The Rusted Wedding Ring Meets the Rainy Season Again

Half an hour before the month-old celebration, my husband suddenly stripped away every decoration that had my daughter's name on it.

He lit a cigarette and explained, "My brother passed while Bonnie was still carrying Hunter Abbott. Hunter's already a year old and he's never had a party."

"The baby just turned a month old. She won't remember any of it. Let's turn this into Hunter's first-birthday party instead."

I went cold all over.

My phone was still lit up. My parents, all the way out in the country, had texted to say they were almost downstairs.