Page 142 of A Lie in Church

“Really?” He looked down at me in surprise.

“Yeah. I have never been on an airplane either.”

“No, you’re lying,” he said in disbelief.

“My mom isn’t a big fan of traveling, so I have never left California.”

“We’re going to fix that,” he assured me with a smile as we stopped in front of an artwork made with straws.

I wondered how people come up with these ideas.

We did a lot of walking. The museum was like an unending maze, and it was hard to stop exploring the art pieces and unique creations on display. At some point, I wanted to take off my heels and hold them in my hand but stopped myself.

Someone grabbed my hand from behind. I was ready to fight off the creep, but when I looked down at the tiny hand and dove eyes staring at me, I was bewitched. She was the cutest little girl I had ever seen, and she was crying.

“Oh, hey, sweetie. What happened?” I asked.

“I can’t find Mommy,” she cried.

“It’s okay. We’ll find your mommy for you,” Tristan said, squatting in front of her and taking her small hands in his large ones.

The little girl was crying so hard that she started gasping for air. She must be terrified. It was a colossal museum. It was going to take forever to find her mother.

“What’s your name?” Tristan asked, brushing her tears away with one swipe of his thumb.

“June,” she mumbled.

“Okay, June, let’s take a deep breath.”

She obeyed. They did it five times together. I suddenly wanted to become pregnant as I watched them. June was calm now. Her tears ceased.

“Good job. Now, let’s go find your mom,” Tristan said, scooping her up in his arms. He took a glance at me and gestured for us to go.

“Is this your wife?” June asked, looking at me.

As little as she was, I couldn’t guess her age from the way she spoke.

“Soon, she will be,” Tristan said, and I fought away the redness growing on my cheeks.

“Okay, June. Can you look around the room for me and let me know if you see your mom?” he asked, and she nodded.

We walked around for a while. Tristan kept chatting with June as if they hadn’t just met ten minutes ago. It amazed me how well he interacted with her. The chirpy tone. How he knew certain cartoons and Disney princesses.

“Mommy!” June screamed.

A young lady turned back and rushed toward us, looking relieved. It seemed she’d been searching for her daughter too.

“Oh my God, June.” She took her from Tristan’s arms and wrapped her arms around her. “God, you scared me.”

“I made new friends. Can I invite them to my tea party? Please, Mommy.” June pouted.

“We found her crying. She was looking for you,” I said.

“Thank you so much. She was beside me one minute, and the next minute, she was gone,” the lady said.

“Glad we could help,” Tristan said.

“Okay, let’s go. Daddy is looking for you,” she said to her daughter.