by Lilly Wilde
I’d be contacting my attorney as soon as we were settled in Chicago. Hopefully he’d have the name of a brilliant family lawyer—brilliant and not intimidated by the Raine name. This situation was tenuous at best, and I knew it would come to a head sooner rather than later and I needed to be prepared. Sure I’d damaged my chances of sole custody, if I ever had a chance at that, but I’d be damned if I handed Aiden total say-so.
Lyric was buckled in a baby seat next to me, sucking his paci. Aiden was sitting across from us. I’d catch him staring longingly at Lyric ever so often, and then his eyes would dart to mine and it was as if he were shooting bullets at me. I’d return his vengeful glare until one of us eventually looked away. Yes, this is going to be hell!
Kelly, the Raine Industries flight attendant, and Brooklyn, Aiden’s personal assistant, had been on the jet when I boarded, and they both fawned over Lyric. I was surprised to see there were so many accommodations on the jet already set up for him. I didn’t know why Aiden had gone through the trouble, because Lyric wouldn’t be flying all over the world. I’d make sure of that.
We landed in Chicago late in the evening and were whisked off to the Raine Estate. I could only imagine what was waiting for us there. As we prepared to exit the plane, I overheard Brooklyn confirming that Aiden’s schedule had been cleared for the next month and that she was working on moving all of his meetings to either video or telephone conferences for the month after. From the bits I picked up from the remainder of her discussion with Aiden, the responsibility for several other key details would be shifted to his siblings Sloan and Nicholas, and his father, Connor.
The ride to the Raine house was even more uncomfortable than the flight from Belize. Lyric was irritable and I knew it was because he was hungry. I’d fed him just before we took off, but he typically ate every three hours and it was about an hour past his normal feeding schedule. Aiden glanced at us each time Lyric made the slightest noise.
Anja was sitting quietly next to Aiden. I didn’t like her. I was sure she was attracted to him, and although I didn’t want it to, that bothered me.
When the car stopped in front of the massive doors of Aiden’s home, my stomach twisted. The last time I was here, Aiden and I had declared our commitment to each other. This time we’d be walking in as strangers.
I lifted a sleepy Lyric from his car seat and swaddled him in Aiden’s gift. He yawned and I smiled at my little man snuggled in his new blanket. This would be a nightmare, but I could do this. For him, I could do anything.
The chauffeur opened the door, and Aiden slid out and reached for the baby. I was hesitant to pass Lyric to him, but Aiden leaned in and gently lifted him from my arms. I grabbed Lyric’s bag and my purse and eased out behind them. Aiden started up the walkway and the large doors of the mansion swung open. Sienna was the first person I picked out from the crowd of people waiting near the entrance. She hurriedly walked toward her son and grandson.
“Oh, Aiden! You’re finally back, and you have my precious grandson,” she exclaimed. “We’re all so anxious to meet him. How was he on the flight? I thought you were going to send pictures.”
“I was. But when I saw him, I wanted to wait. I wanted you to see him as I saw him. Let’s get him inside out of the cold, Mother.”
“Yes. Of course,” she replied.
I followed them into the lavish mansion and was happy to see one friendly face. Dianna was standing near the door and closed it behind me. She was one of several members of the Raine staff, and Aiden had flown her to Boston to help out when my mother had passed last year.
“Good evening, Ms. Cason. It’s so good to see you again,” she said warmly. Her hair was pulled back in the same neat bun I remembered.
I smiled at her greeting. “Hi, Dianna. It’s nice to see you, too,” I replied. She had no idea how nice it was to see her kind face. It gave me hope she, at least, would be friendly to me, because I knew the others wouldn’t be happy to see me at all.
“Everyone’s waiting in the drawing room. We’re all so excited to meet the baby.” She hurried after them, and I followed slowly behind. I felt so out of place.
Aiden introduced Anja to his family and then asked the staff to help her settle in. I stood in the doorway and glanced around the room. There were balloons, cake, food, and several gifts. I guessed this was a delayed baby shower. Only, they wouldn’t do anything like that for me, so this was more for Aiden and Lyric.
I was a mere fly on the wall, watching as they aahed and fussed over Lyric. He’d never been around this many people at once. I was worried he’d react poorly, but he seemed to be just fine.
I scanned the room again, and my gaze rested on another face I would have hoped to be friendly—Aiden’s youngest sister, Allison. I was disappointed to see her scowl in my direction. I shouldn’t have been too surprised, but I was. It hurt. They’d all shut me out. I couldn’t blame Allison because I was sure that she, too, felt betrayed by my silence. I wanted to go to her and explain. I started to do just that, but she quickly turned away from me.
I guess it’s too soon. I walked to the opposite side of the room and took a seat.
“He’s so beautiful, Aiden.” Sienna mused. “Hi, little one. I’m your—” She broke off as if startled.
“What is it, Mom?” Allison asked.
“I’m a grandmother.” She shook her head in amazement and smiled.
“Are you afraid to say it aloud, Mother?” Aiden teased.
“Of course not. And I’m not going to insist upon any of those silly names. He’ll address me as Grandmother.” She glanced at Lyric. “Won’t you, sweet one? Aiden, let me hold him.”
“Hello, everyone,” I said. They looked at me as if they didn’t understand why I was there.
“Hello, Aria,” Sienna said, a frown marring her exquisite face. “I didn’t expect you’d be staying here. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable at a hotel until you get your own place?”
“Actually I would, but I’m not going anywhere without Lyric.”
She redirected her attention and her smile to the baby, though she spoke to me. “You’ve had him to yourself for weeks now. Don’t you think Aiden deserves time with him also?”
“Mother, stop it,” Aiden scolded.
“Aiden, it isn’t fair to you or to us.”
“I said stop.”
“Hmph.” She frowned at me and then took a seat with Lyric. Sienna would be the second most challenging piece to this forced puzzle. I sat and watched them, and with each passing moment, I felt smaller and smaller. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my sisters, letting them know I’d arrived and that it was hell already.
“Welcome home, Aria.”
I looked up from my phone to the smiling face of Aiden’s father.
Home? This is the last place I’d call home. “Hi, Connor.”
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
“It’s your house.”
He laughed. “That it is.” He sat beside me and was suddenly all serious.
“Let me guess,” I said. “You want to tell me what you think of me, too? I don’t really care to hear any of it, Connor.”
“Now now, Aria. Don’t readily assume I came over to castigate you. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Huh?
He smiled briefly at my expression. “I see that I’ve shocked you.”
“Yeah, you could say that. I know you’re all put out with me, but I hope we’ll be able to get along, at least for the sake of the baby.”
“We’re quite upset, but like you, we want to be amicable. We don’t know what happened between you and Aiden, and it’s none of our business. But you had no right to keep our grandson from us, Aria.”
“Connor, this has been an extremely trying process, and I’m not in the frame of mind to hash anything out with anyone.”
“You don’t have to. You’re here, and Lyric’s here, and that’s all that matters.” Connor beckoned one of the maids for a glass of water fo
r me. I noticed Sienna and Aiden watching us. Then Lyric made a noise and their attention was immediately refocused on him.
“I don’t agree with your choices, but you’re the mother of my grandson.” He looked back toward Aiden, Allison, and Sienna and then turned back to me. “They may be upset for a while.”
“But not you?”
“No. Just the opposite. I’m overjoyed. We all are. You’ve given our family a gift. If you need anything, come to me. Let me know.”
Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. “Why are you doing this? I doubt Aiden will approve.” I sipped the water and wondered what Connor was up to.
“Because you’re family, and I take care of my own, so whatever you and Lyric need, it’s yours. And don’t worry about Aiden. He’ll come around.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. “Thanks Connor, but I think we’re fine. I’m relieved that at least one member of the Raine family won’t be throwing daggers at me over the dinner table.”
As for what we need—we need to get the hell out of here. But I knew that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
Lyric was starting to get irritated and I knew he needed to eat. I excused myself and walked over to the others. “Hi, Allison.”
“Hi, Aria,” she replied and quickly looked away.
“He’s a little fussy. I need to feed him.” I reached for him, and Sienna kissed his cheek and passed him to me.
“He’s beautiful, Aria,” she said.
“Thank you. And thank you for the gifts.” I looked down at my little munchkin, glad to have him back in my arms. “Someone’s hungry, huh, little guy?” I wasn’t accustomed to sharing him with anyone other than Kellan. This was definitely going to take some getting used to. I bounced him in my arms, hoping to calm him before he became too aggravated. I didn’t want him riled up so close to bedtime. I glanced at Aiden, and he was staring at the two of us. For a sliver of a second, he seemed almost human as he looked at me. “Can you show me to his nursery?”
“Actually, one of the staff can show you,” Aiden said, dismissing me and beckoning one of the maids. He’d been so distant and it appeared he planned to keep it that way.
“Aiden, I think it would be comforting for you to do that. Don’t you, son?” Connor had walked over to us.
Aiden threw a warning look at Connor and then glanced back at me and the baby.
“I’m fine either way. My priority is getting him settled and back on his schedule. I could care less about who makes that happen,” I said.
“I’ll do it.” Aiden walked past me and grabbed Lyric’s bag and my purse.
I was about to say goodnight to the others, but decided not to waste my breath on an insincere gesture.
Aiden silently escorted us upstairs to the nursery. It was on the same floor as his bedroom. He opened the door and allowed me to enter first, and I gaped in awe as I stepped into the room. It was like walking into a luxury baby boutique.
“You should find everything you need here. If we’ve missed something, let Pauline or Anja know,” he said, looking down at Lyric.
“Thank you.” I kept my voice as impersonal as his, since that was the way he was going to play it.
Aiden excused himself and closed the door behind him, leaving Lyric and me alone. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat in the rocking chair. Lyric was crying, and my gentle swaying was doing nothing to lessen his irritation.
When I undid my bra and traced my nipple along his lips, he latched on quickly and I almost screamed. That wasn’t right. I placed my finger between his lips and my skin and let him re-latch. That was better. I smiled as I watched him, loving the feel of providing him sustenance. He needed me and I needed him. Surely Aiden recognized that and wouldn’t attempt to do anything that would further disrupt Lyric’s stability.
Once Lyric finished, I changed his diaper and slipped on his blue footie pajamas. I sat in the chair and rocked him for a while, glancing around the room. His nursery in Belize was like something out of a magazine, but it paled in comparison to the luxuriousness of this room. I wondered if Aiden had a hand in this or if it was all Sienna and her decorators.
Lyric soon drifted off, and I was close to following him. As I placed him in the crib, the beautiful mobile hanging above it caught my attention. It was a light shade of blue and yellow, and there were music symbols hanging from the tiny threads. I reached out and touched one. Aiden had definitely played a part in this.
I turned on the baby monitor, grabbed one of the handheld devices, and looked around the room again. It provided any and every thing a new baby could want or need, including twenty-four hour nannies. I traced my finger over the changing table. Even it was over-the-top luxury. All of the furniture was beautifully designed, and crafted with the most exquisite details. The crib was almost regal, boasting exceptionally tall end boards. There was a stuffed giraffe near the end of the crib close to the window. And in the right corner, there was a huge stuffed bear with a blue ribbon around its neck. The rocking chair where I’d nursed Lyric was positioned near the window to the left of the crib, and an oversized chair and ottoman to the right. At the far end of the room was a sitting area, which included a small sofa and two more chairs.
The drawers were filled with blankets, socks, caps, and pajamas. I walked into the closet and it was also overflowing with clothes of all sizes. The bathroom had obviously been re-modeled recently to fit the needs of an infant. There were towels, onesies, and other baby essentials everywhere. They had thought of everything. I stepped out of the bathroom and walked back to the crib. I took one last look at Lyric and went in search of Aiden.
The nursery was next door to his bedroom, and I was sure that wasn’t a coincidence. I knocked on the door and heard, “Yes. Come in.”
He was removing his shirt just as I entered. Oh fuck! That body. He had to be one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. I tore my eyes away from his chest and looked up at him. “I’m exhausted. Where’s my room?”
“On the other side of the nursery. I knew you’d want to be close to him.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say.
He glanced at my hand. “You have the monitor, I see.”
“Yep.” I said, holding it up.
“I have one, too.”
I followed his gaze to the monitor on his bedside table.
“You can turn the screen on if you flip the switch on the bottom,” he said.
“Yeah, I saw that. Thanks.”
“Sure.”
This was awkward. I didn’t know what to say next, and I could see that he didn’t either. “Well, goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Aria.”
I couldn’t help but walk into the nursery again. I stood over the crib and watched my son. It was hard to believe that I had a child. And what was even harder to fathom was my absolute love and adoration for him. I’d worried that my initial dread of having kids would filter my maternal instincts, but I felt nothing but an overwhelming love for him. For the sake of Lyric, I could take whatever the Raines dished out.
I hesitantly pulled myself away from the crib and went to my bedroom. I was tempted to sleep in the nursery but since I’d be right next door with a viewable monitor, I was comfortable leaving Lyric in his new room.
Next door, I took in the luxuriousness of my own accommodations. It was overly extravagant, just as everything else in this too large home. I wandered around the spacious room and noticed my clothes had already been unpacked. There wasn’t much to do except go to bed.
I stepped into the bathroom to take a shower and saw the vanity had been stocked with my favorite soaps and facial products. I couldn’t imagine Aiden knew to do this. Could it have been Allison? It definitely wasn’t Sienna, so it had to have been Allison. She and I had really connected when Aiden and I were together, but then I’d disappeared without so much as a goodbye. I’d hurt her. I hated the expression I saw on her face earlier, but if I was correct and it was her who’d extended such a kind gesture,
it meant there was a chance for us to rebuild our friendship. In the midst of everything I was dreading, reconnecting with her gave me something to look forward to.
It was strange being in a different bed, a different room, and a different house. I stared into the darkness and considered my predicament, retracing my steps over and over. I couldn’t turn my brain off. I tossed and turned for a while and eventually clambered out of bed in search of the one thing that could provide me with a façade of comfort tonight.
I stepped inside the oversized closet, not quite sure where to begin my search. Opening drawer after drawer, I finally located what I wanted. I pulled Mom’s quilt from the drawer and hugged it tightly as I stepped out of the closet. I flipped on the small table lamp and felt a sense of ease by the dim light it cast throughout the room. I hopped back into the large bed, and as I settled in, I heard the faint sounds of Lyric’s breathing. Pulling the quilt up to my chest, I sighed. My beloved quilt and the soft resonance of my son’s breathing—the two comforts from my life in Belize that enabled me to finally drift off.
Chapter Four
The first few days with the Raines were just as horrible as I’d predicted. Aiden barely said anything to me. Not that I was too keen on conversing, myself. When I’d enter a room, he’d leave, and vice versa. The first breakfast with the family was filled with endless moments of awkward silence and forced pleasantries. Everyone except Aiden made great attempts at cordiality, but they all fell flat. The first dinner was more of the same. From that point, I decided I wouldn’t be joining them for any meals.
Aiden didn’t waste any time bringing Lyric into the Raine fold. The day after we arrived in Chicago, he approached me with papers to change Lyric’s last name. I was upset by his relentless bulldogging, but I had to choose my battles, and this was one I didn’t see as worth the fight. He suggested one name and I suggested another—there wasn’t much discussion. In the end, we agreed on Lyric Cason Raine.
I’d been trying to reach April since everything had come to a head with Aiden, but she had yet to do more than reply that she was sorry and she would call me soon. I’d kept Lia and Bianca in the loop, and was making plans for them to visit during their next college break. And then there was Kellan.