Page 3 of The Space He Left
She nodded approvingly. "That's our Jack. Always there when people need him. You're a lucky woman, Harper."
"I know," I said, meaning it completely.
I finished my dessert slowly, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the restaurant. Other couples chatted around me, but I didn't feel out of place. I felt content, proud of my husband for being the kind of man who would rush to help a friend in need, even if it was on our anniversary.
I was fumbling for my phone, my thumb hovering over the number for a taxi, when a hand covered mine. It was Mrs. Finlayson again. "Nonsense, dear," she whispered, guiding me out the door where her husband, George, was already waiting. The drive home was a blur of quiet sympathy from George at the wheel and his wife's soft assurances from the passenger seat.
He took the scenic route past the lake, and despite everything, my eyes were drawn to the shore where Jack had proposed just over three years ago. How he'd been so nervous, so worried I'd say no. As if I could have said anything but yes to the man who'd turned my world upside down in the best possible way.
Our house was dark as we pulled into the driveway. Mrs. Finlayson insisted on seeing me to the door, her presence a comforting, if slightly suffocating, blanket. Once the door clicked shut behind me, I walked through the rooms Jack had helped me decorate, touching the furniture we'd chosen together, the artwork we'd collected. Everything was ready for our daughter's arrival.
In the nursery, I stood beside the crib and rubbed my belly, feeling the baby's movements. "Daddy's helping someone tonight," I whispered. "Someone who's scared and needs a friend. That's who he is, little one. Kind and generous and always willing to help."
I changed into my pajamas and climbed into our bed, pulling Jack's pillow close and breathing in his familiar scent. The baby was active tonight, rolling and stretching.
"He'll be back as soon as he can," I said softly.
I picked up my phone and sent Jack a short text:How is she? How are you?
My phone buzzed with a text from Jack:She's resting. It's bad, but she's strong. I’m going to stay the night.
I smiled as I typed back:Give her my love. Take care of yourself, too. I love you.
As I settled in for the night, I felt nothing but gratitude for the man I'd married. Yes, our anniversary had been cut short, but that was life. Sometimes emergencies happened, and you had to be there for the people you cared about.
That was just the kind of man Jack was, and it was one of the many reasons I loved him.
Outside, Willowbrook slept peacefully, and I drifted off thinking about how lucky I was to have a husband who would always do the right thing, even when it was difficult.
I fell asleep with a smile on my face, secure in the knowledge that Jack would be home as soon as Madison was okay.
After all, that's what good people did. They helped others when they could, and they came home to the ones they loved.
Chapter 2
Jack
The speedometer hit ninety as the truck’s speakers announced another incoming text. The robotic voice of the hands-free system read Madison’s message aloud, a stark contrast to the panic in her words: Please hurry, I'm so scared.
I eased off the gas, forcing myself to slow down. The last thing Madison needed was for me to wrap my truck around a tree on the way to help her. But every fiber of my being was screaming at me to go faster, to get there before…
Before what? Before she slipped away? Before the cancer took her? Before I lost another person I cared about?
My hands tightened on the steering wheel as the system chimed again, reading the next text:The pain is getting worse. I don't know if I can do this alone.
"Siri, text Madison," I commanded, my voice tight."You're not alone. I'm coming."
The highway stretched out ahead of me, dark and empty except for the occasional set of headlights. Two and a half hoursto the city hospital. Two and a half hours while Madison lay in some sterile room, scared and hurting and probably wondering if anyone in the world still cared about her.
I couldn't let that happen. Not to Madison.
The memories hit me in waves as I drove. Madison at sixteen, crying on my shoulder because her parents were fighting again. Madison at seventeen, fierce and beautiful and so damn determined to make something of herself. Madison at eighteen, kissing me goodbye with tears in her eyes as she left for college, promising we'd figure it out long-distance.
We hadn't figured it out. She'd found bigger dreams, better opportunities, a wider world than anything Willowbrook could offer. And I wasn't part of that bigger world. One phone call, and a future I'd been planning for years evaporated. She said she was sorry, but her voice was full of excitement for a life that didn't include me. I told myself I’d let her go, but the truth was I didn't. She ripped herself out of my life and left a hole I didn't think I'd ever be able to fill. For months afterward, I felt like a failure. I was the boy who couldn't hold onto the girl he'd promised to protect forever.
And now she was back, asking me to keep that promise.
I'd never stopped caring about her. Never stopped feeling responsible for the girl who'd trusted me with her secrets, who'd clung to me during her darkest moments. The girl who'd been there for me when Dad had his heart attack, driving twelve hours straight from her holiday to sit with me in the hospital waiting room.
