me than my own family ever was. Why isn’t that enough? Thanksgiving was perfect. I should have loved it, but all I could think about was what I had to leave behind to belong there. I feel like I’m losing myself. How can I raise a child when I’m not sure who I am anymore?”
Arnold cleared his throat. “You need to talk to your husband, Nicole. Let him be there for you.” With that, he released Nicole’s hand and turned back toward the steering wheel, a move that was Arnold’s way of bringing the invisible wall back up between them. Someone else might have taken the action as a sign that he didn’t care, but Nicole knew better.
“Thank you, Arnold. Now, please retrieve the flowers from the trunk and help me carry them to my father’s grave.”
“Yes, Mrs. Andrade,” Arnold said and opened his door before coming around to open hers.
“Daddy!”
Without taking the time to remove his coat, Dominic Corisi dropped to one knee and braced himself as his young daughter threw herself into his arms. He stood, picking her up as he did. “Hey, Princess.” He walked with Judy over to give his wife a quick kiss. Abby kissed him in greeting but didn’t look happy. “I know I said I’d be home earlier. Sorry, Victor and Alessandro came to see me at the office. You know how those two can talk.”
Abby gave Judy a pointed look. “Judy, do you have something to tell your father?”
Dominic laughed. “Uh oh. That’s Mommy’s teacher voice. What did you do, Judy?”
“Dominic,” Abby said in reprimand, “this is serious.”
Dominic forced a frown on his face, but he knew Judy saw right through it. “Let me guess, you hid the housekeeper’s keys again.”
Judy shook her head. “Worse.”
“You let the dog out into the garden.”
Judy covered her mouth and giggled. “Mr. Kirsten was so mad that day. Nope. I know not to do that anymore.”
“Tell him, Judy.”
Judy tilted her head to one side and gave Dominic sad little eyes that nearly broke his heart. “Maybe my teacher gave me a bad note.”
“That’s it, she’s fired,” Dominic said but wisely stopped smiling when he saw Abby’s eyes narrow.
Judy’s eyes rounded in horror and her bottom lip quivered. “I love Mrs. Liseika. Don’t fire her.”
Abby rushed over to reassure Judy, and gave Dominic a light swat. “Dom, she’s too young to joke with like that. Judy, your father would never have Mrs. Liseika fired.”
“Unless she needed to be let go,” Dominic said seriously.
Abby sighed and sent Dominic a painfully clear message with her eyes. It wasn’t that Dominic didn’t believe all children needed discipline, but Judy was only five. Dominic had been raised in a house full of fear and violence. He refused to expose his family to either. Abby said he was too soft on Judy. He didn’t disagree with his wife, but he wasn’t about to change either. If Abby gave Judy a consequence, he supported that decision, but he kept all anger out of his house.
Dominic put Judy down. “Show me the note.”
Judy retrieved the note from a folder on the counter and handed it to Dominic. “I don’t think I should be in trouble. I was like a superhero.”
Dominic scanned the note then looked across at Abby. “What kind of private school is this? They let the kids brawl on the playground? I told you we should have our security in the building.”
Abby shook her head. “You are not sending Marc Stone or any of his goons into an elementary school. We want Judy to have a normal childhood. It’s a good school, Dominic, the best in the city. There wasn’t actually a fight until your daughter threw a punch.”
Dominic looked down at Judy. “You know you’re not supposed to hit anyone.”
Judy lowered her eyes then gave another adorably soulful look up at him. “Dad, you would have punched him, too. There is a new boy, Lucas, in our class who gets stuck on words when he talks. He talks this this: Nice to m-m-m-meet y-y-you.”
“It’s called
Arnold cleared his throat. “You need to talk to your husband, Nicole. Let him be there for you.” With that, he released Nicole’s hand and turned back toward the steering wheel, a move that was Arnold’s way of bringing the invisible wall back up between them. Someone else might have taken the action as a sign that he didn’t care, but Nicole knew better.
“Thank you, Arnold. Now, please retrieve the flowers from the trunk and help me carry them to my father’s grave.”
“Yes, Mrs. Andrade,” Arnold said and opened his door before coming around to open hers.
“Daddy!”
Without taking the time to remove his coat, Dominic Corisi dropped to one knee and braced himself as his young daughter threw herself into his arms. He stood, picking her up as he did. “Hey, Princess.” He walked with Judy over to give his wife a quick kiss. Abby kissed him in greeting but didn’t look happy. “I know I said I’d be home earlier. Sorry, Victor and Alessandro came to see me at the office. You know how those two can talk.”
Abby gave Judy a pointed look. “Judy, do you have something to tell your father?”
Dominic laughed. “Uh oh. That’s Mommy’s teacher voice. What did you do, Judy?”
“Dominic,” Abby said in reprimand, “this is serious.”
Dominic forced a frown on his face, but he knew Judy saw right through it. “Let me guess, you hid the housekeeper’s keys again.”
Judy shook her head. “Worse.”
“You let the dog out into the garden.”
Judy covered her mouth and giggled. “Mr. Kirsten was so mad that day. Nope. I know not to do that anymore.”
“Tell him, Judy.”
Judy tilted her head to one side and gave Dominic sad little eyes that nearly broke his heart. “Maybe my teacher gave me a bad note.”
“That’s it, she’s fired,” Dominic said but wisely stopped smiling when he saw Abby’s eyes narrow.
Judy’s eyes rounded in horror and her bottom lip quivered. “I love Mrs. Liseika. Don’t fire her.”
Abby rushed over to reassure Judy, and gave Dominic a light swat. “Dom, she’s too young to joke with like that. Judy, your father would never have Mrs. Liseika fired.”
“Unless she needed to be let go,” Dominic said seriously.
Abby sighed and sent Dominic a painfully clear message with her eyes. It wasn’t that Dominic didn’t believe all children needed discipline, but Judy was only five. Dominic had been raised in a house full of fear and violence. He refused to expose his family to either. Abby said he was too soft on Judy. He didn’t disagree with his wife, but he wasn’t about to change either. If Abby gave Judy a consequence, he supported that decision, but he kept all anger out of his house.
Dominic put Judy down. “Show me the note.”
Judy retrieved the note from a folder on the counter and handed it to Dominic. “I don’t think I should be in trouble. I was like a superhero.”
Dominic scanned the note then looked across at Abby. “What kind of private school is this? They let the kids brawl on the playground? I told you we should have our security in the building.”
Abby shook her head. “You are not sending Marc Stone or any of his goons into an elementary school. We want Judy to have a normal childhood. It’s a good school, Dominic, the best in the city. There wasn’t actually a fight until your daughter threw a punch.”
Dominic looked down at Judy. “You know you’re not supposed to hit anyone.”
Judy lowered her eyes then gave another adorably soulful look up at him. “Dad, you would have punched him, too. There is a new boy, Lucas, in our class who gets stuck on words when he talks. He talks this this: Nice to m-m-m-meet y-y-you.”
“It’s called
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