Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Knowing what I did now, goose bumps covered my skin when I found Daniele in
his mother’s bedroom the next morning. I could almost see her lying there from
the vivid and raw way Cassio had described the scene. A lump rose in my throat,
seeing Daniele curled up on his side. I wished I knew what was going on in his
head, if he’d seen more than Cassio suspected. I approached Daniele slowly,
trying to get the images out of my head. How much worse must Cassio feel
whenever he set foot inside this room?
I picked Daniele up and he woke in my arms. It was easy to carry him since
he wasn’t a baby anymore. Cassio came out of the nursery with Simona on his
arm. He tousled Daniele’s hair gently, but he ducked his head.
I gave Cassio an encouraging smile.
“I’ll be home in time for dinner,” he promised before he left.
Like every day, Elia drove the kids, Loulou, and me to the dog park. Daniele
was allowed to take the leash as we strolled through the rest of the park later in
the day. He hadn’t even asked for his tablet today. Loulou requested all his
attention, and he gave it gladly. It was wonderful seeing them grow closer.
Elia settled on the bench while I held Simona by her tiny hands so she could
take hesitant steps along the pathway. Daniele perched on the ground, helping
Loulou dig a hole in the cold ground with a stick he’d found. He was dirty, and
digging holes in the park was probably prohibited, but I didn’t stop him.
“Loulou.”
I froze and almost let go of Simona, which earned me an angry cry from her,
but my eyes were locked on Daniele who’d just spoken. Not to me, and not
loudly, but I’d heard the word. I swallowed hard, trying to decide if I should try
to coerce more words out of him. He had a small, soft voice, and I wanted to
hear it all day.
I decided against pushing him, even if it was difficult. Instead, I peered down
at Simona. “Good girl.” She grinned and took a couple more shaky steps.
The moment we were home, and I had a bit of free time, I picked up my
phone and called Cassio. I couldn’t wait. He answered after the first ring. “What
happened?” The tight worry in his voice made me regret my decision.
“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you that Daniele talked to Loulou
today.”
Silence. “You sure?” Every syllable rang with doubt.
“Yes, I heard him say her name. Isn’t that great? We’re making progress.”
“Why would he talk to a dog?”
“Many children develop close bonds to their pets because they can share
everything with them without judgment or punishment. They are their best
friends.”