Chapter 15 - THE FAMILY IN FRONT OF ME
Six months after the wedding that never happened, I took Leo to the park near our house. He had learned to walk in quick, determined bursts and considered every puddle a personal invitation.
Teresa came with us. She had returned to work after her injury healed. I’d offered her a raise, but I’d also told her she was free to leave whenever she wanted. She chose to stay.
My mother visited twice a month. Marcus survived a company audit and complained that Leo liked his tie more than he liked him. David stopped by for dinner one Sunday and spent twenty minutes helping Leo stack blocks.
This was our family. It had been growing around me while I searched for a perfect picture of one.
I still worked hard. Sterling Developments still had deadlines, arguments, and days that ran too long. But I stopped treating time with Leo as something I could make up later. Some mornings he came to my office and sat on the rug with his toys. When I promised I’d be home for dinner, I put the time on my calendar and kept it.
The case moved forward. Graham faced the consequences of taking Leo and trying to steal from my company. Victoria’s role remained part of the investigation. I let the attorneys handle what I couldn’t change, and I gave them every record they asked for.
One afternoon, Teresa found the wedding ring while I was clearing out a drawer.
“What will you do with it?” she asked.
“I haven’t decided.”
I closed the box. The ring no longer felt like the center of the story.
From the living room, Leo called, “Da! Da!”
I set the box down and went to him.
He stood beside the couch, holding up one of his small shoes. He had already put the other on by himself, though it was on the wrong foot.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
He grinned and took three unsteady steps toward me. I caught him before he fell.
Once, I had believed I needed to marry Victoria to give my son a complete family. On our wedding day, I learned how badly I had misunderstood what he needed.
May you like
Leo needed someone who would come when he called.
I picked him up, and we went outside.
