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“Worse? How?”
“Because now Danny feels like he needs to defend Lauren. This might have been a short-term thing. Danny may have come to the conclusion—all on his own—that he still loves Heather and wants to work things out with her. That’s going to be hard for him to do when all he’s thinking about is protecting her from you.”
“That girl doesn’t deserve to be defended or protected…” She took two steps up the stairs.
“Deb, that’s enough.”
“How do you know it will be a short term ‘thing,’ Richard?” From her vantage point on the stairs, she could look down at her husband. “Maybe it will be a long-term thing. Have you thought about that?”
“I have thought about it,” Richie said. “And you know, if that happens, we’re going to have a new family dynamic to deal with. Even though I don’t agree with what Danny’s doing, I trust him. I trust thatmy sonwill make the right decision in the long run. He’s the only one who can make it, Deb.”
She made a disgusted noise and continued walking upstairs. Richie went to the base of the staircase and called after her, “I can’t decide for him, and neither can you. And when he makes it, we’ll have to live with it regardless of whether or not we like it.”
ChapterThirty-Five
After the blow-out with his mother, Danny went straight to Lauren’s, where he did his best to calm her down. It took a few hours, but he stayed until Lauren fell asleep. He watched her for a little bit to make sure she really was asleep, stewing the entire time. His mother had no right to interfere like that. Rubbing his face, he muffled a sigh—Lauren finally looked peaceful, and he didn’t want to wake her. But he had to go home. He dropped a kiss on her forehead before slipping out of the apartment.
The next morning Danny was still furious, and his mood didn’t improve as the week went on. He considered skipping Sunday dinner, but Heather was bringing the boys for Cole’s birthday. He didn’t want to miss his kids—or his niece’s birthday—but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to remain civil with his mother.
“I’m still so pissed at her. I don’t want to go to dinner, but the boys…” Danny said to Lauren as he ran a hand through his hair. He leaned back in the patio chair and looked out over Central Park.
“You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”
He sighed and frowned.
“Just pay attention to them—ignore the other stuff.”
He offered a dark half-laugh. “Not as easy as it sounds. You’re going out on Sunday, too, right?”
An odd expression crossed her face as she nodded and answered, “Yeah, Jackie is having me, Steph, and Carolyn over.” Lauren put her feet up on the coffee table. She wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the day at Jackie’s, but at least Carolyn and Steph would be there.
“Why the face? You love spending time with your sisters.”
“I do, but I don’t know. Just seems strange. Jackie never does girls’ night. Probably just wants to prove she’s the next Martha Stewart.”
Sunday dinner at the Padovano’s was awkward at best. Danny and his mother barely spoke. Heather was chilly to him. Between his earlier visit to Connecticut when he and Heather had their unexpected interlude, and a few phone calls they’d had since then, he’d thought they were making some progress towards being civil. But as soon as Cole’s cake was eaten and gifts were opened, Heather started to hustle the boys out, saying it would be a long drive back to the cottage.
“But I want to stay,” Matty said. He dragged one sneaker toe across the floor.
“Me, too,” Tommy said.
“Not tonight,” Heather told them. “Go get your stuff.”
The boys sighed and dragged their feet. Tommy gave his father a hug. “We miss you, Dad.”
It was a knife to Danny’s gut. “I know, kiddo. I miss you, too. I’ve got a couple days off from work soon and I’ll come visit.” He wished he could suggest they stay, but there would be no one to watch them during the day.
“What’s going to happen when we have to come back for school?” Lucas asked. “Where are we going to live?”
Danny’s answer was immediate. “At our house. That’s your home.” There was no way he was making them live anywhere but the house they’d grown up in.
“Will you be there?” his oldest son asked.
Danny almost said yes, but then said, “Your Mom, and I need to figure that out.” It was something he’d been thinking about but hadn’t discussed with Heather yet.
All three boys turned to look at their mother.
“Your father and I need to talk about things. Now go on, say goodbye to Cole and get in the car. We have a long drive back tonight.” The boys reluctantly went into the other room.
