at me, shrugging. “Maybe Silly Leo forgot something,” I mutter, crawling out of the tent.
I start to open the door, saying, “Silly Leo, did you…” My words die in the air when Mr. Preston stands just on the other side, his large build almost filling the frame.
His eyes are wide when he sees me, almost as surprised as I am. “Mia.” It’s a name. A question. “What are you—”
“Who is it, Mama?” Benny calls out, and before I can stop him, he’s lifting my arm, standing between my leg and doorframe.
I don’t look away from Mr. Preston, because—as self-destructive as it is—I don’t want to miss his face when he sees Benny for the first time. His mouth parts and he takes a step back, as if he’s seeing a ghost, and I know that look.
I’ve seen it.
In my dreams…
In my conscience.
I don’t remember it, not physically.
But I know…
I know I’ve seen it before.
I’ve lived it.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Leo
Mia never gave me a warning. Not even a text message to say that I was about to walk into the danger zone. Dad’s sitting on the floor of my living with Benny beside him, one of the books I’d gotten Benny last week in Dad’s hands. All eyes are on mine when I stand at the doorway, my hand still gripping the handle as if it’s a sign that I shouldn’t go any farther, that I should turn around. Run.
“I got snacks,” I mumble because I don’t know what else to say.
Dad won’t take his eyes off me. He knows. I can already see it, the disappointment mixed with concern and a whole lot of what the fuck plastered on his face.
“Your dad’s here!” Benny announces, like I don’t already know. I force a smile as I watch him walk toward me, his arms out, reaching for the paper bag I’m strangling. Handing it to him, I look over at Mia standing on the other side of the kitchen counter, her eyes void of emotion.
After clearing my throat, I look at Dad. “What are you doing here?” I step inside, letting the door close behind me. There’s no accusation in my tone, no malice. I try to keep my cool, but I don’t know what all has been said in the time I’ve been gone, and going by Mia’s lack of reaction, something is wrong.
“You haven’t been home as much as we expected, so I thought I’d just pop in and see how you were doing.”
“Right.” I nod. “Because a phone call wouldn’t have been enough?”
“Leo.” Mia’s single word is barely a whisper, and when I look up at her, she shakes her head, just once, her eyelids heavy.
Dad sighs. “I was in town at a supplier conference,” he explains, his jaw tight. “I thought I’d take my son out for lunch.”
“But we’re going to the rock museum,” Benny says, standing beside me. He half-hides behind my leg, like he did with Mia the first time I met him.
I settle a hand on his shoulder, try to ease his fears. “We’re still going to the museum,” I assure. “Don’t worry.”
He tugs on my arm, and I drop down so he can whisper in my ear. “Can your dad come with us?” He says it loud enough for everyone to hear, because Dad reacts by tilting his head, and Mia—she sucks in a breath, her eyes meeting mine before nodding, her smile almost painful.
I look over at Dad. “Do you want to come with us?”
Dad smiles at Benny. “I would love to, Benny. Thank you for the invite.”
Mia
Mr. Preston takes his truck, saying he’ll meet us at the museum. I catch Leo alone just long enough to inform him that his dad didn’t mention anything to Benny. Leo merely shrugged, but I could tell it was nagging at him. How could it not? I’m sure this isn’t the way he pictured his dad finding out. Benny has no clue what’s happening, and me—I can’t get Mr. Preston’s initial reaction out of my head.
The museum is tiny. It’s basically an old house that’s been transformed, and the only way we knew that we were at the right place was the giant boulders out front. In any other circumstance, it would take less than fifteen minutes to peruse all the displays, but Benny—being Benny—can’t get enough. He grasps onto Leo’s hand, stopping at every rock, asking Leo to read, aloud, what the signs say about each one.
About a half-hour into it, Mr. Preston excuses himself to