CHAPTER 69
NINA MARCHESI
“I think I’m famous now, Mom,” my son says as he comes into the house, his little backpack strapped to his shoulders.
“Everyone waits for me at the daycare door. And then they wait for me to leave too. Right, Dad?” He looks over his shoulder, seeking confirmation from Nero, who’s closing the door behind him.
I frown, not quite understanding what Kael means. A few weeks after the incident that landed Nero in the hospital, things have settled back into a rhythm—and we’ve built a routine. One in which Nero has become an even bigger, more essential part of our lives than he already was.
In addition to being the official bedtime-storyteller, Nero is now the one who drops Kael off at daycare and picks him up. He’s also the one who stays with our son after I leave for work. His visits are far less rigid than before.
Even though we still communicate constantly about schedules, it’s become normal for him to bring Kael home from daycare and stay for lunch—and sometimes a bit longer.
Another thing that’s become increasingly informal?
Nero’s messages. The man hasn’t missed a single opportunity to send me a “Good morning,” “Good night,” or whatever else he feels like.
More than once, I’ve caught myself texting him all day long, only realizing what I was doing when we wished each other good night—virtually.
Kael launches himself into my arms when I bend down to hug him.
“Yeah, buddy? Who?” I ask, trying to make sense of his statement.
“Swarms,” he says, wriggling free of my embrace and lifting both hands, opening and closing his fingers to illustrate. “Women.”
Kael steps away from me and asks to be picked up by his father, who does so immediately. His little hands move up to caress Nero’s face.
“They say I’m like this,” he says, “handsome, just like my dad.”
My eyes narrow and my mouth falls open as I finally understand the gossip my son is innocently relaying.
“So that’s why you’ve been so eager to take Kael to daycare and pick him up these past few weeks?” I ask, unable to contain my indignation. “To parade my son around?” My tone is razor-sharp, and I think it’s deserved.
Nero, however, doesn’t flinch.
He raises an eyebrow at me before stepping closer, still holding Kael against his hip, and presses us together—sandwiching the boy between father and mother. Kael loves it, stretching his arms out and looping one around my neck and the other around his father’s.
“Hi, Nina,” Nero greets me, leaning in and placing an unnecessarily slow kiss on my cheek.
The heat of his lips against my skin warms my entire body, and only when he pulls away do I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
“I’ve been making a point of taking our son to daycare so his mother can rest a little more—because I know she comes home exhausted from night shifts.
Now she can just sleep, without worrying about it. ”
I roll my eyes, dismissing his perfectly rational—but deeply unsatisfying—explanation.
“And did you know, Mom, that Dad doesn’t have a girlfriend?” Kael pipes up again, and this time my reaction to the kind of conversations he’s been exposed to is physical.
My nostrils flare as I inhale sharply. Standing this close, it’s impossible not to notice the little smile on Nero’s face—and that only makes me angrier.
“Is that so, sweetheart?” I answer, because I can’t leave my son without a response.
“It is,” he confirms. “Dad told Giovanna’s mom that he doesn’t have a girlfriend, Mom, because he’s married.”
Kael finishes his thought, and Nero’s eyebrow lifts again—this time with blatant provocation. I roll my eyes once more.
“Very well. It’s time for you to go tidy your room. Then we’re taking a bath and having lunch.”
“Another bath?” he whines, making me laugh like he always does. This will make for such embarrassingly funny stories when he’s older…
“Yes. Another bath.”
“All right,” Kael agrees, shoulders slumped in an attempt to win my sympathy.
Nero sets him down, and he heads for the stairs.
“Does he like pools? Or is his problem just bathtubs and showers?” his father asks once our son is out of earshot.
“He’s never been to one,” I answer honestly, and Nero’s face slowly loses its relaxed expression. “He’s never seen the sea either.”
Nero nods, thoughtful.
“He only knows bathwater—in tubs or showers.”
He doesn’t respond, so I head into the kitchen, starting to organize lunch. A few minutes later, Nero follows me.
“And you?” he asks. “Do you have a boyfriend? Or is your heart available to be conquered?”
I turn, leaning my hips against the kitchen counter and huff.
“Can’t you see? The hordes of men lining up at my door?”
“No,” he says. “I never look back—and we both know I’m first in line.”
A snort of disdain escapes me, and I plant my hands on his chest, giving him a light shove to push him out of the kitchen.
He doesn’t let me stop touching him, though. Instead, he takes my hands and sits on the stool opposite the counter, leaving me standing between his legs.
“Stop talking nonsense. I have something serious to discuss,” I warn him, and he smiles.
“I’m all ears. And everything else you want too…” Nero says with a mischievous grin, slowly leaning his face toward mine.
I freeze—knowing exactly what I expect, and not knowing what to expect at all.
He veers off at the last second and leaves another of those lingering kisses on my cheek—this one a centimeter closer to the corner of my mouth than the last.
I blink, trying to shake off the wave of longing that sends a shiver through my body.
“You need to see a doctor,” I say bluntly.
I thought a lot about how to bring it up, but couldn’t find a better way.
I don’t want another scare like the one from a few weeks ago.
More than that, I don’t want to risk Nero having another anxiety attack—this time in front of Kael.
What would we have done if Atlas hadn’t been available to keep our son next door while his father was rushed for help?
And most of all, I never want to feel that fear again.
“I’m already taking care of it,” he promises, still holding my hands against his chest. I make no move to pull them away. ““I don’t want you to worry. Compared to everything you went through, what I’ve been dealing with is nothing.”
“This isn’t a competition, Nero. We both need to be well to take care of Kael.”
He nods in agreement.
“I also have something serious to talk to you about. Two things, actually.”
“Two things?”
“I made a move you’re not going to like.”
“Very kind of you to warn me,” I reply dryly, trying to step back—but he keeps his hands over mine, preventing it. “What did you do?”
“I deposited the last four years of unpaid child support. You should check your account.”
“Nero!” I exclaim, forcing him to let go and taking a step back.
“I told you I couldn’t fix the past, Little Fae, but this is still our present. That money is his. It’s possibilities for him.”
I open my mouth to say that money is what complicated everything last time—but I close it again. Four months after his return to our lives, I know we’re past that stage. I want us to be past that stage.
“How much did you deposit, Nero?”
“Sixty percent of my monthly salary for each month since the first month of pregnancy. Plus benefits. All corrected, with interest.”
“The law says thirty.”
“I don’t care. He’s my son. That percentage is just a formality. Every cent I have is his—ours, Little Fae.”
He does it again—slyly—as if I wouldn’t notice that because I didn’t object to the nickname the first time, he’s testing it again. Idiot.
“You’re going to get me red-flagged for suspicious activity, aren’t you?” I ask, certain that Nero deposited nothing less than a small fortune into an account that sat dormant for five years—only used again when I realized there was no point in running anymore, because Nero had already found me.
He shrugs.
“We have two very good lawyers.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“How much money do you make, Nero?”
“Don’t worry. We have two really good lawyers.”
He refuses to answer, and I’m about to protest when he continues.
“I have another thing to talk to you about. It’s a request and an invitation, at the same time.”
“A request and an invitation?”
“I want to take Kael to see water,” he says.
“A lake. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and now that I know he’s never seen a pool or the sea, I think it would be a good opportunity.
I saw an ad for a vacation house in a nearby town—right on a lake.
It’s private property, with restricted lake access. ”
My mind instantly jumps back years, to another private place— the secluded beach Nero took me to on our first date.
“This is the next place I want to take him, Little Fae,” he adds, as if reading my thoughts. He takes my hands again and pulls me back between his legs.
Nero leaves another long kiss on my cheek—closer to the corner of my mouth than before.
Should I be counting how many centimeters separate that exact spot from my lips? Should I be wondering how many kisses are left before he reaches them?
No. I shouldn’t.
“When do you want to take him?” I ask, clearing my throat as Nero pulls away.
“For a weekend. And I don’t just want to take him—I’d like you to come with us. I understand you work, but you and Kael need to get out of the house. Do you think you could get some time off?”
I take a moment to answer, even though I know what I want. My first instinct is to push back—but in the end, I decide nothing terrible is going to happen.
“I’ll try.”