Claudia sat next to her baby in a gray sweatsuit, her tummy still puffy and deflated, her chest swollen. She would feel vulnerable seeing Sienna, who had worn a silk black button-up shirt, leaving the top three buttons open, and a pair of dark gray wool pants from Prada’s fall collection. The combination was powerful and showed off her own slim lines. Her hair was pulled back in a low bun while Claudia’s was a greasy ponytail.
But the one with the upper hand wasn’t the woman in designer clothes who had summoned the new mom. It was the one with spit-up on her shoulder. Sienna would make the offer, but Claudia could refuse.
Dean, who looked more than a little terrified, spoke first. “Can I make anyone some tea? Coffee, maybe?”
“No,” Sienna answered at the same time that Claudia said, “No, thank you.”
Oh, God, of course Claudia would have better manners than her. Maybe that’s what attracted Zane to her.No, sheshouldhave better manners.After all,shewas the one who caused this horrible shitstorm threatening to sully their crisp, clean world. Sienna crossed the room and perched herself on the ottoman of the Eames lounge chair. From this angle, a stack of books on the coffee table blocked her viewof the baby’s head and torso. Now he was a much less harmful pair of chubby little legs.
Sienna finally made eye contact with her, using every muscle in her face to say how much she despised her. Claudia’s expression was appropriately contrite. Not that her guilt would help.
Dean carefully slid onto the sectional, as far from both women as possible while remaining in the room. “So, Sienna, you said you have a plan that will help everyone.”
She turned to him. That was better. Someone she could trust. Wait, no, he’d obviously proved she couldn’t trust him. Now he was merely someone she could use. Nodding, she said, “The world doesn’t want Zane to be a cheating asshole. They won’t mind if Claudia is a slut with loose morals. They won’t ever buy her music, but they’ll love the story.”
“Come on, Sienna,” Dean said. “You promised you weren’t going to attack.”
“I’m not.” She was. “I’m simply stating how people will see them if they find out the truth. They have Claudia firmly in their minds as Mike’s girl. The love of his life. The poor almost-widow, who was abandoned by the man she loves.” She was being facetious now, but she didn’t care. Claudia deserved worse. “If they find out, it’ll be the end of The Vows,” Sienna said, hardening her gaze at Claudia. “The very name of the band becomes a colossal joke. Reputations ruined. People pitying me around the globe. People hating you forever. You won’t come back from it. Zane might. Rusty and Steven will hate you both. If they do decide to get back on stage with Zane, nothing will ever be the same, venue sizes will shrink exponentially until it’s embarrassing. Record sales will be stagnant. Before long, everything unravels, and Dean here will be out of a job.”
Dean blinked slowly. “Okay, great, you’ve given us the doomsday scenario. Can we hear the plan?”
“It only works depending on the people who already know whose baby that is.”
Dean put both hands up, palms out. “I’ve only talked about this with Zane and you two.”
Raising one eyebrow, Sienna said, “You sure?”
Nodding, he said, “Don’t forget this is pretty much my worst-case scenario too, for all the reasons you mentioned.”
She turned to Claudia, who said, “My parents. That’s it.”
“No one else? Not, say, your doctor or a nurse in the delivery room?”
She shook her head. “No one.”
“And your parents, who did they tell?”
“Nobody. They’re not exactly proud,” she said. “In fact, they haven’t even told our extended family that I had a baby.”
“If that’s true, and if you think they can keep their mouths shut, we can proceed.” She paused, her heart pounding at the thought of getting a no from Claudia. “Because of the timing of everything, we say he’s Mike’s baby.”
Dean sucked in some air while Claudia’s jaw dropped. “What? No,” she answered. “I’m not going to do that to Mike. Not after … no.”
“Think it through,” Sienna said. “Mike doesn’t have any family left, so it’s not like he’s got a mother or someone else who will want to know the baby. His share of the royalties is set to be split between the guys, and none of them need it, but you do. We can arrange for you get all future royalties, and what’s owing from Full Moon right now, which, as I understand it, is around seven hundred grand.”
Claudia looked at Dean, her face pale. “Did you know this was her plan?”
He shook his head. “Only that she had one.”
Scoffing, Claudia turned back to her. “So you expect me to tell Elliott that Mike was his father forhis whole life? To lie to him forever?”
“Tell me this: would it be harder for him to know he’s got a father in the world who doesn’t want him or to believe he would’ve had a father who’d have loved him with his whole heart?”
“Both areawful.”
“I know it will be hard.”
Elliott fussed, and Claudia picked him up. “Hard? That’s an understatement. You’re asking me to keep the truth from my son forhis whole life.”
