That man was a total mystery to me. One second he was bringing me in under his protection and the next he was denying that Alex was even his son. It was so obvious that Vince was the father, and yet he insisted on the paternity test.
That was fine. I had no problem with it. I understood his hesitation; we had used a condom, after all, but condoms sometimes break. Especially when you fuck as rough and dirty as Vince did.
I sighed to myself, rocking Alexei, when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I called out.
Sonya opened the door and smiled in at me. “How is everything?” she asked me.
“We’re good,” I said. “He was a little fussy earlier.”
She walked over and sat down beside me. “Fed him already?”
I nodded. “And burped and changed him already.”
She laughed. “Healthy little guy. And so good, too.”
“He wasn’t good last night,” I mumbled. “Kept me up all night.”
“Do you want a break? I can take him while you nap.”
I bit my lip. “No. That’s okay.”
She smiled at me. “Give in, dear. Not many single mommies get this sort of help in the beginning.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s just, I don’t really know you. And this is all so strange and new.”
She nodded. “I understand. Would it help if you got to know me a bit?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
She smiled, looking down at Alex. “Well, I’m fifty-five years old. My father was a Russian immigrant and my mother was a second-generation Polish woman. I grew up here in the city. My dad was a meatpacker and my mom worked as a seamstress.”
“Classic immigrant story,” I said, laughing.
She smiled. “It really was. I had a good childhood, got married when I was twenty-two, and had three kids.”
“Where are they now?”
“Well, two are off living in different cities. Jason, my oldest, is a cook in Los Angeles. Russ, my youngest, is a financial advisor in Philadelphia.”
I laughed. “Wow. You must be proud. But you said you had three?”
She nodded, still smiling, but there was a sadness in it. “I had a little girl, Missy. She died when she was just a baby.”
“I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay. When Missy died, I went into the childcare industry full time. I’d been working part time, but I decided to dedicate myself to helping parents, because I didn’t want anyone to feel the way that I did.”
“How did you end up here?”
She laughed. “Working for mobsters? Well, I was taking care of Lucas, actually. I didn’t know who the Barones were back then, of course. But when they built this place, they asked me to come and work for them.” She smiled and shrugged. “They offered a lot of money. I couldn’t say no at the time, and here I am today.”
“How did you end up taking care of Lucas?”
“Word of mouth,” she said. “Clients recommended the Barones hire me, and the rest is history.”
I nodded. I liked that she was a mother, and although I hated that she’d lost a child, it did make me like her a bit more. I couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a baby, and it was really amazing of her to dedicate her life to being around children.
“Want to hold him?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said, smiling.
I handed Alex over and she rocked him slightly, cooing down at him.
“Such a pretty boy,” she said softly in Russian.
“Thank you,” I said to her in Russian.
“It’s my pleasure,” she responded in Russian.
I looked up as there was another knock at the door. Sonya smiled. “You’re popular today.”
“I have a feeling I know who this is.” I stood up and walked over, opening the door.
Vince grinned in at me. “Ready?” he asked.
“For what?”
“Your tour.”
I looked in at Sonya and she smiled at me. “Go,” she said. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine with him.”
“What if something happens?” I asked her.
“Nothing will happen.”
“If it does? Can you call me?”
“I’ll send the staff to get you immediately. But don’t worry.”
I sighed and turned back to Vince. “Okay, you wore me down. Let’s go.”
“Excellent. Sonya.” He smiled and nodded at her.
“Have fun.”
He turned and walked away, and I hurried to follow him, the door clicking shut behind us.
I felt terrible leaving Alex like that. I hadn’t been away from him for more than a few minutes since he was born. Nobody had wanted to help raise him back home, and so it was left entirely up to me.
I had never thought I’d be apart from him. It felt so strange to walk away, just leave him in the care of someone I barely knew. But I trusted Sonya, and I liked that she spoke to him in Russian even though I barely spoke the language.
I was sure that the Barones chose her because she would put me at ease, and although that probably should have made me a little paranoid, somehow it didn’t bother me. Because I liked her and trusted her.
Vince looked back at me. “Feel good?”
“What?” I asked.
“Feel good to be away from your burden?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “No, actually. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“Come on, you’ll like this. Try and relax, princess.”