“Oh, hey,” she said. “I was just about to go pick up Danny from daycare. We’re running a little late. Lauren’s inside.”
“Okay,” Nick replied. He walked into the living room to see Lauren asleep on the couch. Unable to resist it, he kissed her softly on the cheek, accidentally waking her up.
“Oh, hi,” she whispered. “Where’s Jess?”
“She went to pick up Danny,” Nick answered. A few awkward moments passed before he gave into his curiosity. “So what happened to Diane?”
“She fell down the stairs and broke her neck. She died instantly,” Lauren said emotionlessly.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Nick said sincerely.
“Don’t be. I’m not. She died before she found out I was pregnant. If she would have known, I would be living on the streets right now.” She paused. “I got the call from Brian after I moved in with a girl named Angie. I made peace with my mom, but we never really got along. After she died, I finished up a year of school, but then I dropped out when Danny was born. Jess and I moved in here, and she’s been going to school and I’ve been working.”
“Do you know what happened to Greg?” Nick asked.
“The police called. He confessed, so there won’t be a need for me to testify. That’s good. I don’t think I could face him,” Lauren said. “I still don’t know how he found me. I had pretty much erased him from my memory. He barely even crossed my mind after that summer. I thought he was gone.”
Suddenly, Nick was reminded of the promise had had made to her. “Oh, God, Lauren. I’m sorry.”
Lauren looked up, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you remember my promise?” he asked. When she didn’t reply, he assumed she meant no. “The day after he, uh…”
“The day after he beat the shit out of me,” Lauren finished flatly.
“Yeah, the day after that, he called, and you broke down. I promised you he could never hurt you again. I let you down.”
“No, you didn’t. There was nothing you could have done,” Lauren assured him.
“Where was Danny when you were in the hospital?”
“Jess took him to her friend’s house, and he stayed the night there. We picked him up after I got out.”
Once again, there was silence. Finally, Lauren spoke. “Danny and Jess should be back soon. We put him in daycare while Jess is at school and I’m working. That’s only during the week. Most of the time, someone is home.”
“What happened to your mom’s money, if you don’t mind my asking?” Nick said.
“She left most of it to my Aunt Joan. Jess and I didn’t get much, as you can tell by looking around. We didn’t even get the beach house,” Lauren muttered. “It’s been kind of hard with Danny, but we’re okay.”
“I wish you would have called me. I would have been happy to help you out,” Nick said, half-concerned, half-complaining.
“Look, we’ve been through that already,” Lauren muttered.
“Lauren, I have a question,” Nick said hesitantly. “Would you ever consider getting back together?”
“I don’t want to have this conversation right now,” Lauren said. She stood up abruptly and walked into the kitchen.
Nick followed. “Would you at least answer my question?”
“Fine,” she replied. “I don’t know, maybe. Considering is different than actually doing it, so probably.” She didn’t tell him that she had already seriously considered it. That would be better left unsaid, she decided.
At that moment, Jessica and Danny walked in. Lauren let out a sigh of relief, and Danny smiled, seeing both of his parents. “Mommy! Daddy!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Nick’s leg. Nick lifted him up and gave him a big hug.
“Hey, sweetie. How was daycare?” Lauren asked as soon as Nick put him down.
“It was fun, Mommy. I drew you a picture!” he replied. Jessica handed her a sheet of paper. The figures on it vaguely resembled Lauren, Nick, and Danny.
“This is very pretty,” she gushed. “Who are the people?”
“That’s me, you, and Daddy.”
After a few minutes of chatter, Danny dragged Nick into the living room to watch a Disney movie. Lauren looked at the picture in her hand. She and Nick were holding hands. As she hung it on the refrigerator, she found herself wishing life was really like that.