He started walking across the lawn, heading toward the sidewalk. “You’re something, you know that?” he said.

I forced myself to calm down as I tried to keep up with him. One of us had to stay rational. “What’s it about, then?”

“We’re the only family she has. She’s got nobody, Meredith.”

I hated to be the one to come out and say it, but it was time—it had to be said. “Scott, she left you guys. No matter what the reason or how it’s framed, she left you and Abbi. Take a minute and remember everything she put you through for all those years. I remember what it was like for you back then. And now she expects you to help put her life back together again because she’s in trouble? That doesn’t seem selfish to you at all? Not even a little?”

He stopped dead in his tracks. “I had no idea you could be this jealous.”

I whirled around to face him. “I’m not jealous. All I’m doing is saying out loud what everyone else is afraid to tell you. Somebody has to. Thad and Caleb think it’s horribly selfish too.”

He snorted in disgust. “I’m sure they do. Your boys would say she had a horn growing out of her forehead if you told them too.”

“Now you’re just being a jerk,” I said. “And for no reason. All I’m trying to do is have a conversation with you.”

“Oh, is that what we’re doing?” He smirked at me. “Well, then, in my case, this conversation is over.” He turned around and headed back in the direction of the house. I didn’t bother to catch up with him this time.

KATE

THEN

“Abner, no, please, you can’t be serious. You can’t.” I fell on my knees at his feet, my face drenched in tears. Our marriage ceremony was complete. He’d draped Margo’s head and mine with a dirty white veil and spoken scripture over us before slipping into his new prayer language. It was a secret language between him and God. The wedding wasn’t bringing me to tears. It was what he’d told us after that shook me to my core—our babies would stay with us until they were weaned, at which point Abner planned to take them on a soul journey with him, where they would be surrounded by nothing but the light and administered to by the Lord. He wouldn’t say how long he would have them or where he was going. He wouldn’t even say when. Only that it was happening.

He nestled Shiloh against his chest, trying to comfort her, but she wailed like she did each time he held her. “We voted on it last night, and it was a unanimous decision by the family.”