by Vivian Ward
Just then, Kaiden came around the corner and into the kitchen. Surprised to see him, I jumped.
“Lupita, would you mind giving Natalia and I a few moments? I need to speak to her in private,” he asked her. Part of me was hoping she wouldn’t go because I wasn’t sure I wanted to be left alone with him. On the other hand, I was dying to know what he had to say for himself. I was sure he’d try to defend his actions somehow. I’ve heard that’s kind of his thing.
“Sure thing Mr. Melrose. Just yell if you need me,” Lupita said as she left the kitchen and disappeared into another part of the house. I crossed my arms and trained my eyes on the floor. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I was much too angry.
“Natalia, I know you’re hurt and pissed,” he began. “I just want you to know that I am truly sorry for what happened in there.”
That caught me off guard. The last thing I expected him to do was apologize. I was especially surprised that he led off the conversation with an apology. I figured if I got an apology at all, it would be a thinly veiled one where he wouldn’t actually have to say he was sorry.
“I don’t understand, Kaiden. Why didn’t you do more to defend me? Why didn’t you tell her about us?” I asked.
“It’s not that simple Natalia. If you couldn’t tell, my mother isn’t exactly the open-minded type. She’s still stuck in the times when black women were relegated to the back of public transportation. It wasn’t the right time.”
“The right time? When exactly would be the right time? Let me guess. She’s getting up there in age so maybe you can just hold out until she kicks the bucket? Then she’d never have to know that her baby boy slummed it up with the nigger girl.”
“What? No, I never said anything like that. It’s difficult. Please try to understand.”
“Oh, I understand just fine. I understand that I was stupid for thinking that this could actually mean something. I was an idiot for believing that the great Kaiden Melrose could possibly want to be with the housekeeper. I was a fool for thinking that you could fall for me, what did your mom call me? Oh yeah, a minority with welfare babies that don’t exist.”
“Natalia, believe me when I tell you that I do actually like you. You’re very different than any girl I’ve ever met. I also want you to believe me when I tell you that I am not the type of guy you want to get involved with.”
“Why is that? Because you’re a pervert who can’t keep it in his pants?”
“No, because I have a dark side. You saw a glimpse of that last night at the sex club.”
“Like I said. You may call it a dark side but in the end, it’s still you just wanting to be a man whore.”
“It’s really not like that at all. I’m not sure how I can make you understand this. I don’t go to the sex club because I’m a pervert. I mean, I love sex. I love sex a lot, but what man doesn’t? That’s normal. I go to the sex club because I need the anonymity that comes with it.”
“I don’t really see the difference. You wanted to go to the sex club so you could get off without anyone knowing you were there, is that correct?”
“Yes and no. Some men and women go there to have casual sex because they want to have as many partners as they can. Those people have no clue what monogamy is and that’s what they’re into. There’s nothing wrong with that but that’s not my thing.”
“Okay? So what is your thing?”
“Honestly? I go to the club because I’ve been burned badly by women in the past. I mean really badly. The club allows me to feel close to someone, even if it’s just for a few hours. Because of my past relationships, I’m very hesitant to start a new one. It’s a scary proposition for me.”
“I kind of get it, but not really. I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships myself so I know where you’re coming from. At the same time, I realize that not every man is going to treat me the way the men in my past did. That’s something you might want to think about. I’m not one of the girls that you’ve been in bad relationships with. I’m not one of the girls who did you dirty or whatever. I’m not looking for anything like that. I’m a good girl who only wants a man to be good to me. Nothing more and nothing less. If that’s not what you want or you’re not open to it, that’s fine, but you need to let me know now.”
He didn’t say anything in response to what I had just said. Instead, he took both of my hands in his and looked down at the floor, which was completely out of character for him. I could tell he was conflicted. He looked like he had something he wanted to say but was struggling to find the words. After a few seconds, he finally looked me in the eyes and started to speak.
“Natalia, I believe you when you say you’re a good girl, but I have to warn you, I have my own set of secrets. They’re secrets I’ve never shared with anyone I’ve dated before. Only one woman that I’ve dated in the past knows this secret.”
“We all have secrets Kaiden. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be normal. I know you have trust issues. I can see it in your eyes. You can tell me your secrets whenever you’re ready. I’m not going to force your hand. I’m not like that.”
“That’s the thing. I want to share this secret with you, but it’s not something I want to tell you because I would rather show you.”
“Okay, so show me.”
“I can’t right now. I need to finish up dinner with my parents. Do you need to head home right after work?”
“No, I can be here as long as you need me.”
“Good. As soon as my parents leave, you and I are going to take a little trip.”
Kaiden put his hands on my cheeks, pulled my face to his and gave me a kiss on the forehead. As he walked away to rejoin his parents, I was left standing there wondering what in the hell had just happened.
CHAPTER TEN
Kaiden
I didn’t think my parents were ever going to leave. I tried to move dessert along as fast as I could, but my mother wouldn’t hear of it. Once her food was gone, she demanded coffee so we could sit around and talk as long as possible. I know I don’t get to see them all that often and I’m sure they just wanted to spend some time with me, but I wasn’t able to enjoy the visit like I should have. My mind was in another place. All I could think about was what I was going to show Natalia and wondering how she was going to react to it.
After I tried dropping hint after hint that maybe it was time to go, I started to realize that it wasn’t going to work. It may have seemed rude, but I eventually had to tell my parents, more specifically my mother, that it was getting late and I still had a lot of work to do before I would be able to go to bed for the evening. Between the two of them, my parents consumed nearly three bottles of wine, leaving them unable to drive themselves. I called my backup driver to give them a ride home while I arranged for someone else on my staff to follow in my parent’s car so it would be there for them the next morning. Once my parents were safely in the car and on their way back to their hotel, I went off to find Natalia, hoping she hadn’t changed her mind and gone home for the night. I found her standing in the kitchen reading from a newspaper that had been sitting on the counter.
“Sorry that took so long. When my mother drinks, she never wants to shut up. I’ve finally got them on their way. Are you ready?”
“Sure, but where are we going?”
“I know this sounds strange, but I’d much rather show you than tell you. Will you trust me on this one?”
She didn’t say yes or no. Instead, she just gave me a half-smile and folded the paper back the way she had found it. I grabbed my cell phone and contacted my driver to make sure he was available since he wasn’t scheduled at the time. He told me that he’d have the car ready for me in about fifteen minutes. I couldn’t help but realize how fortunate I was to have a staff that I could always count on.
When the car pulled up, my driver looked surprised to see that Natalia was with me. As I opened the door for her to get in, the driver asked where we were heading. I told him we were making a trip to Bear Mountain.
The driver had a look of shock on his face, surprised that I was having Natalia accompany me to our destination. He knew exactly what a trip to Bear Mountain meant. I glanced over at Natalia and could see that she noticed his reaction as well.
“I promise you’ll understand soon,” I said to her.
It was already getting pretty late and we had close to a one-hour drive ahead of us. The drive to Bear Mountain was eerily quiet. I had only known Natalia for a short time but in that time, I had learned that she was a talker. Not only that but she was inquisitive as well. She always wanted to understand things and would never hesitate to ask a question if it would help with that understanding. On this trip, however, she was exactly the opposite. I’m not sure if it was because she thought that what she was about to discover would be a bad thing or if she was only respecting my wishes of showing her rather than telling her. Either way, she spent the majority of the trip looking out the window in silence.
I wanted to do what I could to make her feel comfortable. I didn’t want her to worry that there was some devastating news in front of her. I had no idea how she would take the news I was about to drop on her, but I hoped that it would go over well. In an attempt to set her mind at ease, I reached over and took her hand in mind. Almost immediately, the tenseness in her body seemed to disappear and she began to relax for the first time during the trip. She looked over at me, placed her other hand on top of mine and smiled. She was right there with me no matter what. I knew it and she didn’t even have to say a word to convey that to me.
The drive seemed like it was taking forever. It was just an illusion because there was nearly no traffic and we actually made it to Bear Mountain in record time. When the car pulled to a stop, Natalia turned her attention from me to look out the window. We were as close to the middle of nowhere as you could get. In front of us was a quaint house located in the center of a wooded area. I was happy to see that there was a single light on in the house since I hadn’t called ahead to let them know I would be coming.
“Here we are,” I said to Natalia. “Are you ready to learn something about me that very few people know?”
“I’m ready. At least, I think I am,” she replied.
We got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. I led the way while Natalia followed close behind. Once we were in front of the door, I adjusted my clothes to make sure I looked presentable. A glance over to Natalia showed that she was nervous although she had no idea why. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Natalia
I wondered what was going on. For the entire drive to Bear Mountain, my mind kept going back and forth as I tried to imagine what kind of secret he might have to share with me. I couldn’t imagine it would be something good. Why would he drag me so far away from home if it wasn’t bad? At the same time, it seemed odd that he would want to travel almost an hour away from his home to share bad news with me. I decided to stop over thinking things and let the chips fall where they may.
When we pulled up to the house, I couldn’t believe how adorable it was. It was exactly the type of house that I’ve always dreamed of living in. It wasn’t the big sprawling mansion that Kaiden lived in, but it was far bigger than my tiny little apartment. There were gorgeous, mature trees all around it and a long driveway leading right up to the front of the house. Most of the time, when you have homes located out in the middle of nowhere, they appear to be scary, especially at night. Not this house, though. Even with only one light on inside, the house seemed warm and inviting.
Once Kaiden rang the doorbell, I felt like I was in the middle of a movie. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next. After a few moments, I heard the door lock disengage and the door opened slowly. Inside, there was an older woman who greeted us with a smile.
“Kaiden,” she said. “It’s really great to see you. He’s already asleep but please, come in.”
I wasn’t sure who this woman was, but she seemed incredibly warm and sweet. She was obviously very familiar with Kaiden and looked extremely happy to see him. The woman looked over at me, never allowing the smile to leave her face.
“And who do we have here?”
“This is Natalia. Natalia, I’d like you to meet Eva,” Kaiden said, seemingly proud to be introducing the two of us.
“It’s nice to meet you, Natalia.”
“Likewise.”
Other than the fact that her name was Eva, I still had no clue who this woman was. I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to seem pushy. Kaiden looked to have a plan in place and I figured I would know everything I needed to know soon. Kaiden grabbed me by the hand and led me into the house.
“Eva, I know you said that he’s sleeping already but would it be okay if the two of us went upstairs?” Kaiden asked.
“Now Kaiden, you know I would never tell you no. You’re always more than welcome. Just try to be quiet. He hasn’t been asleep all that long.”
Still holding onto my hand, the two of us walk through the living room, into a hallway and up a set of stairs. I loved the sound of the older house creaking under our feet. It reminded me of the house I grew up in. At the top of the stairs, to the right was a door that was slightly cracked. The room was dark except for the shine coming from a nightlight plugged into the wall.
Kaiden walked into the room and motioned for me to follow. Standing at the foot of the bed, I could see a little boy sleeping. He was adorable. He had light brown hair and a fair complexion. He had the adorable chubby cheeks that kids have when they are not quite a baby any longer but still not grown out of their baby fat. I looked over to Kaiden and could see that he was beaming. He had a sincere, permanent smile.
He walked over and sat down on the mattress next to the sleeping boy and started to gently stroke his cheek. I was amazed to see this side of Kaiden. He was being so soft and gentle. I would have never guessed that this side of him even existed. I watched in awe as the boy began to stir, tossing and turning until he sensed our presence. He rubbed his eyes, sat up in bed, smiled and wrapped his arms around Kaiden’s neck.
“I love you, daddy,” the little boy said.
“I love you too buddy,” was Kaiden’s response.
Kaiden gave him a kiss on the forehead as the boy laid his head back down onto his pillow and fell right back to sleep. He looked over to me just as I was wiping a tear from my eye. I was so surprised to see such a genuine moment of love and emotion, even if it was just for a few seconds. After taking one more long look at the boy and smiling, Kaiden got up off the bed and walked over to me, whispering into my ear.
“Come on, he needs his rest. Let’s go downstairs so we can talk about this.”
I followed him out of the room and felt a warmness in my heart. That boy called him daddy. That had to be his son and just going by what I witnessed with my own eyes, Kaiden loved him like crazy.
When we got downstairs, Eva, the woman who had answered the door earlier was seated on the couch watching television. To her right was a man that appeared to be about the same age. When they saw us coming, they both stood up. Kaiden introduced me to the man. His name was Frank, and he was Eva’s husband.
“So Natalia,” Kaiden said. “That little boy upstairs is named Andy. He’s my son and he’s two years old. Frank and Eva are Andy’s grandparents and they’ve done an excellent job taking care of him. Hopefully, you understand why I wanted to bring you here instead of just telling you about him.”
I nodded that I understood as I was so emotional that I found myself unable to speak.
“Why don’t you two come into the kitchen with me?” Eva said. “I’ll make a pot of coffee and we can catch up.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kaiden
As we were all seated around the table, everyone seemed to be looking at each other to see who was going to start talking. Frank and Eva weren’t going to begin the conversation because they still didn’t know what was going on with me or why I had brought this woman t
hey had never seen before to their house. I knew Natalia had questions but didn’t want to ask them, instead choosing to wait and see what information I would offer about the situation. I figured it would be better for me to lay everything out on the table.
“First of all, Frank and Eva, I appreciate you letting me in to see Andy even though it’s so late at night. As both of you know, I have never once brought a woman to this house. Natalia is someone that I believe could be very special in my life. I wanted to bring her here to show her that I was willing to be completely open and honest with her and also allow her to see that there’s a different side of me that almost nobody gets to see.”
“Oh honey, there definitely is,” Eva said while smiling at Natalia. “Everyone thinks Kaiden is nothing but a pompous asshole. Believe me, that’s what I thought when I first met him. There is such a soft side to this man, however. He is a great father and he loves his son so much. It warms my heart every time I see the two of them together.”
