Bound to the Baron

by Gigi Thomas

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Shared Custody

  “Are you trying to get me drunk or something?” Kenya asked, as her cousin poured her another glass of wine. They sat on the living room sofa of Kenya’s London apartment.

  “Maybe a little,” Tasha said. “Actually, I think I’m trying to get myself drunk too.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I think... I got offered a job.”

  “What? That’s great Tash! Where? How?”

  “You know how I took all those pictures of CayCay’s birthday. I mean, the party was sick, and I was experimenting with all these different angles and taking those candid action shots, with the whole...Scottish thing.”

  “Yes, I remember the whole Scottish thing,” Kenya teased.

  “Shut up! That’s never happening again.” The last thing Tasha wanted was to be reminded of her dealings with Caden’s cousin, Broc.

  “There were some amazing pictures in there,” Kenya continued, remembering the video slideshow Tasha made and sent out to the guests.

  “Well, I guess someone from one of those Scottish games saw the pictures and liked them. This guy from Glasgow called me, and now they want me to do a job for them. A real job, Kenya! I mean, it’s not high art or anything, but actually getting paid for taking pictures.”

  “That’s great, Tash! I knew you could do it.”

  “Thanks. It feels good to know that someone actually likes my work, you know. It gives me hope.”

  “So, when do you start?”

  “Huh? I didn’t accept it. Obviously.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because, you need me here. I’m not going to just run off to do something else. Who’s going to take care of Caydee? Besides, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. They want me to start next week. I’d need a VISA to work here and all kinds of stuff that I don’t have. It doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to know that someone actually saw my work and liked it enough to want to hire me. It gives me motivation to keep working on my own stuff. You know, my art.”

  “Aww, Tash. That’s so sweet of you to think of us,” Kenya began. “And so stupid! What is wrong with you? You have to take the job!”

  “I can’t—”

  “You can’t not take this opportunity. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t high art right now; it’s a job! And who knows, it could become high art. Either way, it can only help you get where you want to be, right?”

  “But—”

  “No buts! Woman up and stop being a coward!”

  “Excuse me? I am not a coward.”

  “So stop acting like one! You are so afraid of failing...or maybe of succeeding that you are stagnating. It’s okay to be successful and love what you do. So stop letting other people’s opinions of you or your choices make you doubt yourself. Stop making your own life difficult and take the damn job.”

  “But, what about CayCay?”

  “I’ll do it,” Caden said entering the room.

  “Do what?” Both women asked, surprised to find him there. They thought he was still with Caydee attempting to put her to bed. Apparently, he had succeeded.

  “Take care of Caydee of course.” He sat on the loveseat across from them.

  “What? No! You can’t!” Kenya protested.

  “Why not? She’s my daughter.”

  “I know, but you’ve never taken care of a child before,” Kenya reminded him. “You have no idea what you are doing. No offense.”

  “Offense taken! Look you didn’t know what you were doing in the beginning, right? You learned. You’re a great mum. I need to learn too.”

  “That’s true,” Tasha agreed.

  “It’s fine. I’ll get her a nanny or something, like I did before Tasha came.”

  “You mean like the nanny who was taking care of her when I met her wandering alone in a public park?” Caden asked.

  “Hmm, he’s got a point,” Tasha said with a chuckle.

  “Yes, I have a point. Listen to your wise cousin,” Caden agreed, happy to have the support.

  “Ehhhh, I don’t know.”

  “She’s my daughter, Kenya. I want to spend as much time with her as I can.”

  Kenya was still hesitant about the idea, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Caden was right. He should have the chance to be a full-time father to Caydee. Caydee deserved that, especially since that opportunity would be gone when they returned to the US in just a few short months.

  ~

  They started with a few days, going back and forth from houses. Caden could work on his foundation from home when he chose, so it made it easier. Since Caden lived in Kensington in the West End and Kenya’s corporate apartment was on the other side of town near Canary Wharf, getting together to switch was not easy in the brutal London traffic. Caydee would sometimes spend the night with Caden and sometimes with Kenya.

  Kenya had a hard time those first few weeks. She was not accustomed to sharing her daughter. It had been just the two of them for Caydee’s entire life. Coming home to an empty house, eating dinner alone, wondering if Cadence was okay was a different kind of torture. Being a single mom, Kenya didn’t deny that she appreciated the break when her dad visited with Caydee or Tasha took her for the weekend. But, this was different. Kenya was forced to come to terms with the fact that her daughter was no longer just hers anymore. She was theirs. This was evidenced by the amount of time the trio began spending together.

  Since Kenya and Caydee would be there for a few more months, Caden spent the summer taking them around the city to see the sights. He was a great tour guide showing them all the tourist attractions like the London Eye. Since it was a clear day, it allowed them to see the entire expanse of the city, some of the nearby counties like Surrey in the south, and even as far as France in the distance. When Caden pointed out Buckingham Palace, Caydee would not be satisfied until she saw where the Queen lived up close.

  On their next trip, they went to Buckingham and saw the changing of the guards. Caydee was thrilled by the red jacketed soldiers in their tall black furry hats. Caden’s duties as a cicerone did not end there. He took them to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Sarcophagus, to see a show at The Globe Theatre, and to Piccadilly Circus, which to Caydee’s disappointment was not an actual circus.

  Caden made it up to her by taking her to Covent Garden. While not an actual garden, the expansive fair with its multitude of vendors and attractions held Caydee’s attention. Caden bought Caydee everything she wanted, which, by Kenya’s estimation, was everything she saw from a purple paper parasol to a framed painting with her name written in Japanese. One weekday, they went to see Big Ben, and Caden took them into the House of Lords. They even spent a few days in Scotland for Broc’s first Highland Games. Caydee was enamored of London, and Kenya worried what would happen when it was time for them to go if Caydee wouldn’t want to leave. The more suspicious side of her wondered if that was Caden’s plan.

  Caden proved to be a complete pushover, when it came to Caydee, giving in to her every whim. To his credit, he was adapting quickly to the role of father. In the beginning it mainly consisted of complete indulgence, but when Caydee began spending the night and he had to think about practical matters like what she should eat for dinner and what time she should go to bed. Things became real, real fast.

  The first few times Caydee spent the night, he’d called Charlotte at least six times asking for advice. His mother he managed to keep to a maximum of three phone calls, but she had called him at least twice to check on them each time. Caden did not call Kenya. Kenya was hesitant enough about him taking care of Caydee, so Caden was not going to give her any reason to think that he couldn’t handle it.

  During one of the first nights, Kenya had panicked because she’d called a few times with no response. She came rushing over to find a bubble bath gone disastrously wrong and Caydee with a mat of wet tangled curls that Caden had no idea what to do with. Kenya quickly took over, got Caydee dressed for bed, and put her h
air in plaits, while he just stupidly watched. Caden had never felt so inadequate, being bested by his four-year-old daughter’s hair! That night he went online and discovered the trove of articles and YouTube videos on how to style and care for Caydee’s hair.

  The arrangement might have worked out more smoothly, but both Kenya and Caden’s calendars became increasingly busy as the weeks progressed. One of the worst incidences happened late one night as Caden was struggling to get a presentation right for a potential donor. It was a huge company with plenty of capital and a desperate need to improve their public image. Caden was working at the desk in his bedroom when he first heard the sound.

  “Eehee. Eeeh...”

  He looked around. Had he left the Telly on in the other room? The sound had stopped, so Caden returned to work. Not two minutes later, he was ripped from his seat by the sound of Caydee wailing. When he ran into her bedroom, he found her sitting up in bed, crying her eyes out.

  “Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Caden asked, sitting beside her.

  “He’s coming. He’s gonna take me!” Caydee cried, frantically climbing onto his lap.

  “Who?” Caden’s body tensed, his eyes searching the room for an intruder.

  “The monster!” Tears were streaming down Caydee’s face, and her mouth hung open as she bawled.

  “It’s okay sweetie.” He wrapped his arms around her. “There’s no monster.”

  “Yes! He’s gonna eat me!”

  “It’s fine princess. There’s no monster. No one is here. Look,” Caden rose to show Caydee that all the corners of her room was safe, but stepping away from her only made her cry more hysterically.

  “Noooo! Daddy, don’t go!”

  “I’m not. I’m not going anywhere,” Caden said, quickly returning to her and taking her in his arms. “It’s okay. Daddy’s here. There’s no monster that can hurt you if I’m here. I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.” He kissed her forehead and began rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down.

  No matter what he said or did, Caydee refused to go back to sleep. She refused to let him go actually and clung to him desperately. Caden was forced to pace the room, holding her in his arms until she began to settle. The settling didn’t last long, because as soon as Caydee began to doze off, she jerked her head up and began crying again, too afraid to let herself go to sleep. All Caden’s reassurances that there was no monster, that the monster was gone, that he wouldn’t let the monster hurt her were moot.

  Caden didn’t know what to do. He was a pro when it came to being fun or doting daddy. Sure, he had consoled her before when she was upset. But this was new territory for him. This was a red-alert nuclear meltdown like Caden had never experienced. He was not going to call Kenya and have her swoop in like before. She would think that he couldn’t handle things on his own. Caydee was his daughter too, and he would take care of her. He took care of her when he let her have an entire tub of ice-cream. He didn’t think cleaning up a four-year-old’s vomit and diarrhea was in his wheelhouse until he had to do it either.

  Perhaps it was mother’s intuition, but Kenya was unable to sleep well that night. It took everything in her not to call, and that was only because it was so late. If she was wrong, she didn’t want to wake Caydee for no reason. She had to trust that if something was really wrong, Caden would call her. Still, she called early that morning and went to Caden’s house after a few calls resulted in no answer.

  After the first incident, Caden was much better at having his phone nearby when she called, so Kenya began to panic again. When she arrived at the house, she entered the pass code and let herself in. Kenya was not sure what she expected to find. The house was still, and as she headed further inside she could hear the noise of the TV in the distance. She went downstairs, following the sound, and Kenya’s heart caught in her throat at the sight before her.

  Caden lay on his bed, his laptop before him a bit askew, in a mouth hanging open exhausted kind of sleep. Caydee lay horizontally, her torso across Caden’s broad chest. Her head used his bicep as a pillow, and she hugged his forearm. Caden’s arms were around her, protectively. Kenya’s heart hurt watching the scene before her: Caden with their child asleep in his arms. It was too bittersweet to bear.

  Kenya grabbed the laptop, so it wouldn’t fall when they awoke, and placed it on the desk. The sound of the TV show was blaring in her ears. Meanwhile, just how much TV was he letting her watch if they fell asleep like this? How late were they up? She was going to have to talk to him about that. Annoyed, she turned off the TV, and perhaps it was the sound or absence of it that made Caden wake.

  “Morning, Yaya,” Caden said with a sleepy smile before realization dawned on him. “Kenya? What are you doing here?” Gingerly, he undid himself from Caydee’s grip and tenderly placed the covers around her.

  “You...you didn’t answer your phone this morning. I don’t know. I had a weird feeling last night, and I thought something was wrong. But, you didn’t answer your phone!” she hissed.

  “Obviously, I was sleeping,” Caden said through his yawn. “Caydee had a nightmare, and she was too upset to go back to sleep. I tried to distract her with some cartoons, but she was more interested in what I was doing. So, I started explaining my presentation to her. Well, that did the trick. Unfortunately, I was so knackered that it worked for me too,” he ended, stretching and lazily scratching the back of his head.

  “Oh,” was all Kenya could say in response, looking up at him.

  “You know, you’re going to have to stop panicking every time I don’t answer one of your many phone calls. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”

  “Yeah, well that’s the problem isn’t it?” Kenya snapped, more angry at the unbidden emotions that had risen within her than at Caden himself.

  Caden’s face fell a bit, but he nodded his assent. “Right. I guess I—Wait! Is that the time?!” Now, he was the one panicking as he looked at the clock on the wall and verified it on his cell phone. “Bollocks! I’m late for my meeting.”

  He ripped off his shirt as he was running toward the bathroom. Turning on his heels to face her, Caden began taking on his pajama bottoms, too frantic to realize that he was undressing before Kenya.

  “Are you going to be here? I was going to take her with me and have Copper watch her during the meeting, but I don’t want to wake her up now that she’s finally asleep.”

  “It’s fine. I...I’ll stay until your meeting is over,” Kenya answered.

  Flustered by the sight of Caden baring his muscular body before her, Kenya watched a bit slack-jawed. He was not as bulky as he was five years ago, but his solid chest, muscular arms, and defined six pack abs showed that Caden must still put in hours in the gym. His chest was mostly bare, but a light trail of blond hair went across his pecks like two palm fronds, the stalks going down his stomach all the way towards his... Kenya couldn’t look away. Those man briefs that Caden was wearing did not help, because it clung to his package, almost putting it on display. I thought black was supposed to be slimming, Kenya thought. When she realized she was staring at him, Kenya quickly recovered.

  “Okay, so can you go now and stop being naked in front of me?!”

  “Right. Sorry,” Caden said with a cocky grin, evidently pleased by how Kenya’s eyes roved his body. He turned, and Kenya could see the small inverted triangle of hair on his lower back as he swaggered towards the shower. Damn, she cursed. Why the hell did he look this sexy first thing in the morning? She was never barging in on him like this again.

  In the end, it was Lady Mildred who came up with the solution. Kenya and Caden could both get their respective work done, and Caydee would have excellent care, she informed. Caydee should live at Hargrove Castle, and Kenya thought it sounded more like a decree than a suggestion. Lady Mildred decided, it was unconscionable for Caydee to whither in the city’s congestion when she could flourish in the country’s fresh air. With autumn approaching and schools back in session, the London traffic would be even worse
for them trying to shuffle her back and forth. Additionally, there was an entire household staff at the castle to keep an eye on her, and Lady Mildred would get to spend more time with her first grandchild. She, like Caden, was eager to make up for time lost.

  Hargrove Castle was less than an hour and a half drive from London, so Caden could stay there instead of his London townhouse and still commute to work. The same offer applied to Kenya, for whom Lady Mildred already designated rooms. Kenya would be able to maintain her commute to work without a great inconvenience. Caden saw Kenya’s trepidation grow even more at the prospect of living together, so he showed her what would be her and Caydee’s connected apartments. Hargrove Castle did not lack for space, so they certainly would not be tripping over each other every day.

  Finally, Kenya had to admit the sense of it and concede to the plan. With the success she’d been having in obtaining clients, her bosses had recently decided to extend her time in London by a few more months. Instead of leaving in October, she would be there into the new year. Kenya knew she would only get busier, so this was the best solution for everyone involved, especially Caydee.

  Caydee was ecstatic that she got to live in the castle after all and have her own princess bedroom. The bedroom had a large canopy bed and an adjoining playroom, equipped with a dollhouse, books, and a sinful amount of toys. Kenya wasn’t sure how Caydee was going to react when they returned to the U.S. and the real world. She just hoped that all the special treatment and servants at her beck and call would not get her too spoiled.