Page 11

Seeing her squalling face and flailing little arms, knowing that out of his own fear and frustration, he had caused this, Matthew vowed that whatever happened from there on out, he’d move heaven and earth to shield Libby from heartache. Even if it came at the hands of her own mother.

Calming himself and the baby took time, but eventually, when he could face those rings again, he returned to the bathroom and put them back exactly how he’d found them.

Since his job had him scheduled for a four-days-on, two-days-off rotation, he’d gotten himself and little Libby ready and hit the home improvement store for a wall repair patch kit. And when Julia arrived home that night, she was none the wiser, and Matthew chose to keep it that way until he knew more about what his wife had been up to.

But it didn’t take long for more proof of her infidelity to come to light, and the demise of their marriage was beginning to feel inevitable.

“How’s work?” he’d asked one night when she agreed to meet him for dinner at their favorite Seattle restaurant.

When his parents heard about his plans, they offered to keep Libby overnight and encouraged Matthew to pull out all the stops to make the evening even more special than originally planned. But when Julia showed up, she was already in a nasty mood.

“Fine,” she’d snapped, driving her dinner fork into a piece of poached salmon. “Work’s fine.”

After reaching out to touch her hand, Matthew asked. “Are you sure? Since your maternity leave ended, you’ve seemed distant and upset. Maybe you’re getting burnt out spending too many hours at work.”

At the mention of her job, Julia’s head had snapped to attention, and the expression on her face was positively arctic.

“Is there a crime against doing my job, Officer?” she’d said, pulling her hand away from his and taking a long drink from her third heavy pour of wine. At first, she had seemed impressed when Matthew ordered the first expensive bottle of Pinot Grigio, let alone the second, but it didn’t stop her from trying to drink it in record time. “Are you sure you can even afford this?”

Despite the jab, Matthew tried to smile. “I thought we could splurge a little and celebrate. It’s still your favorite, isn’t it?”

Her penetrating glare went right through him.

“What’s there to celebrate?”

When couples at the surrounding tables turned to look at them, Matthew lowered his voice, hoping Julia would do the same.

“How about our daughter, our life together, and our careers moving in the right direction.”

“Maybe yours is,” she’d snapped back. “Butmycareer was put on hold to have a baby. Now I have to find a way to make up all that lost time.”

Regardless of what he’d already known, Matthew was still stunned by how coldhearted Julia could be about spending those first twelve weeks at home with their daughter. Especially since it had been Matthew and his parents who did most of the work looking after their newborn.

“You shouldn’t let it upset you so much. You’re still young and have plenty of time to build your career. Besides, by law, you’re allowed that time off.”

Despite his attempt to ease her fears, Julia only rolled her eyes. “Spare me the lesson in the law, Matthew. You have no idea how cut-throat those old hags in the newsroom really are. Not to mention the ones of my generation.” Then, she lifted her glass and downed every last drop before holding it out for a refill. “I’ve told you how fierce the competition in television is,” she’d slurred, then glared at an older couple until they turned away.

“Come on, Julia,” Matthew had said, giving the couple an apologetic smile.“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what?” she’d snapped, challenging him with a blank stare. When he didn’t cower, she lost interest, rolled her eyes again, and put down the empty glass with an exaggerated sigh.

“Maybe we should go.”

“Whatever,” she’d said, pushing her plate away.

Then Matthew waved their waiter over to request that the remainder of their meals be boxed up so they could leave. “My wife isn’t feeling well,” he explained as Julia reached for the wine. Intercepting her, he handed the bottle to the waiter. “We’ll take the rest of this too.”

Glaring at him, Julia pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. “You can’t stop me, Officer Mattie. I’ll do what I have to do, whenever I have to do it, and whoever I have to do it to, to make sure I land on top.”

At those fateful words, a sickened chill emanated from deep inside Matthew’s heart. He knew there was no going back. They were married no more. Certainly not like they had been. And moving forward, Matthew would have to find a way to get through what he needed to do for himself and his daughter.

So, when Julia returned home one night and announced that she’d accepted a job offer at a small television station in Windsong, Matthew had devised his own plan to stay in his daughter’s life. Even if it meant moving with Julia from Kinseyto Windsong to remain as close as possible to Libby, then so be it.

** *

“Well?” came a chipper voice from behind him, jarring him back to the present. “What do you think?”

Startling Matthew from those painful memories, the real estate agent showing him the house he wanted walked into the kitchen and found him lost in thought, staring out a back window. For some reason, her presence felt like an intrusion, and it irritated him. “I think the house needs work, and the yard is a mess.”