Clearing my throat, I hope my smile looks genuine and that it masks my growing shock. I let my arm drop. “Your mommy is smart. I used to know her when she was a little girl.”
Rowan looks up at his aunt for confirmation. Smart kid. I feel the burn from Saskia’s heated stare, but I refuse to look at her.
“My mommy is smart and beautiful and the bestest mommy in the whole entire universe.” He flashes me a toothy grin.
“The entire universe, huh?” I chuckle, not doubting his statement for a second.
He vigorously bobs his head, and I can hardly speak over the messy ball of emotion clogging the back of my throat. “She sounds amazing.”
“She is. I love her this much.” He extends his arms wide, hitting Saskia’s hip in the process.
“For God’s sake, Rowan. Stop hitting,” she snaps, and I watch the exuberant smile slip from his face. I want to lash out at her. Wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze until she turns blue, but I grind my teeth to the molars, caging my rage. For now.
“I didn’t mean it,” Rowan says, his lower lip jutting out.
“Auntie Saskia knows it was an accident,” I say through gritted teeth. If she makes one more snide remark, all bets are off. I will squeeze the life from her pathetic body in broad daylight with zero fucks given.
“We need to go,” she says, her tone clipped as she snatches Rowan’s hand again. Perhaps she has some self-preservation skills after all.
“It was nice meeting you, buddy,” I say, lifting my clenched fist for a knuckle touch.
His skin is soft and warm when his small knuckles brush against mine. “You too, buddy.”
“It was great seeing you again,” Saskia says, as I straighten up, all anger replaced with sultry enthusiasm. “Look me up when you’re next in town.” She slips a business card in the pocket of my suit jacket. Leaning in, she presses her mouth to my ear. “Or call me and we can arrange to meet someplace central for both of us.”
Ignoring her, I grab a twenty from my wallet and hand it to Ben. “Maybe your auntie will let you get candy now.”
His eyes dance with excitement, and he jumps around. “Yay. Thank you!”
Saskia sways a little on her heels, not disguising her frustration, but I couldn’t give two shits about her. “Goodbye, Bennett.” She gives me one last lingering glance before dragging Rowan away.
“Bye, Ben,” he calls out, waggling his fingers at me.
I return his wave as the storm grows to epic proportions inside me. Crumpling the card in my pocket, I remove it and toss it in the nearest trash can. I stare after them, watching Saskia scold Rowan again, and I’m two seconds away from going after her when Leo steps in front of me. “Did that just happen?” His brows climb to his hairline in disbelief.
“You know?”
He nods, still looking shell-shocked, and I can relate. The news hasn’t sunk in yet. “Despite the shit she’s injected in her face, it’s obvious Saskia is Sierra’s sister and then she mentioned Vegas.” Leo drags a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder as Saskia and Rowan cross the street. “You don’t need a DNA test to confirm it. Rowan is the fucking image of you. He’s got your dark hair and your eyes. I see little of his mom in him.”
I scrub my hands down my face, blindsided in a way I rarely am.
I have a son.
I’m a father.
And my little Firefly never told me.
Joy, confusion, regret, fear, and anger are a heady mix swirling inside me.
“What are you going to do?” Leo asks.
I exhale heavily. That’s the million-dollar question. And I don’t have the answer yet, except for one overriding conviction. “Protect them.” Shaking the fog from my brain, I stride toward the car, jumping in the back seat. Leo slides in beside me.
“Change of plans,” I supply, looking at Alessandro through the mirror. I point across the street at the sleek silver Mercedes Saskia and Rowan are getting into it. “Follow that car.”
16
SIERRA
I am going to murder Serena with my bare hands for this, I think as I drive up the driveway of Saskia and Felix’s plush home. What the hell was she thinking asking Saskia to pick Rowan up? If there was an emergency and she couldn’t pick up my son, she should’ve called me, and I would have asked Pen or Esme to drop by the school. Ordinarily, Dion could have kept him until I arrived, but he’s finishing work early today because he’s flying to New York with some of his buddies for their friend Abe’s bachelor party.
Rowan doesn’t like Saskia, and it’s not because of anything I have said. I would never do that. No, my son is astute, and he has picked up on the vibes she emits. Or maybe it’s the short, impatient way she speaks to him during the rare occasions we attend Sunday dinner at my parents’ house that has rubbed him the wrong way.
Father ignored me the entire way through my pregnancy—it was bliss—but as soon as I gave birth, his tune changed. I still don’t know why. It’s not like he pays Rowan much attention, and for the most part, when I visit, he ignores me, which suits me fine.
I only make the effort for Mom’s sake and for my son.
My family is the only family Rowan is likely to know, and I won’t deprive him of a loving Grandma, or his cousins. So, I suffer my father and Saskia in small doses to ensure my son doesn’t miss out. It’s a small price to pay, I remind myself as I park and stomp up the steps to Saskia’s front door. I ring the bell, chewing on the inside of my mouth as I wait for the door to open.
“Mommy!” Rowan rushes me the second I step foot in the kitchen, clinging to my legs.
Mrs. Smith, the housekeeper, smiles warmly at him as she packs up his pencil case, stowing it and his books in his backpack.
“Hey, Firecracker.” I kneel, pulling him into a hug. The instant his small arms wrap around me, a deep sense of contentment washes over me. I was excited to be a mom, but I couldn’t have predicted how much I would adore it.
Or maybe it’s all down to Rowan.
Because he is the most amazing child and he has brightened my world in ways I could never have imagined. From the second he was born, I was high on the most intense love drug. My heart swelled to bursting point the first time I looked at him, and it hasn’t deflated any time since.
Rowan is my greatest achievement. The most precious person in my life. The main reason I wake up happy each day. I would go to the ends of the Earth and back to ensure he is safe, happy, and healthy. I truly adore being his mother, and I’m so blessed I get to share my life with him in it. He is my pride and joy. My happy place. My everything.
I dot kisses all over his cute face until the strain eases from his gaze. “Ready to go home?”
He bobs his head. “Can you carry me?” he asks, and my heart aches. Rowan is fiercely independent, and while he is also hugely affectionate, it’s not like him to want to be carried in the middle of the day. That’s how I know he was feeling vulnerable here. I don’t blame him. This house may have been highlighted in celebrity magazines, but it’s a show home. There is nothing warm or inviting about it.
I can’t even get mad at my sister for dumping my son in the kitchen with her staff because at least Mrs. Smith is kind, and she looks like she enjoyed his company.