Gabriel Wallace didn’t come home tonight.
Before bed, Lilah Hart video-called him.
“Mom and Dad seem pretty settled here, so don’t worry,” she said, lounging against the headboard in her pajamas. Her hair was freshly washed, half-dry, draped over her shoulders—she looked relaxed, even a bit lazy.
Gabriel was at a hotel, also in hotel loungewear. He sat at the desk though, clearly still working.
“It's you who's there. Of course I’m not worried,” he said.
“I thought they weren’t coming till tomorrow. Turns out, they just showed up today.” She looked puzzled. “When I talked to your mom yesterday, she said 'in the next day or two,’ so I figured not this soon.”
Gabriel didn’t respond right away. He rubbed his nose with a fist and muttered, “Guess they missed their grandson t
