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back to the florist’s shop back there?” she asked.
    Without a single question, he did as she requested, which made Charlotte even more grateful. The man understood her almost as well as Brandy did. She climbed out of his truck and went inside. There were several beautiful arrangements but none were right. Charlotte asked the florist if she had hyacinths and crocus. It was late February, so they would be just beginning to bloom. When the florist confirmed, she explained that she wanted a simple bouquet of blue hyacinth and crocus.
    “What type of vase would you prefer, dear?” the woman asked.
    Charlotte felt her chin wobble and forced herself not to cry. “No vase, please. It’s…it’s for a grave.”
    The florist’s face changed, and her already kind eyes filled with compassion. “How about a ribbon? Maybe white?”
    Charlotte nodded and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She watched as the woman gathered the flowers and tied them with a simple white satin ribbon. Greg came up behind her.
    “Do you have daisies?” he asked.
    The florist nodded.
    “I’ll take a bouquet of those, tied with blue ribbon if you have it.”
    She didn’t say anything more, just finished gathering and tying up the flowers. When she gave them the total, Greg insisted on paying for both. Charlotte tried to argue, but it was useless.
    Greg merely said, “Let me do this for Adam.”
    She couldn’t argue with that so she watched him pay for the flowers and they went back out to the truck.
    The rest of the drive, Charlotte fingered the ribbons around the flowers. The fabric felt cold and smooth beneath her hands. She was surprised when Greg didn’t need direction to Adam’s grave. He parked and came around to help her out of the truck.
    As they walked toward the angel headstone, the hollow feeling in her chest grew. Her head felt light as they reached Adam’s grave and she squatted down to place the hyacinths and crocus next to the small bouquet she had brought for him a few days before. Then she placed her knees on the ground and ran her hand over the cool marble face of the angel.
    “Hi, baby,” she whispered. “I miss you.”
    Greg stayed back and let her sit with her little boy. Charlotte talked to Adam for a few minutes before he came to sit next to her and join in the conversation. She wondered what Derek was doing. He should be here on a day like this. Even if he didn’t want to be married to her any longer, this was his son. He needed to be the man next to her.
    Charlotte fell silent and just sat on the icy ground, looking at Adam’s beautiful headstone. It still appeared new, shiny and clean. After about a half hour, Greg rose and helped her to her feet.
    “Charlie, we need to get you home, okay? It’s not good for you to sit out here in the cold.”
    He was right but Charlotte didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay with her baby forever, to dig down into the ground and lie next to him. It wasn’t right or fair. She needed to be with her baby. He was supposed to grow up, fall in love, have children of his own.
    Charlotte let Greg lead her to the truck, but with each step, the hollow feeling in her chest was being replaced with weight. Her heart grew heavier with each second. She clenched her fists after Greg helped her into the vehicle. Something was building within her body, and she couldn’t separate all the emotions as the tumult roiled within her.
    During the ride, she clenched her fists tight, her nails digging into her skin. She kept her eyes focused on the road in front of them and tried to regulate her breathing. Greg glanced at her, his face full of concern, but she didn’t notice. Charlotte was too concerned with keeping the turmoil in her from erupting like lava, destroying everything in its path.
    When they reached her home, Charlotte slid out of the truck, not waiting for Greg to come around and help her out of the behemoth. She moved quickly up the front sidewalk, feeling as brittle and