"You said Friday!"
"I know."
"You lied!"
"Surprise."
Eli pulled back.
His eyes were wet.
"Mom!"
Claire was already standing.
Nathan looked past his son.
She had gone completely white.
The coffee mug remained on the table.
Her hand covered her mouth.
"Nathan?"
He stared at her.
He had dreamed about that face.
The stranger stood several feet behind her.
Nathan's eyes moved immediately toward him.
Claire noticed.
The joy disappeared from her expression.
"Nathan."
She stepped forward.
Nathan put Eli down.
Claire crossed the room quickly.
She threw her arms around him.
Nathan held her.
Automatically.
Her face pressed against his chest.
She began crying.
"You're home."
He stared over her shoulder.
At the stranger.
The man had stepped backward.
He looked uncomfortable.
Almost guilty.
Nathan's arms slowly loosened around Claire.
She felt it.
She stepped back.
Her hands remained on his uniform.
"You weren't supposed to be here until next week."
Nathan looked at her.
"I know."
Her expression flickered.
He saw it.
Fear.
Not surprise.
Fear.
Nathan looked toward the stranger again.
"Who's your friend?"
Claire inhaled.
The man started forward.
"Nathan, I'm—"
Nathan raised one hand.
"I asked my wife."
Silence.
Eli looked confused.
Claire's face tightened.
"Nathan."
"Who is he?"
She glanced toward Eli.
Nathan noticed that too.
Every instinct he had sharpened.
The stranger spoke carefully.
"My name is Daniel Reeves."
Nathan looked at him.
"Okay, Daniel Reeves."
Daniel offered no hand.
Smart.
Nathan's eyes moved back to Claire.
"And why is Daniel Reeves sitting in my living room playing with my son?"
Eli interrupted.
"Dad, Daniel made the Mars base!"
Nathan glanced down.
"What?"
"The Lego one. The huge one in my room."
Nathan looked at Claire again.
The sentence did something ugly inside him.
Daniel had been in Eli's room.
Building things.
Playing.
Doing the things Nathan was supposed to do.
Claire touched Nathan's arm.
"Can we talk in the kitchen?"
Nathan laughed once.
It was not a pleasant sound.
"Seems like the living room has already become everybody's room."
Claire flinched.
Daniel looked down.
Eli stared at his father.
Nathan immediately regretted the tone.
Not because of Claire.
Because of his son.
He forced himself to breathe.
"Buddy."
Eli looked at him.
"Can you give Mom and me a minute?"
"Why?"
"Just grown-up stuff."
Eli looked toward Daniel.
"Can Daniel come upstairs?"
Nathan's jaw tightened.
Claire saw it.
"Eli, sweetheart, go to your room."
"But—"
"Please."
The boy frowned.
Then grabbed one of the plastic spaceships.
As he passed Daniel, he held it out.
"You can finish later."
Daniel smiled faintly.
"Okay."
Nathan watched the exchange.
Finish later.
Meaning Daniel expected to be there later.
Eli disappeared upstairs.
The moment his bedroom door closed, Nathan turned.
"So."
Claire crossed her arms defensively.