file folder out onto the rug, but he didn’t stop to retrieve it. “Claire, I’m so sorry,” he said with a cautious smile, “for the way I’ve behaved.”
“Me too,” I said quietly.
He walked to me and knelt down so that his face was directly in front of mine. “You’re running again,” he said quietly.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Finally.” I ran my fingers through his hair. A kiss of gray appeared at his temples, reminding me how much I longed to grow old with this man.
“A funny thing happened,” he said. “On the ferry over to the island, I saw a couple with a little boy.” He wiped a tear from his eye. “He was about the age our son would have been. One. Just barely walking.”
I clasped both hands behind Ethan’s neck and began to cry. “Our son?”
He nodded. “We had a son.”
“Ethan,” I cried, letting the revelation sink in and pierce my heart.
“He was a beautiful boy,” he said through tears. “He had your nose. I love your nose.”
I buried my face in his chest as he rocked me slowly. “I started to think about what life would be like without you, Claire, without us. Honey, I don’t want that life.”
“I don’t either,” I said, feeling a lump in my throat.
“What did the grief counselor say? That when you lose a child, you’re twice as likely to end up divorced?”
I nodded. “Something like that.”
“Let’s beat that statistic,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Let’s start over.
I nodded. “Daniel,” I said softly under my breath.
Ethan looked confused. “Daniel?”
“Yes,” I said, smiling. “Our baby. I want to call him Daniel.”
“Yes,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion. “Daniel. A perfect name for our first son.”
I smiled. “You talk as if we’ll have another.”
He grinned. “I’d like it if we did. If you’re ready…”
“I’m getting there,” I said, nuzzling my cheek against his neck.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” he said softly. “Can you ever forgive me?”
I weaved my fingers through his. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“I already have,” he said, looking out the window at the Sound and then back at me. “Hey, let’s forget about work today and go somewhere, right now, to celebrate our new beginning.”
I looked at the clock. “I can’t,” I said. “Not just yet. I already have a date.”
Ethan looked confused.
“With your grandfather,” I said, pressing my face against his chest, breathing in the scent of his crisp white shirt. My heart sank when I remembered the café’s proposed demolition. We were too late, but not too late for a final glance. Maybe that’s all Warren needed, anyway. “I’d love it if you came with us,” I said, looking up at Ethan. “It’s a big moment for him.” I paused. “And for me.”
His keys jingled when he pulled them from his pocket, the sound of two people moving forward—together. “I’ll drive you.”
Ethan parked the car on the street in front of Eva’s building and Warren turned to me with a confused look. “But I thought we were going to—”
I looked at my watch, conscious of every minute passing. Even if the building wasn’t going to come down today, just knowing that it was so close to demolition made me increasingly anxious for Warren to see it one last time. But I’d promised Eva. “I wanted to make a stop first,” I said. “Just for a minute. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Warren and Ethan followed as I led them to the elevator up to Eva’s floor. I knocked when we got to her door.
“Claire,” Eva said cheerfully, welcoming us inside. “And you brought friends! Let’s see, this must be your husband?” she said, turning to Ethan.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ethan said, slipping an arm around my waist. I loved the warmth of his embrace, but it wasn’t our moment; it was theirs.
“Eva,” I said quietly, “this is Warren Kensington, but you know him by another name.”
She looked at me and then at Warren, searching his face.
“Eva,” Warren said. Remembrance flickered in his eyes as he extended a hand to her. “It’s so good to see you again. You may remember me as Daniel. Daniel Ray.”
“My God,” Eva gasped. “Am I dreaming?” She sat down in a chair by the window. “It’s a miracle,” she continued, turning to me. “How did you…? Where did you…?”
“He’s my grandfather,” Ethan said.
Eva looked at me and then at Warren, astonished.
Warren nodded. “And this fine reporter here cracked the case.”
Eva looked shaken. “You mean, you’ve been alive this whole time?”
Warren