"Already confirmed. Boss—are you sure about this? Meeting him tonight?"
I thought about Leo's laugh. The way he'd run toward that slide. The determination in his small shoulders.
"I've never been more sure of anything."
"Understood. Security detail is already in place around her building. Discreet, like you asked."
"Good. I want—" I stopped. What did I want? To protect a son I'd never met? To make up for two and a half years in one evening? "I want to know if Matteo makes any moves. Anything at all."
"Copy that. See you tonight?"
"No. After the paternity test, I'm meeting him. Taking them to dinner."
"Taking them where?"
I hadn't thought that far ahead. "I'll figure it out. Somewhere child-friendly. Low-key."
Marco was quiet for a moment. "Boss, do you know anything about kids?"
"I'm about to learn."
I hung up and pulled into traffic, heading back to the office.
I had three hours to figure out how to be a father.
CHAPTER 12
Isla
The doorbell rang at exactly seven o'clock.
I'd been staring at it for the last five minutes, knowing he'd be punctual. Knowing that when I opened that door, everything would change.
Leo looked up from his dinosaurs, curious. "Who's that, Mama?"
"Remember the friend I told you about? And the nice doctor?" I smoothed his hair, trying to keep my voice steady. "They're here to play that science game."
Dr. Romero had arrived fifteen minutes earlier, quiet and professional, setting up his materials on my coffee table. Now he stood, medical bag in hand, waiting.
I took a breath and opened the door.
Cassian stood in the hallway, dressed casually in dark jeans and a black sweater. I'd never seen him in anything but suits. He looked… younger. More human. And absolutely terrified, though he was trying to hide it.
"Hi," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
His eyes moved past me, searching. "Is he—"
"In the living room." I stepped aside. "Come in."
Cassian entered slowly, like he was walking into a minefield. His gaze swept the apartment—the crayon drawings on the fridge, the toy bins, the tiny shoes by the door—before landing on the small figure on the floor.
Leo looked up, those dark eyes—Cassian's eyes—studying the tall stranger with open curiosity.
"Hi," Leo said simply.
I watched Cassian's face transform. The hard businessman vanished, replaced by something raw and vulnerable. He looked like he'd been punched.
"Hi," he managed, his voice rough.
