When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I quickly knelt down next to Gregory and pacified him, saying, “Silly boy, Mommy only left for a while. How could I have left you behind? Didn’t we agree that we’d stick together?”

However, Gregory could not be so easily appeased. He frowned in deep thought. After a moment, his eyes lit up. Extending his tiny pinky towards me he claimed, “We didn’t make a pinky promise last time, so it didn’t count. Now we have to!”

I put on an unsmiling face and hooked my pinky with Gregory’s. He cheered up considerably afterward.

Looking down at Gregory clad smartly in a tuxedo, I guessed that the three of them were heading out to dinner. In a friendly manner, I asked, “Are you going out to dinner tonight, Gregory?”

Before Gregory could reply, Ashton cut in with a low voice, “We’re going to meet my parents. You have to come too.”

We’re going to meet the Hall family? I thought, amused. I guess today isn’t a wasted trip after all.

I smiled cheerfully at Ashton, then replied, “Sure! Let me go back and change. Wait here for me.”

“It’s alright,” Ashton commanded, halting me in my tracks. “You can come as you are. There’s no need to be so formal.”

into the

tightly onto Gregory’s hand. At least I’ve saved some time and trouble going

meet the Hall family. They must be a callous bunch

We seemed to have come to a mutual understanding that the earlier matter with John

naturally chattered on endlessly, filling me in with all the news from school that I’d missed

to mix with the younger children at school, do you? Do you find them dull? If you have a younger sister who’s very childish, would you dislike

stay with my sister always and

his still-babyish voice. A picture of

ruffled Gregory’s hair. I looked at him fondly, commending, “You’ve

through the rearview mirror. However, Ashton looked away from the mirror the instant our

with another look of utter contempt that

to care that I had told Gregory about Audrey. It felt like he had full assurance that he would be able to acquire custody of both

It seemed as if we’d arrived at the

Gregory and me forward while holding onto Gregory’s hand, I followed