Kate shook her head. "Don't pay any attention. I’m reading him books at night and he has a vivid imagination."
Madison laughed. "Nothing wrong with a vivid imagination. He’s just an artist in training."
Lorenzo shook his head no. "I'm not an artist. I'm a warrior!"
Madison made a look of surprise. "Oh! A warrior. I thought you were a prince."
Lorenzo nodded yes. "I am! A warrior and a prince. My dad is the king."
Kate laughed as she tried to cover Lorenzo's non-stop chatter. "Well, I guess that makes me a queen." Lorenzo nodded his head as Kate held the child on her hip and scurried from the room.
Madison turned to Cory. "Your little brother is a handful."
Cory breathed a sigh of relief when Kate escaped the room with Lorenzo. "He wakes up like that and never stops. He’s one big ball of energy, but I love him. I wouldn’t change him for anything. So, uh, I guess I should give you a tour of the house. The bottom level is pretty simple, just a normal house. So, what do you think so far?"
“Cory, this is not a simple house. This is a grand house, and you have a butler, for Pete's sake. It’s breathtaking. I love it. I had no idea you lived like this."
Cory looked down at his feet, shuffling them a bit. He felt like he should say something, make her understand, this changed nothing about him, this wasn’t where he came from. "Madison, I lived in California and was raised there my whole life by my mom. We didn’t live anything like this. I didn’t know my dad then, we’ve only recently met in the last few years and he offered me a place to live. My mom and I both agreed this was better for me, a better environment and my dad could provide me with the opportunity to promote my craft. I wasn’t used to anything like this. So, please don’t judge me by the house or the money. It’s not mine. It belongs to my dad and Kate. But this is where I live now. And yes, I do have money, but not like this, believe me, my dad is a self-made man in a manner of speaking. He works hard for all of this, and to maintain it. And he expects the same from me."
Hugging Madison tightly, he whispered softly in her ear, "I’m glad you’re here."
Taking her hand, he showed her around the lower level of the house, letting her take it all in. Madison followed him on the house tour, taking in the beautifully restored antiques, as they walked through the dining room and into a large, well-appointed kitchen. He led her through a sunroom on the back of the house where she caught a glimpse of the patio and large in-ground pool.
"Thank you for telling me. I knew Kate was your stepmom, but you haven't spoken much about your life with your biological mom. So, your parents divorced when you were young?"
Cory grimaced. He knew he had to tell her the truth, or as close as he could without revealing too much. He retraced his steps, taking her back to the front of the house and Shade's office and found the door was open. He pointed inside but didn’t take her in. "This is my dad's office."
Madison looked inside at the masculine room with the leather furniture and dark wood as Cory kept talking to her.
"Well, I’m the result of what you might call a one-night stand. It was more than one night, but not much more. My mom, Rachael, met my dad at a club in San Francisco when she was young, and they hooked up. He was here visiting the States for a short time on business. He left and went back to Italy. My mom didn’t really have any information about where he lived or how to contact him after he left, so he never knew she was pregnant with me. They met up again when...well, when I met my dad in California when he was back there again. He didn’t know I existed, and I had no idea who he was. It was all a little weird."
Cory wanted desperately to change the subject before he ended up screwing up this tale of half ass truths. "This room holds the security system that monitors the property, its real high tech." Taking her hand, he led her away from the office and down the hall in the direction of Luca's living quarters.
Madison gripped his hand. "Wait! Your father didn't know your mom was pregnant? So, you never knew him growing up?"
"No, I didn’t know him at all growing up. So, you see, Madison, all of the money and fancy things are new to me as well. I didn’t grow up like this. And I’d really like for you to meet my mom in California. Would you like to meet my mom, maybe spend a week in California?"
"Of course! I'd love to meet your mom. So,...your dad didn't leave your mom for Kate. I was painting this picture in my head, you know. The middle-aged man who strikes it rich, then dumps his first wife for a younger, prettier one. I'm glad you told me. I mean, a lot of men wouldn't have owned up to their responsibility, especially after so many years. I guess I had him pegged wrong."
Cory bent over laughing, it struck him funny. If she only knew the rep his dad actually had. "Sorry, but that’s not how it went down at all. My dad's first and only wife is Kate. And trust me when I tell you, they’re very much in love. You’ll see for yourself whenever you see them together. They’re a good example of what I hope I have with my wife, if I ever have one."
Cory smiled at her when he heard Luca's door open and he walked out in his sweat pants, hanging off his hips, bare feet, and no shirt.
Madison turned her head, as she heard the door open and saw a man unlike any she’d seen before. She stared unabashedly at the tall, dark skinned male, with the bare muscled chest and the sweats hanging low on his hips. His dark brown hair hung loose around his face as his pale, hazel eyes took her in. Is this Cory's father?
"Oh, hi, I'm Madison." She extended her hand as he had her locked in his gaze. She felt almost pinned in place, unable to move. His voice was a soft purr as he responded to her, his Italian accent evident.
"So happy to meet you, Madison. I'm Luca."
Madison's head was swimming. Luca? Cory never mentioned anyone named Luca!
Cory saw Madison’s reaction to Luca and knew Luca had her locked in his gaze as he assessed her. Most mortals would feel the lure of the vampire, and find it hard to resist, not understanding the reason for why they felt so drawn but recognizing it instantly as something very different. Cory knew he’d never have the powers of a warrior. He wasn’t jealous of Luca. He understood Luca was taking her measure, assessing any threat. "Luca works for my dad. He lives here, this is his suite. He’s responsible for security around here, like a body guard type thing."
Madison heard Cory explain that Luca provided security for the house, and she had no doubt. He was an imposing figure and couldn’t imagine who’d be dumb enough to challenge him. He could easily intimidate, but his greeting toward her was warm and welcoming. He released her hand, but maintained eye contact and she felt unable to move, as if her feet were encased in cement. She blinked her eyes a few times as he broke eye contact and she finally felt released. She stumbled over her words as she responded to his greeting. "I'm pleased to meet you. I, uh, Cory never mentioned you, so I think I was just expecting to meet his parents and his brother." She turned to Cory. "I had no idea other people lived here."
"Well, there are a few people who live here. Gi, you met, and Emma is our maid and Theresa is Lorenzo's nanny. It’s a very busy household, but my room is really private like Luca's." Cory fist bumped Luca and smiled. "So, this is the lower level, we should go upstairs to my room now. See you later, Luca."