Page 25 of Be My Traitor

Don’t be silly, Ivy. You’re not going to bother Ivy over something as stupid as this!

But what did you wear for a date-not-date with your daughter’s father where you wanted to look good, but not like you’d made any effort?

I pulled open drawers, tossing tops onto the bed as I rejected one after another for not being quite right. In the end, I decided to go with my favourite pair of jeans teamed with a dark blue blouse with ruffles at the neck. I loved the jeans because they hugged my bum and made me look like I had the perfect hourglass figure while the blouse meant that if we ended up doing something messy, it wouldn’t show the stains too badly. The fact that it outlined my breasts in a way that was subtle yet sexy had nothing to do with my decision…

I slicked on a bit of lip gloss and mascara, quickly bundling up my hair in a messy bun. Pulling out a couple of tendrils for that tousled look, I nodded with satisfaction at my reflection in the mirror.

“Not too shabby.”

I headed back downstairs and out to the garden where I found Lucas pushing Amber on the swing.

“I’m impressed.” Lucas looked over his shoulder at me when he heard me coming. “You said you’d be five minutes and were only ten. That must be a record.”

“Oh, shut up,” I said affectionately, coming to stand next to him. Amber was loving having her dad push her on the swing and she giggled, kicking her legs as she shouted for him to push her higher.

“We need to go,” Lucas said, grabbing hold of the swing and expertly bringing it to a halt.

“But I was having fun.” Amber pouted. “Can’t you push me a little bit more? Just a couple of pushes?”

“If I do that, there might not be enough time for me to show you everything I’ve got at my house for you,” Lucas warned.

“Let’s go!” Amber didn’t need to think twice as she ran back inside as fast as her little legs would carry her.

Lucas reached for my hand and I let him take it, the pair of us walking leisurely after our child. We didn’t talk. I had nothing to say and Lucas seemed content to enjoy the moment, but it felt good to feel like I was in an actual relationship with someone who wanted to do the little things like walk hand in hand together.

“What took you so long?”

Amber was standing by the front door with her coat on all ready to go, impatiently waiting for us to catch up.

“You’re just too quick for me,” I told her. “Mummy’s old and can’t walk very fast. I can’t keep up with you. You know you run faster than lightning!”

“I do, don’t I?” Amber said proudly, immediately mollified by the compliment.

“So are my two favourite girls ready for an afternoon of fun?” Lucas asked, as he opened the car door for Amber to get in. There was a booster seat all ready and waiting for her and he strapped her in while I got in the front passenger seat. Once he’d secured Amber in place, Lucas got behind the wheel.

“No driver today?” I asked.

“I felt like enjoying a family drive with no interference,” Lucas replied, starting the engine. “Besides, it’s probably a good idea that Amber experiences more normal ways of getting around in riding in limos all the time, keep her grounded, you know?”

“You’re the one who drives in limos,” I countered, bristling at the implication I’d spoiled her. “Amber and I very rarely use them unless it’s a special occasion.”

“Grandpa has a limo,” said Amber from the back seat as Lucas pulled out. “He says it’s the only way a Knight should travel. I like Grandpa’s limo. It’s got lots of sweets in it!”

“Yes, and Grandpa knows that you’re not supposed to have too many sweets,” I said darkly. “If he’s keeping a stash in his limo for you, I’ll have to have a word with him.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds like Grandpa’s in trouble.”

Amber laughed at Lucas’s joke as we drove out of the Knight estate and headed in the direction of his house. One of the reasons why I’d agreed to come along for the afternoon was because I was curious to see where Lucas lived. The Donatellos weren’t one of the Big Four families in King Town, so he didn’t own any of the ancestral land which traditionally belonged to the Houses. The estates were a show of status and only the Big Four were allowed to live in the large mansions set in acres of land. While there were other impressive properties in the town, these were reserved for those who held high status within the Houses, and I hadn’t heard of anyone selling any of those large homes. I couldn’t see Lucas living in the suburbs, though.

I gazed out of the window, trying to guess where we might be going from the direction we were heading. We seemed to be driving towards the Archaic part of town, but that didn’t make any sense. Ivy wasn’t going to give her ex-husband a home on her estate. Lucas and Amber were too busy singingThe Wheels on the Busfor me to ask him where we were going, so I watched the scenery passing by, waiting for us to arrive at wherever it was we were going.

It wasn’t long before Lucas turned off the main road and went down a narrow country road. I crossed my fingers and hoped we wouldn’t encounter a car coming in the opposite direction. I didn’t relish the idea of having to reverse all the way back to where the road was wide enough to pass. However, the road was deserted and we followed it until it ended in a large, wrought iron gate. Lucas pressed a button on the top of the dash and the gate slowly pulled back, letting us in. Lucas slowly nudged the car forward until the gate was completely open, then he followed the road a little further until we came to a large house with a number of outbuildings. Lucas pulled into a garage next door to the house and switched off the car engine.

“Here we are,” he announced. “Home sweet home.”

“I had no idea this house was here,” I told him. “My father pays attention to all the property sales in the area and I’m sure he would have jumped at the chance to buy something on the outskirts of Archaic land.”

“Who says I bought this place?” Lucas asked, as he got out and went round to get Amber out of her seat.

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