JACKSON
Liam came back home around dinner time; it was obvious he was wrecked, both physically and emotionally - his walk wasn't completely straight, and his eyes were clouded by exhaustion. Nevertheless, he slapped a smile on his face and crouched down to hug the kids as they ran towards him. As he had promised them that morning, he had two McDonald's bags.
Honestly, I don't know how he managed to keep up that façade. It had been awful and terrifying for me to stay up and cheerful all afternoon to distract the kids with Mark and prevent them from dwelling on what had happened - and I had only known them for a few hours, since the previous evening. Somehow, he even remembered the Happy Meals.
The kids immediately bombarded him with questions, eager to know how their mom was – and espec
