Page 49 of His Loving Wife

“She’s been at our house. Apparently our girls thought it would be a good idea to host a little party in our basement. We had no idea, of course, being heavy sleepers and all. We broke it up about a half hour ago. Looks like the girls got into our liquor cabinet.”

I look at Willow. “You snuck out to go to a party?”

“I thought this was a vacation,” she slurs, trying hard to sound tough even in her weakened state.

“What’s going on?” Andrew is outside now, walking toward us with bare feet.

“This is Jan,” I explain. “She lives a few houses down. Willow has been out drinking with her daughters.”

“I’m sorry about this,” Jan says. “My girls are usually really good, but you know teenagers. Sometimes it feels like you don’t want to let them out of your sight.”

Andrew opens his mouth to say something, then stops. He’s agitated, and like me, embarrassed. “Thank you for bringing her back.”

“Not a problem. The least I can do is make sure she gets home safely. Rest assured, Dan is tearing into our two misfits right now.”

“Thank you,” I say to Jan. “Thank you so much.”

Willow will never know the extent of the crisis we just avoided. She doesn’t know Paul has been released and could easily snatch her, and I’m hoping Noah didn’t overhear us arguing about it earlier. In my mind, I was reckoning with the worst: that I might never see my daughter again.

“Let’s get her inside,” Andrew says, grabbing Willow’s shoulder.

She walks with us, but stumbles every few steps, leaning on us for support. Once inside, Andrew shuts the front door and locks it. Willow staggers to the living room and collapses on the couch.

“Is she okay?” asks Noah. He’s sitting at a chair in the dining room. His voice sounds so small.

“She’s fine,” I tell him. “Go back to bed.”

Noah doesn’t listen. He’s staring at his sister, and I don’t feel like arguing with him. All my frustration is reserved for Willow.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I ask her.

She laughs. “I was thinking vacations are supposed to be about fun.”

“Well, I’m sorry this vacation isn’t living up to your standards, but that doesn’t give you the right to sneak out. Do you have any idea how frightened I was when I woke up and you weren’t in your room?”

She flinches, a more mature and sober realization sinking in, then her expression morphs into repulsion. “I’m sick of being stuck inside this house with all of you. All I wanted was to have a little fun with people my own age!”

“You don’t even know those girls! What if you’d found yourself in a bad situation? After what our family has been through in the past year, I can’t believe you would act so carelessly.”

Another laugh. “Yeah, you’re one to talk. You should know all about letting the wrong types of people into your life.”

Even though she’s drunk and angry, her comment stings. I’m about to respond, when Andrew pushes past me, positioning himself in front of Willow.

“I’ve had enough of this shit.” His voice is deep, an angry tone I’ve rarely heard used in all our years together. “You have no right to talk to your mother that way.”

The sudden shift is jarring for all of us, especially Willow, who seems to sober up in seconds. I’m usually the target of her disdain. I’m usually the one fighting with her. She’s Daddy’s Little Girl, and none of us are used to seeing him turn on her.

“Dad, I didn’t mean—”

“Shut up, Willow. I don’t want to hear your excuses. You worried your mother. You worried me. Even Noah was scrambling around the house trying to find a way to contact you. For someone who tries so hard to act like an adult, you came off very immature tonight.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to—”

“You have embarrassed our family. Do you have any idea how ashamed I am?” He’s right in front of her face now. Her cheeks are red and stained with tears. “I’ve had friends tell me about their daughters acting like trash, but I always thought you were better than that!”

“Andrew!” Even if his anger is justified, his words are cruel. I understand his disappointment, and even admire his initiative, but his reaction seems merciless.

“She needs to hear this, Kate.” He glares at me. “She needs to hear how her actions impact those around her.”

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