She opened the full image.
A man stood beside Caleb.
His hand rested on my son’s shoulder.
Michael.
My brother-in-law.
My heart seemed to stop.
***
I went back to Owen.
He was sitting beside Lucy.
She was showing him photographs from the five years he’d missed.
Birthdays.
School plays.
Our garden.
Christmas mornings.
He stared at a photograph of Hannah’s college graduation.
Then whispered:
“I missed everything.”
Hannah immediately sat beside him.
“You didn’t miss us loving you.”
His eyes filled.
She wrapped an arm around him.
“We never stopped.”
I watched them for a moment.
Then sat on his other side.
“Owen, I need to ask something about Uncle Michael.”
His face changed.
I reached for his hand.
“You don’t have to be afraid to tell me.”
He swallowed.
“Did he ever come to see you?”
Owen nodded.
My chest tightened.
“How often?”
“Sometimes every month.”
I closed my eyes.
