“Noah?”
“Hi, Dad.”
The relief in Daniel’s voice was immediate and painfully real. “Hey, buddy. Are you okay?”
“I guess.”
“Where are you?”
I reached over and muted the phone.
“You do not have to answer that,” I told Noah.
He nodded, and I unmuted it.
“Mom says I can’t tell you.”
A long silence followed.
“All right,” Daniel said. “That’s all right. Are you somewhere comfortable?”
“There’s a fort.”
“That sounds good.”
“Dad, why didn’t you come with us?”
Daniel breathed in slowly. For once, he did not reach for an easy lie.
“Your mom and I have some serious things to work out.”
“Did you do something bad?”
I closed my eyes.
Daniel’s answer came softly. “I made choices that hurt your mother.”
“Are you sorry?”
“Yes.”
The certainty surprised me.
Noah twisted the cord of the desk lamp around his fingers. “Are you coming home?”
