My spirit nearly leaves my body. I was so engrossed in the child that I didn’t even realize she was standing on the other side of the door, listening.
“Leanna!”
“Mom!”
I don’t know which one of us sounds more terrified. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my heart nearly stops for a moment.
“Go to your room, Finn!” Leanna says tightly.
My son inches away and then practically runs up the steps to his room, leaving me and Leanna facing off against each other.
“I was just bringing him home,” I try to explain, but she holds up a hand. The look on her face is not a happy one.
“Come inside,” she says.
I follow her into the kitchen, and she puts a kettle on the stove. Wrapping the robe tightly around her, she turns to face me.
“I’m not neglecting Finn,” she tells me. “I know he’s been sneaking
