Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Leighton
I wanted to have dinner with Caitríona, but I was still too angry with Valentino. How dare he assume I can just pack up and move here so it’s convenient for him. What an asshole.
I call Carl to let him know what happened today. He said that if I need anything to let him know. Tomorrow we’ll find out if Valentino is Davis’ bio dad. Part of me wants him to be, because he seems like he’ll take care of him. But the other part doesn’t because then I have to figure out how to co-parent with that asshole.
I ordered in from the restaurant in town and spent the night with my favorite man. I love Davis so much and looking at him makes me miss Kayla. But I’m glad I still have him with me, it’s like she’s not really gone. I get a little restless after we eat, so I put Davis into his stroller and take a walk around the town. It really is a nice place and so far people are pleasant. They smile and say hi as they pass by and even hold doors open for others.
The bakery is still open and I can’t resist stopping to get another doughnut for Davis and me. The same girl that was working earlier is still there.
“Hi, I didn’t get to meet you before, I’m Leighton,” I say to her as I walk in with Davis.
“Hi! I’m Simone.” She smiles at me.
“Are you part of the family too?” I ask her.
She nods. “I married into the family, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“The few I met all seem really nice.”
“The whole family is super welcoming and supportive. If Davis is Valentino’s son? He’s going to have a great life. And I do hope I’ll get to see you more if he is.”
I smile. That’s what I want for Davis. A good family that will support him no matter what he chooses to be in life. And if I have to deal with Valentino? I’ll do it for Davis. At least he’s nice to look at. I thank Simone and take our dessert back to the room to share with Davis.
Maybe things will work out for the best. At least I hope so. You see so many custody cases go bad, I just hope that this isn’t one of them. Talking with Caitríona earlier made me feel better. She even told me that if Davis isn’t Valentino’s son, they would still help me if I needed it. Besides my siblings and Kayla, I’ve never had anyone offer to help me. It’s making me wonder what it would be like to live here. And I wonder if Lynton would move too, they have schools here. I’ll ask her after I find out tomorrow, this could be a new start for both of us.
I’m so fucking nervous. On one hand I want Valentino to be Davis’ dad, because that means he’ll have a wonderful family. But on the other hand, I don’t. Because that means I have to share him and co-parent with a man that has already suggested I move to make it easier on him. Yeah, okay fine. I agree that living in Lake Renegade wouldn’t be such a bad idea. But that’s not the point. The point is it feels like he expects that. Like women just do as he asks and that’s what he’s used to.
“Morning, Davis.” I smile as I hear him yawning.
I’m so excited for him to say his first word. I’ve been saying my name to him since he was born. I told Kayla I want that to be his first word. Aunty Leigh. Kayla used to say that Davis could call me ‘Mama.’ Because I’m a second mama to him and she was teaching him to call her ‘Mommy.’ I always told her no. But she insisted and would tell Davis to call me that. God I miss her.
Davis and I spend the morning eating leftovers from our dinner. I put him down for his midmorning nap and sit down to try and calm my nerves. There’s a knock on the door and I jump up. I don’t know anyone here that would come to visit me. I check on Davis to make sure the knocking didn’t wake him up. Then I go over and look out the peephole. I see Valentino standing on the other side. What the hell does he want?
I sigh and open the door.
“What do you want?” I frown at him. “I thought we were going to meet up at twelve?”
He smiles at me. “I wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay.”
I stare at him, then step back so he can come in. He takes up the whole doorway as he walks in. I walk over to the couch and sit down.
“Is Davis sleeping?” he asks as he sits on the other couch.
“He is. It’s his nap time.”
“Do you have a picture of Kayla? I’m pretty sure I remember her, but I want to make sure. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t sleep around. It’s just been a while and if she’s the one I’m thinking of, we only spent one night together. She said she was on a business trip and was stopping here for the night.”
I pull my phone out and show him a picture of Kayla.
“She was pretty and I do remember her. She seemed really sad that night when we sat at the bar and talked. She told me about her best friend that was more like a sister to her. How she helped her through so much. I’m guessing that sister is you?”
I fight back the tears that are threatening to fall as I stare at him.
“She’s the best friend I’ve ever had and now Davis will never remember her and that kills me everyday. I wish it was me that night instead of Kayla.”
He frowns at me. “Don’t say that. I know it’s hard to lose someone close to you. But Davis is lucky to have you. To have someone who’d step in with no hesitation to take care of him. And you were even willing to come and find me.”
“There’s nothing I won’t do for Davis. Let’s be clear—none of this is for you.”
Valentino
I’m beginning to think that Leighton hates me. And I’m not really sure why. I know I spent one night with Kayla, but we used protection. If Davis is mine, I’m guessing it fucking failed. I do wonder why Kayla never tried to find me if she had any idea that he was mine. It’s not like I kicked her out of my bed the next day. We even had breakfast before she left. We both knew it was just sex, there was no proclamation of love or anything like that. I do wonder if she would be mad that I want her best friend. I want Leighton in a way that I never wanted a woman before. It’s not just a sexual attraction. There’s something that’s pulling me to her and I’m hoping she’ll get over being mad and feel it too.
“I understand you’re doing this for Davis. And right now I really do hope he’s mine. And again, I’m sorry about Kayla. I wish she had tried to contact me when she found out. I would never have left her to do any of it alone.”
Leighton frowns at me.
“At first Kayla told me that you knew and didn’t want to have anything to do with her or Davis. I know the truth now. But I still don’t like the idea that you just sleep with random women.”
“Well first of all, I don’t sleep with random women. That night was an exception.”
“So are you saying you wanted more from her? Then why didn’t you try to find her?”
I pause to make sure I don’t say anything that will piss her off.
“I didn’t want more from Kayla. The time we spent together—we both knew it was just sex. We drank at the bar and she invited me back to her room. Usually I would’ve said no, but that night I wanted company. So I said yes. And as harsh as this may sound, I told her that I wasn’t looking for anything more. And she agreed, she just wanted someone for the night.”
The look on Leighton’s face says maybe those weren’t the right choice of words.
“Kayla wasn’t a ‘one night’ type of girl. She always wanted to find The One and settle down.”
“Sure, that could be what she wanted. But that night was just sex.”
Just as she’s about to answer, we hear Davis making noise. I watch her get up and get Davis from the bedroom. He smiles as he sees me and reaches out to me. I see the frown on her face as he does this.
“He doesn’t usually take to new people so fast.”
I take Davis from her and sit him on my lap. He lays his head on my chest and yawns. I really hope he’s mine.
“Maybe he knows something we don’t yet. And I make a pretty good pillow.”
A giggle escapes her and she finally seems a little more relaxed.
“What exactly do you want from us if you are Davis’ father?” she asks me.
“I just want to be in his life. And maybe yours too…”
She squints at me.
“What do you mean? We don’t have to like each other to co-parent Davis.”
Okay fine. I’m going to lay it out for her.
“I like you.” I put my hand up and stop her from commenting. “I know that I don’t know you, we only met yesterday. But I want to know you, I want to be more than just Davis’ papa. What I really want is to be with you for this next step in our lives.”
I can hear myself blurting out this word vomit and I sound like a fucking asshole, begging her to be with me. She’s staring at me like I just sprouted a second head.
“Wait. So you had sex with my best friend, maybe had a baby with her, and now you want to be with me? Seriously?”
Well fuck. When she puts it that way, it sounds fucked up.
“Yes. I know Kayla was your best friend, but I was never in a relationship with her. I want to be in one with you.”
“How do you think that could even work? I live seven hours away from you and I don’t do long-distance shit. And yesterday you said you couldn’t move away from Lake Renegade.”
It’s sounding like she’s considered what I have—being together. This is a good thing, now I have to convince her to move here.
“Would you consider moving here? It doesn’t have to be for me, but our town offers a lot. And I would be here to help you. My family would be too.”
“You’re fucking crazy. I don’t know anything about you. Except for your name.”
“What do you want to know?”
She huffs out a breath.
“If you’re part of the Bastianini family, why is your last name Marconi? And why did you tell Kayla your name was Ombra? And how old are you? Do you have any other kids? Siblings? What do you do for work?”
I chuckle. “Giacomo and Caitríona Bastianini are my foster parents. They took me in when I was fourteen and I’m twenty-six this year. I have four siblings thanks to Giacomo and Caitríona. Celestino and Francesco are twenty-five, and Isabella and Luciana are twenty-four. I don’t have any kids, but I do have a nephew, Grayson, he’s nine months old. As for my job, I work for the Cimaruta MC. I’m an enforcer and bodyguard for my sister, Isabella.”
“What’s an enforcer?”
“I protect my club family. Well, I protect my whole family. But the enforcer title comes from our club. And that’s where the name Ombra comes from too. It’s my road name, and it means shadow.”
There are things I can’t tell Leighton, those things are reserved for our wives. When we get engaged, I’ll tell her all about the club and the parts of my life I can’t just yet. I kiss Davis’ head. I feel a connection to him and it makes me happy.