“No, I’ll just have orange juice. But I’ll get it. I need a few moments with Justin, alone.”

Tessa picked up her bowl and juice and left the kitchen. Dominique poured herself a glass of orange juice and joined Justin at the counter.

She eyed her son for a moment, noting how he was maturing seemingly overnight, right before her eyes. The chubby baby face that had caused countless women to pinch his cheeks was being replaced by prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline. I see Leland in him, she thought with a tinge of sadness. She wished that her ex-husband would choose to play a bigger role in his child’s life and wondered if her bossiness had been part of the reason for his continued absence. Then she remembered Leland’s new wife and new family and knew that, at best, she was only part of the cause.

“Good morning, Justin.”

“Morning, Mom,” Justin mumbled.

“I’m very sorry about not letting you go on the football trip. I was wrong, Justin. I should have let you go.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Large, brown, questioning eyes bore into her.

“Because sometimes mommies make mistakes and this was one of those times. I love you so much, baby, and sometimes forget that you’re not a little boy anymore, that I need to loosen up. I know you’re angry, and I understand. But do you think you can forgive me? Maybe a little bit?”

Justin didn’t respond, just kept eating his oatmeal.

“Hey, remember that time when I’d just brought a brand-new suit home from the cleaners? It was a red Armani, with big gold buttons and bold stripes on the shoulders and cuffs. You were five years old, remember that?”

A wisp of the familiar smirk of a smile scampered across Justin’s mouth before he could stifle it. “Yeah.”

“Yes, Justin. The word is ‘yes.’”

“Yes, I remember it.”

“And what happened?”

“I got into the cleaning stuff and spilled bleach all over it.”

“Ruined my fifteen-hundred-dollar suit before I could even wear it!”

“I was a little kid. I didn’t know that it cost so much.”

“But you did know that you weren’t supposed to be in the cabinet under the sink.” Justin remained silent. “And what I didn’t know is that you’d figured out how to pop the child lock. By the time I discovered where you were, my beautiful designer outfit looked like a polka-dotted clown suit!”

Justin smiled. A little.

“Your grandma thought you deserved a spanking, but I blamed myself for not having a better lock on the cabinet and putting you in danger. You told me that you were sorry and what did I say?”

Justin responded softly, “That you forgave me.’”