“My first duty is to my son. And I’m doing the best I can by him. That includes not exposing him to a,” I cover his ears “potential homicidal maniac with enough power to take him away from me. He’s my life, and I will fight for him with everything I have until my final breath. I concede this round to you, but we’re nowhere near done. I refuse to let you make me a back seat driver in my son’s life and any decisions pertaining to him.” Releasing my hold on his ears, I step back.
“I’m sorry, Jaycee, things got out of hand. Mommy didn’t want to lose the game.” Sighing, I put on a smiling face.
“G-game?” he sniffles.
“Yes. We’re the pirates, and Lenkov is the law chasing us.”
Jaycee wipes his eyes. “He is?”
“Yeah, buddy. I have to take you in now.” Lenkov nods. He earns points for going along with my ridiculous scheme.
He tilts his head back. “It’s not real?” Jaycee sniffs as I wipe away his tears with my sleeve. “That was scary.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Jay.” As he hugs me, burrowing his face into my belly, I kiss his forehead.
“Sorry, buddy. We won’t do that anymore,” Lenkov stares at me.
“O-okay. That was scary.”
I squeeze him tight.
“We promise. We’re sorry we scared you.” Lenkov assures him. A silent understanding passes between us. This’ll be the last time he sees us go at it. But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up my right to have a say.
***
LENKOV
Everything I thought about this situation was out the window. Seeing Jaycee break down and cry with the horror still shining in his eyes over our interactions gutted me. I didn’t know how much I could care about another being until that moment. I can’t be the reason the kid is scarred for life. Unfortunately, there will be other things for me to do in life all too soon. I glance at the woman who’d literally taken a bite out of me. That fire and bravery are admirable when they’re not aimed at me. She came at me like a Viking Warrior, more fearless than most men I’d faced down. I couldn’t deny seeing her stand up for our son made me hard. Her energy matches mine, which is a rare thing.
I glance over at her using the rear-view mirror. She opted to sit in the back with Jaycee. They play with dinosaurs as she speaks to him softly. I can tell he’s still spooked from earlier.Smart kid.I clear my throat.
“You like dinosaurs, Jaycee?”
“Uh-huh. Mom and I go see their bones all the time. They’ve been dead forever.”
I snicker at his matter-of-fact tone.
“He likes the museum,” Rylee explains quietly.
“You mean you didn’t hijack an archeological dig for him?”
She rolls her eyes, but the corners of her lips twitch up. Coming on the scene and forcing her to submit to me after she’d been on her own for five years was the wrong approach. I can see that now. She’d fight me tooth and nail, and it’d be Jaycee who suffered. I want to give him the world, not rip the only one he’s known to shreds. This is going to take a gentle hand.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. Going to the family right now would ask for trouble. We’ve got to come to an agreement before others are involved. It’s a tough pill to choke down. I’m not used to thinking about what others want. I grit my teeth. Never had I imagined that the mysterious woman who’d rented a room in my brain and refused to leave would return and bring total upheaval with her. I pull up to the two-story, five-bedroom, three-bathroom home with the theater, pool, and game room.
“This is your house? It’s like a white castle. Do you have dinosaur bones?”
“Take a breath, little man. When we get inside, I’ll give you a tour.” I smirk as I type in my code. “I have security a lot like the museum. There’ll be two men who keep watch around the castle. Iosif and Gennady are very nice. They might look like giants, but you don’t need to be afraid of them.”
“You have giants?” Jaycee whispers in awe. He turns to Rylee and grabs my arm. “Mama, are we in a fairytale?”
She smiles sadly. “No baby, there’s no King, Queen, or white horses.”
“I think you’re a pretty princess, mama,” he whispers innocently.
“Well, you are certainly a handsome little prince.” She tweaks his nose, and he giggles.
The gate swings inward, and I drive onto my property, continuing down the road and into the four-car garage waiting for us. Lowering the door behind us with a button, I kill the engine and unbuckle my seatbelt. Exiting the car, I walk to the rear passenger door and open it. They pile out, and I snag the book bag from Rylee.