45. Chapter 45
Chapter 45
As the bathtub filled with water, David watched his normally unself-conscious son be very self-conscious about undressing and make an effort to hide the fact he wasn’t wearing underwear. If David hadn’t known Jacob was commando, it might have gone unnoticed, since Jacob was quick to shove all his clothes into the hamper.
He obviously didn’t want David to see and ask questions, which made his heart hurt.
For what might have been the first time, ever, he was completely uncertain how to proceed with his son. On one hand, David wanted information, but on the other hand, he didn’t think Jacob would be very forthcoming.
Still, David knew he was going to have to dig a little.
After Jacob got into the tub, David sat down in his usual observation spot next to it, with his back against the wall. Normally, Jacob would play with his toys until it was time for his hair to get washed, but today, he was more interested in washing himself than he was in playing, a fact that didn’t escape David. It was difficult to watch, especially knowing the reason behind it, but he didn’t want to draw undue attention to it and make Jacob uncomfortable, so David simply waited for Jacob to finish and finally turn his attention to his toys before addressing the visit with Ashley.
“So, how was your weekend with your mom?” David asked, wading in gently and pretending like he didn’t already know.
Jacob shrugged.
“What does that mean?” When Jacob didn’t answer right away, David leaned over the edge of the tub until he was making eye contact with Jacob and repeated the question. “What does that mean?”
“It was … okay.”
“Really?” David slowly pulled back, resuming his position against the wall. “Are you sure? Because you seemed kind of unhappy when you got home.”
When Jacob remained silent, David continued. “Did something happen while you were there that upset you? Because if something did, you know you can tell me, right? Because I’d want to know about it, so I could make it better.”
When Jacob still didn’t say anything, David decided to try a different angle. “Your mom said you guys went to the park this afternoon,” he said, and even though he knew it hadn’t been fun, he asked anyway, because he normally would have. “Did you have a good time there?”
Jacob’s narrow shoulders tightened, and then, to David’s shock, Jacob nodded vehemently, a reaction completely at odds with his anxious expression and locked-up frame.
David swallowed hard, the lie hanging between them like a dark cloud.