“A big one with smelly streets and broken windows?”
It bugs me that he knows that part of a city, but my smile stays in place. “Kind of. I brought you back something.”
He drags in a breath. “You did?”
“It’s in the car.” I hold out a hand. “Shall we go get it?”
He wraps his tiny fingers around mine. It’s one of those moments where I experience emotions intensely, where warmth spreads through my chest, and I want to burn the memory into my mind so that I can revisit it forever.
We get the bag from the back of the car. When we reenter through the front door, Tatiana comes down the hallway, wearing her signature long-sleeved T-shirt and leggings. Her hair falls in wild curls around her shoulders.
At the sight of me, she stiffens. “You’re back.”
“Missed me?”
She scoffs.
“Mommy!” Noah takes the bag from me and runs to her. “Dante brought me a present.”
She studies me with a strange expression I can’t place, something between sadness and acceptance.
“That’s kind of him,” she says with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
He jumps up and down. “Can I open it now, Dante?”
“It’s not wrapped, but yes, you can take it out now.”
He sprints to the lounge and shakes the contents out on the sofa.
Chuckling, I follow him.
“Oh, wow!” He grabs the soccer ball and shows it to Tatiana, who reluctantly comes closer. “Look, Mommy! A real soccer ball!”
“That’s so you can practice those kicks.”
He drops the ball and holds up the soccer T-shirt and shorts. “And a real soccer shirt too.”
“I hope it’s your team.”
He frowns. “I don’t have a team.”
“That’s all right. You’ve only just started to play. You have time to decide who you want to support. We can watch a few games together to help you make up your mind.”
He squeals. “Really?”
“What did I say about never lying to you?”
Wrapping his arms around my legs, he hugs me as if his life depends on it. “Thank you, Dante.”
I catch Tatiana’s gaze where she hovers a short distance away. Even as tenderness softens her green eyes, they glimmer with the unbearable grief of loss, almost as if I’ve stuck my fist into her chest and ripped out her heart.
“Thank you,” Noah says again.
I force my attention back to him. “You’re welcome, buddy. But you left something in the bag.”
He gasps. “There’s more?” Grabbing the bag, he shakes it with all his might until the shoebox falls out.
He frowns at me.
