Jared leaned over to kiss my forehead and Lillian beamed with joy. “You make my son the happiest I have ever seen him. You don’t know how wonderful it is to see finally see him smile that way.”

I looked at Jared, who scanned my face with deep adoration. He touched my cheek and I tore my eyes away from his affectionate stare, embarrassed by the intimate way we were behaving in front of his mother.

I struggled to deflect the three pairs of eyes staring at me. “So…how does that work? Bex having a bed time, I mean. Isn’t he awake by midnight?” I asked.

Lillian’s musical laugh filled the air. “He really has told you everything, hasn’t he?” she said, winking at her son. “The younger they are, the more they sleep. They slept almost as much as other infants when they were newborns. By their first birthdays they no longer need naps, but they still slept nearly through the night. My goodness, you and I would have our work cut out for us if we had babies that only slept two hours a day!” She laughed again and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

Jared shifted in his seat. “We haven’t really…discussed that, yet, Mom.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” she smiled sweetly. “I’m notorious for wishful thinking.”

I felt Jared’s warm hand gently encompass mine. “Let’s just take one thing at a time. We don’t want to scare Nina off.”

I smiled at Jared. “It would take a lot more than that to scare me off. As if that could ever happen.”

Claire stiffened in her seat, and almost simultaneously Jared did the same. Lillian watched her son. She was waiting for something, but didn’t seem afraid. Jared turned his head, listening intently. He reminded me of a wild animal sensing danger, on alert, ears scanning the air for movement. Suddenly Claire stood up and kicked her chair against the wall. I jumped at the noise, and then it was dark.

“Bex,” Claire whispered.

Jared grabbed my arm and whisked me up the stairs, with Lillian just behind us. We rushed down a long hall, and then entered the last door to our right. He backed me into a corner and gently put his finger to my mouth. It was then that I realized something was very wrong.

I could barely make out Jared’s form in the darkness as I saw him lean over Bex’s bed and whisper in his brother’s ear before disappearing silently from the room.

It was quiet for a long time, and I jerked when I felt Lillian’s hand on my arm. My eyes darted back and forth between the door and Bex, who was lying as still as a statue in his bed.