"You can't, because Mommy will be angry if you don't go back."
He gently coaxed Cheryl. Very reluctantly, she said, "Okay... then Daddy, can I stay with you for a while before I go back?"
She had only just found her daddy a few days ago, and now they had to be apart. She couldn't bear it.
"Let me discuss it with your mother, okay?"
Ronan Joyce wanted nothing more than to spend a few more days with her—and even more so with her mother. Cheryl nodded obediently. "Okay!"
When Ronan Joyce brought Cheryl back, Lara Nash had already composed herself. She took Cheryl from his arms and said politely, "Thank you."
"I got you some dinner to-go."
Ronan Joyce handed her the bag he was carrying. Knowing her, he figured she wouldn't be in the mood to eat dinner. He felt the same; if Cheryl hadn't been with him, he probably wouldn't have eaten either.
Lara ignored his thoughtful gesture and said flatly, "Thank you, but I've already eaten at the hotel."
