Chapter 3
Tachina had been to Vic’s home countless times over the years. For birthdays, drop-offs, summer playdates, and nights where Kian wasn’t feeling well.
Every time his mansion came into view, her stomach dipped.
It wasn’t just a house, it was a statement piece.
A long stretch of manicured driveway wound between oversized trees that almost touched the sky.
The leaves glowed like embers against the blue, and the late October sun sent warm feelings through her.
His home sat on two acres of privately wooded land, sequestered away in one of Cleveland’s wealthiest suburbs.
This was a place where she could see herself living.
She blinked. That was a new statement. She’d always fantasized about owning a large home, where she’d have a few kids, and a dog or two running around while her husband worked out in the garage.
But that was a fantasy.
She was a single mom to one kid where they lived comfortably.
She was happy with her life and the home she’d created for her and Kian.
She parked her car near Vic’s SUV. She cut the engine and let her fingers linger on the steering wheel for a moment while her heart pounded.
She had to get herself together. She prided herself on being composed.
The kind of woman who didn’t get rattled by much.
In her business, she had a lot to face. Deadlines, contractors who forgot entire loads of lumber, and she had even handled a meltdown or two from a toddler in the cereal aisle.
None of that had anything on what she was about to do.
Ask her son’s father to impregnant her again.
She stepped out of her car and smoothed her sweater. She’d gone casual today in jeans, boots, and a cream sweater. She’d gone for the comfortable mom look. It was fall, and Mother Nature was reminding them that it was such. With the sun beaming down on them, there was still a cool breeze blowing.
Typical Cleveland weather.
She jogged up the two steps and arrived at the front door, but before she could ring the doorbell, it opened. Vic stood there with Kian at his side.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Vic wore dark jeans and a fitted charcoal sweater rolled to his elbows. There was something about a man showing off his forearms that just did it for Tachina. His hair was slightly messy from probably combing his fingers through them. There was a relaxed warmth in his expression.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” She put on a bright smile. She tried to beat down her nerves like she hadn’t been up all night practicing what she would say.
“Perfect timing. Lunch is ready.” He waved her inside and motioned to Kian. “And someone has about five stories to tell you.”
“Ten stories!” Kian grabbed her hand and helped her in. He began rattling off where they’d gone for dinner and how he’d had a milkshake that was super huge.
She laughed at her son’s expression as he spoke.
They walked through the spotless foyer. It had high ceilings, marble floors, a chandelier he absolutely did not need.
The designer in her was assessing the house as if she were going to be the one renovating it.
The home was an older one. She did love the character that was in the home.
They arrived to the enclosed porch that overlooked the backyard.
A glass wall let the sunlight pour in, and even though it was slightly chilly out, the interior stayed warm and comfortable.
In the summer time, the windows were removable to allow this area to be open.
The yard itself was ridiculous. It was wide with a professional-grade play set for Kian, a stone patio with a fire pit, and beyond that, woods that could have come straight out of a magazine.
The table was set with simplicity. Grilled chicken thighs, seared steaks, hot dogs for Kian, and a handful of sides. The aroma hit her immediately. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten this morning. She’d been too nervous to do so, but now, seeing this spread, her appetite had returned.
“You grilled all of this?” she asked and took a seat.
“I like cooking. It helps me unwind.” Vic shrugged.
“This is amazing. I thought you had a chef who worked for you?” she asked.
Kian took a seat between them. Vic started making their son’s plate automatically. She sat back and enjoyed not having to do it for once. It always amazed her how hands-on Vic was with Kian. She grabbed some juicy thighs, along with the sides Vic had prepared.
“The chef only comes twice a week to meal prep for me. The rest is on me,” Vic said.
Tachina’s eyebrows rose. So the man ran a multi-billion-dollar company then came home to cook?
She doubted Sydney even knew how to boil water.
That woman was from old money, and she didn’t think Sydney ever needed to cook.
She had always thought that Vic could do better than Sydney.
The two of them just didn’t pair well together in Tachina’s opinion.
She sighed and pushed that thought out of her head. It was none of her business who Vic had dated before. He obviously had seen something in Sydney he liked.
“I didn’t know you were in to meal prepping.” She had to bring her thoughts off of his ex. At least now the woman was no longer around, and it made her tiny little favor she was going to ask Vic easier.
“Well, technically, Tony meal preps, I reheat,” Vic said.
“Must be nice,” she muttered.
He laughed, the sound deep and genuine, and she was struck by how content he appeared today. He seemed more relaxed, and she wondered if it was due to…his ex no longer being in the picture.
They dug into the food, and Kian launched into his stories he had to share with her. Mostly about the football game they’d seen and how he and Vic had watched Iron Man last night.
“Daddy said I could stay up late.” Kian took a big bite of his hot dog, chewed, then continued. “It was really late.”
She raised her eyebrow at Vic. Not that she cared. It was the weekend, and they were having boys’ time together.
“He was sleep by ten.” Vic rolled his eyes and reached for his drink.
“It was super late,” Kian insisted.
“Wow. Dad is so cool to let you stay up so late,” she said.
Kian agreed and nodded. She put down her fork and decided to use her fingers to eat the chicken. She didn’t know what Vic had done to it, but it was so good.
She loved seeing the two of them together. It always brought a warm feeling to her chest. They continued eating and listening to Kian narrate the rest of the weekend as only a four-year-old could. He sat beside her chewing on his hot dog while smearing ketchup on both of his cheeks.
When he’d finally finished his story and most of his lunch, he stood from the table.
“Kian, your face. Come here.” She grabbed a few napkins and cleaned off the ketchup.
He grabbed his soccer ball and dashed out into the yard.
“Stay where we can see you,” Vic called out.
“I know!” Kian yelled back. Then he was gone.
The air shifted immediately when it was just the two of them. She felt it. Her pulse spiked. The words she needed to say lodged in her throat. Vic leaned back in his chair while his gaze settled on her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Umm…not sure,” she whispered before she could stop herself.
“What’s going on?” He frowned as he looked at her.
Say it, she ordered herself. Just spit it out. You’ve practiced this.
But her brain short-circuited, and her mouth did the most embarrassing thing possible. The words exploded out of her in a panicked, messy jumble of words.
“IwantanotherbabyandIwantittobewithyou.” She slapped a hand over her mouth.
Vic blinked slowly. Several times without taking his eyes off her. He lowered the fork that had been on its way to his mouth.
“I’m sorry. I think I caught two words of what you just said,” he said carefully.
She inhaled a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a moment.
You can do this.
“Let me try this again.” She wiped her suddenly damp hands on her jeans. This time her words came out much slower. “I want another baby.”
A muscle in Vic’s jaw flexed.
“And,” she continued. “I want the father to be you.”
Silence settled between them. Vic stared at her as if she had grown another head. She swallowed hard and focused on breathing.
“Tachina,” Vic started. He settled back and combed his fingers through his hair. “Where is this coming from?”
She should have gone with what she had rehearsed. She had just made a mess of things. She shook her head and decided to just be honest with him.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.
Maybe at least a year or two. I loved being pregnant with Kian and I don’t want him to be an only child.
And I don’t want to start over with someone new.
Dating has sucked. And you…you’re such a good father to Kian.
You’re dependable. Amazing, and he loves you so much. ”
Vic’s stare deepened as he took her in.
“So you want us to have another baby together.” He paused and glanced away again.
Kian was running around kicking his soccer ball.
Vic turned his blue eyes toward her again. “Without us being together.”
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds bad,” she muttered. Tachina secured her hair behind her ear. She reached for her Diet Coke and took a sip of it.
“How else should I say it?”
“I don’t know. In a way that doesn’t make me sound crazy.” She placed her glass down and looked across the table at him.
His lips twitched. Amusement flicked through his eyes.
“How are you talking about getting pregnant? In vitro—”
“The old-fashioned way,” she admitted. Her heart raced at the thought of the two of them together again.
“This is a lot to take in, Tachina.”
“I know.” She wrung her hands. “I shouldn’t have blurted it out. I meant to bring it up in an easy way. I had rehearsed everything I was going to say, but then you cooked for us, were smiling and smelling like—” She stopped and held up a hand. “Never mind.”
“Smelling like what?” His gaze sharpened on her.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Tell me.”