His Bahamas Affair (The Albury Affairs) (16 page)

Loraine felt her heart
break for the kid. “What kind of mother does that to her child? He’s just a
baby!”

Melody sighed. “So what
are you going to do?”

That wasn’t her
question to answer. Last night she just became his girlfriend, hoping that Reno
would soon let go of his apprehensions and be a hundred percent sure that she
was what he wanted. Yes she hoped, but now as she stared at Junior she was
sending prayers to the heavens that this wouldn’t derail them.

“The only thing I can
do is support Reno.”

Loraine watched the boy
as he began to quietly sob, his eyes wet with tears. He looked so scared and
alone. Couldn’t his nanny have stayed with him until he got used to Reno? She
sat down next to him and he quickly backed away to the corner of the couch, his
knees brought up to his chest as he folded into himself as he clutched the
stuffed elephant to him for dear life. His eyes grew wider as he stared at her
as if he was waiting for her to hurt him.

Why
is he so scared? What did that witch do to him?

Loraine smiled reassuringly
at him as she moved to the other end of the couch. “Hi, I’m Lori what’s your
name?”

He just stared at her
with his big brown round eyes, not uttering a word.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t
going to hurt you. Your daddy is going to take great care of you.”

“My daddy?” his soft
whisper was muffled by his elephant but it was clear she caught his attention.

“Yup. The man I just
came in with, that’s your daddy. His name is Reno. The other man is your uncle
Ruiz.” She pointed at Melody. “Her name is Melody but you can call her
Yody
.”

He perked up, lowering
the elephant to expose his lips as he chuckled. “
Yody
!
That’s funny.”

Loraine’s heart warmed
at the sweet sound of his laugh. She loved the sound of children’s laughter.
There was something very special about it, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy
day.

Melody squatted next to
Loraine. “Now it’s your turn to tell us your name.”

He shifted his gaze
between them with apprehension before he whispered, “Tyler.”

“That’s a wonderful
name!” Melody exclaimed animatedly. “A wonderful name for a very handsome
little boy.”

He chuckled again, his
eyes glittering with delight, as he lowered his elephant to his chest.

“How old are you
sweetheart?”

He raised his hand and
studied his fingers for a moment, his brows furrowed together and the tip of
his tongue sticking out at the side of his mouth in concentration. He freed his
other hand and tucked his thumb into his palm and lowered his little finger.
Then with a bright smile, holding his fingers proudly up for Loraine and Melody,
he excitedly announced, “I’m three years old!”

“Good job, buddy,”
Loraine said, sharing in his pride. She exchanged a look with Melody, both
noticing that his elephant was now laying on his lap no longer a shield.

“Tyler, why don’t you
come sit next to me?” Loraine asked, patting the spot beside her. Loraine felt
it was better if he came to her, giving him the choice and not crowd him by
moving closer herself.

His smile disappeared
as he stared at Loraine with trepidation for a moment. He held his elephant to
his chest then he slowly scooted closer. “Can Nosey sit closer too?”

Loraine nodded biting
the insides of her cheeks to keep her smile casual. Nosey was pretty original
for a stuffed elephant. “Sure, Nosey can sit closer and Melody will sit next to
him.”

“I would love that.”
Melody waited until Tyler had propped Nosey up with a cushion before she sat
next to him.

“Nosey, that’s Melody,
but you can call her
Yody
because she’s our new
friend,” he addressed his elephant seriously, which made Loraine want to laugh.
She loved his innocence.

Loraine had seen Aurora
speak to her dolls a few times but she never thought boys were the same. From
how attached he was to the stuffed animal, she had a feeling Nosey was his
best, maybe only friend.

Melody took the
elephant’s foreleg and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Nosey.”

He shot his hand out to
her too and shook it earnestly, his smile so wide it beamed. Loraine had no
idea why that made her want to cry. He was so sweet and friendly and so
courageous, considering he was sitting between two complete strangers, slowly
opening up to them in a friendly conversation.

Tyler turned to his
elephant with the same seriousness as before. “Don’t forget what nanny told us,
Nosey, we have to be extra good for daddy. we have to be very nice to Lori
because she’s special.”

Loraine pressed her
hand to her chest, feeling her heart flutter. She loved getting compliments,
and one from a three year old was even better.

“Thank you, Ty…is it
okay if I call you Ty?”

He nodded vigorously very
pleased with himself, then turned to Melody. “You can call me Ty if you want,
because it’s a friend name like
Yody
.”

His eagerness made
Loraine want to cry more. It was clear he really wanted to be accepted.
He’s only three; he shouldn’t feel like this.

She watched as Melody
blinked back tears. It was great to see she wasn’t the only one getting
emotional over this. “I would love that very much, Ty.”

He flashed a
heartwarming smile before he looked at Loraine. “I’m hungry.”

Loraine laughed
outright. “Of course you are. Let’s go to the kitchen and make some macaroni
and cheese.”

He blinked several
times, clearly confused. “What’s a kitchen?”

What?
“Come, I’ll show you. Would you like me to carry you?”

He nodded breaking out
his smile that had a cord attached to Loraine’s heart. “And Nosey, too?”

“And Nosey, too.”
Loraine stood up and lifted him, settling him on her hip. It felt too natural
holding him like this. She waited to see if any warning bells would go off, but
there was nothing. Besides, if she wanted to be with Reno, his kid was included
in the package. She better get used to it, and fast.

* * * *

Reno paced in his
office, suddenly feeling caged. He never expected this, least of all, he never
expected Georgia to do this without an ulterior motive. What was she planning?
Was this kid a preview to the real gag? What the hell was she thinking doing
this, now?

“Reno, what are you
thinking?”

Reno looked at Ruiz,
seated in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked relaxed but
the look in his eyes betrayed him. He was worried. Reno had told him a little
about Georgia. Ruiz was actually glad she’d skipped on him. His exact words
were ‘you dodged a bullet bro, that woman is conniving and nothing but
trouble.’

Well, it looked like
trouble had come looking.

“That Georgia is up to
something and it’s not good.”

He nodded. “What about
the kid? He’s definitely your son.”

Reno sighed, halting
his pacing. He didn’t know what to think about the kid. At one time, he’d been
excited, scared, but excited he was going to be a father. It was the reason
he’d married Georgia. It was a fresh start, a chance to do things right and
correct the mistakes of his sire. He wasn’t going to allow his kid to grow up
without a father like he did. Then Georgia disappeared, and in the aftermath
he’d been updated on her promiscuous ways making him doubt he’d fathered her
child. He’d been relieved because he’d escaped Georgia’s scheming ways,
especially now that the resort was doing so well and he was bringing home five
figures. But most of all, he was glad he’d escaped being a father. But that
noose was back, quickly tightening around his neck.

It was one thing taking
responsibility and another being a father. He’d raised Riana—she was his kid.
He’d had Aurora for two years and readily taken on the role of father but he
was glad when her real father relieved him of that duty. As much as he loved
both his girls, after Georgia left, he realized he was not ready for his own
brood.

This kid had just
thrown a loop in his life. And Loraine, what would happen with the two of them?
Their relationship was so new and fragile. A kid would be the strain needed to
break them.

Reno rubbed his face
with his hands and groaned loudly. He didn’t need this kind of complication
right now!

“Reno, what are you
going to do?” Ruiz asked again, but this time his voice was hard.

He tensed wishing he
was speaking to anyone else but Ruiz. Allan would be way more helpful right
now—he had no daddy issues.

He lowered his hands
and looked at his brother. “I don’t know. I didn’t exactly have the best
example.”

Ruiz smirked. “And yet
Riana is the best person I’ve ever met, commanding such loyalty that we are all
ready to take a bullet for her. I feel like that after just one meeting. Yeah
bro, the old man destroyed your paternal instincts.” He finished sarcastically.

Reno clenched his fists
in anger. “Don’t start. You’re not the one who’s had a kid dropped on his lap
and expected to instantly be an excellent parent.”

Ruiz pushed himself out
of the chair. “Considering who his mother is you don’t have much of a choice,
big brother. I, on the other hand, choose to be the best uncle I can be until
you get your act together.”

As Ruiz passed Reno to
walk to the door he said, “I didn’t ask for this!”

“You should have used a
condom then,” he threw over his shoulder before he shut the door behind him.

Reno kicked at the
chair, wishing he was anywhere else but here. He needed some time alone to
think. He walked out of his office and headed for the stairs. He stopped when
he heard the laughter coming from the kitchen; the kid’s echoing louder than
the rest, considering it was small. And happy, he noted. He could hear it right
in his heart.

When he had walked in
with Loraine, the kid had been cowering behind Melody looking terrified. It was
amazing that in just a few minutes he was laughing happily like he’d known
Loraine, Melody and Ruiz all his life. He was right at home and currently not
Reno’s problem. He took the stairs two at a time and headed for his room. He
needed a relaxing shower then sleep, pretending he had no son.

But after two hours of
lying in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep. He’d tossed and turned fighting for
slumber until he gave up. Now he just stared at the ceiling, waiting for
morning or Loraine to come and distract him from reality. He was glad she was
taking this kid thing well. Maybe it meant their relationship wouldn’t have to
change. He just hoped she wouldn’t mind looking after him as he went to work.
He would have to find someone to look after him for the time being until he…

Until
I what? Send him back to Georgia or give him up?

He didn’t have time to
think about it because the door opened, and Loraine walked in.

“Reno, are you asleep?”

He pushed himself up on
his elbows and watched as she stripped with a smile. “Oh, I’m wide awake now.
So is another part of me.”

She rolled her eyes,
covering her nakedness with her satin sleeping shorts and a matching strappy
top.

Reno frowned. “What are
you doing?”

She gave him an
incredulous look. “What does it look like? I’m getting ready for bed.”

He pulled the covers
away as she approached the bed and tossed them over her once she climbed in.
“You don’t need clothes for that.”

She chuckled, “Yes I
do. There is a three year old sleeping across the hall.”

Reno groaned, falling
back on the bed. The kid was already changing his life and he’d been here just
a few hours.

Loraine frowned, lying
on his chest. “Why did you do that?”

He rested his arm over
his eyes. “Do what?”

“Groan like you are
upset. Tyler is three and in a strange place. He might get scared and I told
him he could come sleep with us if he does.”

Reno groaned again and
yelped right after when Loraine pinched him. “Why do you keep doing that?”

Reno moved his arm and
looked at her. “Could we please not discuss this right now? I’m exhausted.”

Her brow rose and her
lips spread in a grin. He knew he was in trouble because there was nothing
happy about that grin. “What’s his name Reno?”

“What?”

“What’s your son’s name
Reno?” she demanded angrily.

“Tyler,” he answered and
he only knew that because she’d said it just a few minutes ago. He’d come with
an envelope full of papers about him but Reno hadn’t bothered to look inside
it. He didn’t want to know.

Loraine sat up. “One
point for you, Mr. Albury. Now if you ever want to have sex with me again,
you’ll think real long and hard about this next question—”

The soft knock on the
door made them both turn toward it. The handle lowered and it slowly slide open
revealing a little boy in blue pajamas clutching an elephant to his chest. And
something twisted in Reno’s chest. He looked scared.

Loraine quickly crawled
off the bed and went to him. “Tyler, what’s wrong honey?”

“I’m scared,” he
whispered. “I don’t want to sleep alone.”

Reno wanted to laugh at
the irony. He was seeking comfort from two people who were slowly getting over
their own fears of the night.

Loraine picked him up,
quietly soothing him as she rubbed his back. “You came to the right place. I
sleep here because I’m scared to sleep alone at night too.”

Reno was surprised at
her honesty; it momentarily distracted him from the fact Loraine was bringing
the kid to his bed. He watched as she placed him on her other side, sliding
down in bed with him cradled on her chest. She pulled the covers around them,
her arms going around him. The entire time she was settling them in, the
kid—Tyler was watching him carefully like he was waiting for Reno to do
something.

“Would you like to know
why I sleep here?” she went on.

There was silence for a
moment before his timid voice filled the room. “Because daddy is here to keep
you safe.”

Something in Reno’s
chest twisted again as Tyler’s gaze went from cautious to admiration. Reno
swallowed hard, Tyler’s voice as he called him daddy echoing in his heart.

Loraine brushed Reno’s
cheek with the back of her hand. “That’s right. Daddy keeps all my nightmares
away and I sleep all night like a baby. Why don’t you try and go to sleep.” She
brushed his black curls away from his forehead then pressed her lips there in a
tender kiss. “Your daddy and I are going to keep you safe. Okay?”

He nodded slowly.
“Okay.”

“Goodnight, honey.” She
placed her hand behind Reno’s neck and pulled him closer to press her lips
against his. “Have a good night, Reno. You are going to need it.”

Reno heard the threat
in her statement but Tyler’s gaze held him hostage. Then the kid surprised him
by jumping over Loraine to rest between them, still holding Reno’s gaze with
his own. Reno fought the instinct to run from the bed, hell, from the room.
Having him so close made Reno tense. It was easier to ignore him when he wasn’t
right next to him.

Loraine turned to her
other side facing him, cradling Tyler against her, his head resting on her arm
and watched Reno with a warning in her eye. The gesture was so predictable for
a mother—very protective—which unsettled him even more. She was getting
comfortable with their current predicament. Though it should be a good thing,
it still unsettled him.

Tentatively, Tyler
reached for Reno’s hand, grabbing hold of two of his fingers which barely fit
in his small hand. Then he waited, watching to see his reaction. Reno felt like
his heart was about to burst out of his chest.
What was this kid doing?

“Goodnight daddy,” he
whispered softly.

Reno stared at him, his
tongue dead in his mouth. He then felt Loraine’s fingers at his chin and then
she pinched him, prompting him to reciprocate.

“Goodnight…Tyler,” he
responded, his voice faltering.

He smiled then
proceeded to close his eyes as he lifted Reno’s hand to rest close to his face
and tucked himself into Loraine. Reno finally let out the breath he was
holding, catching Loraine’s smile.

“Thank you,” she
mouthed closing her eyes and falling asleep with the smile still on her face.

Reno turned off his
bedside lamp, flooding the room in darkness. He then closed his eyes and
listened to his mistress outside his window as she crushed against the rocks,
willing her to work her magic. After a few minutes he was still tense. Her
wills weren’t working on him. He opened his eyes and turned to face the two sleeping
soundly next to him. The moon fell on them casting a beautiful shadow of them.
They looked perfect together. A sane man would have felt pride and joy at this
moment. He only felt panic. There was something wrong with this picture. He
didn’t belong in it.

He stared at the
ceiling, one thought assailing him.

This
isn’t my life.

* * * *

Loraine watched Tyler
as he played with his action figures on the carpet on the floor in the living
room. For the past two days it had been nice watching him come out of his
shell, though he still refused to go outside. He enjoyed exploring the house,
going from room to room like they each held an exciting secret he was anxious
to figure out. It had shocked her when he asked for permission before he
ventured to any part of the house. Apparently the witch had him segregated to
one room all his life. It pissed her off and that rage festered as Reno
continued to ignore him.

For the past two days,
Reno would leave early in the morning and come back late in the evening. He was
avoiding her as well, avoiding the discussion she wanted to have with him about
Tyler. Since she was still frightened of her haunting nightmares, she stayed
awake holding Tyler as he slept waiting until she felt Reno’s body lie behind
her before she allowed herself to sleep.

She didn’t understand
him, why did he behave like this? Did he know something more about the
situation that she didn’t? If that was the case, why didn’t he explain it to
her? He was being a complete jerk ass!

“I’m not exactly sure
what to say. This isn’t like Reno,” Melody spoke. “Has he said anything to
you?”

Loraine shook her head.
“He’s avoiding me.”

“Why don’t you go to
the resort and confront him there?”

She snorted. “To do
that I’d have to tie him to the chair. Whenever I call he’s never available,
always out somewhere with some guest or investor.”

Melody gave her a sad
smile. “You do know what that means?”

“Yeah, my father has
done that to me quite a few times. Reno is giving me the brush off.”

“This complicates
things even more in your relationship, doesn’t it?”

Loraine tried to smile
but failed. She was on the verge of being a teary mess. “This was one thing I
needed to go right in my life. He’s the only thing that keeps me steady and now
he’s avoiding me. I’m barely sleeping again and I’m scared I’m going to have a
relapse.”