Marybeth
I convinced myself routine would fix everything. That if I focused hard enough on ordinary life, the rest would eventually fade into the background where it belonged. School lunches. Laundry. Pack meetings.
Dinner plans with Daniel. Normal things. Safe things. The problem was that nothing about my life felt normal anymore. Not after the border. Not after the cabin. Not after Rowan looked at me that morning like he already knew I was lying to myself.
I tightened my grip on the grocery bags as I walked up the porch steps, trying not to think about him again. Unsuccessfully. The front door flew open before I reached it.
“Mom!” Eli nearly collided with me at full speed.
“Easy!” I barely managed to keep the bags from falling.
“But listen …” He was so excited he didn’t even notice
