Chapter 11

Jacob POV

“Look, Dad, I caught one!’ says a beaming Liam. A little fish wriggles on the line, gasping for air.

“What shall we call him?” I ask.

“Who says it’s a he?” he smiles back.

“Okay, what shall we call her?”

Curiously looking at the fish, his eyes light up and he responds, “Nemo.”

“Nemo? Out of all the names you could choose from, you chose that?” I ask.

He starts laughing as I tickle his belly. “You ready to go back now, buddy?” I enquire as I reel back my line.

We’re on a small paddle boat in the middle of Lake Tahoe. The waters are a deep green, reflecting the last of the afternoon light. All around us there is silence, broken by the occasional sound of a bird squawking. Instead of going all out for Liam’s third birthday, I wanted us to spend some time alone.

He’s never been to the lake and responded with a dizzy excitement when I suggested it to him.

Charlotte was mortified when I told her, saying something about a boy deserving a big ’ol bash for his third birthday. She had