AUTHORS POV

Pedro had just stepped out of a long board meeting when his phone buzzed with a blurry photo from home: Dean, wide-eyed and smiling, proudly holding a tiny white tooth between two fingers.

The message from the nanny read:

“He lost his first tooth! Asked me to send this to you right away.”

Pedro stared at the photo. It did warm his heart for a start but he wished these messages came from Tessa.

But what difference would it make now?

Dean’s front tooth was missing, leaving a jagged gap in his smile. His cheeks were flushed with excitement. His eyes looked bright—even without his mother around, at...