“What a sweetie you are.” Then she looked up at me, smiling so wide my heart clenched at the beauty of it. “Queenie?” A stiff nod. “Queenie.” Her head bent back toward my princess, lavishing attention on her. Lavinia had tied her long black hair back with a silky, red scarf. Hands in my pockets, I tried to hold myself together at the sight of a beaming Lavinia on my floor in her business attire with my dog in her lap, laughing and cooing softly. She was so fucking beautiful and perfect, I couldn’t breathe.
