Are We Home Yet?

Merritt, a single attorney, is dating a handsome man who has a twelve-year old child. When the father disappears, Merritt finds herself caring for his child, trying to maintain her private law firm and trying to locate the missing father. The child's mother is a drug-addict and Merritt must fight her for custody of the child, Corey.

Merritt, at thirty-seven, overcame a tragic childhood to become a successful attorney with her own law firm. She loves being single and has no desire to marry nor have children. She does not want to risk repeating the anguish she endured as a child. Then she met Ian, a man who seemed to meet her every desire, and her life changed in ways she could never have imagined. As Merritt's obsession and passion for Ian grows, so do her suspicions about his dark side. When Ian disappears, leaving his twelve-year old son Corey with his heroin addicted mother, Corey turns to Merritt. She tries unsuccessfully to find Ian, knowing Corey's mother is noble to care for him. Merritt must decide whether to give up her perfect lifestyle to care for a damaged twelve-year old child, possibly on a permanent basis. This is a story about the stormy relationship between Merritt and Corey, about the resilience of the human spirit, the ability of a chid to forgive, and the strength of a woman to help a chid survive the loss of his own parents. Merritt comes to grip with her own hurtful childhood memories as she experiences the daily sacrifices involved in bringing a hurt, angry child in to her home. By doing so, she finds depths of love in hers eve she never knew she had. This is a story for anyone who cares about parenting, the criminal justice system, foster care and drug addiction. By reading Merritt and Corey's story, the reader feels just how much pain dysfunctional or absent parents can cause their own children.

Mary Verdier practiced law for over thirty years, primarily in the areas of adoption, child welfare, and criminal defense. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusettes. She is working on a memoir and a second novel. Mary lives in Arizona with her husband Steven Feola, also an attorney. They have been married for thirty-six years and three creative and talented grown children, Terry, Van and Lindsey. They have two gifted teenage grand daughters, Annie and Emma.