Chapter 20: Noah

Family… The concept was still so unfamiliar to me, yet it was what drew me from my office earlier than usual today.

I made my way outside, carrying a bottle of the special-edition wine to my car. I was looking forward to celebrating its unprecedented success with a few glasses in my own home tonight. And it sent a thrill through me just thinking of Madison’s expression when she tasted it for the first time—

Noah, don’t even start. I admonished the thrill right back out of me. 

Traffic wasn’t bad yet, so I made it home in no time. As I walked up the driveway with the wine in hand, I looked up at Madison’s bedroom window and saw her curtains drawn. I frowned. She always kept them open, even at night. 

I found Chris sitting at the kitchen table with his coloring book open and a blue crayon in his hand hovering over a half-filled-in picture of a fish. He looked surprised to see me home so early.