“Not yet. I’ll wait until morning to tell her we’re going to his place.”
“She really loves the guy. I don’t think you have anything to be concerned about.”
“I’m not worried about her being happy he’s her dad. I worry he’s not ready to be her dad. A few days of frolicking in the sun doesn’t represent what parenthood is really about. He has no experience with tummy aches or fevers, tantrums or meltdowns. The reason I didn’t fight him on having Alivia stay a few days longer was because of Leila, her nanny, and all the other moms and dads that were there.” Debbie remained silent as I searched her eyes for a sign of agreement. “What happens if he wants her to stay over one night? Or wants to take her somewhere?”
“How about we walk before we run?”
“Yeah, I can do that, but can a six-year-old?” It was then Debbie understood my point. “Once we tell her, she may want to do things with him that can’t be done because of who he is. And even if we explain his fame to her, she won’t understand why her daddy can’t come to see her softball game or her dance recital. Once she finds out she has a dad, one who she already loves, don’t you think she’ll want him to do all the things he hasn’t?”
“All valid concerns, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t know the truth.” When she relaxed back in her chair, I thought she’d said her piece until she added, “You had come to terms with Trey being in her life. What’s really bothering you?”
Further complicating all I just mentioned by falling in love with a man like Trey.
“Mommy!” Alivia called, effectively killing our conversation. “Can I play water basketball with Uncle Carson?”
“In a little while. Your tummy is full, and I want you to take a pool break.”
“Okay,” she said with a pout. And despite her disappointment, my sweet little girl crawled onto my lap and kissed my cheek, because she was just that adorable.
Alivia reacted just as I expected when I shared that we were spending the day at Trey’s apartment in New York City. Her excitement and a million questions helped me ignore the way my heart anxiously pounded.
Any parent knew there was no way of predicting what would come out of a child’s mouth at any given time. My biggest fear was her need to push us together as a family. I prepared what I would say if that came up. I went as far as calling Trey once she fell asleep to be sure we were on the same page with our responses.
Surprisingly, he didn’t talk much during the conversation, having me believe he’d either conceded to letting me take the wheel or what we were about to do had truly hit him for the first time. Concern had me asking if he had cold feet, to which he’d merely said, “No.”
The closer we got to his apartment, the more my nerves kicked in. I’d been revising and amending over and over what to tell her. It really didn’t matter, as every outcome was the same. Trey is your daddy. Yes, Mommy knew.
Alivia had been in the city many times, yet her mouth still gaped as she watched the flurry of activity right outside the car window.
“Mommy, Shane said they live in the city too. Can we visit him one day?”
“I think we can do that,” I responded with a smile while distractedly playing with her ponytail. Appeased, she kicked her little feet excitedly to resume staring.
Every so often, Alec caught my eye in the rearview mirror. I had no idea what he knew or what Trey had told him. I guessed discretion was an important part of working for famous people.
A few minutes later, he spoke for the first time since picking us up. “Trey is waiting for you in the lobby.”
“Thank you,” I said as Alivia squirmed. I unbuckled her seat belt before taking her hand and towing her out of the car.
“Wow,” she said, her head slowly tilting back, taking in his building floor by floor.
Through the plate glass door, we saw Trey waiting patiently. No sooner had I pulled open the heavy glass when he said, “Hey, Squirt.” She tugged free of my grip and catapulted right into his arms. “How are you?”
“Great. This is where you live?” she asked when I approached.
“Yes. Cool, right?”
“Very cool.”
Those crystal-blue eyes landed on me. “Hey. Ride was okay?” he asked, his expression guarded. I haven’t really been around him since our kiss on the beach, but it was obvious his interactions toward me had changed.
“Yes. Thanks for sending Alec.”
A quick nod came before he said, “Okay, let’s get you upstairs.” Alivia continued to grip his neck through the grand lobby and up in the elevator. Her chattiness provided a small distraction, but with every floor we climbed my heartrate spiked. While never releasing her, Trey one-handedly unlocked his apartment door, glancing back at me just before he pushed it open.
On cue, my daughter’s mouth again gaped, creating yet another concern on my long list. We could literally fit our entire apartment inside his living room. In one week, she’d seen enough wealth to know we were very different.
“Wow,” she repeated for like the fiftieth time that day. Her perusal then landed on a three-story miniature mansion that sat on its own table near the window. “Is that a dollhouse?” Even from where we stood, it was obvious every room had been perfectly decorated for the little plastic family occupying the property.
“It is.” He raised a challenging brow, silently answering my complaint with his expression. Yes, I bought her a dollhouse… deal with it. “Do you like dollhouses?” he went on to ask, smugly dismissing my scowl.
“I looove them,” she responded dramatically.
“Well, how about we eat lunch before it gets cold, and then we can play… okay?”
“Okay!”
On the kitchen island, a few individual pizzas with various toppings were spread out, as well as an assortment of kid-friendly drinks. After depositing Alivia on one of the barstools, I watched in awe while they discussed which piece she wanted before he promptly served her.
“Do you think Mommy hates pizza?” he asked Alivia, but his eyes focused on me. “She looks like it’s going to bite her.”
“Mommy loves pizza.” As if she only then realized I was there, Alivia twisted on the stool and patted the empty seat beside her. “Come, Mommy.”
Snapping into the present, I widened my eyes in awe and sat. “Doesn’t this look yummy?”
At that, Alivia took her first bite, and with a mouthful said, “Tho… ummy.”
Trey and I laughed at the same time, somewhat breaking the ice. It was obvious we were both determined to focus on our daughter eating lunch for now, and not a thing past that.
But as our mutual distraction through that meal came to an end, the time to forever change Alivia’s life was suddenly upon us.
Chapter 21
Trey
“Now can I play?” Alivia asked the moment she swallowed her last bite.
“Sure, sweetheart.” Camilla wiped her cheeks and hands with a napkin. “You go ahead. I’m going to help Trey clean up.” Her words said one thing, the stern expression on her face an entirely different one.