I tried to give him both when he needed them.
One evening, he returned from visiting Annie.
He sat at the kitchen table without removing his coat.
I placed a cup of tea beside him.
He stared at it.
Then whispered, "She asked why I didn't look for her."
My heart tightened.
"What did you say?"
He looked up.
"That I thought she was dead."
I sat beside him.
He continued.
"She asked why I believed it."
I took his hand.
"William."
He shook his head.
"I had no answer she'd understand."
I thought for a moment.
"Then tell her the truth in words she can understand."
He looked toward me.
"That someone lied to you."
He swallowed.
"That you loved her."
"Yes."
"And that you would have searched if you'd known she was alive."
His eyes filled.
He nodded.
"I told her that."
I squeezed his hand.
"Good."
He looked toward the fire.
Then whispered, "She asked whether I love you."
I smiled faintly.
"And?"
"I told her yes."
He turned toward me.
"Then she asked whether loving you meant I couldn't love her mother anymore."
The question settled heavily between us.
I looked down.
It was a child's question.
But it carried all the confusion the adults had created.
I took a breath.
"What did you say?"
William looked at me.
"That people can care about someone without being married to them."
I nodded.
He continued.
"And that my marriage to you is real."
My throat tightened.
He took my hand.
"Rose."
I looked up.
"I love you."
Tears filled my eyes.
He continued.
"Nothing about the past changes that."
I nodded.
"I know."
He leaned closer.
"But I also have a daughter who needs me."
I smiled through tears.
"Yes."
"And I don't know how to give her what she lost."
I touched his cheek.
"You can't give her the last seven years."
His eyes filled.
"But you can give her the next seven."
He stared at me.
Then began crying.
I held him.
And for the first time since the mystery began, I felt us move toward something other than fear.
Not an easy future.
Not a simple one.
But a future we could choose together.
By spring, Annie began visiting our cabin regularly under arrangements made with her caregivers and the appropriate authorities while her mother's situation was addressed.
At first, she stayed only a few hours.
Then an afternoon.
Eventually, overnight visits became possible.
She loved the horses.
She loved watching William repair tools.
She loved the little creek behind the house.
And she loved cooking with me.