"You're not going to join me tonight?" She was surprised. She had just assumed he would be there, keeping her warm again.
"Well, I was thinking about what you said earlier. You are my mom, after all. It's probably not a great idea for us to be sleeping together."
Valerie felt like something important had just been yanked away from her. She needed her son in her bed with her. She just couldn't imagine lying in her bed all night, cold and alone. Well, she could imagine it. She just didn't want to. She realized she had stopped with food still in her mouth. She forced it down and looked into Michael's eyes.
"Please, Michael," she said, "Don't make me sleep alone tonight."
"Mom..." he shook his head and took another bite. He chewed deliberately while thinking over what he should say. After
