"I'll get it," I said, handing Amy the lighter. "Don't burn anything."
The kids were still laughing when I walked through the kitchen. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and opened the door.
Then the years folded in on themselves.
***
Melissa stood on my porch in a cream coat, diamond earrings, smooth hair, and perfume strong enough to fill the hallway.
"Hello, Ray," she said.
For a second, I just stared. My mind had kept her in the past, and there she was, like twelve years had been a long errand.
Melissa stood on my porch in a cream coat.
"Dad?" Sophie appeared beside me with a plastic fork in her hand. "Who's this?"
Melissa's smile slipped.
I stepped back. "What are you doing here?"
Her eyes flicked past me toward the backyard noise. "I came for Caleb. It's his birthday."
"Oh, you know that now?"
Her mouth tightened, but only for a second.
"Ray, please. I don't want to fight at the door."
"No. You want an audience."
"What are you doing here?"
Before she could answer, Caleb came into the kitchen. The others followed, drawn by the silence.
Melissa lifted both hands to her mouth. "My babies. Look at you!"
Nobody went to her.
Caleb stood beside me. "Melissa."
Her face changed. "I'm your mother, Caleb."
"You were our mother," Mila said.
"Baby," I warned.
"My babies. Look at you!"
"No, Dad." Mila's voice shook. "She doesn't get to walk in here and start with that."
Melissa looked around at the guests gathering behind my kids. Her eyes shone, but the tears looked rehearsed.
"I know this is a shock," she said. "I know I missed some things."
"Some things?" Ethan said.
"I had to leave back then," Melissa said, lifting her chin. "Your father and I were unhappy. He couldn't give me the love I needed. He couldn't give us the life we deserved."
"He gave us everything," Caleb said.
"I know I missed some things."
***
Twelve years of swallowed words rose in my throat. I could have told them about the texts, the suitcase, and the man who had promised her a shinier life.
But Caleb's birthday cake was waiting, and I refused to turn his day into a courtroom unless I had to.
