Page 118 of Packed in the Fire house

My mother hummed in agreement. “Those sorts don't like hearing the word no.”

“Exactly. Bonding with Sunny wasn't planned, but it is the best thing that's happened to me, hands-down. I wanted you to meet them, but I also wanted you to know what was going on. I don’t want to have to use your influence or your social standing to help us, but?—”

“—Our name has power, and you should use it to protect your family. Does the sperm donor have any idea what family you come from?”

I shook my head. “I thought it best to keep him in the dark for now.”

The door opened and closed, and Sunny appeared in the doorway, looking at an item in her hands. “Blaze, I found butterscotch chips at that fancy grocery store. I’m thinking I might make—oh, hello,” she said as she spotted my mother.

“Sunshine! This is my mother.”

My mother beamed, pulling Sunny in for a hug. “Oh darling, you are beautiful! It’s so nice to meet you.”

Sunny returned her smile. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Come, take a seat. We are just chatting about the best way to fix this situation.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

My mother waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, hush, child, you are family. Anyway, what were we saying?” she asked, turning back to me as she pulled Sunny onto the sofa next to her.

“That Gregory’s family knows nothing about what’s going on at the moment,” I reminded her.

She nodded thoughtfully. “That is smart, actually. You know his father wants to buy a considerable amount of land off your father? They've been proposing a business deal between us for a while. Though it really wouldn't benefit us that much, it would benefit them greatly.”

My jaw clenched. “If you want my honest opinion, you should have nothing to do with that family. I've heard the way he talks about Sunny, and I don't think it’s just him. The whole family sounds terrible.”

“Oh, they are,” my mother agreed. “They are shameless social climbers who like to pretend they are old money, when in fact, they are trashy. They place a lot of emphasis on family legacy, so my guess is, once Gregory learned he had a son, he wanted to cash in.”

Sunny scrunched her nose. “That’s not the life I want for Luka.”

My mother nodded. “That’s because you’re a good girl with a good head on your shoulders. Leave it to me. I’ll make some subtle inquiries, and he should get the message to back off. If you need anything from me, Sunny, please don’t hesitate to reach out.” She took Sunny’s hand in her own. “You’re family now, and family protects family.”

Chapter 44

Sunny

The daycare near the new house was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. Housed in a quaint little cottage, there were several rooms, each dedicated to children of different ages.

We had been led by a sweet staff member to the toddler room, where Luka would be placed. As soon as we stepped foot inside, I couldn't help but smile. It was a baby's paradise.

Brightly colored toys spilled out of containers. The floor was made up of colorful foam jigsaw puzzle pieces that made for a soft landing for any little ones who were just starting to toddle around, like Luka. Several staff members were dotted around the room, sitting with the children, playing with them.

As soon as he pulled his head out from my chest to look around, Luka was immediately enthralled and wanted to be let down.

The staff member talked to us for a good twenty minutes while he toddled around the room, grabbing different toys and interacting with the other children.

Walker lightly rubbed my back as I watched him. He could probably smell the nerves rolling off me. It was understandable,though. Leaving my child alone in a new place was always going to be scary.

Thankfully, for his first session, we were allowed to stay with him. Walker and I sat in a corner of the room with all the children’s books. Every now and then, a child would toddle up to me, and I would happily interact with them.

I had expected Luka to be more nervous, perhaps choosing to go and play for a moment before returning to see me regularly. Only, he did nothing of the sort. As soon as I put him down, he ran off to play with the toys and was thoroughly enthralled with his new friends, seemingly forgetting about me.

“Well, he certainly seems happy,” I said, watching him playing with another boy, stacking several large, colorful blocks.

“He does,” Walker agreed. “I think this could be a really good place for him.”

“He’s not even bothered about me being here. I thought he would be worried about me leaving.”

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