I knew this moment was coming. I had rehearsed it in my head a hundred times, telling myself I’d be strong, that I’d make it easier for her. But nothing prepares you for the sound of your own child sobbing in the back seat.
“Daddy, please don’t go,” Emma whimpered, her little hands clutching at the straps of her car seat like she could hold onto me that way. Her cheeks were red, eyes wet, her whole tiny body shaking with those deep, gasping cries.
I knelt beside her, forcing a smile even though my throat felt tight. “Baby, it’s just for a little while,” I said, brushing her curls out of her face. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
