“Give me a reason.”
“From him.”
“What has he done?”
Ryan said nothing.
Then I said, “Emma told me she doesn’t trust you anymore.”
His face went pale. “She said that?”
“Yes.”
“Emma told me she doesn’t trust you anymore.”
“She’s seven. She doesn’t understand what she’s saying.”
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“Don’t decide she doesn’t mean it because you don’t like hearing it.”
He went still.
I asked, “What did Travis confront you about?”
Ryan’s eyes shifted.
“What did Travis confront you about?”
“He stuck his nose into our parenting.”
“How?”
“Do you always have to do that?” Ryan snapped. “Is it really asking so much to expect you to trust me, your husband?”
I stared at him for a long time.
Then I pulled out my phone and made a call.
“Do you always have to do that?”
“I need you to come over, please. Now,” I said.
Then I hung up.
“Who was that?” Ryan asked, his voice laced with urgency.
“Someone who I hope will give me the answers you won’t.”
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***
Ten minutes later, Travis was standing inside our doorway while Ryan glared at him.
“I need you to come over, please. Now,”
I folded my arms.
“Tell me what Emma told you.”
He looked uncomfortable. “She started asking why Ryan didn’t like me.”
Ryan scoffed.
Travis ignored him. “At first I told her adults don’t always get along. Then she said Ryan kept asking her questions about me.”
“Tell me what Emma told you.”
I looked at my husband. “What questions?”
Travis answered.
“Whether I ever took her somewhere else. Whether I bought her things. Whether I let her do things you wouldn’t allow. Whether I told her to keep secrets.”
My stomach tightened.
“Whether I told her to keep secrets.”
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Ryan said, “Those are normal questions.”
“The questions weren’t the problem,” Travis replied. “At least, not the first time you asked them, but then you kept pushing after she answered you.”
I looked at Ryan. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Travis said, “She told me you kept bringing it up. Eventually you told her, ‘You don’t have to protect Travis. You can tell me if he hurt you.’”
“Those are normal questions.”
