“Oh my God,” she says.
“Dude, your face is so messed up right now,” Nick says, and I shake my head. “I think you need to get a shot of Benadryl or something.”
“You need to go to the hospital,” Eliahn says, and then Aiden asks, “Did you get hit in the face with a ball?” I swear I hear roaring laughter everywhere.
“It looks like you stuck your face in a beehive, and you got attacked,” Jason says, now laughing so hard he can’t breathe.
I hang up on them and grab my wallet. “You have to drive,” I tell Nick and then turn and tell Eliahn I’ll call her later. I bend down and kiss Aiden’s head, but I just drool all over him.
When I get in the car, I pull down the sun visor to see myself, and my other eye is now swelling up. “What the fuck is in that cream?” I say, but it’s getting harder and harder to speak with my lips getting so swollen.
“I can’t even look at you without imagining your face exploding,” Nick says. “It looks so fucked up.”
We pull into the parking lot, and I get out, and Nick starts taking pictures. “We need to send this to National Geographic,” he says.
He FaceTimes the guys again as he ushers me to a wheelchair since I can’t see anything at this point. I sit in the chair as he wheels us to the nurses’ station, and she looks up.
“Dear God,” she says, and I just nod my head.
“You hab no idea,” I tell her. “I think I’m habing an allergic reation.” The words are coming out in a slur.
“I think it might be a full-blown reaction,” she says and walks around the desk. “What did you do?”
“I put on fabe bream,” I say quietly, but not quiet
enough.
“You put on face cream,” Nick says, laughing, and grabs the container in my hand. “Like a girl’s face cream?”
I can’t even roll my eyes. “Puck off,” I say fuck off but because my lips are so swollen, it comes out as puck.
“I gotta go,” he tells the boys, then he grabs his phone. “I’m going to go on an Instagram live.”
“I’ll join,” they both say and disconnect.
“Wat the puck is phat?” What the fuck is that? I ask him, and he doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks at his phone.
“Hey there, Instagrammers,” Nick starts talking, then bends down and puts the phone in front of our faces. “See that eye in the corner?” he tells me, and I turn to look at him.
“I can parley spee.” I can barely see, I tell him and drool falls out of my mouth again.
“Nine people are online,” he says and then turns the phone to me. “Meet my friend, Sasquatch,” he says, putting the phone in my face. “Oh, we have four hundred people.”
“One girl wants to know if you fucked a vacuum.” He laughs. “No, he’s a monk. This is all because of a woman’s face cream,” Nick tells them.
The nurse shoos him away and tells me to follow her, and it would be okay, but my second eye is now closing, so I move the wheelchair right into a fucking wall. “Pucking spit.”
“There are over a thousand people now.” He looks at me. “The hash tag must have lit up. ‘NationalGeographicExplosion’” He turns the phone to me, now wheeling me into the room. “Say hello,” he says, and I push him away with what little effort I have left, my eye now almost shutting.
“Sir, you need to step out,” the nurse tells him, and I hear him tell her that he has fourteen hundred people waiting for an update.
She comes back in and says, “Okay, I’m going to give you a shot, and you should start to feel better right away.” I don’t even have to close my eyes to wish I’d never put that cream on.
Chapter Ten
Eliahn
“I swear to God, Mom, he looked horrible. His eye was swollen shut, and his upper lip was so big it looked like that lady with the cat eyes and the plastic face,” I tell my mother on the phone. One look at his face and I gasped.
“Oh my God,” my mother says. “Where did he go?”
“I’m guessing to the hospital. I just got home, and he was rushing out of the house,” I tell her. I also don’t add in that I was disappointed that I didn’t go with him or that I was worrying so much I thought I would be sick.
I was so excited to tell him about how amazing my day was. Instead of only working at the office for half the day, I stayed the whole day. It was great to finally work with people who help bring you up instead of it being cutthroat.
Troy, my co-worker and cubicle partner, was amazing. He really helped me and told me everything I needed to know. His husband, Todd, who is a doctor, joined us for lunch. It was so great to finally have a meal with someone my age. We laughed, and they made me promise to go out with them on Friday for drinks. I was so excited and then even more so when I picked Aiden up, and he had the “best day ever.” Which he told my parents in detail during dinner, and after that, I sat on the grass watching him play with my father. The whole time, I was looking at my watch, wondering what Luca was doing. Then to finally see him, but to see his face semi, well, not semi but holy shit, it was bad. His upper lip was so big it looked like it was going to explode. His one eye was swollen closed and spreading to his cheek. I had to make sure he was okay.
“Do you want me to come over and watch Aiden so you can go to the hospital?” my mother asks me as I look out the front window to see if he is there.
“No,” I say, “I don’t even know what to call him.”
“He’s your baby’s father,” my mother tells me. “According to the girls at the hairdresser, it’s your baby daddy.”
“Oh, dear God, Mother,” I tell her. “I’m going to work a bit and see if he’s okay. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I hang up on her and send Luca a text.
Me: Please let me know that you are okay!
I send it and then kick myself for not getting Nick’s number. I sit down at my desk and keep the blinds open so I can see if someone pulls up. I keep checking my phone and outside every five minutes, sometimes every three. My mind is only half on my work which is when my phone buzzes. I look down and see it’s from him.
Luca: My eyes just got open. I had an allergic reaction to collagen, don’t ask. Can you do school drop-off?
I sit down and look out the window and still don’t see that he’s home. It’s funny. Aiden has been in his life for two days, and it’s like he has always been a dad.
Me: Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you tomorrow. Glad you’re feeling better.
I put the phone down, and see it’s past midnight. I shut everything down and walk upstairs, kissing Aiden before sliding under my covers. I try to listen for the car door slamming, but I guess I’m more exhausted than I thought because the next thing I know, my alarm is blaring for me to get up. I drag myself literally out of my bed, going to wake Aiden up who isn’t as cheery as he was yesterday. I pick up my phone and send Luca a text.
Me: Hope you are feeling better this morning. Let me know if you need anything.
I’m not surprised he doesn’t answer me back, he must be exhausted or even still in the hospital. I get Aiden dressed and in the car with almost no time to spare. I drop him off with a kiss and a wave when my phone buzzes.
Luca: Just got up, I’m home. Thank God they didn’t keep me overnight. I can see and talk.
I laugh at his message and stop by the bakery to grab some coffee and doughnuts to bring to him. Parking in my driveway, I get out and carry the box of doughnuts and coffee over to him. After I ring the doorbell, I wait nervously. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, it’s weird. I hear footsteps coming, and I start to smile, but my smile is slowly forced off me when Lauren answers the door. Her smile lights up her face, and if I have to admit, she’s very pretty.
“Eliahn,” she says, holding the door. I’m about to say something when Luca comes from upstairs, wearing just a pair of shorts and no shirt. Shit, that is something that has changed. He was in shape before, but now, fuck, his abs are definitely more defined. He smiles when he sees me,
and I can see that his hair is wet.
I force a smile on my face, trying to make it seem like I don’t care. He told me he wasn’t with anyone and maybe what he has with Lauren isn’t something he wants to tell me about. “You look like your normal self again,” I tell him even though his lips are still a touch swollen. “I brought you some coffee and doughnuts,” I say, lifting the box and tray of two coffees.
“That’s so nice of you,” Lauren says, and I look at her now as she reaches out to take the box from me. “Are you going to come in and help us eat this?”
“No.” I smile at her and shake my head. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything.” I want to add that he looks like he has everything he needs from Lauren, but I swallow that down. “I’m on my way to the office. Do you want me to pick up Aiden?” I ask him.
“No, I’m going to do it,” he tells me, and I just nod at him. Turning to walk down the stairs, I never turn back but hear the door shut softly.
I don’t even realize that my hands are shaking until I get back in the car and take the keys out.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I chant all the way to work. Slamming my door and walking into the ground office. “Good morning.” I smile at Yvonne, the receptionist.
I walk to my desk, putting my bags on my desk with more force than I want to. “Whoa,” Troy says, walking into the big cubicle with a coffee in his hand. “Someone must have pissed off mama bear in the drop-off zone.”
“How did you know I was upset?” I ask him, taking off my blazer and hanging it on the back of my chair. I wasn’t supposed to come into the office today, but I didn’t want to stay home and be tempted to look out the window to see if and when Lauren left. Or better yet, go outside and hear sex noises coming from Luca’s house.
“Honey,” he says, sitting in his chair and turning it to face me, “it’s radiating off you. It’s almost like that glow after sex, but the opposite.”
“I’m not that upset,” I tell him, sitting in my chair and grabbing my things out of the bag. “Come to think of it, I’m more”—I start snapping my fingers, trying to come up with a name for it—“annoyed. That’s the word I was going for.”
He leans back, grabbing his cup and smiles. “And what annoyed you this early Wednesday morning? Is it the moms at school? I saw the movie Bad Moms; it’s brutal. Those PTA bitches are cutthroat.”
“No, it’s not the PTA moms,” I tell him. “Actually, I should look into that and see if I could join. You know, be a hands-on mom.”
He smiles at me. “You didn’t see Bad Moms?” I shake my head. “Trust me, you don’t want to be in that club. They don’t even let their kids eat gluten or dairy; it is harsh.”
“Noted, stay away from the PTA moms.” I smile at him and then make a note to watch Bad Moms.
“Yes.” He nods. “Now what set you off?”
“I live next door to Aiden’s father,” I start saying.
“Oh, baby daddy drama. Love it,” he sings the last part while he sits up smiling like he just caught Santa coming down the chimney.
“Anyway, he was in the hospital last night, and this morning I brought him doughnuts,” I tell him, leaving out what he looked like last night.
“Oh, no,” he says, his smile fading.
“His assistant was there. Smiling,” I say, irritated or annoyed or whatever word you want to use. “She answered his door like it was her house.” Okay, maybe she didn’t do that, but still, who answers someone else’s door?
“Oh, you’re jealous,” he says, sipping his coffee. “Now it all makes sense.”
I glare at him. “I’m not jealous. I’m just …” I close my eyes. “I was just not expecting it. Or maybe I was stupid to think that he was actually single.”
“Oh, honey,” he says, coming close to grab my hand and squeeze it. “The good ones never stay single. You need to bring down his stocks.”
“What?” I ask him, confused.
He laughs. “His stocks are now high,” he says, motioning with his hand to his head. “Good looking.” I nod my head. “Good in bed.”
“I mean, it’s been seven years, but yes,” I reply to his question.
“Good body?” Again, I nod my head. “Good job?” I continue nodding. “See, his stocks are skyrocketing through the roof. He’s a good catch.” He leans in, and his voice goes quiet. “Now you need to lower those stocks.” He smirks almost like it’s evil. “Make him less available to have fun and more I’m spending time with my baby mama.”
“I can’t do that,” I tell him. “I can’t use Aiden like a pawn.”
He throws up his hands. “Okay, fine. Let’s table this discussion until Friday. Meanwhile, I think Friday we should go to the spa,” he says, and my eyebrows pinch together. “It’s kind of like a half day around here on Friday, so we come in, and at lunch time, we hit the spa.”
“That sounds like so much fun,” I admit. “It’s a date. Plus, Luca has Aiden on Friday, so it works great.”
“Good,” he says, turning around now. “I’m still going to go home and make a list of things to bring his stock lower.”
I shake my head and open my email, pulling up the project I’m working on. I lose myself in my work, only stopping to grab a bite to eat. I look at my watch and see it’s past four o’clock when Troy gets up and powers down his computer.
“I’m out,” he says, looking over. “Are you coming in tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I tell him. “I think until I get accustomed to things, I’ll come in.”
“That sounds like a plan. I come in every day. I tried working at home, but I get so distracted. Daytime television is a drug, I tell you, a drug. Price Is Right, Bold and the Beautiful, Judge Judy. Don’t go there. You’ll never come out,” he says, waving to me and blowing kisses with his hand. “See you tomorrow, buttercup!”
I pick up my phone and text Luca.
Me: Hey, what time are you getting Aiden?
He answers right away but not with words. Instead, he sends a picture of him and Aiden, and it looks like they are at a park. The next picture is of Aiden kicking a soccer ball to him.
I don’t have time to answer before the phone rings in my hand, and I see it’s Luca.
“Hello,” I say, leaning back and closing my eyes while I roll my neck.
“Hey,” he says, out of breath as if he was running. “Where are you?”
“I’m still at work. How are you feeling?” I ask him and almost kick myself for even caring. I mean, I should care, right? He is my baby daddy.
“I’m feeling so much better,” he tells me. “Would you like to join Aiden and me for some pasta?”
I almost say no, but then Troy’s words come to mind about making his stock go down. “Sure. Where?” I ask him.
“I’ll text you the address,” he says and tells me, “we’ll be there at five thirty.” We hang up, and I pull the address up on Google Maps and see it’s almost twenty minutes from me, so at five, I close up everything and don’t bring anything home.
I walk out and see the sun is still shining, and it’s a nice day. Making my way to the restaurant, I turn the radio on and sing along to some of the songs. When I finally pull up to the address he gave me, I look around confused. I notice that the inside of this little bistro is very small, and they only have two tables outside. I get out to look at the address when I hear Aiden’s voice.
“Mom!” he yells, and I look down the street at him. He runs to me, his hair bouncing on his head, and a huge smile on his face. I bend down so he can run into my arms.
I pick him up by his arms and bring him to me, kissing his sweaty face. “You’re all sweaty,” I say, laughing.
“I was playing soccer, Mom.” And he rolls his eyes. “I scored five goals, and Dad scored zero, so I won.” He puts his hands up over his head.
I look back to see that Luca is smiling at him. “He’s really good,” he says. “I’m going to look into him joining a league or something.”
“So I can
play with other kids.” Aiden points at his chest and informs me as if I didn’t get it. “I’m hungry.” He squirms out of my arms, wanting down.
“When isn’t he hungry?” Luca asks, and I shrug my shoulders. I don’t have time to answer when I look over and see an older man come out of the door.
“Luca,” he says, smiling. “Che bello sorpresa,” What a nice surprise, he says in Italian.
“Giovanni.” He smiles at the man, going over and kissing him on the cheeks. “Voglio presentarti una persona speciale. Questo e mia figlio Aiden e sua madre Eliahn.” The fact he speaks Italian makes my heart beat faster. I want to introduce you to a special person. This is my son, Aiden, and his mother, Eliahn.
“Un Figlio,” A son, he says. “Portare Avanti il nome di famiglia,” Someone to carry on the family name, the man says and then smiles at me.
“Aiden, Eliahn,” Luca says to us. “This is Giovanni.”
He nods his head at Aiden and then comes to me and kisses me on the cheeks like he did to Luca. “Thisa one she’s a beauty,” he says, kissing his fingers and then opening them. “Venire,” Come, he says, “I makea you a table speciale.”
He turns and opens the door, and the aroma hits me right away, and my mouth waters. The smell of fresh tomato sauce lingers, along with the smell of fresh bread.
“Maria!” Giovanni yells from the front, and a short woman comes out of the back, wiping her hands on the white apron.
“Che cos’e?” What is it, she asks, looking at him and then seeing Luca. “Bel ragazzo.” Beautiful boy. She comes to Luca, grabbing him by his face and kissing both cheeks. “Ho appena messo una lasagna nel forno.” I just put a lasagna in the oven.
“Maria,” Giovanni starts. “This is Luca figlio Aiden.”
Maria puts a hand to her mouth. “Bello, padre come un figlio,” Beautiful, she says, like father like son. She takes Aiden and kisses him on the cheeks, and he giggles.
“I like spaghetti,” he tells her, and she throws her hands up in the air.
“I’mma make you aspaghetti now,” she says to him. “With a the red sauce or the white?”
Tempt The Hookup (Tempt Series Book 3) Page 9