"Cross my heart," Jesse promised. "Come on, let's see if it's changed at all."
Stepping over the threshold was like looking through a window onto Jesse's past. The place hadn't been redecorated since before his mother died, and he didn't think the furniture had ever been rearranged. It was eerie, and the whole place felt almost abandoned, even though Jayden and his father still lived there.
"So...not at all, then," he said, turning on the lamps. The light hit a framed family portrait, all six of them captured on film, back when they were a real family. Jesse looked about 11 in the picture, standing beside his mother, who was holding Jayden in her arms. He ran one hand over the frame before he could stop himself. "I'm sort of surprised he didn't take this down," he said softly.