Free Christening by Claire Kent

about his younger daughter. But his expression changed when he prompted, “And Mackenzie?”
    Erin hesitated as she tried to articulate her thoughts on Mackenzie.
    Tightening his lips, Seth asked, “Did you have to talk her into coming over to greet me this morning and giving me the dandelion…” He visibly tried to search for the right word for his gift. Failed and concluded awkwardly, “…thing?”
    “No. The dandelion thing was her own idea. I had no idea she was going to give it to you until she did. It was spontaneous, and sincere, and obviously a sign of how much she loves you.”
    “But you did have to talk her into greeting me?”
    “Sort of. But it wasn’t because she didn’t want to talk to you. I think she was scared.”
    “Of what?”
    Trying to sort through the situation herself, Erin explained, “She wouldn’t go to you until I came with her. I think maybe…maybe subconsciously she’s scared of having to choose only one of us. She’s old enough to know about divorce, and she has friends whose parents have gone through ugly, messy ones. I don’t know for sure what she thinks is going to happen. You know how private she is, and sometimes it’s so hard for her to share what she’s thinking. But I think maybe she believes she has to take sides between us. And, since you’re the one who’s been gone…”
    “I’ve become the bad guy.”
    Worried that this possibility would wound Seth bitterly, Erin hurried on, “But she doesn’t want you to be the bad guy. She adores you. And so she’s torn between what she feels and what she thinks might have to happen.” Sighing, she suggested, “Maybe you can spend some one-on-one time with her in the next week or two. You’ve always been better at getting her to open up than I have, and I think she needs to know that your role in her life hasn’t changed.”
    Seth nodded. “I’ll do that. Has she been withdrawing significantly?”
    “No. She’s been acting basically normal, except as regards you. She’s always had the tendency to brood…” She paused and gave Seth a teasing look, as if to ask him where their daughter might have gotten that particular characteristic. “But she hasn’t been pulling away from either me or Anna.”
    “Good,” he murmured, staring down at their still entwined hands. “I’ve been worried about her.”
    His voice was mild and matter-of-fact, but the knowledge of how true this probably was—how anxious he must have been about his daughter this week—made Erin’s heart lurch a little.
    She tightened her hand around his in silent response.
    They were silent for a little while longer—lying side by side, holding hands—until Erin met his eyes again. “How have you been, Seth?”
    “I’ve been all right.” When he saw her skeptical look, he raised his eyebrows. “Admittedly, I haven’t been great, but I haven’t fallen apart, if that’s what you were afraid of.”
    Honestly, Erin had been a little afraid of that. More than once, she’d woken up in the middle of the night, blindly terrified about how Seth was doing, about whether he’d fallen into despair by himself.
    She knew how deeply he felt things. She knew better than anyone. So she knew how deeply he would have to feel this .
    “Good,” she murmured. Turning toward him slightly, she pulled her hand free and gently stroked his cheek in an oddly tentative gesture. Noticed the shadows around his eyes. “Have you been sleeping?”
    He narrowed his eyes, although he was leaning a little into her hand. “Enough.”
    Feeling another surge of tenderness, she caressed one of his cheekbones with her thumb. “I don’t think you have. Have you been working through the nights?”
    Unexpectedly, he released a low chuckle. “One would think I would, right? After letting work get in the way of my family. But ironically I haven’t been able to, not at night anyway. I’d try, but then I’d always get distracted.”
    Erin’s heart lurched again. Part of