reminding me of his behavior from a few months ago. I’d confront him about it, but I already know what he’ll say.He’s bothered by what happened on the boat, as though the unfortunate events in life give him a free pass to behave however he wants.

Thinking back to that afternoon, I shudder. In the past few days, I feared I’d lose Noah to the ocean and Willow to Paul.

Andrew rolls over, facing me with squinted eyes. “I’m sorry.”

It’s not the first phrase I was expecting to hear. “For what?”

“For how I acted yesterday. I ignored you and the kids and had too much to drink.” He leans up on his forearms, turning to block out the sun beaming in through the window. “And I was too harsh on Willow last night.”

I’m still bothered by yesterday, but his apology causes a blooming feeling in my chest. “Believe me, I’m angry with Willow, too. I just think we have to make sure our conversations with her are productive, and if you’re yelling and shaming her, she’s not going to register anything positive we have to say.”

“You’re right.” He leans up further. “I’ll apologize to her for how I reacted, then we’ll have a serious conversation.”

“Good.” I cross my arms. “And about the other stuff, what happened on the boat was hard on all of us. I understand you’re coping, I just wish you didn’t feel the need to pull away from us when you’re upset. I wish you could talk to me.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do right now.” He puts his hand over mine. “I’m so, so sorry Kate. I don’t mean for you to feel like you’re having to do everything on your own all the time. Believe me, I want nothing more than for our family to thrive together. Not apart.”

The blossoming in my chest continues, and I realize it’s reassurance. He’s continuing to try. He might have his setbacks—like we all do—but he’s committed to making this family better.

“There’s something else I wanted to tell you about,” I look down at the comforter, afraid to see his reaction when I say it. “Yesterday at the restaurant, I thought I saw Paul.”

He doesn’t look as panicked as I thought he’d be, but he is concerned. “You saw him at the restaurant? Are you sure?”

“Not totally,” I answer, honestly. “I lost sight of him on the pier before I knew for sure, but I also thought I saw him at the grocery store last weekend. I’ve tried telling myself I’m being paranoid, but what if I’m not? What if he’s really followed us here?”

“That’s why you were so scared last night,” Andrew says, like it’s all making sense. “You don’t think Paul would really do that, do you?”

“He broke into our home, Andrew. At this point, it’s hard to say what he won’t do.” A shiver crawls down my back. “I think we need to be extra careful the rest of the time we’re here. We could reconsider telling the kids about Paul’s release. It might worry them, but at least they’d know that the risk is out there.”

“I don’t know. I just think if Paul wanted to confront us he wouldn’t be so subtle about it.”

“I think I might have proof this time,” I say, leaning over and pulling out the jammer from my nightstand. I hold it up. “I found this in the garage last night when we were looking for Willow.”

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