Raising His Baby

by Tressie Lockwood

  With that settled in her head, she worked her way downstairs. The butler from the day before appeared out of nowhere. “Signorina Sonya.”

  She smiled. “Buongiorno, Goro. Come va? Bene, spero.”

  His face lit up at her Italian greeting, and he spouted off a half dozen sentences, some of which she didn’t catch. She responded as well as she could to the words she understood. Despite that, Goro seemed pleased. Well, she’d made a friend in him at least. Now for the family.

  Goro directed her to the dining room, and when Sonya entered, she discovered why Romy looked at her like she was nuts at her mention of trading with whoever was baking sweets. The entire table was set for a feast, and both a cook and a maid moved about serving the family. These people were too darn rich.

  Sonya, preferring to get off on the right foot, offered her best smile. “Good morning, everyone.”

  “Ah, Sonya,” Cason gushed. “Beautiful as usual. Rest served you well, but then eri perfetto ieri sera , bella.”

  Everyone had stopped speaking when she entered the room, but an even greater hush came over the group at Cason’s words. “You were already perfect last night” gave the impression he and she had been up to something together.

  Romy’s countenance matched his oldest brother’s with anger simmering in his eyes. Shakarri, Ezio’s wife, who Sonya had met the day before, looked confused. Something told Sonya she had no clue what Cason said. Ezio’s daughter seemed like she didn’t care about anything except the food on her plate, and she hummed as she ate. Then there was the matriarch of the family. Sonya couldn’t tell by the serenity in her expression whether she heard. Maybe she was hard of hearing.

  “Cram it, Cason,” Ezio barked. “Sonya, your place is there.”

  “Ezio, don’t start,” his wife said. “Please let’s have a peaceful breakfast before your flight. Sonya, glad to see you’re up. I wasn’t sure if I should look in on you or let you sleep in. I know it takes a lot out of you moving and all.”

  “Thanks.” Sonya took a seat in the middle of the table opposite Ezio’s daughter. Romy had set Arron up in his high chair between her and him. At least, she assumed it was Romy. On instinct, she checked under his tray. Sure enough he wasn’t strapped in. She caught Romy’s eye. “You have to strap him in, or he’ll climb out.”

  He reddened. “I see.”

  “Romy,” his brother called. “I could use you on this trip. Stanley is impatient and likely to cause trouble during negotiations. Your skill for handling him got us through the rough patch the last time.”

  Sonya was busy preparing Arron’s plate, and she felt Romy’s eyes on her every movement. She wasn’t sure if he heard his brother.

  “Not this time,” he murmured. He touched a finger to the back of one of Arron’s hands. “Show me how to feed him. Does he eat whatever we do?”

  Down the table, Ezio grumbled. “Don’t get caught up. You’ll regret it in the end.”

  Sonya turned to him. “What’s that supposed to mean? That I’m scheming and Arron’s not his son? You think everybody’s after your money?”

  He pinned a gaze so full of dislike on her, she felt sick, but she refused to look away. “Are you so convinced your sister told you the truth?”

  Bile rose in her throat, and when she didn’t respond he took advantage of her doubt to press the issue home.

  “You admit you didn’t know the woman well. So who is to say she didn’t concoct all of that ‘proof’ you say you have so she could extort money from this family? On some level she loved her son, so she made sure that should anything happen to her, you would follow through with the plan, and he would have a secure future.”

  “Now who’s coming up with fantasy? I believe Charlize. I saw her with Arron before she died, and she told me the truth. She said she didn’t want Romy to know about Arron. She was going to raise him on her own because she didn’t like the lifestyle you all live.”

  Ezio scoffed. “Ah, you mean living in a mansion and having every need met? Yes, that would be terrible, wouldn’t it? Seems you’re pretty gullible or a skillful actress.”

  “You know what you can kiss, Ezio.”

  “Hey, whoa now.” Shakarri raised a finger. “Don’t disrespect my husband.”

  “But he can disrespect me?”

  “He’s out of line too.” She looked at her husband. “Ezio, lay off. We’ll know the truth in three or four days. Can’t you not harass her until then?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Not when I see Romy fawning over the kid the way he is. The damage could be done by the time the test results are in.”

  Sonya slammed a fist on the table. “I’ve had enough of you. I was blackmailed into coming here, and the only reason I’m still at this table is I’m not going to make Arron go hungry because of you! You don’t like me. Fine. I don’t like you either. Stay out of my face, and I’ll stay out of yours. Romy’s a grown man and can look out for his own heart.”

  Ezio scraped his chair back and stood. Dread washed over Sonya. When she was angry, she tended to say whatever she wanted. Maybe she had gone too far. If he threw her and Arron out, it wasn’t a big deal because she kept most of her stuff at her apartment, and nobody was making her let go of the lease. She would have a backup plan. Yet, she wasn’t going to pretend Ezio didn’t scare her a little.

  “You can—” he began.

  Romy stood as well, making his brother pause in whatever he’d been about to say. He unlocked Arron from his chair and lifted him into his arms. Ezio’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.

  “Sonya, come with me,” Romy ordered and at her expression, he amended it. “Please. Clara, the plates.”

  Romy marched toward the door.

  Ezio called after him. “Romy, where are you going?”

  Romy paused. “I apologize. I shouldn’t force my decisions onto all of you. We’ll have our meals in the larger dining room from now on.”

  Larger? Wasn’t the one they were in pretty big?

  “That’s not necessary,” Ezio said.

  “It is for peace. I’m taking a risk, and I probably look like a fool, but I’d rather do so than the alternative.” He shrugged. “Unless you’re saying she and the baby can’t stay here. I can find another home for them.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! This mansion is equally all of ours even if my name is on the deed. Family is most important, above all else.”

  “Exactly.”

  The brothers stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. Ezio blew out an exasperated breath. “Do whatever you want, Romy. I don’t give you orders other than for work.”

  Romy offered a half smile. “Ah, you recall who’s older, huh?”

  “I never forgot.”

  Romy swung around and left the dining room. Arron whined and fought him, trying to get to Sonya. She moved as fast as she could to keep up with Romy’s long legs. “It’s okay, button. Mamma’s here. Shh, Daddy’s not going to hurt you.”

  “Papà,” he corrected.

  “Are you sure you want to start teaching him to call you that?” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

  “Three days won’t convince him.” He paused and turned back to her, a concerned expression on his face. “Will it?”

  She laughed. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I told you he’s a little genius.”

  Romy got an odd look on his face.

  “What?”

  “While she hasn’t been accurately tested yet, we believe Catarina is gifted. My brothers and myself were tested as children, and we are at the genius level. Believe it or not, Cason’s IQ is the highest of the three of us.”

  “Impossible.”

  He chuckled.

  “I guess that is another reason to believe he’s yours.” She spoke with hesitance.

  Romy led the way into the larger dining room, and their footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors. The walls held artwork that must cost more than her yearly salary and the table gleamed as if a maid had just finished polishing it. With her
thoughts of the help, a maid swept into the room, and in seconds place settings were made for them. Goro brought the baby’s high chair, and Sonya got him settled into his place.

  Romy sat across from her. “You’re second-guessing because of my brother.”

  “You can’t tell me you believe me. Not completely.”

  “I am not pretending to trust you.”

  She winced.

  “My experience tells me women don’t tell the truth, that they are manipulative and scheming. Your confusion and hesitation could be an act.”

  “And you speak as harshly as your brother but with less cruelty. I don’t know what to think, but if this is what Charlize had to deal with, no wonder she didn’t want anything to do with you.”

  She waited for him to respond and shuffled the eggs on her plate. Her appetite had disappeared after the argument with Ezio. Arron held a sausage link in his chubby fist and nibbled on the end.

  “She never met my family, but I suppose I did speak about Ezio to her.”

  Sonya wanted to ask him more about her sister, but a part of her didn’t want to think they were close. She didn’t have designs on Romy, but here they were, her and him. Maybe they would spend the next eighteen years interacting as Arron’s parents. One day he might get married, but she wouldn’t allow him to take her baby away from her. That’s why she had given in and moved into the mansion.

  “Okay, Arron. Time for some fruit.”

  She spooned peaches up for him but stopped when she saw Romy’s face. He was such a contradiction. One minute he tried to order her around, coming off arrogant. The next he was kind, and the next awkward. Right then, he looked like a struggling daddy, wanting nothing more than to learn about his baby boy. She couldn’t believe he was so eager so quickly. Maybe that was the wish in all their hearts, to be in the thick of family. Nothing said family like one’s own kids.

  “You want to try feeding him?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  She laughed. “All right, but not too much on the spoon. Sometimes he can be greedy, so don’t let him control the amount.”

  Romy’s big hand dwarfed the spoon, and the metal looked like it would bend like paper if he placed the slightest pressure on it. He seemed to try to hold back most of his strength as he guided the spoon to Arron’s mouth.

  “It’s so small,” he muttered, concentrating.

  Sonya grinned. “He’s a baby, but just think. He might grow up to be as big as you someday.”

  Romy’s eyes widened. “I can’t imagine.” His attention shifted to her. “You’re small too.”

  She blushed.

  “Charlize was tall. You don’t come up to my chin.”

  “I’m not that short!” She tried to hide the way he made her feel saying all that. Sonya had never had a problem with her height or her size. Since she was crazy about sports, she stayed in shape. Oddly enough, she had always dated petite men. She had never felt so delicate and feminine as she did when Romy grabbed her twice. That was why she couldn’t keep her head on straight when he was close.

  Romy focused on the baby. “Who was that man at the apartment?”

  “I met him recently at a sporting event I attended. We were just getting around to having lunch.”

  “No one visits here without getting cleared first.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  He set the spoon down. “I’m not trying to be offensive. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of our lifestyle. Maybe another reason your sister didn’t want me to know about Arron. If that’s… Anyway, please do not give out the address or invite anyone here who hasn’t been cleared. I can give you the number to our security firm, and with basic information on the guest we can run a check. Better yet, give me the info, and I’ll handle it.”

  “You’re not kidding right now?”

  “Sonya, we talked about this at your apartment.”

  “I know, but I thought you were being dramatic just to bully me into doing what you wanted. I don’t have a problem with Arron getting to know you as his papa, so I didn’t fight too hard. But you’re telling me I have to get permission for visitors and whatever. That’s too much. We don’t have to live here. Don’t you think you’re being overly sensitive?”

  He stood and walked out of the room. Sonya watched him go in shock. Had she offended him so much he threw a tantrum and left? Well, that was his problem. She was only stating her opinion, and exercising her rights. She wouldn’t be treated like a prisoner just because he was Arron’s father.

  A few minutes later, he returned and set up a laptop on a corner table near the wall. When he signaled for her to join him, Sonya wiped Arron’s hands and gave him his bottle.

  She joined Romy at the laptop, and he played a video that looked like a scene out of a movie. A man in black, clearly holding a gun, crept along the shadows outside the mansion. In seconds, several security guards were onto him and wrestled him to the ground. Sonya’s mouth fell open.

  “W-who…where was that?” she stuttered.

  “Right outside this room actually. And it was last year. He wasn’t the only one that night. There were two others. Their plan was to break in and hold us for ransom.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Authorities managed to get a confession. Besides, this is nothing new. I’m not trying to frighten you, but it’s how it is for people with a lot of money. Others want to take it by any means. Think about it, Sonya. If people like this learn about Arron, what do you think they’ll do?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “But it’s not for sure yet. They don’t know. You don’t know.”

  “There’s a chance, and just like I took it bringing him here, the bad guys would.” To her surprise, he reached up a hand and gently rubbed a falling tear away. “I’ll protect you and Arron. I promise I will.”

  Her heart stirred when he flushed.

  “For now,” he rushed to correct. “Until I know.”

  Chapter 6

  The tiny cry woke Sonya out of her sleep. Blurry-eyed, she climbed out of bed and suppressed her own groan of pain when she came down wrong on her hurt ankle.

  Arron usually slept all night, but he tossed and turned in his bed, whining in his sleep. Sonya patted his back. “It’s okay, button. Mamma’s here. Shh, sleep, baby.”

  He cried harder, and she lifted him into her arms. Arron kicked his feet and balled his hands into fists. A foul smell filled the air, and she did groan.

  “If you had to poop, you could have just done it quietly,” she teased. He continued to fight, and she realized his little tummy must be upset. The poor little thing had some food sensitivities, and Sonya was still learning what they were. Sometimes he would do okay on a particular food and then they suffered through times like now.

  Sonya usually walked the floor with Arron and patted his back, or she might hold him and rub his belly to encourage his digestion. She glanced at the clock—two in the morning. Hopefully, the baby wouldn’t disturb anyone in the mansion.

  As soon as she had the thought a knock sounded on the door, and she tensed. She ducked her head and whispered to Arron, but her angel continued to cry. The door opened before she could call out, and Romy rushed in, a concerned expression on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” He was on her in seconds and reaching for Arron but then drawing back before reaching again. If she weren’t so worried about her little one, she would laugh at the image Romy made. His protective instincts were there, but he was so inexperienced, they terrified him. He had no idea seeing him that way made him human to her, and she forgot his bad first impression.

  “His stomach is upset. We’ve dealt with it before. He’ll be okay as soon as he poops good. I’m sorry we woke you.”

  Romy’s nose curled, and he gagged a little. His hand flew up to cover his nose. “I never smelled anything so foul.”

  She laughed. “Such is life with a baby. Believe me it’s much better since he started eating regular food. Newborn poop smells like nuclea
r waste.”

  He might have turned green, but she couldn’t be sure in the dim lighting.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to stay. I’ll get him to quiet down in a little bit.”

  He straightened. “Tell me how to help.”

  Sonya studied him. She took in his state of dress for the first time. He’d changed into pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. Nothing fancy like silk pjs as she had assumed all rich people wore. His feet were bare, and she couldn’t believe the feeling that came over her just looking at a man’s feet. He was so…manly. None of the men she had ever dated projected such maleness that it overwhelmed her senses.

  For a minute she considered lecturing herself to rein in her emotions but then dismissed it. What was the point? The fact was she liked looking at Romy. Nothing would come of the two of them together, but she could enjoy his sexiness. When Arron’s funk died away, she might even get to breathe in Romy’s scent again. That led to her thoughts of what Romy smelled like fresh out of the shower…

  Okay, girl, you’re going too far.

  “I usually walk around with him, but with my ankle, I can’t do it without enduring the pain or stumbling.”

  “I’ll take him,” he said right away.

  “I can’t believe you’re so comfortable holding a baby.”

  He looked insulted as he turned away with Arron in his arms. The baby fought him, but Romy didn’t hesitate to rub his back and give him a gentle bounce. “He isn’t an infant, so I don’t feel too worried. Also, I held Catarina often when she was a baby.”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot about your niece. That’s good. Did you happen to change her diaper?”

  He looked horrified, and she laughed.

  “Well, papà, get ready because tonight is your lucky night.”

  “I don’t think I want that kind of luck.”

  “Too bad.” She cracked up as she headed to the dresser to gather the needed supplies. “First we’ll see if we can get a bit more out of him and then clean him up.”

  “Get more?”

  “It’s a toss up. His food might have given him diarrhea, or he could be constipated. I’m going to feel his belly, and you’re going to exercise his legs to get him going.”