"You are going to stay with us for a while," she said in a voice so low and sweet that it was like music to Peter. "Will you like that?"
He shook his head affirmatively. "I wanted to come all the time. I promised Mona I would—if she was ever sick."
Josette drew his head gently against her breast. He could hear her heart beating.
"I am Mona's mother. After this—how would you like me to be your mother?" she asked softly.
"I—I'd like it. But I gotta live with Simon. Dad told me to—until he comes back."
The arm about his shoulders tightened a little.
"Yes, you must live with Simon. I wouldn't take you from him. But I'm going to be your mother, Peter—just the same. From now on, all the time, you belong to me just as Mona does."
"I guess that's why Mona likes me—because I haven't got a mother," he tried to explain. "But my dad's coming back. He'll love you too. Nobody can help loving you, can they?"
"I don't know, Peter."