“Alex, sweetheart, why? Why do you need forks?”
“Daddy said.”
“Daddy said what?”
“Daddy said not to tell anybody. Not even you.”
“Baby, I’m Mommy. You can tell Mommy anything.”
He shook his head, crying harder.
“It’s Daddy’s secret.”
I tucked him back into bed with the forks still there.
I closed the door.
My hands were shaking as I pulled up Brandon’s name and pressed call.
Brandon answered on the third ring.
His voice sounded strained, thinner than usual.
“Cece, hey. I was about to call you.”
“Care to explain all the forks under our son’s mattress?” I kept my voice low so Alex wouldn’t hear. “I asked you a thousand times. You lied to my face.”
There was a long pause. I heard him breathing.
“It’s not a big deal,” he said finally. “It’s a game.”
“A game?”
“Yeah. I called it treasure knights. Alex hides silver swords under his mattress to protect the castle. That’s all it is.”
