So when Dad called to say he was marrying Vanessa and wanted us at the wedding, I nearly laughed in his face.

“I know it’s awkward,” he said on the phone, his voice hesitant. “But you and Alex are my kids. I want you there. It would mean a lot to me.”

I bit back the urge to ask if he had thought about what meant a lot to us when he cheated. But Alex was listening from the couch, his eyes wide and unblinking.

“Fine,” I said finally, though every bone in my body screamed against it. “We’ll come.”

Alex didn’t say a word. He just nodded, almost too quickly, as though agreeing before he could change his mind. I thought he was just being polite. I had no idea what was going on inside his head.

The wedding was held at a fancy country club on the edge of town. On the drive there, Alex sat silently beside me in his little suit, staring out the window.