The Wife Stalker(86)
All Piper had ever wanted was a mother who loved her, who would take care of her. “I would like that very much,” she said.
“Kala, good. No more misunderstandings between us. If you have a problem with me, you tell me. I do the same. Now, is okay for me to come for a few days to take care of you until you’re on your feet again?”
“I would love that,” Piper had answered. Now Piper put a hand on her mother-in-law’s back.
Evangelia turned from the stove. “Go sit. You mustn’t tire yourself. I’m here to help, remember?” Her voice was stern, but she gave Piper a warm smile.
“Okay.”
Leo and the kids were waiting in the dining room, and he pulled out a chair for her. Evangelia came in with the soup and set it down on the table.
“Who wants to help Yiayia get everything else?”
Stelli jumped up. “I will.”
How different he was after everything they’d gone through. They had turned a corner and the old bratty Stelli was gone. Piper leaned back in the chair, her shoulder beginning to throb. She’d declined prescription meds, having seen too many people quickly become addicted to them. The ibuprofen took the edge off, but it didn’t eliminate the pain.
“You okay?” Leo asked.
She shook her head. “Yes. Just hurts a little, but I’ll be okay.”
Evangelia and Stelli returned with bread and the soup.
“Thank you again, for everything, Evangelia,” Piper said.
“It is my pleasure, sweetheart.” She stopped a minute, then continued. “I know it is not the custom in America anymore”—she held up a hand—“and is okay if you don’t want, but I would love if you would call me Mom.”
The children both looked at Piper expectantly, and she hesitated only a moment. “Thank you, Mom.”
Evangelia smiled. “Who says the grace?”
“Can I?” Stelli asked.
“Yes, of course,” Leo answered.
“Thank you for this food and for keeping us safe. Please take care of Mommy in heaven and thank you for giving us Piper to take care of us. Amen.” He got up from his chair and went to Piper, pulling something from his pocket. “I took this. I’m sorry.” His eyes were wide, his small hand trembling as he held the glass rhinoceros out to her.
This was a good sign that he was learning, admitting he’d done wrong.
“Thank you, Stelli,” she said gently. “You hold on to him right now, and when we finish dinner, we’ll put him back with his other animal friends. If you’d like, you can keep the collection in your room. I think they would like it there.” She looked around the table at each of them. These two young children whose lives had been so deeply affected by their mother’s mental illness; Leo, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; and his mother, who wanted to be a mother to her, too. She knew without question that this was her family now. Her perfect family. The one she’d been searching for all along. Perfect. Not like the others, whose flaws and imperfections had brought them tragedy. This time was different. This time they would all be good. And nothing bad would ever happen.
Otherwise, she’d have to start all over again.
Acknowledgments
As Piper would tell you—the attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga (Yogi Bhajan). But in all seriousness, we are truly grateful for the many people without whom this book would not be a reality.
First, to our brilliant editor, Emily Griffin: we are so lucky to have a partner who understands and refines our vision and voice. You make our words so much better than they would be if left unattended. It is a rare gift to work with someone in whose wisdom and instincts we wholeheartedly trust. Boundless thanks to the amazing team at HarperCollins. To our fabulous publicist, Heather Drucker: your passion and talent always yield amazing results and you take such good care of us—thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Appreciation to Katie O’Callaghan for your creativity and dedication to marketing excellence. We are deeply grateful to the HarperCollins global publishing partners for making our work available to readers all over the world. Huge thanks to Jimmy Iacobelli for designing a cover we instantly fell madly in love with. To Amber Oliver for all you do behind the scenes. To Virginia Stanley and your team: thank you for your kindness and continual enthusiasm—you are our champions. And as always, deepest gratitude to Jonathan Burnham and Doug Jones for your continued faith in us and our work.
To our exceptional agent and friend, Bernadette Baker-Baughman: what can we say but we love you to pieces and couldn’t imagine anyone better to walk beside us on this exciting journey. To Victoria Sanders: thank you for treating us like family and for always making us laugh with your killer sense of humor. To Diane Dickensheid, Jessica Spivey, and Allison Leshowitz: thanks for all you do to support us.
To our film agent, Dana Spector at CAA: tremendous thanks for your passion, dedication, and brilliant negotiating. We couldn’t be in better hands.
To Gretchen Stelter, always our first reader and editor: deepest thanks for your friendship, guidance, and keen insights. You navigate us to our true north.
Much appreciation to good friend Carmen Marcano Davis, PhD, for taking the time to vet our psychological profiles and for assuring us we are not unbalanced when you hear our plots. To partner-in-crime and fellow author Wendy Walker: thank you for help with family law questions and for always being a phone call away for encouragement and advice. Gratitude to our dear cousin, Leo Manta, for instruction and help with sailing terms and all things nautical and for being one of our biggest cheerleaders.