Page 10 of I’m Already Gone

“Good morning,” I mumbled, and leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of Maddy’s head.

“Hi, Dad,” she replied, focused on her food.

I straightened up, turning to Jake. “Morning, son.”

“Morning,” he grunted, not looking up, shoveling a spoonful of eggs into his mouth.

I headed for the counter and reached for my travel mug. “Morning,” I said to Lily.

“Morning,” she said, her voice tight, keeping her gaze on the hot skillet.

I knew she was still upset with me after the weekend. Saturday had been spent working at the office with Emma, trying to finish up the investigation.

I’d expected a full-blown confrontation when I finally came home, but something worse was waiting for me. Dead silence. She hadn’t brought up the trip again. We’d moved around each other like strangers in the same house. On Sunday, we’d perfected the art of being apart. I’d retreated to the sanctuary of my office, while she’d spent the entire day at the beach with the kids. I’d hated every minute of the silence, of ignoring each other. The hardest part was knowing I’d refused to join them when she’d asked. But I had no choice.

Not only were we wrapping up the investigation, but one of our new clients needed a bulletproof security strategy and secure transportation out of the United States to Germany. My team and I were neck-deep in formalizing a threat management plan for a client with a documented history of stalking threats. The stakes were too high to walk away. But was it easy enough to walk away from my family?

The vibration of my phone dragged me from my thoughts. I picked it up, the screen brightening to reveal a text from Emma.

Emma

GM! Coffee’s on, breakfast waiting. Seriously, bring an empty stomach. Got up ridiculously early for you.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. Emma was consistently reliable and always stepped in when the pressure at work threatened to pull me under. She had become my co-pilot, keeping my schedule organized, my day moving, and, more often than not, my sanity intact.

“Ethan?”

I turned to face Lily. She scooped a generous portion of eggs and added strips of bacon to a plate. She turned sharply, holding it out to me.

“Ah, no, thank you,” I said, the words coming out too quickly.

Her jaw tightened. She set the plate down on the counter with a bang, the ceramic clattering against the granite surface.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, confused.

“Nothing,” she snapped. She started moving around the kitchen, wiping down the counter.

I sighed.

Not wanting to engage in another fight, I poured the coffee into my mug. My mind was already on the refuge of my office.

“I’m headed out,” I announced, halfway to the door. My fingers were just about to wrap around the knob when Lily’s voice stopped me.

“Ethan, wait.”

I paused and looked over my shoulder at Lily.

“Jake has a swim meet tonight,” she said. “It’s his last one of the season. Can you try to make it?”

When was the last time I attended one of his meets? A sharp pang of shame curled in my stomach, biting and relentless.

“What time?” I asked, my voice neutral, betraying nothing of the sudden, internal ache.

“It starts at seven.”

I gave her a curt nod. “I’ll be there.”

With that, I turned and stepped out the door, not daring to look back or offer a kiss goodbye, knowing I didn’t deserve one.