by Tia Siren
“He eats pretty much anything,” she said, and I could hear the amusement in her voice.
I held on to that tidbit of information about the boy who may or may not have been mine.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her.
“Bye,” she said and hung up.
I held the phone in my hand, already missing her voice. I thought about our date for tomorrow and quickly sent Jack another email, specifying the date for tomorrow night would need to be after eight. I knew it was a little late, but he never said there was a specific time frame.
Once I hung up with him, I called my chef friend, asking if he was available for tomorrow. He wasn’t but recommended a friend of his. I made the call. The man was an Italian chef. I left the choice of the meal up to him, only specifying he have at least one dish that would be kid friendly.
I meandered into the kitchen to see what kind of snacks my own cook had left for me. Sundays were the one day I had to myself. The staff was off except for the security at the gate. Usually, I appreciated the quiet time to chill and just be me and not the business mogul. It was a day to either watch football, swim in my pool, or just veg out in general.
I grabbed one of the breakfast bowls the cook had left for me in the fridge, popped it in the microwave, and turned to stare out the windows that looked over my sprawling estate. It was too much house for me. I knew that, but when I signed the papers a couple years ago, it was as if everything I had worked so hard for had finally paid off. I had the house I had always dreamed of. In my dreams, it had never felt quite so empty though.
The beeping of the microwave snapped me out of my reverie. I took my meal out to the covered patio off the kitchen and enjoyed it. An idea sprang to mind, and while I ate, I used my phone to do a quick search about DNA tests.
I had a gut feeling about Tommy, but that wasn’t enough. Emily denied I was the kid’s father. I wanted to know how I could get the child’s DNA and have it tested without her knowing. If he wasn’t my son, no harm, no foul, I would be able to dismiss the thought from my head and quit worrying about it. If he was my son, that was going to be a very different conversation.
Putting the phone away, I stared out at the lush green grass that rivaled that of any golf course. I didn’t want to go behind Emily’s back. I couldn’t. I would have to accept her word that Tommy wasn’t mine. It would be difficult, but it was for the best.
Chapter Eighteen
Emily
I managed to get through my full shift at work with only a few interruptions. I found some of the customers were happy for me while others sneered and looked at me like I was the worst kind of human on the planet.
The story about me and Tyler had evolved, as I’d expected. The current rumor was that Tommy was, in fact, Tyler’s son and I was going after the man for back child support. One rather nasty customer wrote ‘gold digger’ on his ticket and left me the exact change for his meal with a one penny tip.
Asshole.
I put the day behind me and focused on getting ready for our visit to Tyler’s house. I wanted to look nice, but not like I had tried too hard. Getting Tommy dressed for the visit was a bit of a chore. He didn’t understand why he needed to wear his good pants versus what he wore to daycare. He was inquisitive and demanded full explanations. He was not the kind of kid who would ever accept the ‘because I said so’ response.
“Ready?” I asked Tommy, taking one last look at his appearance.
He grinned. “Are we going to ride in the helicopter again?”
“Not tonight. We’re having dinner and then coming home early. I’m working tomorrow,” I told him, leaving off the reasons why. He didn’t need to know I had to pick up an extra shift to make up for the time I’d missed over the weekend.
I smoothed down the cowlick at the back of his head and watched it spring right back up. Oddly enough, after our little round in my bedroom the other night, I had noticed Tyler had a similar issue with his usually perfectly groomed hair.
“Mom, stop.” Tommy fussed, pulling his head away from me.
I laughed. “All right, I think we’re good to go.”
He was already at the door, anxious to return to the big house. My phone rang just as I was grabbing my purse. I pulled it out and saw it was Sarah.
“Hey! What’s up?” I answered.
“You sound cheery. Why do you sound cheery? You must not have seen the article posted by some of our so-called friends on Facebook,” she mumbled.
I groaned. “No, I haven’t. What now?” I asked, stepping into the hallway, checking the door to make sure it was locked, and heading downstairs with Tommy’s hand in mine.
“So, you saw the one about you being a gold digger, right?”
I groaned. “One? I saw several, not to mention those people who were nice enough to tell me just what they thought. I did get a business card from a lawyer as well, telling me he would sue and get me all the money I deserved for having the man’s child.”
She laughed. “Keep that card handy. Have you seen the numbers they’re tossing around?” she asked with disbelief.
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure they’re greatly exaggerated. That’s more than I would make in four years,” I said, buckling Tommy in and then shutting the door and pausing at the back of the car. “I didn’t have a child to make him my meal ticket.”
“I know, I know. Did you see his statement?” she asked.
“Whose? Tyler’s?” I asked, suddenly intrigued as I climbed behind the wheel of my car.
“Yep! He released a statement saying the rumors were false, that there has never been talk of money and that he expects his privacy to be respected, as well as that of anyone he is dating, and most importantly that the child was off-limits.”
I smiled. “That was very sweet of him.”
“Yes, it was. Now we’ll see if the statement helps or hurts,” she commented.
“I’m headed there now,” I told her.
“You are? Do you need me to babysit?” she asked.
“Nope. Tommy is going with me. Tyler asked me to come over with him. That way we can spend time together without the cameras,” I said.
“Or he wants to spend time with Tommy,” she pointed out.
I cringed. She and I were best friends and tended to think a lot alike. “I know. He’s asked me three times already. I know he knows, but I have no idea how to say it.”
She laughed. “You know that he knows, but you don’t want him to know you know?”
I blinked. “What?”
Sarah burst into childish laughter. “Exactly. You’re crazy! Just say it!”
“I know, I know. I will. I promise. I have to get this over with.”
“Have fun and tell me all about it tomorrow. Trust him to handle your news. I think he’s proven himself worthy, hasn’t he?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Good. Bye!”
I hung up and focused on the directions popping up on the GPS on my phone. I arrived at the gate and was quickly buzzed in. I felt a little silly parking my beat-up old car in front of his mansion but did it anyway.
He came outside as I was getting Tommy out of the car.
“Hey, buddy!” he greeted, dropping low to give Tommy a high-five.
Tommy was smiling, clearly excited to be back at the house. I watched the two chat for a few minutes and felt my heart swell. He was going to make a great dad.
“Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes,” he said as we walked into the grand foyer. “I had my assistant pick up some books and toys for Tommy to help keep him entertained.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, following him down a corridor. Tommy was walking right beside him, checking out the huge pieces of art hanging on the walls. I, too, was enamored with the paintings, some of which I had only ever seen in books. I knew they were the real deal and not some imitations. I stopped to look at a van Gogh.
“Do you like art?” he asked, coming to stand beside me.
I smiled and nodded my head. “I do.”
I didn’t bother telling him that my life had gotten a little off track when I discovered I was pregnant. My dream of being an artist had been waylaid. I was perfectly fine with being a starving artist, but I couldn’t do that with a little boy depending on me. I would be a starving artist later, when I didn’t have to worry about buying new shoes for a boy who grew faster than a weed.
“I’d like to show you some of my other pieces,” he said in a husky tone.
I looked at him and could see passion in his eyes. I loved that he loved art as well.
“Maybe another time. Art is not something Tommy is overly interested in,” I said with a smile, looking at the little boy who was shifting from one foot to the other, clearly very bored.
“Another time,” he whispered, and I knew he wasn’t talking about art. He turned to Tommy and pointed down the hall. “On the left, you’re going to find what you want in there.”
Tommy took off running. I was about to tell him not to run in the house when Tyler took off running after him. I threw my hands up in the air, knowing I wasn’t going to win.
I heard Tommy squeal with excitement the second he disappeared from my view. I had a feeling Tyler had gone overboard with his entertainment selections. When I made it into the room, I stopped and took it all in.
“Wow,” I said. He looked up from the floor where he was opening a box of Hot Wheels. “Do you ever do anything on a small scale?”
He grinned, a small chunk of hair falling over his forehead and that damn cowlick popping up at the back of his head. His little jog down the hall must have dislodged the gel that normally held it in place. I was in big trouble and could feel myself being drawn in by the man.
“Look, Mom!” Tommy said, holding up a book. “He got me a whole bunch of books.”
Tyler shrugged. “And toys. I guess I should have stuck with the books.”
I laughed, walking over to join them on the floor in front of a stack of unopened toys. “He likes toys as well. This is great, though a bit overboard. Thank you for thinking of him.”
He smiled and looked at me. I knew he wanted to kiss me. I was dying to kiss him, too, but thought we should hold off a bit until I had a chance to talk with Tommy about my new friend. I also needed to talk to Tyler about our relationship. Oh, and drop my little bombshell at some point as well.
For now, I let myself enjoy the moment. Tyler kept checking his watch. When he caught me looking, he said he was checking to see if it was close to dinner. I nodded my head, but for the first time since we had met, I had a feeling he was lying.
“We should probably head into the dining room,” Tyler said, standing and then helping me up.
Tommy was reluctant to leave what I had decided was now a child’s playroom judging by the furniture in the room.
“Is this new?” I asked as we walked down the hall toward the dining room.
“The playroom?” he questioned. He smiled and nodded his head. “Yes. I’ll have my designer make it a little more cohesive. I had a few things delivered today and it’s still a bit of a mess.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I told him.
“I want to. I want you and Tommy to come over a lot more often, and I definitely don’t want him to be bored.”
I chuckled. “Good thinking.”
We sat down to a delicious Italian dinner that smelled absolutely amazing.
“Your cook or another chef friend?” I asked, looking at the lasagna on my plate.
He laughed. “Actually, a friend of my chef friend. This is the first time I’ve hired this guy. I think I’ll be using him more often.”
I nodded my head, unable to answer around the bite of lasagna in my mouth. I watched him check his watch again and knew, without a doubt, that the man was hiding something.
During dessert, I’d had enough of his clock-watching. He couldn’t have been clearer if he’d had a gong rung every five minutes, hurrying us along.
“We should get going. I’m sure you have things to do,” I muttered, giving him a chance to explain himself.
“I’m glad you could come over. I’d like to do this again,” he said, standing from the table.
That was the final clue I needed. He had kept it an open invitation, not committing to anything, not asking us to stay a little longer. He wanted us out of his house; that much was clear.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said, looking back at Tommy. “Let’s go.”
Tyler walked us to the door. I didn’t bother giving him the chance to kiss me good night. I wanted to get as far away from the man as I could. He had made me feel like a guest who had overstayed their welcome. I glanced at the clock on my dash and realized it was barely after seven. I checked my rearview mirror as I was pulling away and noticed he had already gone back inside.
I wasn’t sure what had happened. He’d been eager when we had arrived and looked genuinely happy to see us. Something had changed. As I drove home, I realized I never told him about Tommy—again. It hadn’t been intentional. I had hoped to tell him after dinner while Tommy was occupied with all the new toys. I blamed Tyler. He had rushed me out the door. It was his own fault I didn’t tell him the truth.
Chapter Nineteen
Tyler
I was standing in front of the bank of windows in my office, daydreaming about last night. Even though I hadn’t gotten to kiss her or do much else, I had enjoyed spending time with her and Tommy. The kid’s face had lit up when he saw the box of books. It had filled my heart with joy to see how excited he had been over what I assumed would have bored most kids.
During that time, I felt like I had really bonded with Tommy. It had only been about twenty minutes, but in those twenty minutes, it had seemed like we had a connection. It had been so easy, so comfortable sitting on the floor and just hanging out. It reminded me of my own childhood, playing with the little cars my mom bought for me. She always got down on the ground, making engine noises and even making the sound of squealing tires when we raced.
I smiled, thinking about the memory of my mother. Emily reminded me a lot of her. She didn’t have a lot, but I could see she loved that little boy with every fiber of her being. Like my mom, she got down on the ground to play with her son. It was those memories Tommy would cherish. He wasn’t going to remember what she did or didn’t buy him. It was the engine noises and the laughter when she completely bombed the sound of a car’s brakes coming to an abrupt stop.
“Hey, Casanova,” Landon said, coming into my office unannounced.
I blinked several times, getting rid of the tears that had suddenly welled up. I missed my mom and wished like hell she had lived long enough for me to spoil her with a big, fancy house and everything else she could have ever wanted.
I took a deep breath and turned to look at him. “Casanova?” I asked, one eyebrow raised.
He was grinning. “I knew you would change your mind about the woman once you saw all your options. Now look at you, a real Casanova. Forget about Gatsby.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, completely confused. “I didn’t change my mind about Emily.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Your new lady is hot. Did you already dump the other one?”
“Emily?” I asked. “I didn’t dump anyone.”
“Whose Emily?” he asked, and I suddenly felt like we were having two different conversations. “I don’t think that was her name,” he said, looking a little confused. “I thought the site said her name was Cora.”
My eyes widened. “Cora? How the hell do you know about that?”
He flopped down on the couch. “Twitter, Facebook, and a bunch of links to stories written by some eager bloggers. Everyone thinks you two look great together.”
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and pushed the button for the app.
“Oh shit,” I mumbled, looking at the number of mentions. “Oh shit,” I repeated. “What the hell? That didn’t even happen!” I prote
sted when I saw the headline about our wild night together.
I hated social media and rarely ever checked the accounts I’d set up years ago. Most of the stuff I read was garbage or just plain stupid. Reading about my wild night with Cora confirmed my belief that it was all bullshit. I never believed anything I read and now I knew why.
Landon pulled out his phone and turned it to face me. “She’s hot,” he said, showing me a headshot of Cora.
It was the same picture I had seen attached to her application. The woman was stunning. Her hair was more black than brown, and she had a bit of an exotic look to her. There was no doubt I was attracted to her on some level, but that was because she was physically attractive. She wasn’t Emily. She didn’t have that inner beauty and the wit that drew me in.
“They didn’t waste any time,” I muttered, reading the article that was circulating.
“Who’s they?” Landon asked.
“That fucking show!” I spat out. “I thought I had a few days before the show aired. I didn’t know they were going to do all these teasers. I would have told Emily.”
“So, who’s this woman? Is the other one out of the picture?” Landon asked, completely ignoring the Emily topic.
I couldn’t stop staring at the picture of me and Cora in what looked like an intimate setting. It really had been nothing of the sort. We had been in a crowded, well-lit restaurant. I was sure the photo had been doctored a bit to make it look like something it wasn’t. The photo depicted a romantic, candlelit setting. The picture made it look like I was leaning in for a kiss. I had done nothing of the sort. I couldn’t even remember what I’d been doing at the time.
“She’s no one important,” I said, answering Landon’s question. “She’s just a woman from the show. I had to agree to go out with two other women this week to get this damn thing wrapped up. I had to pick two women. I vaguely remembered meeting her at the meet and greet and chose a date with her.”
Landon smirked. “How could you forget her?”
I rolled my eyes. “I talked to her briefly. I wasn’t interested in actually listening to her.”