Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Leighton
“He can get what at…” I trail off as I see Valentino shirtless.
Holy fucking shit. That man was already sexy with his shirt on and tattoos peeking out. But shirtless? Is he trying to give me a heart attack?
Valentino chuckles at me.
“See something you like?” he teases.
I roll my eyes at him and try to compose myself.
“So what are you telling Davis that he can do at eighteen?”
“Get a tattoo.”
I nod. “Eighteen is good, not before though.”
“You heard your mama, no tattoos before you’re eighteen.”
Davis looks at both of us and laughs.
“I feel like he’s mocking us.” I laugh and tickle his tummy.
“Oh, I found some bubble bath in the cabinet. This one is baby bubbles…there’s mama bubbles too. That’s for later.” He winks at me.
He’s not making this easy on me. I went from hating a man I didn’t even know to thinking of moving to a new town to be with him. What the fuck is wrong with me? I watch him with Davis and it just makes me more attracted to him. It’s not just his physical looks, he has such a good heart. He thinks that he was saved by the Bastianinis. I think he would’ve turned out this way even if they hadn’t.
“Okay, all clean and back to being a little man.” Valentino smiles as he kisses Davis.
I hold out a towel and wrap Davis in it.
“There’s a towel on the counter for you,” I say as I head to the bedroom with Davis.
“What’s his bedtime routine?” he asks, joining us.
“Usually I get a bottle for him and we just hang out and watch TV for a little while. And when he’s asleep I put him down.”
“Would it be okay if I stayed and helped?”
“Of course. You’re his papa, you don’t need to ask me if you want to spend time with him.”
“Well it’s not just Davis I want to hang out with,” he says softly.
I get Davis dressed and we head downstairs.
“Okay so show me how to make his bottle.”
I show him how to measure and warm Davis’ bottle. We all sit down to watch a movie. This feels like we’re a real family.
After the movie ends, Valentino picks Davis up and we head upstairs. As he’s putting Davis in his crib, he wakes up and looks at us.
“Mama. Papa,” he says as he closes his eyes again.
“Did he…” I trail off as I hold back my tears.
Valentino wraps his arms around me and holds me.
“He did,” he whispers.
Valentino tilts my head up to look at him and kisses me.
“I need a shower…care to join me?”
He picks me up and carries me to the bathroom. I run my hands under his shirt and help him get it off. I kiss his chest as I hear him moan. That’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever fucking heard. I pull at his belt and pop the button on his jeans as he leans down and kisses me roughly, stopping only to grab the hem of my shirt and pull it off me.
“You are fucking sexy,” he growls as I get the rest of my clothes off.
“Are we soaking? Or showering?”
“Shower then soak.” He smiles as he starts the shower.
We get in and soap each other up. I smile up at him as I wash him. He closes his eyes as I wrap my hands around his cock and stroke him. I can’t help but moan too, I’m imagining what it’s going to feel like having him stroking me from the inside. He leans down and takes my mouth as he runs his hands down my body slowly rubbing circles around my clit.
“Fuck,” I gasp.
We both make sure we rinse off really well. Then he turns me to face the wall, stroking his cock along my ass.
“I’ll get a condom if you want. But you need to know I’ve never had unprotected sex.”
“I’m clean and on the pill.”
He bites my neck and I feel him start to push into me.
“Oh god, Valentino,” I moan.
“Fuck, you’re so damn tight,” he grunts.
Saying he’s big is an understatement. It takes me a minute to get used to him as he moves slowly. He reaches around and rubs my clit.
“Baby,” I cry out as I come.
Valentino growls as he starts to move faster, then slows down. He starts to pull out and slams back into me.
“Fuck, yes.”
“Baby,” he growls as he pushes in and holds me. I come again as I feel him pulsing in me.
“I love you,” he pants. “Too soon? I don’t care. I love you. You are it for me.”
I catch my breath and process what he’s said. He loves me.
“It’s okay if you’re not there yet. I’ll wait,” he whispers as he kisses me.
He slowly pulls out of me and turns me to face him. I wrap my arms around him and hold him. Part of me is afraid to say it back. What if it’s just how he feels in the moment? What if he wakes up tomorrow and realizes he doesn’t love me? That it was said in the moment of passion?
“Did you still want to soak? Or we can lie down and watch a movie?” He smiles at me.
“A movie would be nice,” I answer as we get out and dry off.
“I should probably run home and grab some clothes. Is it okay for me to stay with you tonight?”
I nod. “I’d like that.”
“It’ll take me like fifteen minutes to run up to the house and grab my stuff. You pick out a movie,” he says as he kisses me.
I clean up the kitchen and start a fire. It’s not really cold enough, but fires always make things cozier. I’m not sure what kind of movie Valentino likes, probably action. While I’m waiting for him to get back, I hear my phone text notification.
Loraine (Kayla’s mom): Where are you? You need to bring my grandchild back to Minnesota. NOW.
I frown as I see her text. This woman hasn’t spoken to me since she kicked Kayla out of her house. And she’s never seen Davis. Kayla would never lie to me about that, I don’t even know if she knows his name.
Leighton: What are you talking about? And why are you texting me?
Loraine: Kayla’s child is my blood. You bring it back to Minnesota now. I already called the police and filed a kidnapping report.
She’s fucking insane. I immediately call Carl, I know it’s late, but this is crazy. Also she called Davis ‘it.’ Psycho bitch.
“Hello? Leigh? What’s wrong?” Carl answers.
“Carl, I’m so sorry to call you so late. I just got a text from Loraine, Kayla’s mother. She said that I need to bring Davis back to Minnesota and that she’s called the police and filed charges saying I kidnapped him,” I blurt out as my tears fall.
“That woman is insane. She has no claim on Davis, she called me yesterday demanding that I tell her about him. She didn’t even know his name or even that he’s a boy. She kept calling him ‘it.’ Don’t cry, Leigh. She doesn’t know where you are. I’m going to email you a copy of the guardianship papers that Kayla signed. I’m also going to send you a copy of the adoption decree that we filed when she passed. You do not hand him over to anyone. Not even a police officer. You show them those papers if they show up at your door. Are you still at the hotel?”
“No, I’m staying on the Bastianini property.”
“Okay, that’s good. And you’re not alone, right?”
“No, Lynton is here and Valentino is around a lot. There’s always someone around and you can’t just drive onto the property, you have to go through security.”
“That’s really good. Kayla told me about her parents and I don’t want to take any chances. You never know what frame of mind they’re in.”
“But why now? Kayla’s been gone for over a month.”
“Grief hits people differently. Maybe they think that if they get Davis, they can have a do-over because they screwed up with Kayla. But don’t you worry. All the paperwork is in order. You call me if anything happens. I’m sending you all the documents now. And tomorrow I’ll see where we are on the adoption. We need Valentino to get a lawyer and draw up custody papers too. Saying that he’s willing to share custody with you.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”
“I’ll call when I have more information. And again, if anything happens. Call me.”
“Thank you so much, Carl. I really appreciate all of your help.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Be safe, Leighton.”
I hang up and run upstairs to check on Davis. I breathe easier when I see him in his crib. I miss Kayla. I hear the front door open and I creep downstairs. Relief floods my body when I see Valentino. I run down and into his arms.
“What happened?” he asks as he holds me tight.
I let him go and show him the texts.
“I called Carl already and he’s emailing me all my paperwork. He said you need a lawyer and to file for joint custody of Davis. Just in case.”
“I’ll call Lorenzo Mancini, he’s a lawyer and the one that takes care of things for us.”
Valentino
I don’t know who the fuck Loraine is, but she’s not going to touch a hair on my son’s head. And threatening my woman? Nope. No one does that. I don’t care who they are. I pull out my phone to call Lorenzo.
“Hello?” he answers.
“Hey Enzo, it’s Valentino. I have a problem I’m hoping you can help me with.”
“Sure, what’s going on?”
“Leighton got a text from a woman, she’s Kayla’s mother and she’s demanding that Leighton bring Davis back to Minnesota. Leighton has a lawyer that Kayla met with and he just emailed her all the paperwork on the guardianship and Kayla’s will. He also said I should draw up joint custody papers.”
“Are you at Leighton’s now? I can come over and look at everything. Also, email me the papers her lawyer sent, I’ll print them out.”
“Thank you so much. I know it’s late.”
“Never too late for family. Send them over and then I’ll be on my way.”
“See you soon.”
I turn to Leighton. “Lorenzo said to email him all the papers that Carl sent and he’ll be over soon.” She nods and sends everything she has.
“Do you think she could take Davis? I mean Carl says she can’t, but I’ve heard of stories where the grandparents have won custody.”
“Baby, no one is going to take Davis. No one. I don’t care what I have to do.”
I hold her tight.
“Well, fuck her. She’s never been in Davis’ life and from what you’ve told me, she treated Kayla like shit. So we will make sure she can’t touch Davis.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you. I never thought I’d have to worry about Kayla’s parents. We haven’t heard from them since the day they kicked her out.”
“I wish I knew why they’re causing problems now. Did they come to Kayla’s funeral?”
“Nope. They didn’t come or even send flowers.”
“I want you to tell all that to Lorenzo. Carl knows?”
“He does. He helped me with her funeral and he’s taken care of everything for her since she found out she was pregnant.”
“I’m thankful that you had someone to help you. You and Kayla.”
It isn’t long before Lorenzo is knocking at our door. We both hug him, then go into the living room.
“Okay, tell me what happened, start when Kayla and her parents had their falling out.”
“When Kayla found out that she was pregnant, she told her parents. She was about three months along. They told her she had two choices. Abortion or adoption, so she told them she wouldn’t do either. They said she needed to leave their home. She wasn’t welcome anymore. Unless she decided to get rid of the baby.”
“Okay, have they ever seen Davis?”
“No. They’ve never seen him, in fact I don’t even think they know his name or that he’s a boy. Even in the text she sent me, she called Davis ‘it.’ Never by his name.”
“Can I see the text?” Lorenzo asks.
“Of course,” she says as she hands him her phone.
“Make sure you keep these messages. I’m going to have you sign some papers that will give me permission to pull these texts from your phone. All the papers that Carl sent you are good. We have everything we need in case Kayla’s parents show up. Do they know where you are?”
“Not that I know of. Lynton, Levi and my boss are the only ones who know where I am. And none of them would tell her parents. They all know the situation.”
Lorenzo nods as he’s taking notes.
“Carl told Leighton to have me file joint custody papers. Is that so they can’t take Davis? Because he’s my son?”
“Yes. I brought the papers for you to fill out and sign. I’ll get them filed first thing tomorrow. And there’s a family court judge I can call and ask to move your case through faster. I don’t know if you need to be worried. Because I don’t know this family. But what I do know is that you never take chances. People can be unpredictable. You know first hand how people can be.”
“I do know and that’s why I’m not taking chances either. I’m getting a bodyguard for Leighton and Davis. Maybe even Lynton. I’ve asked for a special church tomorrow night.”
“What’s that?” Leighton asks.
“It’s what we call our meetings in the club. It’s when the council gets together and we talk about things that are going on.”
Leighton never questions when I tell her things. The trust I feel from her is something I never want to lose.
“Do you really think we need a bodyguard?” she asks.
“It’s better to be safe,” Lorenzo answers for me. He gives me a look, asking what she knows of our families. I give him a small shake of my head. And he nods. He’s grown up in this life and knows that even if we want to share everything, we can’t until we’re married. Which won’t be long, but I need to ask her first.
We spend the next hour filling out the papers and getting everything in order for tomorrow. My gut is telling me that we’re going to have a problem with Kayla’s parents. I will kill anyone who touches my family.
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow after I submit all the paperwork. You two get some rest. I’ll also call Salvatore in the morning.”
“Thank you, we really appreciate your help.”
Lorenza gives us both a hug. “I told you, we’re family. This is what we do.”
We walk him to the door and wave goodbye.
“Who’s Salvatore?” Leighton asks.
“He’s Lorenzo’s cousin and the sheriff of Lake Renegade. You’ll meet him at the next barbecue. He’s still finalizing everything for our new police station. So he’s back and forth between Chicago and here.”
“You all really do take care of each other, one big family. I’m so glad I found you.”
“I am too. And please don’t stress on this, we’re not going to let her get away with anything.”
“I trust you, but I’m still worried. When we have the papers in our hands, I’ll feel better.”
“I understand. We’ll have them soon.” I pick her up and carry her to bed.