His First Choice

But Lacey’s reaction to Tressa’s outburst the other night... She hadn’t said a lot, but it had been enough to tell Jem that she’d found the behavior outside the bounds of acceptable.

He’d found it pretty tame.

The disparity in their reactions to the same situation had prompted this conversation. If he was wrong...if Tressa was abusing their son in any way...

&nbs

p; “Why do you think Mommy should be in trouble?”

“I don’t,” Levi said, his chin to his chest.

“Levi, look at me.”

The boy did.

“This is really important, son. More important than anything that has ever happened before in your whole life.”

How was that for scaling down the drama? He hated hearing the words coming out of his mouth.

Levi’s eyes were wide, his mouth open as he nodded.

And Jem’s gaze fell to the cast his son had been lugging around for weeks.

“Tell me about that cast,” he said, zoning in, as though guided by an instinct he hadn’t known he’d had.

“I fell.”

No mention of Tressa.

If you don’t, Jem, I’ll...

He heard her voice.

“Do you remember having a bad dream the last time you spent the night at your mom’s house?”

Levi nodded. And then, as though remembering he had to speak, he said, “Yes.”

“Can you tell me what it was about?”

He shook his head.

“Levi?” He put enough warning in his voice to let the little boy know he was serious.

“I don’t remember it all.” The boy was looking right at him.

From the odd place of calm he’d sunk into, Jem asked, “What do you remember about that bad dream?”

“I can’t tell you.”

He barely stopped himself from flying out of his chair. To pace the room. Breathe. But he couldn’t leave the moment.

His boy needed him.

“This is a man-to-man, Levi. You have to tell me. It’s the law.”

Tears sprang to his eyes. “Then I have to go away?” His voice rose and wobbled.

“What? No, son. You aren’t going away. Ever. At least, not until you’re all big like me, and then only if you want to.”