Page 72 of Reeves

The engine turns over with a low rumble. Headlights sweep across the driveway as Reeves backs onto the street. Benjy waves until the taillights disappear around the corner.

Inside, I guide him through his nighttime routine. Teeth brushed. Pajamas on. One more story before bed.

As I tuck the covers around him, I can see his mind is still working on trap designs.

"Mom? Do you think Reeves knows a lot about ropes? From the military?"

"Probably," I say honestly.

"Good. We're going to need the strong kind."

The house grows quiet after I close his bedroom door. I move through my normal evening routine, but everything is slightly off balance.

In Benjy's version of today, Reeves isn't the stranger who appeared at the beach anymore. He's simply part of the mission. Part of the plan.

I hear the front door open and my heart stops for a split second before I hear my mom call out. "Yoo hoo."

"Mom! You scared the bejesus out of me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I went on my walk a little later tonight and thought I'd stop by. How did everything go today and tonight? I've been dying to know. When I saw he was gone, I couldn't help myself."

We walk into the kitchen together and I pour myself a glass of water. "That's a loaded question."

"Are you okay? How did Benjy do?"

"Benjy's great."

"Does that mean you're not? I'm sure seeing him after all these years must be hard."

Mom folds a dish towel at the counter, smoothing the edges the way she always does. "I honestly don't know, Mom. I'm fine, I guess. It's just dredged up all kinds of things I thought were packed away."

"That is completely natural. Seeing your ex is hard enough. Your situation is infinitely more complicated."

"Benjy really took to him. Surprisingly, Reeves was a natural with him. It was sweet standing back and watching them. But it was also heart-wrenching."

"He was a natural? The man who said he never wanted children?"

"I know what he said." I search for the right words. "But he was patient. He actually listened when Benjy talked. You knowhow some adults, men especially, don't know how to talk to a child? You'd think that would be the man who runs from all emotion and spends his days playing army. But he wasn't."

"Navy."

"Huh?"

"He's in the Navy, not the Army."

"Mom. It was a figure of speech."

"Anyhoo, that makes me happy to know he was able to connect with him. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." I glance down at my glass. "Benjy was in heaven with him."

Mom leans against the opposite counter, studying my face. "Y'all didn't tell him, right? That was the plan."

"No. No, Reeves said he didn't have to know, and that was the best way to handle this. He can't know right now. That would complicate everything even more."

"Reeves is his father, honey."

The words hit me like cold water. Hearing it stated so plainly unmoors me, even though I know that more clearly than I know most things in my life.