Finally, making his presence known, he whispered, “Hey, I think they’re both asleep.”

Her bright green eyes peered upward from the rocking chair. “I know, but I wanted to find out what happened to Mr. Bunny. I would’ve lain awake all night worrying about his lost mitten,” she said with a grin.

John walked closer and lifted Nichol from her arms. “I’m so glad you have one less thing to worry about.” He kissed Emily. “I’ll go put her in her room. How about you and I have a glass of wine and you can tell me about Mr. Bunny’s mitten. I’m assuming he found it?”

“Oh, you have no idea what an ordeal it was.”

After the children were both tucked in bed, John went to the kitchen to pour their wine. The stillness of the scene outside the window caught his attention. The Iowa summer sky twinkled with a blanket of stars. Silently, Emily wrapped her arms around his waist. “What are you looking at?”

“The stars. Let’s go out on the deck.”

“That sounds great.”

A slight breeze blew Emily’s hair as they made their way outside. Though the heat of the day had only lessened a bit with the setting of the sun, the fresh air was invigorating. Their home was away from neighbors and lights. Their silver illumination came from the glow of the moon and stars. Sitting on the loveseat, John wrapped one arm around Emily. “This is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Did you ever imagine this, us living in Iowa?”

Emily giggled. “Not in a million years.”

“You know, it isn’t all bad. I’m surprised how much I enjoy working for Tim. Corporate law is challenging, and I like working with Brent, Tom, and, well, everyone.”

Emily nodded. “All in all, things could be worse. If only…”

“Don’t do that.”

She took a sip of wine and peered innocently over the rim of her glass.

“She’ll get better. Don’t give up on her, and don’t miss out on the blessings that we have by wishing…”

“I’m not. I love every minute we have with the kids. I think it was seeing Meredith last month. I’m so afraid for Claire and Nichol. I don’t want the world to know what Claire’s going through. Then, there’re those new tests that we’ve authorized. I’m not sure if we made the right decision. Claire was content. Now, I’m afraid of what they’ll learn.” John hugged her tighter. After a moment, she went on, “And ever since Brent mentioned that Anthony’s going to petition for early release, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“What did your grandma used to say about borrowing—”

Emily smiled. “There’s no such thing as borrowed troubles. Once you take them, no one wants them back.”

“So don’t do it. Leave them out there.”

Nodding, she laid her head against his shoulder. The sound of crickets and cicadas filled the night. “This is nice.”

John chuckled.

“What?” Emily asked.

“I was just thinking about everything you just said. I’m so glad you got the Mr. Bunny thing worked out. I can see how that would be the straw…”

Emily giggled. “Oh, you don’t know! He was searching everywhere for that mitten!”

“I love you. We just need to take it one day at a time.”

“I love you too. Hey?” Emily’s eyes grew wide. “I’ve been rambling on. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“How’s work… without Patricia, I mean?”

John drank another sip of his wine and wished he could tell Emily why Patricia was fired. There was no doubt that he missed having her around the office. Her boundless knowledge regarding the company helped him considerably in the beginning. Nevertheless, John respected Anthony’s decision. He wasn’t sure how many other men would have reacted the same way. Despite the fact that Anthony had only served two years of his four-year sentence and his wife was living in a world that no one could understand or even tap into, when push came to shove, Anthony stood up for his marriage. He’d chosen Claire over the smart, pretty, and available woman who’d worked beside him for years. John hated to admit it, but the longer he worked at Rawlings, the more respect he had for his brother-in-law.

“We’re doing fine,” he said. “I’ll admit I miss being able to just ask her questions, but I’m an attorney. I love research and paperwork. Now, I’ve got more things to research.”

“I think it’s strange that she just decided to leave?” Though the inflection of her tone turned her statement into a question, John chose to let it go.

“Oh,” John said, “Before I forget, we’re getting together with Harry Baldwin tomorrow night. He’s going be in town and wants to talk to us.”

“Harry’s going to be in Iowa? Why?”

“He didn’t say.”

“I don’t know what to say to him… about Amber. I’m shocked.”

John agreed, as the two fell silent and listened to the peaceful sounds of the Iowa night. For a few minutes they could forget about Claire’s troubles, the fear over Nichol’s future, Anthony’s impending release, and even Mr. Bunny’s mitten. For a few moments, they could be husband and wife and enjoy each other’s company.

Hoping that it would make Harry more comfortable, Emily offered to have their get-together at their home. “I can make dinner. It’ll be like old times,” she suggested.