“Dad, are you picking me up tomorrow?”
“Not tomorrow, buddy. I have to leave for a business trip.”
Leo’s face fell. “Then when you come back, can we go to the special place again?”
Greg’s eyes flicked to me for half a second. “We’ll see.”
I stirred my coffee and didn’t ask what the special place was. I told myself little boys gave ordinary places important names.
“Are you a mommy now?”
After dinner, Leo pushed his stroller down our driveway in the fading light, humming to the doll.
Greg watched from the front window, something in his face pulling tight.
At the time, I thought the secret was whatever Greg was hiding on his phone.
I had no idea Leo already knew more about it than I did.
“I’m taking care of Carol’s baby.”
***
The next morning, Leo insisted on taking his new stroller to the park.
I watched from a bench as he pushed it toward the soccer field. Three boys from his class stopped kicking the ball when they saw him.
