For Their Child's Sake

“I’ll paint something extra special for you, Daddy.”

Sam bent and kissed the top of Marley’s head. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Without another word, Sam turned and grabbed his keys off the counter before heading out the door. Right now he needed to concentrate on Marley, not his jumbled feelings for Tara and not the awkwardness that had settled heavy between them.

And he sure as hell couldn’t focus on the fact they’d be spending countless nights together—in the same bed they’d shared as a happily married couple.

Chapter Five (#ua6f6e4d5-6fd6-570d-b7a5-65c6e9650752)

The paintings were done and dried, lunch was over, Marley had napped and Sam still hadn’t returned. Tara couldn’t stop the thoughts swirling through her mind. How could she not revert to when he’d lived here and would disappear for hours, and sometimes days, at a time?

For all she’d seen over the past several months, he was doing his best, holding down a steady job and really putting forth an effort to be a better man. But was all of this with Marley too much for him? Did he need to find something to give him a break from reality?

Tara wanted him to remain clean, to keep rolling into another day of sobriety. She only prayed this didn’t set him back. Unfortunately, when tragedy struck in an addict’s life, they would occasionally slide back into using their old crutch to dull the pain. But Sam was a strong man. She truly did have faith in him and his willpower. He wanted to remain the sober man he’d worked so hard to become.

Marley sat on the sofa with her drawing pad, likely doodling another ocean or mermaid picture. Tara watched her daughter from the hallway and vowed to get her family through this without any hurt. Even though she and Sam weren’t together, she would still keep her eye on him to make sure he wasn’t bringing anything into the house and to make sure he stayed on the path he’d worked so hard to find.

The separation nearly a year ago had been difficult for Marley to grasp. So once that memory reappeared, Tara figured the reasoning would return. They’d been careful about how they’d explained Sam’s condition, considering Marley was so young. How could anyone truly explain drug addiction to such an innocent child?