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He parked the car and entered the house with a slow, deliberate pace, treading lightly to avoid waking Jeremiah. After hanging up his keys, he went up the stairs.
Jeremiah cracked open his bedroom door, peering out as he rubbed his eyes. “You’re home late.”
Luke put on his poker face. “Had a great time with some old friends. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, I was just getting ready for bed.” Jeremiah let out a deep, prolonged yawn.
“Well, you better get some rest. You have school in the morning. I’ll see you then. Goodnight, son.”
“Yeah, I know. Goodnight,” Jeremiah said, closing the door.
Settling into bed, Luke was consumed by guilt for lying to his son. He knew he needed to tell him about Emma, but he didn’t want to disrupt their newfound stability.
He was clueless on how to even start that conversation with Jeremiah, so he reached for his phone and Google-searched for advice, as he had several times before. The articles he found were a mixed bag, yet all underscored the importance of honesty and communication.
Luke made a firm decision to talk to Jeremiah over the weekend. Anxiety knotted his stomach at the idea, but he knew he owed him the truth.
Truth is love.
Reaching over to the nightstand, he plugged his phone into the charger and rolled onto his back.
As he stared at the ceiling, memories of Kate flooded his mind, as they often did. He missed her terribly, and the pain of her loss never seemed to fade.
Luke had never been particularly religious, but after her diagnosis he found himself searching for answers in prayer. Yet every time he tried, he felt as if his prayers weren’t heard.
He’d given up on prayer after she passed away.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
The age-old question haunted him.
Here he was again, in yet another difficult situation with his son. He knew that the conversation with Jeremiah would make or break the future of their relationship and his happiness with Emma. Kate had always connected with Jeremiah in ways he couldn’t, and he blamed himself for it.
Lying in bed, the weight of his dilemma felt overwhelming, so he did the only thing he knew to do. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried once again, whispering a prayer to God.
“Please, help me with my son.”
29
Emma
Emma’s eyelids drooped as she rose from her desk and walked through the classroom, monitoring her students’ progress on the practice test she had assigned. After celebrating with Luke last night, she had barely slept. She returned to her desk and took a sip of her coffee.
“Alright, everyone, pencils down,” she called out. “Please bring your tests up front. I’ll get them back to you tomorrow. Have a great rest of your day!”
The students, Jeremiah included, gathered up their belongings and turned in their practice tests on the way out of the classroom. Though after-school study sessions weren’t mandatory, she had hinted that anyone who showed up would receive extra credit in class. She didn’t realize how popular the sessions would become; last week she’d only had eight students, but today she had double that number.
Gathering her belongings, she switched off the lights as the classroom emptied. She walked down the hallway and her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Luke: How was your day?
Emma: It was good. Glad it’s over though. LOL. Want to come over later? Maybe 6ish?
Luke: I’ll stop by then. Can’t wait.
Emma: Me either. : )
Memories of last night danced in her mind, bringing a gentle smile to her face. She closed her eyes, envisioning the two of them walking along the beach and dining on her deck with the ocean in view.
