He stopped three feet away.
“I’m Daniel,” he said.
Noah frowned. “We know.”
Sophia whispered, “That was awkward.”
Ethan said, “Mama says adults get nervous too.”
Olivia asked, “Are you allergic to cookies?”
Daniel blinked. “No.”
“Then you can have one.”
She offered him a gingerbread man with a crooked face.
Daniel stared at it.
His hand trembled slightly when he took it.
“Thank you.”
Olivia nodded. “It’s not my best one.”
Noah leaned forward. “Why didn’t you believe Mama?”
The question struck without warning.
Daniel looked at me.
I did not rescue him.
He lowered his eyes to the cookie.
“I thought…” He stopped. Started again. “I thought she was trying to stop me from leaving.”
“Why?” Ethan asked.
Daniel’s face tightened. “Because I was selfish.”
The word seemed to cost him more than any rank ever had.
Sophia’s brows drew together. “That’s not an answer. That’s a description.”
