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Only he wasn’t.
Not that evening. Not that night. Not the next morning. Not the next evening or night.
Not the following day when Joss was released to go home.
Chrissie had called his cell phone, but it had repeatedly gone straight to voicemail. She’d left a dozen messages, but hadn’t heard back from him.
Not once.
A week ago, Joss had never met his father.
Now, he kept asking about where he was, obviously missed him, and Chrissie didn’t know what to tell him.
Was Trace coming back or had he left for good?
In just over a week, he’d be gone to Africa.
Anger built inside her that he’d just left without saying goodbye, without anything.
* * *
Joss had been home for two days, was doing great, and Chrissie had difficulty focusing on anything other than that Trace had come into their lives, made an impression on Joss, then just left without even telling him goodbye.
Yes, she’d been angry with him over taking Joss without her knowledge or permission, had lashed out at him, but to just disappear without saying goodbye to their son? How could he do that?
Had he already gone back overseas?
How dared he? How dared he come into her house and give them a glimpse of how things could have been had their situation been different, then just leave without a word?
How dared he think she’d just let him walk away without a backward glance?
Because she wouldn’t.
Not without giving him a piece of her mind.
Which was just as well as she’d already given him a piece of her heart.
* * *
Trace’s mother lifted her wineglass to her lips and took a more than generous sip. “How is it best for a child not to know his grandparents?”
Trace grimaced. He’d hated telling his parents about Joss for fear they’d contact Chrissie, but he’d not wanted to put Bud and Agnes in the awkward position of knowing his parents had a grandchild they knew nothing about. They’d looked pretty pleased right up until he’d asked them to stay away from Chrissie and Joss.
“It just is,” he finally said, taking a sip of his drink. He didn’t expect his parents to understand, just prayed they’d respect his wishes.
“Do you really think we’re such horrible parents, Trace? After all, we raised you and I’ve always believed you turned out okay.”
“You thought wrong,” he corrected his mother.
“Hogwash,” Agnes spoke up from across the table from Trace. “You’re seriously going back overseas because Joss had a bout of appendicitis?”
“I was already scheduled to go back overseas, and he didn’t just have a bout of appendicitis. He almost died.”
“Because of something that was completely beyond your control,” Agnes told him.
“I should have known something more was going on with him.”
Just as he should have known something more was going on with Kerry the day she died.
