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up in relationships that ended badly, but I never in a million years would have seen it coming with this one.  Our trip together had blindsided me, and I often wondered if he felt even half of the regret that I did on how badly things ended between us.
    “Yes, sweetie, almost ,” I said, walking over to help her zip up her overflowing backpack.  “Aunt Marissa and Uncle Mike will be picking us up soon.”  I glanced around, making sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything.  I liked to joke with Marissa that my sanity was still missing, but that seemed to have disappeared along with Trent.  Maybe someday I’d feel like I had my life together again, but at the moment all I could do was take things one day at a time.
    “Is Mr. Trent coming?”   Hannah looked up at me with her childlike innocence, and I felt another pang of guilt—this time because I knew she’d never get to see him again either.
    “No, not this time.”
    “I miss him,” Hannah said, pouting a little.
    “I miss him, too,” I muttered, knowing it didn’t matter if anyone actually heard me.  It didn’t matter what I said, because I knew he wasn’t coming back.
    ***
    “Here you go, Meghan,” my brother-in-law said, passing over a grilled hotdog.
    “Thanks Mike.”  I took it from him and absentmindedly bit into it, watching the kids playing together in the grass.  They’d already eaten, and now the three of us grown-ups were finally sitting down to eat.  My sister passed over the potato chips, and I carelessly poured some of them onto my plate, barely noticing as a couple ended up on the ground.  The two of them exchanged a glance that I chose to ignore.
    “Feeding the ants?” Marissa asked.
    “What?”
    “There’s going to be ants swarming all over here with all those chips you dropped.”
    “Well , maybe they’re hungry,” I said sarcastically.  I was used to spending vacations with my sister and her family, but for some reason this summer I couldn’t help but feel like the odd man out.  Meeting Trent had made me realize that Hannah and I didn’t have to be alone forever.  We’d had our own little makeshift family vacation earlier this year, and although things didn’t work out between Trent and me, it did make me realize how different my life could be.  I could potentially meet someone else eventually, fall in love, and have a father-figure for Hannah.  I’d never even considered it before, but a new world of possibilities had been opened to me at seeing Trent’s acceptance of Hannah and likewise, her acceptance of him.
    “Cheer up, Meghan,” Marissa teased, tossing a marshmallow at me.
    “Easy now,” Mike joked.  “I don’t want to break up any sisterly fights.  The kids are bad enough.”
    “Ha ha,” I muttered.   “I don’t need cheering up.  No one is happy all the time.”
    “Oh, we are,” Marissa said, grinning at Mike.
    “Sure you are,” I said with a wink.  “I’m going to grab another drink.  Do you guys want anything?”
    “Nah, we’re good.”
    I took my empty plate and walked back into the cabin.  There was a pile of dishes in the kitchen sink that needed to be washed, so I quickly washed and dried them, putting them back into the cabinets.  I caught a glimpse of Marissa and Mike out the window, looking relaxed and happy.  The kids were tossing a ball around, and despite my misgivings at being a third wheel to them, I was happy that Hannah had her cousins to play with.  I poured myself a glass of lemonade and was just taking a sip of the sweet drink when I heard my cell phone ringing.  Surprised, I went into the room that Hannah and I were sharing and pulled my phone from my purse.  A local number that I didn’t recognize showed on the display, and assuming it was a wrong number, I reluctantly answered.
    “Meghan.”  Trent’s voice was dee p at the other end of the line, and my heart skipped a beat.  I sank onto the edge of my bed, suddenly unable to stand as my mind