“Yeah, sis. I missed you all, too,” Daniel whispered. Guilt, sharp and intense, shot through him when Emma finally let him go, her eyes shiny with tears. “Aw, Em. Don’t.”

She waved him off and turned to Annika. “Emma,” he said, “this is Annika. Annika, my big sister, Emma.”

Annika smiled at Emma and held out her hand, but Emma pulled her in for a hug. Shock sprang to her face, but she seemed to recover quickly and returned the hug. His sister’s eyes were still wet when she released Annika. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “But Danny hasn’t been to a birthday in—well, a long time.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Jeez, Em. Can we not do the ‘Danny’ thing?” He looked around. They still stood on Emma’s front porch. Clearly, she had wanted a minute with him before everyone else got to him. “Where is he, anyway?”

As if in answer, a dark-haired blue-jeaned blur whooshed up and stopped in front of Emma. “Hey, Mom. When are we cutting the cake?”

Daniel’s heart was beating too fast; he felt the blood drain away from his head. This—this grown-up little boy could not be his nephew. Had that much time passed? Annika leaned toward him, probably because he looked like he was going to pass out. But when he looked at her, her concern was laced with confusion.

“Emma’s right. I haven’t been to a birthday party in a while.” That was all the explanation he could muster right now.

There had been an incident. It was the first birthday after Sara. Emma had made him come to the party because it had meant a lot to young Charlie to have his uncle there. A little girl who looked just like Sara—at least the brown curls and blue eyes part—had asked Daniel to cut her a piece of cake and Daniel had frozen. Emma had had to convince him that the little girl was not his Sara. Ever since then, he avoided groups of children. Until this birthday party. Until Annika.

Emma was talking to her son. “Soon, don’t worry. Charlie, I have a surprise for you.”

Charlie’s eyes lit up, and he did a little jig. “What?”

“Look who came to your party.” She turned him to face Daniel. “Uncle Danny is here.”

Charlie narrowed his eyes as if trying to place Daniel, but, as Daniel had anticipated, recognition never lit up his face.

The young boy held out his hand and plastered a polite smile to his face. “Nice to meet you, Uncle Danny.”