Page 115 of Embracing the Change

But Allegra looked distraught. “I had no idea he was going to say any of those things, Mom. And he promised, he swore he wouldn’t come inside unless you invited him. He said he just needed a word with you.”

Darryn gave the fullness of it. “He told her you two were talking reconciliation. That you’d ended things with Jamie. And, once Jamie learned you were getting back together, Jamie interfered.”

Fucking Roland.

“That isn’t true, Allegra,” I asserted, my voice trembling with unhappy emotion.

“I know that now,” Allegra mumbled.

“He’s a fucking piece of work,” Nico clipped.

I hated women going out in leggings. Occasionally, yes. The constancy with which I saw it, absolutely not.

I hated the seating in some of the theaters on Broadway. It was too close, the seats too small. I couldn’t enjoy a musical when I was eating my knees and practically sitting in my neighbor’s lap.

I hated the communal tables some of the new cafés and restaurants had. I didn’t want to eat or sip my coffee with strangers.

But the thing I hated most of all was how much my son hated his father, how hurt all my children were, and that for some reason, the man had listened to the message I left on his voicemail, and he’d still shown up at my building and ruined an important lunch.

I knew why that was too, and Allegra would admit it to me in private.

She’d told her father this was happening today. And he knew why, since I told him Jamie and I were moving in together. And in an act of sheer jealousy and spite, Roland had acted on it.

Oh, and I hated that Jamie had been right.

I had a feeling, if he’d dealt with this, Roland wouldn’t have caused that scene.

I walked to Nico, lifted my hands and smoothed the skin on his face, leaving my hands on either side of his head.

“Thank you for defending me, my champion,” I said softly.

“Ma—”

“And I don’t know what your father is going through right now, but he’s still your father. So feel these feelings, my handsome boy, then I hope you find your way to reaching out to him. Because he wasn’t a good husband, and perhaps not around as much as he should have been, but he loves you all very much.”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath for that, Ma,” Nico warned.

“Yeah, totally, Mom,” Valentina added.

I drew in a deep breath, and let it go, along with my hold on my son.

I stepped away and said, “So be it.” I looked to Jamie. “Darling, can you make me a martini?”

Jamie was studying me intently even as he said, “Of course.”

“I’ll take one too, please, Jamie,” Allegra requested.

“I’m just gonna do shots of vodka,” Valentina announced, following Jamie to the drinks cart.

“That’s my girl,” Archie encouraged on a smile.

I felt attention, so turned to Felice just in time to watch her quickly rearrange her features from distaste to benign.

“Would you like a drink, Felice?” I asked.

“No. I’m good, thanks,” she said shortly.

“You must be Dru,” Darryn said to Dru.

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