Adam squatted down in front of the children. “I really enjoyed watching you two tonight. David, you did a great job.” David’s chest puffed out in pride. “And Olivia, your singing was beautiful.” Carrie couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Adam was smiling, his voice soft, his eyes curious as he looked at his children. It had been unprompted, nothing coached.
Olivia put her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said.
He smiled again at her, his face so tender, so sweet. When Olivia let go, he turned to David, picked him up, and set him on his knee. “How did you learn all those lines?” he asked. “Did you practice with your mom?”
“A little. I practiced with my teacher.”
“Well, you were awesome.”
David’s smile took over his whole face, the dimple on his cheek emerging, and he hugged his dad. When he did, she saw Adam close his eyes, taking it in. Carrie felt as though her heart would burst. In this moment, Adam was feeling what it was like to be a father. He’d initiated it himself, and the kids responded to his love and attention. It was the best thing she’d seen in a long time because, right there in front of her, she saw two children meeting their father for the first time.
He stood up. “I suppose I should let you take them up to bed,” he said to Joyce.
Joyce smiled with pride at her son and took the two children by their hands. “Tell your daddy goodnight,” she said, her voice a little broken from emotion. The kids both said goodnight as they walked upstairs.
Then it was just Carrie and Adam left in the hallway. Looking at him right then, she wanted to grab his hands, hold them, kiss his lips. When he let his soft side show, like he had just now with the children, he was so attractive to her that she could hardly keep herself in check. With that tiny gesture—just talking to his children like he had—he’d filled her with hope.
There was a loaded silence between them. Could he sense what she was thinking? Finally, he said, “Want to go into the kitchen with everyone? I think I hear Gramps at the table. He probably has a game going.” He smiled, his expression still gentle like it had been with the children. She didn’t want to leave him, but she wanted to check on Sharon. Sharon was always apart from them, always isolated. After hearing about her depression, Carrie worried about her.
“I’m just going to change into something comfortable first,” she said.
Adam nodded. “I have to pop in to my office anyway. I’ll be back in a few.”
With resolve, she left him and went upstairs to check on Adam’s sister. She peeked into Sharon’s room. She gestured for Carrie to come in.
Sharon had been staying in one of the guest rooms at the opposite end of the house, and Carrie hadn’t spent much time at that end. The room was bright and cheery—a good choice for someone like Sharon because it was hard to be sad in a room like that. The bed was a four-poster like hers, but with a navy and yellow flowered bedspread and matching curtains. Sharon sat down on the bed, her expression inquisitive. As Carrie looked at her, she realized that Sharon’s mouth was never set in a smile or even a grin. Her neutral expression however was such an improvement from her usual sadness that it seemed like she was smiling when really she wasn’t.
Carrie wasn’t sure how to start a conversation with Sharon, and she really didn’t even know what she wanted to say. She just wanted to give Sharon a chance to speak her mind and let some of the load off her chest.
“I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
There was a long pause, as Sharon toyed with her fingers, running her nail along the cuticle of her other hand. “You know, Adam was my best friend growing up,” she said without warning.
In that instant, she was glad that she’d come to talk to Sharon tonight. It was clear now that she wanted to talk to someone. Carrie waited, knowing that she probably had more to say—she could feel it—so she sat in silence, until Sharon continued. And it wasn’t long until she did.
“We did everything together. We were inseparable. He’s such a gentle soul—he gets hurt so easily. You’d never know it, but beneath that controlled exterior, he’s the most kindhearted, mild-mannered person I know.”
She didn’t have to imagine it. Carrie had seen it right before her eyes tonight.
“When his marriage was over, he was devastated. I felt terrible for him. But instead of turning to us, he turned to work. He pushed all of us away—including his kids. I can’t have kids of my own. It’s just not working. I’ve done all I know how to do, and nothing has worked. Adam has children. He has an entire family who love him. For God’s sake, we all came to his house for Christmas to try and get him to see that, but all he wants to do is work. He’s taking everything he has for granted—all for that stupid brewery. I wish he’d see that he has everything I’ve ever wanted, and he’s blowing it. When it comes to living life, he’s doing it all wrong. And I miss him. I miss him so much.”