Blaine was quiet for a moment before responding. “Well, I’m sorry to hear it,” he said sounding as genuine as he ever had. “About you and my father that is. He didn’t give me any details, so I had no idea. But my retainer has already been paid for, Danica. I signed a contract to see this out until the final outcome. By law, I have to represent you through this as it stands, unless something unforeseen happens, so I don’t anticipate you needing to pay any further fees. And even if that were the case, Danica, you know we’d be able to work something out, despite what things are like between you and my father.” Danica smiled, feeling the warm tears fill her eyes again. Blaine and his sister Evelyn were hands down what she’d always liked most about Ted. When Ted had let Danica know he had children who were both older than her, she was certain they’d hate her. Instead, they’d been more than gracious to her, even siding with her when Ted had exhibited his control issues in their presence. It was almost hard to believe they were related to that man now.
“Are you sure?” Danica’s voice nearly squeaked.
“Absolutely,” Blaine said with conviction. “Let’s not worry about anything unforeseen happening. But as far as me needing to see the first part to the end, I’m legally bound to do so. And you know me. I do everything by the book. I just talked to the district attorney today, so we don’t have a court date set yet, but as soon as we do, I’ll let you know.”
Completely overwhelmed with emotion, again, Danica couldn’t thank him enough. After hanging up, she was glad that there was no one in the lobby because she hadn’t even noticed her surroundings as she took in the wonderful news. A few moments later the lobby door opened, and Nine and Orlando walked in talking loudly. They both went silent when they laid eyes on her and, of course, she was a mess again. “Yeah.” She cleared her throat before they could say anything and nodded as she grabbed her purse from the counter and tried to think as fast as her muddled mind allowed. “I’m so sorry, guys. This is not a good way to start a job. But I think I will leave after all. I have to go deal with this in person. But I’ll be there tomorrow, Orlando.” She lifted her phone. “I have your address. I promise this won’t continue to interfere with my job. I’ll be better for sure by then, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Understatement of the century.
They both nodded, assuring her she was fine, and again she was touched by how genuinely saddened Orlando seemed for her. “Dani, don’t worry about this interfering with work.” Danica inhaled deeply as Orlando’s words and those unbelievably intense eyes bore into her. “You do what you gotta do. We’ll be fine.” With a small smile, she rushed out of there, determined to get past the overwhelming emotion she’d been drowning in all day. She had to get a grip, or she’d never get through tomorrow.
Chapter 10
Danica
Danica took deep breaths the whole way to Orlando’s house. Her breathing had begun to calm as she drove through his neighborhood. Much like Ted, Orlando lived in a neighborhood in a higher end area of Los Angeles. All the homes looked older but huge with vintage-looking porches that wrapped all around the properties. The big homes with long driveways, along with the tree-lined street, felt like something out of the fifties.
When she turned onto Orlando’s street, the first thing that caught her eye was a woman walking down the sidewalk, pushing a baby carriage. Even that gave the feeling of something out of an old black-and-white fifties movie, but as she got closer, she could see the baby carriage was more of a modern stroller, the kind with the big wheels even for jogging as you pushed. The woman wasn’t jogging, but she did appear to be doing a little speed-walking. She glanced up as Danica drove by and smiled. It was only then that Danica realized she was smiling big as she’d eyed the woman and the stroller. It couldn’t be helped. Seeing the stroller reminded Danica that she, too, would have her hands full with a sweet little angel very soon. Taking another deep breath, Danica shook off the emotion. She would not start that up again. Just a few homes past the woman, her phone’s navigation app announced she’d arrived at her destination. Danica took in Orlando’s big perfect-looking home—the baby’s new home. All her efforts, all the pain of having to give him up, and all the torment she’d gone through in the past few months had paid off. This was completely worth what felt like such an enormous sacrifice. Baby Oreo was set to have a wonderful life with a loving daddy in a beautiful home. “Don’t you start your blubbering,” she muttered under her breath as she pulled into the driveway. Pulling out the backpack she’d brought a few goodies in, she got out of the car, ready to do this. As she started around the car, she glanced up at the house, wondering what Orlando and the baby were up to? It was fairly early, but the baby should be up by now. He’d always had Danica up by five at the latest. Eyeing her phone screen, she saw it was just after eight a.m. “Might be down for his morning nap already,” she thought out loud.
“You must be Danica.”
To her surprise, the woman she’d seen walking up the street with the stroller was walking toward her. She smiled big at Danica as she turned the stroller up the walkway that led to Orlando’s front door. “Yes, I’m Danica.”
“I’m Felicia,” the woman said, reaching out her hand to shake Danica’s. Danica shook her hand and smiled, a little confused. Was this a neighbor or— “I’m Orlando’s girlfriend,” Felicia explained before Danica could finish that thought. “I usually only watch this little guy on Fridays, but Orlando had a bit of an unexpected errand he had to run this morning and couldn’t take the baby. He asked me to come by and stay with him until you got here because I have to work, but he said to tell you he’ll be back soon.”
Nodding, Danica shook off the inevitable envy she was suddenly feeling for the woman. But she couldn’t help wondering about Felicia’s explanation of who she was. The way Felicia took her in from bottom to top wasn’t missed either. Danica glanced away, pretending not to notice just how closely Felicia scrutinized her.
Admittedly, just like the last two days when she’d worked at the shop, Danica had made more of an effort than her usual when she’d done her makeup. The jeans she’d chosen to wear today were her favorite because of the flattering way they hugged her body without being too tight. She’d wanted to be comfortable when she took care of the baby, but she’d also wanted to look good doing it.
Despite Felicia making it clear she was Orlando’s girlfriend, Danica was still curious about something. When Orlando told her about the girl who was helping him watch the baby on Fridays, he’d used the word friend. Danica remembered because she’d made a mental note to ask him more about that. Instinctively, she’d gone into protective mode. She’d sooner offer to help him on Fridays as well if this person who was helping him was anyway questionable or less-than-qualified. Keeping her thoughts to herself, Danica glanced down at the sleeping baby in the stroller, feeling her heart swell, but managed to keep her emotions in check. “Did he just fall asleep?”
“Yes.” Felicia sounded a little exasperated. “He was getting fussy, and so far, the only secret powers I have when nothing else is working to calm him, is either taking him for a ride in the car or on a stroll.” She started up the walk toward the porch steps. “Since it’s such a beautiful morning I figured a stroll was better. Plus, I didn’t want to go too far since I knew you were on your way.”
“Calm him?” Already feeling concerned as she helped Felicia lift the stroller up the porch steps, Danica eyed her in question. “What was wrong with him?”
“Nothing I could figure out.” Felicia invited her into the house, and Danica followed her in. “Orlando did warn me it’d be time for his nap soon before he left, and he tends to get fussy when he’s getting tired. I just haven’t mastered the patience of putting him to sleep without the help of the car or stroller.”
Mastered the patience?
Lulling that sweet thing to sleep was a gift from heaven, not something you’d have to garner patience for. It was one of the many things Danica had missed terribly. Noddi
ng, Danica glanced down at the baby again, this time smiling and finally feeling warmed by the beautiful sight instead of choked up, despite her annoyance with Felicia’s last comment. Orlando must not have shared about the luluing with Felicia. Danica almost told her about it, but something made her keep it to herself instead. “So, Orlando said you’re a child therapist student.” Felicia took a seat on the sofa in the front room, motioning for Danica to do the same. “What school?”
“ELAC.” Danica took a seat on the sofa across from Felicia.
“Full-time?”
Obviously not since she’d be watching the baby four times a week, but Danica would give her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Orlando hadn’t given Felicia all the details. “No. Not right now.”
Felicia seemed to wait for Danica to go on, but she didn’t. “So how long will it be until you’re qualified?” As Danica lifted a brow at the question, Felicia quickly added, “To be a child therapist, that is.”
“At least another year. But I’ve had a lot of hands-on experience because my sister is a child therapist and works from home. I’ve been helping her with the kids she works with since she started.”
She kept to herself about the lifetime of experience dealing with Dominic. Felicia seemed nice enough, but Danica didn’t feel the need to sell herself to this woman. Danica had never been good about guessing people’s ages, but if she had to with Felicia, she’d say she was around Orlando’s age maybe older. After the extensive research Danica had done on him, she knew he was twenty-nine. Since everyone always mistook Danica for being much younger than her twenty-three years, she assumed Felicia had also and had likely come to the instant conclusion that she wasn’t qualified for the responsibility of watching the baby. If it weren’t for the fear of possibly losing this chance to be around Oreo, she might be tempted to be catty. Instead, she bit her tongue. But she couldn’t keep it all in. “I take it you’re not the baby’s mother? I mean Orlando mentioned being a single dad, and since you said you usually watch him on Fridays, I just—”
“No.” Felicia sat up a little straighter, glancing down as she tugged at the front of her shirt. “I’m not. But since his mom isn’t around, Orlando knows I’m not opposed to standing in for her.” She glanced at the stroller and smiled. “The little bugger is growing on me.”
Not opposed? Growing on her? Like a fungus? How could she not already be in love with him? Danica smiled as genuinely as she could when Felicia glanced back at her. She should’ve known better. Danica may’ve run with a bad crowd in the past, and she may’ve stupidly gotten into some trouble, but she’d never been that type of girl. The fighting kind. Grabbing Ted by the nuts when he’d try to force her into his car was just her fight or flight instinct coming alive. But she should’ve known that, just like when she’d gotten ugly with Ted, only little Oreo and defending her defenseless brother brought that side out in her. This might be more difficult than she’d anticipated. Danica could do this. She had to. Felicia’s questions and comments, while a little annoying, were harmless enough. An unentitled inquisition she could deal with. Danica was willing to do whatever it took to be here. But, clearly, if her instantly warming insides were any indication of what might be in store, she’d have to work a little harder to keep the claws from coming out when it involved anything about the baby’s well-being.
Deciding to take the high road because she was curious about something else anyway, she seized the moment to ask about that instead. She’d wondered how much if anything Orlando might’ve uncovered about Oreo’s mother. Maybe he’d shared with Felicia about it. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where is his mother?”
Felicia’s face soured a bit before shaking her head. “Orlando doesn’t remember the mother.”
Furrowing her brows, Danica shook her head, pretending to be confused. “What do you mean?”
“I’m sure he’s planning on telling you. It’s not exactly a secret.” Felicia picked at her fingernail before looking up at Danica. “So, I don’t think he’d mind me sharing. He’s a doorstep baby.” She motioned to him before turning back to Danica. “Apparently someone Orlando slept with sometime last year—before he and I had ever met—got pregnant and never told him about it. Then when the baby was about four months old, he was dumped at Orlando’s doorstep with a note saying she couldn’t take care of him anymore and it was time for Orlando to step up. A positive paternity test, tons of red tape, and three months later, Orlando got full custody of him.”
Danica took a deep breath. Oreo wasn’t dumped. His being delivered to his father, albeit as discreetly as possible, was methodically planned for weeks. Danica had left everything she could think of that Orlando might need for him, including thorough instructions in that bag for every item in there. “Oh, wow,” was all she allowed herself to say but then had to ask. “But you said he doesn’t remember her, so he does know who she is?”
“Well, after checking the records because she did leave his vaccination information, they later informed him of the mother’s name.” Felicia lifted and dropped an indifferent shoulder. “The name didn’t ring any bells, that’s how insignificant the tryst was, but it doesn’t matter. Turns out she was a junkie who died of an overdose.” Felicia leaned over to the coffee table between them and grabbed the TV remote. “Honestly, whoever left him is lucky Orlando is such a good guy. He didn’t have to keep him.”
“What do you mean he didn’t have to?” Danica asked, mindful to keep her cool. “He’s his father.”
“Technically, yeah, but it’s not like he agreed to having him. Clearly, the junkie had no business being a mother. She should’ve just aborted. A lot of men would’ve just handed him off to child services and washed their hands of him.”
Should’ve just aborted? Washed their hands of him?
Biting her tongue again, it was a challenge not to glare at Felicia. “Who said she was a junkie?”
“Well,” Felicia picked up the remote and turned to Danica. “I don’t know if they actually used that term, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear someone died of prescription drug overdose, doesn’t it? I mean who does that?”
Someone who was legitimately suffering from an illness and desperate to feel normal again. You ever think of that, you fucking idiot? Again, Danica struggled to keep her thoughts to herself as she watched Felicia aim the remote at the television and clicked it. The raucously loud sound effects of the cartoon on the TV startled both women as Felicia fumbled with the remote before dropping it on the carpet. “Shit,” she muttered, bending over to pick it up. Wincing from the loud laser shots as the animated robots on the screen battled it out, Danica turned to the baby and froze. He was wide awake and looked as startled as Danica had initially felt from the sudden noise. His bottom little lip was in a full pout and quivering. Danica was instantly on her feet just as he let out his first whimper. Felicia finally got the noise down, but it was too late. The baby squeezed his eyes shut before belting out an emphatic wail. Ignoring Felicia’s groan, Danica bent over and scooped him out of the stroller as he continued to cry even louder. Bringing him against her chest, Danica kissed his chubby little cheeks as she squeezed her own eyes shut when she took in the familiar scent of him.
Orlando had followed her strict directions about which toiletries and even laundry detergent to use for him. He smelled as heavenly as she remembered, and it was all she could do to hold herself together and not wail along with him—only in pleasure as opposed to his startled wails. “It’s okay, my sweet Oreo,” she said softly in as soothing a voice as she could, kissing his cheeks again and again. “You’re fine.” She began luluing, and it was as if someone pulled a switch. He instantly stopped crying and stared at her. Smiling as she looked into his still startled little eyes—for a different reason this time she was sure—she had to dig deep inside her to muster the strength not to let her emotions take over. Leaning her forehead against his, she smiled, inhaling deeply as she felt her heart bursting with a kind of joy s
he was certain she’d only ever feel holding him. Snuggling him even closer, Danica couldn’t squeeze him tightly enough. Oreo pulled back to look at her again, his eyes going from one part of her face to another, and she was sure of it. He remembered her, and he didn’t know what to make of that. Reaching his little hand out, he touched her face then smiled, and she could have died right then. Her life would be complete. She kissed his little hand as it touched her lips. “You better now, my sweetheart?”
He stared at her for a moment before very suddenly and dramatically dropping his little head against her chest with an equally dramatic sigh. He stayed there for a while as she rubbed his back softly and kissed his head. Heaven.
She’d died and gone to heaven. She stood there, swaying side to side, basking in the gloriousness of that moment. Danica had always known holding him in her arms again would be bliss, but this was so much more than that. Words couldn’t even describe how profoundly content her heart was feeling. How in the world was she supposed to ever let go of him again? The moment came to a screeching halt when her eyes lifted away from him for the first time since she’d picked him up and they met Felicia’s. Danica had all but forgotten Felicia was even in the room She’d been so caught up with the utter euphoria of holding the baby again.
Felicia’s mouth opened slightly, but she didn’t say anything, just shook her head for a moment until she finally spoke. “Orlando did call you The Baby Whisperer. That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it. Orlando is by far better than I am at calming him down, but I don’t think even he’s ever calmed him that quickly.” She took a few steps toward them, her wide eyes going from the baby to Danica, who held him almost possessively as if Felicia might reach out for him. “How’d you do that?”
Swallowing hard because short of telling her the truth—that she and the baby had a connection no one could ever know about—Danica had no idea how to explain it. With a shrug. she decided all she could do was make less of it than what she knew it was. “He wasn’t that upset. more so than startled by the noise. Once you turned it down. it was easy to calm him.”
Orlando: Boyle Heights #4 Page 10