Page 2 of I Saw Mommy Kissing Biker Claus

There’s one more thing I need from you. And please don’t be mad at me. Promise? So…I lied about Ombra. I know you’re asking yourself what I’m talking about. Okay. Deep breath. I need you to find Davis’ daddy. I lied when I said I didn’t know his name or where he was. His name is Valentino Marconi and he said he lived in Lake Renegade,Illinois. That’s all I know, I swear. I’m asking you to do what I couldn’t. Find him and introduce him to his son. And if you don’t like him or you think he doesn’t deserve to be in Davis’ life? Then so be it. I trust you unconditionally.

Thank you for being the one person I could always count on. I love you so much. Please make sure Davis knows how much I love him. He’s the best thing I’ve done in my life.

Love you forever bestie,

Kayla

P.S. The other letter I want you to read after you meet Valentino. You’ll understand why.

I refold the letter and wipe the tears that fell. I miss her so fucking much. I’ve spent all this time hating Davis’ bio dad. And now I have to find him and introduce him to Davis. Does he even deserve to know him?

Carl comes back in and hands me a bottle of water as he sits down.

“How are you doing?” he asks me.

“I think I’m in shock. I’m not mad at her for lying to me about Valentino. I know she was scared, especially after how her parents treated her. But I don’t even know where to start looking for him. I mean, I can’t just go to this town…Lake Renegade…and hope that I find him. What if he’s a serial killer or something?”

Carl laughs. “I can help you with that. I did some digging and found some things out about him. He grew up in the foster care system in Illinois. He does live in a town called Lake Renegade, it’s about two hours west of Chicago. Do you think you want to go there?”

I sigh. “I have to. I have to do what Kayla asked. And if he turns out to be a douchebag? Then at least I tried.”

“Okay. You let me know when you’re ready. I want to make sure I know where you are and that you’re okay every step of the way.”

“I just need to talk to my boss and get time off. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see if I can find more information about Valentino and about Lake Renegade.”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help. I’ll call you.”

Chapter Two

Leighton

It’s been three weeks since I read Kayla’s letter. My boss told me to take as much time as I need. Carl made reservations for me at the hotel in Lake Renegade. Davis is happily babbling in the backseat as I start the seven-hour drive. The whole time, all I can think about is having to meet this Valentino. What if he’s a horrible person? I know Kayla said he didn’t know. But somehow that doesn’t make me less annoyed at him.

I decided to break up the drive into two days. I have to stop often to get Davis out, change him and we need to eat. When we get to a roadside motel, I finally relax a little. Looking at Davis, I see Kayla in him and I’m so sad that he won’t remember her. I talk to him about her every night so he’ll always know how awesome his mom was. I miss her so much.

I call Carl before I head out on the road again. I have three hours left till we get to Lake Renegade. After I check in to the hotel there, I’ll need to find the bakery. Carl said to go there and ask for Caitríona Bastianini. The information he found pointed to him being part of their family. So that’s my plan when I get totown. I’m really nervous. I don’t like him already, so my anxiety is high.

Doing this for Davis has me thinking of my parents. I haven’t spoken to them since I moved out at nineteen. Five years. My dad was a mean drunk and my mom just turned a blind eye to how he treated me and my siblings. My twin sister, Lynton, and I got the brunt of his rage. Between the two of us, we tried our best to shield our younger brother, Levi, from most of it. As soon as Levi turned eighteen, the three of us left and haven’t been back. Levi enlisted in the Marines and is stationed in Japan. He came back when we lost Kayla and was allowed to stay for a few weeks. But now he’s back with his unit. We make sure to talk at least once a week. Lynton is a third grade teacher and she loves it. She lives just thirty minutes from me. As for me, right now I work as a secretary at a law firm. They’re a great firm to work for, they always give me time off when I need it. Especially if it’s for Davis.

Lake Renegade is gorgeous. There’s all kinds of businesses and as I drive through the town, I see the bakery. Precious Risings, such a cute name and it’s right across from the hotel. I get us checked in and relax a bit. I’m nervous about heading over to the bakery. But I need to just get up and do it. The faster I do? The faster I can go home.

I give Davis a bath and get us both dressed.

“Okay little man, are you ready?” I smile at him and kiss his face.

Davis laughs and hugs me. I love him so much.

“Time to go and get this over with,” I say to him as I grab his bag and head out.

I take my time getting to the bakery, even though it’s right across the street from the hotel. I walk slowly, looking around at the town. I stop in front of the bakery and take a deep breath. Even from out here, the bakery smells delicious. I walk inside and a gorgeous woman comes up to the register, smiling.

“Hi! Would you like to sample anything?” she asks.

“Thank you, everything looks so good.” I smile. “But no, I’m looking for Caitríona Bastianini.”

“Sure, can I ask who you are and what you need her for?” a man asks coming to stand beside the woman at the register. He’s huge and kind of scary.

---