His Forgotten Night, Our Secret Son

ire

ping Rebecca's bachelor

leaned against my office doorfram

hit save on the architectural rendering. The office was quiet. Outside t

e at home. "I have to make dinner for Oliver. Besides, romance and I have reached an understanding: it dis

built together, Sophie never held back. "B

oat from the hook. "I

n't been on a real date since Daniel. Come on, Claire. Oliver is five. You're

d attempt at dating, a man I'd let into my life only to have him look

eft picking up the pieces. I had learned not to trust promises, and whenever anyone got too close, I pushed them away before they

terrified. I just don't need it. I have you, I h

r and fixed my collar. "I know. But it pisses me off. You sacrificed yo

"Worry about your own love life. Didn'

on working perfectly. We locked up the o

through the car's Bluetooth. It was Rebecca

t. Abigail is going to be there!" Reb

d. "Sorry, Rebecca. Frida

ou are absolutely coming to your brother's party tomorro

s own dream of becoming a professional hockey player and became the man who held our family together, raising Sophie and me whil

rties meant the entire Boston sports world would be

oversized egos, polished smiles, and women who treated every gathering like a

f I can make i

vited you, not Nathan. Plus, you need to s

re sister-in-law. She was also far too lovely

I loved my brother, but his world as

econd I opened the front door, a

eld up a piece of construction paper. His

d and scooped him up. "It's beautiful,

uth and looked at me. "Mommy, Aunt Sophie said yo

g across the table eating our food. Dancing. That felt like a

ago, buddy," I said qu

in under the table,

d turned on his cricket white-noise mach

red wine. "Still stressing a

trail down my throat. "I just hate feeling

go," Sophie

have to go." I rubbed the silver pendant on

id of, Claire? The mean girls, or the possibili

Hope was a dangerous thing. Our fathe

amily altogether. Watching him choose a bottle and an escape over his own children had taug

e sat in silence, watchi

, congratulate Nathan, avoid the hockey players, and le

bare waist, the heat of his body pressing me into the hotel sheets while I forgot every reason to be careful. By morning, the night had fel

and six years was a lifetime. There was no chance I would w