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“How’s my girl?” Sam asked, kissing the top of Marley’s head. “Did you have fun with Grandma?”
Marley nodded. “See my nails?” She flashed her hands in his face. “Where were you today? Mommy and I wanted to surprise you for lunch and you weren’t in your office.”
Sam stilled. No, he hadn’t been in his office, which is what Tara had likely thought since he’d said he’d be working. But she couldn’t know what he was doing or where he’d been.
Before he could answer, Tara came into the room but didn’t meet his gaze. Great. Clearly, she wasn’t happy.
“Daddy?”
He focused his attention on his daughter. “I had to step out. I hate that I missed you guys. We’ll do lunch together tomorrow.”
“I work tomorrow and I won’t have time for a break,” Tara stated as she started straightening up the living room.
She fluffed a pillow, she neatened the stack of magazines and she even lined up the remote on the arm of the chair. The place was spotless, but she was pissed and looking for a place to channel her energy.
“Since we missed lunch, can we make dinner together?” Marley asked him.
Sam sat her down and nodded. “Sure thing. Let me talk to your mom for a minute, okay?”
“I’ll go get the pots and pans ready.”
Marley and Daisy scurried off toward the kitchen. Once he was certain she was out of earshot, he turned to face Tara...who was now repositioning the photos along the mantel.
“I know you’re angry, but would you stop and look at me?”
Her hands stilled on the photo of Marley from her first birthday. “I’m not angry.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “You’ve practically got steam shooting out of your ears. Now, will you turn around?”
Tara released the frame and turned to face him. “What?”
“Do you want to talk?”
She let out a humorless laugh. “About the fact you lied to me again? About the fact your boss said he hadn’t seen you all day and sounded utterly confused at the idea that I thought you should be there?”
“I can explain.”
Tara shook her head. “You know what? Don’t. I thought we were getting somewhere. I really did, but the second I let you in, you lie to my face. I won’t go through this again. You’ve been secretive lately and I’m just... I’m not doing this.”
Sam propped his hands on his hips, battling over whether or not to tell her the truth. But he opted not to. Because, in the end, she would always have that niggle of doubt where he was concerned. No matter what he told her, she’d always question it.
“You shouldn’t have to go through this again,” he agreed. “Neither should I.”
Marley stepped into the room, her head bobbing between them. “Are you two fighting again?”
“No, honey, we’re—wait. What do you mean again?” Tara asked. “We haven’t been fighting.”
Marley’s eyes welled up with tears. “Don’t make Dad leave again. That’s why I stayed at Grandma’s so you two would talk and fall in love again.”
Her words were slowly processing and Sam took a step closer. “Marley, do you have your memories?”
She bit her lower lip and rested her hand on Daisy’s head. Daisy took an obedient seat beside Marley, like a big, goofy bodyguard.
“I want you to stay,” she whispered.
Tara eased closer, as well. Sam risked glancing at her, but she only had eyes for Marley.
“Sweetheart,” Tara said, crouching in front of her. “You need to tell us what you remember.”
Marley sniffed. “I know Dad was sick and you said he needed to get better. Then he left and then you told me that even when two people love each other, sometimes they can’t live with each other anymore. And then Dad got an apartment and he let me paint my room blue like the ocean.”
She rattled on with more and more details of the past year and it was obvious she’d remembered everything.
“You say you stayed with Grandma so your mom and I could talk.” Sam slid his finger beneath her chin and tipped her head up. “How long has your memory been back, Marley?”
