“You are important.”
“That’s not the same as being needed.”
Liam’s hand curled around David’s finger.
David swallowed.
“I don’t want him to grow up watching me confuse the two.”
Maya was silent for a moment.
Then she reached across the space between them and placed her hand over his.
“You came home,” she said.
“It was almost too late.”
“But it wasn’t.”
David looked at her.
For the first time that night, there was no fear in Maya’s expression. Only exhaustion, hurt, and something cautious but still alive between them.
Trust had not returned.
But perhaps it had not completely left.
A knock sounded at the door.
Daniel stepped inside carrying a laptop bag, a paper cup of coffee, and an expression that told David he had not slept.
“You look terrible,” David said.
“So do you.”
Daniel pulled the visitor chair closer.
