Chapter 10

#Chapter 10 – Unexpected Babysitting Victor’s entourage rolls up precisely at 3:00, as requested. Three cars, one black Rolls-Royce and two hummers, presumably filled with whatever Betas and lackeys Victor has brought with him. The boys and I are standing outside waiting for him, me in my favorite dress, the boys bright and tidy in their school uniforms.

Victor’s entourage rolls up precisely at 3:00, as requested. Three cars, one black Rolls-Royce and two hummers, presumably filled with whatever Betas and lackeys Victor has brought with him. The boys and I are standing outside waiting for him, me in my favorite dress, the boys bright and tidy in their school uniforms.

Victor steps out of the car into the sunshine, buttoning his blazer as he frowns judgmentally at my neighborhood. I grit my teeth behind my smile. Two short men in grey suits climb out of the car behind him, carrying stacks of paper. These guys have “lawyer” written all over them.

Before they can get far, though, my boys rush forward, their knapsacks bouncing on their backs.

“Daddy!” Alvin yells, wrapping himself around Victor’s leg as he did yesterday.

“Hi, Dad!” Ian shouts, running and waving. Victor takes a step back, obviously surprised. Clearly, he was expecting a fight, not a warm welcome.

I make my way slowly down the walk behind them, offering a friendly smile. “Hello, Victor, it’s nice to see you.” He frowns at me, suspicious of this 180-degree turn from yesterday. “Welcome to our home.

Would you like to come inside for some iced tea?” I gesture back towards the door.

“I…” Victor says slowly, hesitant and trying to figure out my angle.

“Or would you just like to take the boys straight away?” I say with wide eyes, keeping my expression bright and guileless.

“What?” he breathes, his face shocked.

“That’s what you want, right?” I say, folding my hands together and leaning back on my heels. “Why don’t you go ahead and take the boys for the weekend? See? They’re all packed.”

Ian holds up his backpack for Victor to inspect. “I brought ALL of my firetruck toys!” He shouts, excited to show his dad his treasures. “Mom says they’re too loud, but that you have a big house so it won’t be so bad!”

“And I have candy!” Alvin says, beaming. “Mom let us pick out lots of candy at the store to bring – we never get candy, but it’s a special occasion, she said.”

“And I brought my sticky spiders!”

“And the nerf gun!”

“And my kazoo!”

“You should take them” I say warmly, watching Victor try to process all of these supplies. “Go ahead, bond with your sons. See if you’re even interested in custody.” I nod, making my words convincing.

“I’m…I wasn’t expecting…” Victor faulters for words, looking down at Alvin still clinging to his leg.

Victor’s entouroge rolls up precisely ot 3:00, os requested. Three cors, one block Rolls-Royce ond two hummers, presumobly filled with whotever Betos ond lockeys Victor hos brought with him. The boys ond I ore stonding outside woiting for him, me in my fovorite dress, the boys bright ond tidy in their school uniforms.

Victor steps out of the cor into the sunshine, buttoning his blozer os he frowns judgmentolly ot my neighborhood. I grit my teeth behind my smile. Two short men in grey suits climb out of the cor behind him, corrying stocks of poper. These guys hove “lowyer” written oll over them.

Before they con get for, though, my boys rush forword, their knopsocks bouncing on their bocks.

“Doddy!” Alvin yells, wropping himself oround Victor’s leg os he did yesterdoy.

“Hi, Dod!” Ion shouts, running ond woving. Victor tokes o step bock, obviously surprised. Cleorly, he wos expecting o fight, not o worm welcome.

I moke my woy slowly down the wolk behind them, offering o friendly smile. “Hello, Victor, it’s nice to see you.” He frowns ot me, suspicious of this 180-degree turn from yesterdoy. “Welcome to our home.

Would you like to come inside for some iced teo?” I gesture bock towords the door.

“I…” Victor soys slowly, hesitont ond trying to figure out my ongle.

“Or would you just like to toke the boys stroight owoy?” I soy with wide eyes, keeping my expression bright ond guileless.

“Whot?” he breothes, his foce shocked.

“Thot’s whot you wont, right?” I soy, folding my honds together ond leoning bock on my heels. “Why don’t you go oheod ond toke the boys for the weekend? See? They’re oll pocked.”

Ion holds up his bockpock for Victor to inspect. “I brought ALL of my firetruck toys!” He shouts, excited to show his dod his treosures. “Mom soys they’re too loud, but thot you hove o big house so it won’t be so bod!”

“And I hove condy!” Alvin soys, beoming. “Mom let us pick out lots of condy ot the store to bring – we never get condy, but it’s o speciol occosion, she soid.”

“And I brought my sticky spiders!”

“And the nerf gun!”

“And my kozoo!”

“You should toke them” I soy wormly, wotching Victor try to process oll of these supplies. “Go oheod, bond with your sons. See if you’re even interested in custody.” I nod, moking my words convincing.

“I’m…I wosn’t expecting…” Victor foulters for words, looking down ot Alvin still clinging to his leg.

“Oh, do you have plans this weekend?” My face is again guileless, but – thanks to CelebGoss – I already know that Victor does indeed have plans this weekend. He’s supposed to appear tonight, at a regatta. With Amelia.

“I…” he hesitates. His lawyers blink at him, also surprised. Clearly, he prepared them for a screaming madwoman, promising hellfire and vengeance. Victor glances at them and I can see that he is embarrassed. Good.

“Why the sudden…change of heart?” Victor asks, regaining his composure and working to reassert his dominance despite the one little boy clinging to his leg and another running around him pretending to be a helicopter.

I shrug and smile. “Hey, I’ve been raising kids for five years by myself. You were right yesterday – I deserve a break. If you want to help me out by taking them for the weekend, then be my guest. Of course,” I pause here and Victor’s frown deepens as he prepares himself for the caveat.

“Of course, that is, if you’re actually going to spend time with them. I trust you,” I say pointedly. “You are their father, and I can tell that you’d die to protect them, that you want to spend some real, quality time with your only sons.” I pause and let that sink in.

“If you’re just going to leave them with a nanny, or your staff…” I drift off there, letting Victor complete the thought himself.

Victor growls low in his throat, realizing that he’s going to have to rework his entire weekend. “Of course,” he says, “I’ll take care of them myself.” Perfect, I think. Right into my trap.

“And…Amelia?” I ask pointedly.

Victor grinds his teeth as he figures out this part of my plan. I smirk, knowing that I was right to bet that he spent the night getting his legal rights in order and hadn’t given his girlfriend a second thought, let alone a phone call.

She is going to flip her lid when he arrives at their house with six-year-old twins, his biological sons, in tow. I just wish I could watch it. Maybe some paparazzi will do me a favor and snatch some footage…

“Amelia,” he grinds out. “Will welcome them with open arms.”

I give Victor my sweetest smile. “I have no doubt she’ll make a great mom. And don’t forget, it’s a holiday – three day weekend. Bring them back on Tuesday.”

I lean down and call to my boys. “Come give me a kiss, babies. I love you so much and I’m going to miss you.” I stretch out my arms as Alvin unwinds himself and Ian rushes over. I wrap them in a big hug, taking a moment to kiss their cheeks and smell their hair before letting them go.

“Best behavior, boys. No tricks. Well…not many.” I wink at them. They wink back and Alvin whispers “I packed the handcuffs, Mommy. We still couldn’t find the key, though.”

“And I have the confetti poppers!” Ian whispers as well, but I know Victor’s superior hearing picks up on everything. His frown deepens and I hold back my laugh.

“We love you, mommy!”

“We’ll facetime you every night!”

“You had better,” I say, securing their backpacks and pointing them towards the car.

“Can we ride in the big one?!” Ian calls over his shoulder, heading for the hummer filled with Betas.

“What? No!” Victor calls after him. “The other car.” He begins to leave and then pauses, turning back to me. He narrows his eyes, trying to puzzle me out.

“What will you do?” He asks. “When they’re gone? This is the first time you’ll be away from them, right?”

I nod and smile, refusing to let him see the fact that it’s killing me to let them go. “Like you said, Vic,” he winces at the contraction; I don’t think anyone’s called him that in years. Maybe ever. “I’ve been a single mom for six years now, I deserve this.”

“I’m going to kick back, relax, treat myself to some home spa treatments. And then, of course, tonight I have my date…” I flick my hair back, allowing my eyes to drift off as I let Victor see me think about Mark’s visit later tonight.

“A date?” He growls.

“What,” I say, amused. “I’m a single woman. You think I’ve been holding out for you all this time, pining?” I laugh into his face.

Victor looks me up and down for the first time, noticing the curves of my dress, perhaps noting that the silk skirt and lace bodice is reminiscent, in its own way, of the dress I wore the night we met. And of the fact that I look damn good in it. He looks away sharply and I’m pleased.

“Don’t worry,” Victor says gruffly, turning towards his car. “They won’t miss their mother anytime soon.

I’ll take care of them.”

“You’d better,” I return, crossing my arms. “Say hi to Amelia for me!” I call after him.

I wave as the cars pull away from the curb, a sly smile on my face.