“I didn’t steal anything. I told your goons I was taking a car.” I shrug.
Kaz runs his tongue over his top teeth. His hands pump at his sides. I’m not sure if he’s trying to calm himself down or gear himself up to kill me. There’s definitely a struggle within him about what he wants to do to me.
“Sienna,” Melody whispers to me, turning to put her coffee down on the counter so she’s facing me. “You’re going to have to tell him. So just tell him.”
“Tell me what, exactly? What’s going on?” He flicks his gaze to Melody. “Is this your house?”
“No, not in the way you think. Sienna will tell you. I’m going to go check on Tommy. I’m sure you scared the hell out of him when you showed up.” Leaving her coffee behind, she walks past him and disappears down the stairs to Tommy’s rooms.
Silence stretches as I stare at him, knowing I have to tell him, but wishing I could do something to protect Tommy for just a little while longer.
Kaz tears off his overcoat and throws it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Folding his arms over his chest, he settles a dark stare on me. It’s meant to intimidate.
But I’ve felt his touch in the dark, and a man who can bring my soul alive like that isn’t a man I need to fear.
“Do you want some coffee? We just made a pot before you arrived,” I offer.
“No. I just want the truth.”
“Okay.” I gesture to the table. “Sit down if you want.”
“Just tell me.”
I roll my eyes. If he could leave the ogre behind for just a few minutes, talking to him would be so much easier. It would make bridging this gap he’s put between us after he saw me walking down that aisle, possible.
Maybe he if could try just a little to bring back the Kaz I met at the club, we could make our time together more tolerable.
“You hate my family.”
He arches a brow. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“It’s why I didn’t tell you about Tommy right away. You hate my family, and I have to assume that hatred flows to him.”
“Keep going.” He tightens his arms around his chest, settling in for whatever I’m about to tell him.
He probably still thinks Tommy’s my son.
“Tommy is six years old. He’s deaf. And he’s Tony’s son.” I lay it out.
“Your brother had a son?”
“Yes.” I nod. “No one knows about Tommy. Tony was adamant no one would. When it was discovered that he would never hear, Tony wanted nothing to do with him.” I pause a beat. “I think that was just an excuse. He wanted nothing to do with him to begin with, but Uncle Vicente demanded Tony not abandon a DeAngelo son.”
“Until the son came with an imperfection?”
“Yes.” I nod, resting my hands on the chair back and leaning on it. “Tony had no relationship with Tommy’s mother. She was just a woman he’d been with a few times. He had no intention of marrying her or anything like that. So, he set them up with a place to live and sent a check every month. But she died last year.”
His jaw ticks. “How did Tommy end up here and who is that woman?”
“Melody is his personal aid. When Marie, Tommy’s mother, died last year, Tony hired Melody to be his full-time caregiver. That way he could just keep writing checks without having to actually be a father.”
“Why not put him in an institution?”
“In a full time care facility there would be paperwork, something that could lead anyone who wanted to find Tommy to my brother.” I lift a shoulder. “He said he was protecting him from his enemies, but I know Tony better than that. This was his way of putting Tommy somewhere he couldn’t be found and wouldn’t be used against him. It wasn’t for Tommy’s safety; it was for his.”
“With your brother gone, you’re the kid’s guardian now.” He lifts his chin.
I leave the thought hanging in the air, watching him consider what that might mean for him. Part of me expects him to get angry. To demand I leave him in this place and never bring Tommy up again.
