by Tara Brent
It feels good that she’s sharing something so important with me.
“What about your job?” I dare to ask.
“Oh, I’ll secure a position before we move. We couldn’t move otherwise. I do need to be working. That’s why it’s going to take time,” she replies being quite honest with me.
“Can I help?” I ask, unsure if should.
“No, Calvin. This is something I need to do. But, you can help Callum find his confidence again. I did speak to his teacher to see if any of the other children his age were experiencing the same problem. She wondered if it might be down to all the changes happening in his life right now. You know, getting a new daddy is quite a big step for a little guy.”
“I hate to think I’m partly to blame for this,” I tell her, now worried that I’m the one who’s unbalanced my son.
“No, it’s not like that,” she assures me. “But I think he’s worried about losing you. His teacher could be onto something. We need to let him see how much we all love him and that life goes on as normal, even with a new daddy in it.”
“This vacation will give us all some time together. How soon can you get away with regards to your work?” I ask her, keen to go like...erm...yesterday.
“Next week. I’ve accrued lots of holiday time because I rarely take it. The money I earn is always more enticing than time off. It will be worth it this time because I’m looking forward to it, Calvin, thank you.”
I say no more but inside I’m ecstatic. Round one is over and done with. Now I have to gain the trust of my son, his mother and, I suppose, his grandmother too.
Chapter 23
An Important Announcement
“It’s almost time for me to go back on night shifts again,” I announce at the dinner table the next evening.
“No! Mommy, I like you home at night. I don’t miss you when I’m at school, but I do at night time,” Callum is quick to make his point.
His speech has come along in leaps and bounds since he started kindergarten. Sometimes he talks like a little wise old man.
“You don’t have to worry about it yet because I have an even more important announcement to make. I thought we’d take a vacation first. Yey! What do you both think about that?”
Even mom looks surprised as I haven’t had a chance to speak to her about it.
“Actually, it’s all thanks to your daddy, Callum,” I tell him.
His arm goes high up as he punches the air, “Yes, I knew he had superpowers, mommy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know about that but it's very exciting. We’re all going on a cruise.”
“What’s a cr..ooo..z?”
“A cruise, baby, is a holiday on a boat on the sea. Your daddy owns a big boat and we will be sleeping on it. It has a small swimming pool too. We’re going to see some amazing places. To start, we’re going to an Aquarium for you. And, for grandma, we’ll go to an amazing beach.”
“Oh, will I see sharks?” Callum gets excited about the trip and he and mom do a high five. I knew mom would be pleased, she deserves a break as much as any of us. One thing about my mom is that she never asks me too many questions, never pries too deep into my private life. She shows no shock about Calvin owning a boat. Though Callum runs around shouting out, “My daddy owns a boat, my daddy owns a boat!” It's not that he fully understands what that means, but it does excite him.
“Yes, Callum, you’ll get to see sharks,” I add.
As he runs away from the table, I look over at my mom and we laugh together. It’s been hard on us both since my pa passed away, and she never lets me see her grief.
“Is this what you want?” She asks as she takes my hand in hers.
“I want us all to be happy, mom, that’s for sure. We all need this break and then we can talk about moving when we get back if you still think we need to do it.”
“I do. Although that little boy needs his mommy around a lot more. But then, you already know my thoughts on that,” she says and stands up to clear the table away.
I follow her into the kitchen to help with the dishwasher. We say no more on the subject but she never has liked me working full time. Not that I have much choice; bills need to paid and food on the table. These things don’t come for free. Luckily, I’m on a decent salary, but it does mean that my son doesn’t see much of me. I thought shift work would work out better, but I’m usually so exhausted all I do is sleep.
Ah well, I’m going on a vacation and that’s all I want to think about right now. Oh, and I want to think about the hunky Italian who’s taking us, but I'll keep those thoughts to myself.
All Because of a Woman
“You’re going to make a great father, trust me, I can tell,” Mia assures me as I tell her of my plan for a vacation.
“I want to get on well with his mother though," I tell her my fears. "What if she pushes my buttons and I end up losing it?”
“Well, dear brother-in-law," she says. "The best advice I can give to you is to learn how to give in, or should I say, learn to compromise."
“You know I’m not good at compromising. That’s why I’m such a successful businessman. I push to get the best deals.”
“And therein lays your problem. Negotiating a business deal is not the same as building a relationship with a woman, Calvin. You should have learned that by now.”
“I know, I know, and that's the main problem. I do treat women as though the relationship is for my benefit only. I bargain hard to get the best deal for myself. But Tiffany's different. If she was anyone else I’d have given up on her long ago.”
“You did, Calvin, and there lays the other problem,” Mia scowls back at me.
She’s got baby Lily asleep on her chest as we sit out on the balcony and watch the world go by. I’ve never stayed away from the business this long, but I know it can all run perfectly well without me. I need to concentrate on becoming a good father.
“You keep forgetting that you left her," Mia decides to remind me of this fact. "How can you expect Tiffany to trust you when you showed no interest in her?’
She’s right, of course, she has a wise and beautiful head on her shoulders, Ethan is a very lucky man.
“I’m working on it,” I tell Mia.
“Do you feel anything for your redhead?” She asks. “I mean anything other than she’s a stunning woman to look at?”
“I sure do," I reply. "Though she somehow manages to annoy me almost constantly because she knows exactly how to get under my skin. Despite that, I desperately need her in my life and it's not because of Callum. There's something very special between us. I’m sure she feels it too. Well if our performance in bed together is anything to go by, then we're a perfect match. We argue, we make love, isn't that perfection?”
Mia laughs, “That’s a start, I suppose. If you end up making love every time you argue, that makes her pretty special, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. She is a special woman,” I agree. “A special pain in my ass.”
“Is that a nice kinda pain though?”
“We’ll see how our time together goes and I’ll give you an answer to that question when I get back.”
Lily stirs and Mia takes her inside. I’m left alone pondering on my thoughts of Tiffany. It’s a kinda pain I haven’t felt before. It’s frustration and annoyance and some overpowering emotion I suppose must be love, all rolled into one. Is it love? Or am I chasing something that seems to be out of reach all the time? Let’s put it this way, I find myself wanting to be with her more and more and I'm not looking at other women. That's got to be a good thing.
“I’m heading off to the gym,” I tell Mia who’s sat breastfeeding Lily. I’d never thought of it before, but a woman doing what comes naturally to sustain and develop her child is a wonderful thing. It must be this newfound paternal instinct in me.
Time to go burn off some of this energy and testosterone that keeps building up inside. All because of a woman called Tiffany Miller.
Chapter 24
&nb
sp; Vacation Time
“You think he enjoyed the boat ride?” Calvin asks me as we step on to dry land for the first time today. “I don’t want him to get seasick.”
“Stop worrying about him. He’s a tough cookie,” I reply. “Besides, when he gets in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, he’ll have forgotten all about the journey.”
“Yeah, it's years since I’ve been but I remember it as being pretty amazing,” Calvin informs me. “I’ve booked us a tour guide because this place gets packed out. Plus, it means our little man can get some education from his visit.”
“Well, I’ve no complaints about that, and I’m pleased you’re thinking like a father already. I hope this special treatment in the aquarium doesn’t make us stand out though. I don’t want Callum thinking that money means he can have everything he wants.”
“You’re doing it again,” Calvin reminds me, although he is smiling. “We’re on vacation, remember?”
He’s right, of course, I can’t help myself. I’ve raised my little boy single-handed, other than with my mom. It's not easy allowing someone else to make decisions on his life.
Sometimes, when I’m with Calvin, I want to smother my Italian stallion in passionate kisses and let him do anything he likes. Then, other times, I want to run away from him and his different way of life. It scares the bejeezus out of me. I’ve always struggled with making ends meet. For my whole life, money has always been tight. Pa was a cab driver most of his life and mom worked in various stores to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I’m an only child because they believed it was sensible not to have more kids than they could afford. I never felt poor but when I think back, we had a few hard times as a family when it came to paying medical bills and the like.
I suppose that's why I’m wary of those with money. It could have been a peer group thing. Both Ali and I won scholarships. We got to go to a private girls' school, and that’s where I gained most of my “wealth prejudices.” We were always the odd ones out. It never bothered Ali. For me, though, it was different.
Ali always had her own brand and she was comfortable with it, whether others liked it or not. Me, I wanted to dress up in the latest expensive fashions so I didn't stand out, but I never could. We didn't own a car, like the other girls. Instead, we got around on an old motorbike of Ali's. Stuff like that caused others to make fun of us. It could have been a lot worse if Ali hadn't have been there with me. We had been determined to win those scholarships, but I did regret it. You know, it leaves a hard impression on a young girl if she doesn't fit in. Most of the parents of the other students were politicians or CEO’s, some even minor celebs. Neither of us had parents who had such money growing trees.
My mind reels back to the land of the living as I shake out of my daydream. Calvin's parking a rented car in a reserved bay, which I find odd. Then, out of the blue, we’re greeted by an attractive young blonde woman. She introduces herself as Angie, and informs us she will be our guide for the day. I would have proffered to walk around like everyone else. This day is about Callum though, and I want him to have the best time ever, so I agreed to it. Angie turns out to be very well informed, so I don’t hold her attractiveness against her. When I see how good she is with Callum, I even begin to like her.
Sleepover
“Have you decided which area you want to sleep in tonight, Callum?” Our guide asks, and I take a sharp intake of breath. I'd not had a chance to tell Tiffany of my plans, and now I see a puzzled look on her face.
“I arranged for us to sleep in the aquarium,” I quickly step in, before Tiffany has a chance to lose it. “It’s something they do here, family sleepovers. I thought Callum might like to sleep with the sharks, what do you think son?”
From the beaming smile on his face, he’s impressed with the idea, but Tiffany remains silent.
“Well, I’m sure you guys will have a great time,” Tiffany's mom pipes up. “But at my age, I need a soft mattress under my body when I sleep.”
“Don’t worry, Pauline, I can organize for someone to drive you back to the boat,” I suggest to Tiffany’s mom.
“No need to go to such trouble," she smiles back at me. "I can drive myself back to the boat if I can use your car?”
Well, that was one problem solved. I doubt Tiffany is going to be quite so accommodating, but so far she hasn’t raised any objections. In the meantime, Callum’s enthusiasm has waned a little and he has a look of consternation on his little face.
“How can I sleep with the sharks, daddy, I can’t swim?”
I pick him up and look over at Tiffany who smiles back at us both.
“Well, that’s okay because daddy will teach you. For now, we don’t need to sleep in the water, we can sleep on the floor. That's so we can watch them through the glass all night long. What do you think of that, little buddy?”
I feel a kind of elation at seeing the smile return to his cute cheeks, Hah! We did that together, we made our son happy again. His excitement returns and we finish our tour. While I hold one hand of Callum's hands, Tiffany has the other. We look like a proper family together. For the rest of the visit, I'm walking on air. As we come to the end of our aquarium tour, we feed the sea otters before heading for the restaurant for dinner. The table we choose has huge panoramic windows that look over the ocean. Even Tiffany's impressed with the outstanding views. After dinner, we walk Pauline back to the parking lot. As I give her the keys for the rented car, which happens to be a Bentley, she looks hesitant.
“Oh, I’m not so sure now” she mutters. “I’ve never driven such a classy car before.”
“She drives the same as any other car, Pauline,” I reassure her. "You’ll be fine once you're behind the wheel. Oh, and ask my driver, Romano, to pick us up here in the morning, will you?”
After farewell hugs with her daughter and grandson, she confidently drives off towards the marina.
Back inside the aquarium, we’re soon settling down on our sleeping mats. I was unsure of this idea when I first thought of it, but I’m so glad I went ahead and booked it. Callum is loving it, and so am I. Even Tiffany seems filled with childish joy.
A few other family groups are sleeping over too. Callum makes friends with another young boy and they watch the sharks together, through the glass. I'd considered booking a private area just for us, but out of respect for Tiffany, I decided against it. I know it won’t always be like this. I have the wealth to change my son's life around for the better, and Tiffany's too if she would only let me. I can understand her unease about me spending money on Callum. Though I would never try to buy his favor. What I will do is buy him anything he needs to improve his life. That’s a problem for another time, I’m not going to think about it right now.
I’m not sure how long it is before Callum finally drifts off to sleep. When you're having so much fun you tend to lose track of time. Now, we're all lying side by side on the floor mats, with Callum in the middle. I look at his contented little face as he sleeps and it pulls at my heartstrings. It’s a strange sensation, one I haven’t ever felt before. It's also one I could get used to.
Glancing over at Tiffany, I see she's fast asleep too. Her freckled face looks even more beautiful when she’s asleep. The low glow from the lighting of the tanks gives her face an ethereal look. A protective urge comes over me as I want to take these two people in my arms and never let them go.
Instead, I close my eyes with the image of the two people who mean the most to me in the whole world. Soon, I also drift off to sleep.
At breakfast the next morning, Callum never stops talking. He tells us all about the jellyfish and giant turtles, as we watch the sea otters eating crabs. I'm soon carrying a very tired little boy back to the car when my driver arrives. Tiffany hooks into my arm as we stroll to the car. Perfect, I have her at last, hook, line and sinker.
My plan's going well. I always was good at strategizing. One more decisive move should clinch the deal.
Chapter 25
“Sock it to m
e...”
Last night was magical, having Calvin with us felt like we were a little family. I know that we are, of sorts, but at the moment I suppose we’re more of a dysfunctional family.
As soon as we return to the yacht, Callum heads straight for his grandma. He babbles excitedly about his overnight adventure. Mom sits and listens patiently, oohing and aahing in all the right places. I'm so pleased to see my little man happy, and it's all because of his father. My initial fear of letting him know of Callum’s existence was completely unfounded. His love for his son is becoming a strong bond. It's obvious in the way they look at each other. You would have thought they'd known one another all their lives.
The boat pulls out of the marina and we head out into the Pacific Ocean. Looking out over the horizon it’s hard to tell where the sea meets the sky, the vibrant blues are almost identical. The water is glass smooth and the bow of the boat cuts through the water, leaving a foamy white wake in its trail. Never did I imagine the peaceful serenity of being out at sea. We're lucky that the waters are calm and the breeze warm. The air smells of warm salts and it makes your mouth taste salty too. I can understand the attraction of owning a boat, my pa would have loved it.
My peace is soon broken but the disturbance is very welcome. One of the crew shouts out that he has spotted an Orca. Calvin dashes over with Callum on his strong shoulders, determined to give his son a good view. Calvin, the strong protector and his son who sticks to him like they're glued together. I watch them together and my heart flutters with love.
I turn my attention to the excitement and we get in so close that you can see the distinctive black and white coloring of the sea creatures. They look like giant dolphins. They're so cute that it's hard to believe they're killer whales. We watch from a safe distance as they leap in and out of the water. Callum shouts out that he saw its teeth, he's so thrilled, as we all are, for such a unique experience.