“I would understand it if you did.”
He laughed as he carried my bags into the bedroom. “It’s nice here, sure, but if you stay too long, you can go soft.”
“And you don’t want to go soft.”
He grinned. “Do I seem like the type that can be soft?”
“I guess not.”
He finished carrying my stuff into the bedroom and walked over to the little side table with liquor on it. He poured himself a whisky and held it up to me.
“To mother and father living together,” he said, smirking.
“Good one.”
He knocked his drink back.
“Make yourself at home,” he said, pouring another and then sitting on the couch.
I watched as he loosened his shirt, unbuttoning a button. I stared at him for a second before quickly disappearing back into the bedroom.
I shut the door behind me. “This will be good,” I said softly to Alexei. “This will be good. There won’t be any problems.”
And as soon as I said the words, I knew that was totally wrong.
I understood why he wanted me to stay in his room. Logically, it made sense. If there were problems in the mob and people wanted to see me get thrown out, it made sense to keep me as close to Vince as possible.
But it was also so dangerous. My attraction to him was only growing stronger every day, and I was still pissed that he wasn’t backing down from murdering the Russians. It was dangerous to get too close to him, because Alexei and I might have to run at any time.
Still, this was the right move. As I rocked Alexei, I couldn’t help but picture what I could do with Vince while living in his room.
He’d be there every morning. Maybe he’d even come into my room, wake me up with his strong hands slipping down between my legs. I’d pretend like I was angry, of course, but truthfully I’d be soaking wet. I’d been having these dreams where I wake up in bed with Vince and he instantly begins to press his mouth against my pussy, eating me with an incredible hunger.
I could feel myself getting excited just thinking about this fantasy, and so I quickly turned on the little television and sat in bed with Alexei in my lap, talking to him and bouncing him slightly.
I couldn’t let myself get drawn into any fantasies. I needed to keep my head on my shoulders, because this little game was getting more and more dangerous every day.
Three hours later and Alexei still hadn’t stopped crying.
He had started almost as soon as I’d put the television on. I didn’t understand it. I tried everything, tried feeding him and changing him, but nothing worked. I sang to him and bounced him, I put him in his little chair, I walked him around the room, and nothing.
I had been afraid this would happen, had even warned Vince of it. Alexei didn’t do well with change, and since we were in a new room, he was likely just reacting to that. He’d probably be crying on and off for the rest of the night, and I could already tell that I was in for a rough evening.
It was so frustrating. I hated that I kept dragging Alexei around. I knew it wasn’t his fault, that I needed to give him stability, but I just couldn’t. And it wasn’t like I could explain that to him rationally or something like that.
I felt terrible since it was getting late, but I couldn’t do anything. Alexei just kept crying.
Vince lasted another ten minutes before he knocked on my door. “Kaley, open up,” he said.
I went over to the door and pulled it open. “I’m sorry,” I said. “He gets like this when you change his surroundings. He likes stability and routine.”
Vince stared at me. “Give him.”
I cocked my head. “What?”
“Give him to me.”
“You want a crying baby.”
Vince held out his arms. “Now.”
“You don’t have to. I’m sorry. You can go sleep somewhere else if you want.”
He just stared at me. “Kaley.”
I sighed. “Fine.” I carefully handed Alexei over to Vince.
And marveled at how the tiny baby basically disappeared into Vince’s large arms.
“Okay, little man,” Vince said, walking away and into the living room. “I know it sucks in here, but it’s okay. Papa Vince has you now.”
I just stared, completely floored, as Vince walked around the room, bouncing Alex slightly and talking to him softly. He seemed like it was a totally normal thing for him to be doing, not at all completely unexpected and strange. I knew he was able to get Alexei to sleep the other day, but I hadn’t actually seen it.
And he was calling himself “Papa,” which was even stranger. Vince kept saying over and over that he didn’t know what he wanted with Alexei, wasn’t sure if he could be a father.
But the proof was right in front of me. Vince was wrong.
Being a father wasn’t about being perfect. Nobody was perfect, and everybody screwed up sometimes. Being a father was all about being there for your child, and Vince was clearly able to do that. When the pressure was on, Vince stepped up.