Raising His Baby (The Sartoris Book 2)

by Lockwood,Tressie

  Chapter 12

  A knock sounded at the door just as Sonya buckled her sandal on. She made sure her back faced the door when she called, “Come in.”

  Romy strode in. He liked to stop by her room to get Arron before heading down to breakfast, and she usually went with the two of them. This time, she scooted into her and Arron’s private bathroom.

  “He’s ready. You can take him. I’ll be a bit longer.”

  She heard Romy cooing to the baby and Arron’s sweet laughter, but it didn’t sound like Romy headed for the door. She had the feeling he waited for her to start making excuses. Well, if he wasn’t going to get out, she would. She checked her face and hair one last time and clicked the bathroom light off. Romy sat on her bed with the baby on his lap.

  “Well?” he said.

  “Well what?”

  “Aren’t you going to talk about last night?”

  “Oh, you mean your date?” She shrugged. “I assumed it went fine, but I didn’t think you’d come in here wanting to talk about it. When did we become girlfriends?”

  He scowled. “I was talking about Cason and you.”

  “Oh that? Nope, I wasn’t going to talk about it. If you’re going to hang out here, enjoy yourself. I’m hungry, and I’m sure Arron is too.”

  She could see the wheels turning in his head and held her breath to keep from laughing. Romy was pissed because she started the conversation with reminding him about his date. That effectively shut him down from making demands to know what she was doing with Cason. He couldn’t find anything to fault her on, and it drove him nuts. Well, good. He and his brothers had tormented her enough. Let him stew.

  She walked downstairs and took her place at the family table. Since that first day when Romy led her and Arron to the other dining room, Ezio had assured his brother they were all welcome at the table. He wouldn’t hear of Romy eating separate from the rest of them. They must all really love him, and it wasn’t about her. She could understand them doing whatever was necessary to protect him.

  Romy strode in a few moments after and set Arron in his chair. Twice he turned to Sonya as if he had something to say, and twice he changed his mind. He fixed Arron’s plate, being a pro by now, and helped him when he needed it. His jaw and shoulders were tight. Romy was far too easy to read.

  Perhaps Cason was right. She could ride Romy if she wanted. The right woman could probably have him behaving like a trained puppy even after he’d been hurt and how little he trusted women. She wasn’t that type of woman, although they didn’t know it. If Romy had been as hurt as Cason said he was he deserved better than manipulation. He deserved love.

  She cringed at the word. Not because she didn’t want it, but she shouldn’t be thinking about Romy in those terms. She should be angry at him and his brothers or at least indifferent. How had it gone last night? She couldn’t ask without talking to him about her and Cason, and he wouldn’t believe her.

  She left the table after breakfast and cleaned the baby up. When her room was straightened she put Arron down for a nap. Afterward, she gathered laundry to take downstairs. Having servants wasn’t something she felt comfortable with yet, so she did her own underwear and bras. No one had tried to stop her or make her feel foolish for doing it herself.

  In the laundry room, she filled the machine with whites and grabbed the detergent. Empty. She scanned the room for another bottle and found one on a high shelf above the machines. Even standing on her tiptoes, she couldn’t reach the bottle. “This is ridiculous. I know I’m not tall, but for real? Who the heck built these shelves?”

  Her fingers grazed the bottle, and then a long arm reached over her head. Romy had come up behind her to get the detergent for her. He set it on the washing machine, and she mumbled thanks.

  He leaned on the dryer, still too close. She tried busying her hands after she added detergent to the machine and twisted the knob, but there was nothing else to do.

  “Sonya.”

  “I know I don’t have to do my own laundry,” she rushed to say. “Doing it never bothered me.”

  “I don’t care if you do your own, if that’s what you want.”

  “So what then?”

  He hesitated. There they were again, staring into each other’s eyes. Neither of them said a word, and it seemed like all the air was sucked out of the room. Her chest ached, and she couldn’t breathe. The space between her and Romy wasn’t much to begin with. Then the inches were gone, and he leaned above her, his body grazing hers.

  She wanted to move and stay where she stood at the same time. Her fingers itched to play in his hair or to grip his shoulders. She wanted to be cocooned in his arms and feel his heartbeat against her ear.

  Stop, Sonya. You’re only tormenting yourself.

  His lips came nearer, and hers parted without a thought. A gentle brush, and she luxuriated in the featherlight kiss. Afterward, she wasn’t sure if she put an inch between them or he did. Who shook? Was it him or her? She couldn’t be sure.

  “Sei così bella. C'è qualcosa di te. Come posso resistere?”

  He spoke in rapid fire Italian, and the words were spoken so low as if he hardly knew he spoke. His breath warmed her face, and the desire in his eyes muddled her thoughts.

  “W-what?”

  The word slipped from her mouth, filled with confusion, but she eventually worked out what he said. “You are so beautiful. There’s something about you. How can I resist?” Her heart beat a drum in her ears, and she willed herself to calm down.

  He flushed and drew away from her. His hand came up, and his fingers thrust into his hair. “Nothing.”

  The door to the laundry room shut behind him as he made his escape. She sagged against the washing machine and shut her eyes. The rumble of the clothes spinning through their cycle gave some semblance of peace to her rattled nerves.

  “Wow, it was real arrogant of me to think I could manipulate him.”

  Right then she might have jumped if he gave the order. What in the world was going on with her? Why should she think Romy was so special?

  “Because he is.” She bit off a groan of discontent. Romy wasn’t like his brothers—or not like Ezio. He could be hard when he wanted to be, but mostly he was gentle and kind. She realized she wanted to get to know him better and him to get to know her. A longing to help him see that all women weren’t manipulators came over her. She wasn’t sure if she could pull it off, but she was willing to give it a try.

  “I’ll be there in an hour,” Sonya told Romy. Two months had passed since she decided she would prove to Romy she was different from all the other women he had known. Yet, she couldn’t see where she had made any progress. They danced around each other. Sometimes she caught him looking at her, and sometimes she gave in to a desire to eat him up with her eyes. They never kissed, and if by chance they touched while passing the baby from one to the other, she got a thrill. That was all to it. The incident with Cason stood between them. Not to mention that sometimes Romy went out at night and stayed gone until late. He never said if he was dating anyone, but what else could she think? Neither of them came clean.

  Today, he wanted her to bring Arron to the office because he had a great aunt who was in town, and they were going to lunch together. Lucca would pick her, Arron, and Mamma up and take them to the office, while Sonya did her own thing.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to join us?” Romy asked for the millionth time.

  “No, thanks. I’m going to take advantage of the time to myself and shop.”

  When he spoke, she heard surprise in his tone. “I thought you didn’t like to shop.”

  She laughed. “Well, I’m going to the sports store.”

  “I should have known.”

  “I know I’m not very womanly.”

  His tone dropped low. “There isn’t a more feminine woman than you.”

  Pleasure suffused her at his compliment. “Thanks. I should go.”

  “Uh, of course.”

  Jeez, they we
re awkward sometimes. If it didn’t kill her when they got that way, she’d think it was funny. She disconnected the call and finished getting Arron ready. Then they headed downstairs. Mamma Sartori waddled out to the front hall, and Goro held the door for them. Out on the drive, Lucca opened the car door, and after they climbed in they were off.

  Outside Romy’s work building, they prepared to leave the car. Sonya waited for Lucca to turn off the engine and run around to open the door. She was ready to escape the suffocating interior of the car. Not because of the temperature but because Mamma Sartori wasn’t the typical Italian mamma. She hardly said a word, and her rare smiles seemed reserved only for her sons and for Arron.

  Sonya slid to the edge of her seat in preparation of getting out of the car but jumped in surprise when Mamma Sartori laid a veiny pale hand on her arm. “Mamma, is everything all right?”

  The old woman captured Sonya’s gaze and held it with a fierce intensity. “Si lo compiere, non è vero?”

  Sonya struggled to understand because she didn’t know the word compiere. “I don’t understand, Mamma. Non capisco.”

  Mamma Sartori scowled at Sonya and slapped her thigh. “Felice, felice! Renderlo felice!”

  “Happy,” Sonya repeated. She couldn’t believe her ears. “A-are you telling me to make Arron happy?” She repeated her question in Italian, not daring to say what she thought Mamma was really demanding. It seemed too unlikely.

  The old woman took hold of Sonya’s face and squeezed. Sonya winced. She probably didn’t know her own strength even at her age. “Il mio bambino, Romy.”

  Mamma Sartori wanted to know if Sonya would make her baby Romy happy. It was too much to take in. Before she could respond, Lucca opened the door, and Mamma climbed out the car, full of energy and vigor. Sonya took a minute to come to terms with what just happened, and she got out as well. She took her time following Mamma up to the floor where Romy worked. After releasing Arron to be gushed over by a woman who looked to be about Mamma Sartori’s age, Sonya got out of there. She headed toward the bank of elevators and then decided she would use the facilities first. On the way back, she slowed her step as she approached two people in the hall. Something in the way the woman whispered furtively to the man drew Sonya’s suspicions. She ducked into a narrow alcove and strained to overhear the couple.

  “I’m taking a huge risk with this,” the woman said to the man. Sonya peeked out at them. The woman, although Sonya didn’t recognize her face, wore a badge pinned to her hip. She was an employee of the company. The man, dressed in black slacks that could use a good pressing, a button up shirt, and a tie, seemed more relaxed. She couldn’t see a badge on him, which she knew was against company policy. Badges needed to be worn at all times. Maybe he was a visitor.

  “I know you are,” he said. “And you’ve been compensated. Just point me in the right direction. You’re sure he’s here?”

  “He’s here, and you’re in luck. His son is with him.”

  Sonya stiffened. They couldn’t be talking about Romy, could they?

  “I’m not going to go with you because that would be too obvious. You’re going to use this badge to get through the doors right there. Then go right. His office is the third one on the left.”

  Panic stirred in Sonya’s belly. Her directions led directly to Romy’s office. There was no mistaking where she guided the man. The thing was, when she left Romy’s office after dropping Arron off, Ezio, Shakarri, Catarina, and Ezio’s newborn son were also in there. This man’s target might be Romy or Ezio.

  She pulled her cell phone from her pocket but then hesitated. If she alerted one of the bodyguards and this was just some misunderstanding, she’d look like an idiot. Then again if she did nothing and one of them was hurt, she would never forgive herself.

  The two shared a few more words, and then the man started for the doors leading into the executive suite. Sonya let the woman disappear around a corner before she was hot on the man’s heels. He reached the stretch of floor leading toward Romy’s office. She could see the family standing around. Romy’s aunt Livia held Arron in her arms while she chatted with Shakarri who held her son. Romy and Ezio spoke to each other while their mother sat at Romy’s secretary’s desk, and the guards stood not far off conversing with one another.

  The suspicious man halted and dug into his pocket as he watched Romy. All Sonya could think about was that he was about to hurt Romy, and she lost it. A cry of warning left her lips as she jumped on the man’s back. With the force she hit him with, he went down and smashed his face into the carpet.

  “Sonya!” Romy shouted, seeing her tackle the man, and Sonya thought she heard someone snap their fingers. In seconds Jody was on them, hauling Sonya off the man and pinning the man’s arm behind his back.

  “Are you crazy, lady?” the man demanded. “Get off me!”

  Romy called her again, and she found him behind her, tugging her away. “What were you thinking?”

  She looked around. Ezio was just shutting Romy’s office door, and Shakarri, Aunt Livia, and the babies were nowhere in sight. She assumed he had propelled them into the office to protect them.

  “He doesn’t belong here.” She pointed to the man. “Someone let him in, and he was looking for your office, Romy. Plus he was digging in his pocket for a weapon.”

  His eyebrows rose. “And you decided to take him down? Ever heard of bodyguards? You could have been hurt.”

  “Search him,” Ezio ordered, and Jody hauled the man to his knees.

  “I don’t have a weapon! This chick is crazy.”

  “Shut your mouth,” Jody said. “You only speak when you’re asked a question.”

  Jody searched the man’s pockets and brought out a set of keys, a cell phone, and a digital camera. The tense atmosphere eased. Sonya couldn’t figure out why until she realized what the man probably was—a reporter.

  “You don’t have a right to hold me. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He glared at Sonya. “I can charge her with—”

  “What’s that?” Romy looked ten times taller, and the man cowed.

  Ezio barreled past the group. “My office, now. We’re going to find out who let you in here.”

  The bodyguards dragged the intruder with them as they followed Ezio. Sonya started after them as well, but Romy blocked her advance. She looked up at him. “Move, Romy. I’m going to give them a description of the woman I saw helping him.”

  He shook his head. “You can tell us later, but I’m pretty sure the guys will get it out of him. What I still want to know is what you were thinking attacking him like that? You thought he had a weapon, and you risked your life.”

  “He was looking for you and…” She stopped. The way she’d been about to describe her reasoning, it sounded like she cared about Romy. “I only did what any human being would have done.”

  His large hand cupped her jaw, and he raised her chin. “No, they wouldn’t.”

  She pulled away and averted her eyes. “I was worried about Arron. What would he do without his papà?”

  “Ah.” Disappointment filled his tone. Better that than the alternative.

  “Anyway, I should tell them what I know. That man bribed one of the women who works here to get him in.”

  “Now we know that much we can narrow it down. Sonya, look at me.”

  “What?” Her heart pounded.

  “Look at me.”

  She did and saw pain in his expression. It took her breath away.

  “Don’t ever do that again. Please.”

  “Romy, it wasn’t that serious. I mean he’s a journalist, right?”

  “He might not have been. You won’t risk your life ever again.”

  She couldn’t promise that, not if the people she cared so deeply for were in trouble. Of course, she wouldn’t tell him. Then she paused, thinking about what had just gone through her mind. The people she cared about?

  Romy directed her into his office and shut the door behind her. As soon as he was gone, the others p
ounced on her.

  “What’s going on, Sonya?” Shakarri’s expression was filled with worry as she rocked her newborn. Aunt Livia bounced Arron on her hip, saying nothing, but her pallor was far paler than when Sonya had first met her. Mamma muttered beneath her breath in Italian.

  “Everything’s fine,” Sonya assured them. “He was just a reporter.” She told them her suspicions when she jumped the man and how Romy believed they would narrow down right away who let the man in.

  While she spoke, her thoughts churned. Just because the man turned out to be a reporter, he might not have been, and in her mind at the time, he was someone dangerous. When she jumped on his back to stop him, she thought he was pulling a gun out of his pocket. It terrified her to think about anything happening to Arron, but he wasn’t in Romy’s arms at the time. All she could imagine was Romy getting hurt, and it had nothing to do with the baby.

  Chapter 13

  Sonya drew her feet up onto the couch and laid her head against her knees. She let out a low groan.

  “That sounds serious.”

  She jumped and looked up just as Shakarri entered the living room. A part of Sonya wanted to get up and get out of there. The family hardly ever used this little living area, so it had become her favorite for getting some alone time without being holed up in her room. She enjoyed walking outside but often ran across security out there.

  Shakarri burst out laughing when she didn’t say anything. “That look on your face says ‘why are you here? This is my hiding place.’”