Chapter 3
Two Years Later
“Happy Birthday, Jonathan.”
Callie gazed down at her son, love pouring from her heart. How could he be two already? Wasn’t it just yesterday he’d been born? But then all parents said that.
The small crowd cheered as he attempted to extinguish the two candles on his cake. Callie stood above him, her breath snuffing out the flames as he blew spit from his mouth. No one minded a little baby saliva with their cake. It was all part of the fun, right?
“Here, you cut the cake and I’ll scoop ice cream,” Heather Silva offered, placing paper plates on the table. Callie smiled her gratitude at her best friend. She didn’t know what she’d do without Heather. They’d been inseparable for more than a dozen years since Callie’s parents died and her great-aunt placed her in a boarding school at the age of thirteen. Heather had shown her the ropes, kept her from being lonely or afraid. She still did.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” Callie said, placing the cake in front of her son. He grabbed for it greedily and within seconds was covered in the confection. The room erupted in laughter.
She moved the cake a few inches away and began to cut pieces for the rest of the guests. It was a small group. Heather, two children from Jonathan’s playgroup with their moms, her neighbor with her three-year-old granddaughter, and Victor.
Her pasted-on smile widened as she glanced his way. Victor leaned against her counter, designer suit standing out amongst the casually dressed guests, smiling at Jonathan’s antics. He may not be demonstrative but he’d been good to the two of them. She couldn’t fault him for that. The man truly enjoyed seeing Jonathan but he also believed Jonathan was his grandchild. If he knew the truth…she didn’t even want to think about what he’d do. Hated the fact his presence was the reason for an extremely conspicuous absence.
Jonathan’s father should be here. He wants to be, but you know why he can’t. How could he show his face anywhere near Victor? I need to stop thinking about him, wanting him.
“Did you hear from Aunt Agatha today?” Heather whispered once everyone had their cake and had moved away to eat it.
Callie’s Great-Aunt Agatha had gotten custody of her when her parents died. She’d never had any children of her own and had no clue what to do with one, especially a teenager. She’d figured Callie would be better off in a school where there were people around who knew how to take care of children. Callie had only visited her during holidays.
She gave a dry laugh, looking at Heather. Her friend wasn’t actually talking about her aunt. Agatha Crumpet was ninety years old and had been living in an expensive nursing home in Maine for the past three years. And she didn’t always remember who Callie was. But that fact alone made her the perfect person to use. Well, for Jack to use. He and Callie had set up several online accounts using Aunt Agatha’s name. No one had any clue her messages to her aunt were her way of keeping Jack a part of Jonathan’s life.
“He…um, she sent a text yesterday saying she would try and video call today after the party. It’s been a while since we’ve had some face time with her. You know how much Jonathan loves it.”
Heather smiled, her eyes twinkling. There were four people who knew the true story. A knock on the kitchen door revealed the other.
“Hey, heard someone was having a birthday today,” Scott Holland called through the screen door. Jonathan waved his frosting covered hands in the air.
“Unta Tott. Tate.”
Callie smiled down at her son’s attempt at speech then beckoned the man to enter. “Hi, Scott. Perfect timing for cake.”
As he entered the kitchen, her breath hitched at the similarities between him and his cousin. It wasn’t blatant. Scott’s hair was a shade lighter and had a bit more wave than Jack’s unruly mop and his eyes were a deeper blue. Jack’s eyes seemed almost gray at times. Stormy like his mood since he’d been on the run. But the crooked smile was similar and they both had the subtle dimple in their chin. Jonathan had the start of one too.
Sauntering over to Scott, Heather placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Callie chuckled at their charade. Since Scott had no reason to hang around here, Heather had suggested they pretend to be a couple. Victor wouldn’t get suspicious and she wouldn’t have to find a reason why this strange man visited Jonathan on a regular basis.
“I’d love a piece of cake,” Scott answered, looking down as he put his arm around Heather. “I’m sure it’s not as sweet as you though, honey.”
Heather tried to keep from rolling her eyes with little success. Callie looked away, suppressing her laughter as she cut another piece of cake for their new arrival.
“Thanks, Callie, this looks great.” Scott bent so his face was level with Jonathan’s. “Is it someone’s birthday today? I brought a present but I’m not sure who I should give it to.”
“Me,” Jonathan yelled, waving his hands in the air. “I two.” Three sticky fingers flashed up at Scott.
He avoided his nephew’s fingers, kissing him on the head then mussing his hair. “Two years old. What a big boy, almost old enough to start school.”
“Oh, don’t remind me,” Callie moaned. “I’ve signed him up for three mornings a week at the church preschool. I’ll probably cry the whole time instead of getting work done like I’m supposed to.”
Victor moved up behind her and she stiffened. “You know, Callina, I’ve told you before there’s no reason for you to work. I’m happy to take care of you and my grandson. You can spend all day with him.”
Forcing a smile, she turned to face him. “Thank you, Victor. That means the world to me. But you know I sometimes need a little time away from Jonathan. I love him dearly but he’s constant motion.”
Callie forestalled the objections she saw coming. “I know you offered a nanny, too, but you have to understand I love my job and being self-sufficient. My boss has been great about allowing me to work from home most days. It’s the perfect balance for me. Jonathan also needs to interact with other children now that he’s a little older.”
She would never allow Victor to support her and Jonathan. He’d want them to move back to New Jersey with him. Her little house in this small Connecticut town was perfect for them. Victor’s mansion was gorgeous but no place for a two-year-old. And the thought of living with a mob boss sent shivers up her spine. She needed the two hours distance so he wouldn’t visit too often.
“Well, my Angelo did say you were excellent at accounting and quite independent.”
Swallowing hard, she tried not to react. Angelo wouldn’t have been complimentary if he’d known the accounting she’d discovered on his computer—information revealing who the Cabrinis were and what had led her down the road she was now on.
“Let’s clean you up a bit, sweetie.”
After wetting a washcloth in the sink, she cleaned the mess off her son. She glanced at Victor. What would her life have been like if she hadn’t discovered the crooked accounting three years ago? She’d never have gone to the cops, Angelo wouldn’t be dead and Jack wouldn’t be on the run because he had a price on his head.
But then she wouldn’t have her precious son either. She couldn’t imagine life without Jonathan. He was everything to her. Maybe she’d make some different choices but she didn’t regret having this child.
Callie lowered Jonathan to the floor to play with his friends while she picked up. Heather came over, shooing her away.
“I’ll clean. Jonathan needs to open his presents. He’s two. Not the most patient age. Go.”
“All right, but I owe you.” She found Jonathan hovering over his stack in the living room.
In what seemed like seconds, the young boy ripped all the paper off and squealed over every new toy. Scott cleared away the wrappings then returned with a huge grin, his hands behind his back.
“I was taking out the trash and I found something on the back steps. You wouldn’t know who it belongs to, would you, Jonathan?”
The boy turned eager eyes to his uncle and shouted, “Mine.”
Scott swung his hand around, a shiny, red tricycle with a horn attached to the handlebars, dangling from it. Jonathan squealed again as he ran to check it out.
“What dis?”
Scott laughed. “This is a tricycle.”
“Twitle,” Jonathan attempted.
“Good enough for now. Let’s see how it fits you. Hop on.”
As Scott assisted the boy onto the seat, Callie crossed her arms, scolding, “You shouldn’t have gotten him something this big.”
Scott’s familiar crooked grin tugged at her heart. “I didn’t. It’s from Aunt Agatha. She asked me to put it together for her.”
Nodding, she tidied up Jonathan’s toys as he was pushed around the room. Soon the boy’s eyes began to grow heavy from his missed nap and people began to leave.
Scott, Heather, and Victor were the only ones remaining. When Victor announced he was leaving, she breathed a sigh of relief. She called for Jonathan to say good-bye. He slid off the tricycle and toddled toward Callie. His attention was caught halfway there and her eyes widened with horror when he spotted her laptop tucked hastily on a shelf. Her biggest fear slipped out of her son’s mouth.
“Dah dee?” Jonathan pointed to the computer knowing this was for when they wanted to see Jack. Damn, Victor couldn’t know this.
His eyes narrowed. “Did he just say ‘daddy’?”
Scooping her son up, she kissed his cheek. “I think he said, ‘doggy’. We’ve been looking at dogs online recently. I mentioned maybe getting a puppy and he hasn’t let me forget it. But I’m not ready to take care of something else that slobbers and drools all day.”
Wiping the corner of Jonathan’s mouth to lend credence to her words, she lifted her son’s hand. “Say good-bye, sweetheart.”
Victor leaned in to pat the child’s head. “Soon, Callina, he’ll need a man’s guidance to mold him into the right kind of person to take over for me. With Angelo gone, Jonathan will inherit everything. I wish you’d reconsider coming to live back in New Jersey. I’ll help raise him right.”
Victor tried to show concern but all Callie saw was the sly look of a criminal who wanted to corrupt her son. Jonathan could not become what Victor was, she’d rather die. Why couldn’t she be brave enough to find a way out of this mess?
Because her last act of bravery was what had gotten her here? She couldn’t risk anything more now that she had Jonathan to consider. Her only hope was the authorities coming through someday. Soon.
After Victor left, Jonathan pointed to the laptop again. “See Dah dee. Mama, see Dah dee?”
She hugged her son, wanting to give him his wish, especially today on his birthday. The text Jack sent last night had been short and to the point. He’d be on after five. Callie had long ago stopped hoping she could get much more from him.
“We’ll try and see Daddy a little later.”
“Have you spoken with him lately?” Callie asked Scott, trying to keep the despair from her voice. They all hated Jack’s predicament but Callie had guilt on top of it. If it hadn’t been for her, Jack wouldn’t be running around the country avoiding anyone with ties to Victor. And Victor had many ties.
“A few days ago, he had to fire some men from the site he’s working on. He told me about the tricycle and said he’d try and see Jonathan tonight.” Scott owned a large construction company and Jack was able to hop from site to site to keep from staying in one place too long.
Heather sat next to Callie. “Someday it will all work out. They’ll put you-know-who away for good and Jack’ll be able to be here. No more hiding him in the closet.”
Scott tilted his head. “You’ve hidden Jack in the closet?”
Callie laughed. “No, but I keep the few pictures I’ve taken of him and Jonathan over the last couple years in the closet, locked in a box whenever Victor comes over. I should move them back.”
Getting up, she picked up the picture of Angelo and the small photo album she’d cobbled together for Victor’s benefit. It wasn’t shown to Jonathan unless Victor insisted. Sliding it on a shelf, she pulled out the strong box she’d shoved under the extra blankets in the hall closet then set that on the large wooden trunk she used as a coffee table. It was usually kept inside. When her son saw what she had, he lumbered over, a toy car in each hand.
“Dah dee?”
“You want to see pictures of Daddy? We can do that. He wants to be here with you, sweetheart, but he can’t. We’ll think of him though.” She said, these words daily to remind her son who his father was. It reminded her of what they were all missing.
Jonathan pouted but she distracted him by unlocking the box. He crawled on to her lap and she settled the large picture album in front of them. Her throat closed up as she looked at the pictures Jack had taken the day Jonathan was born. It had been the one time Jack had seen his son when he was that small.
Blinking back tears, she remembered the few times Jack had seen his son in the past two years. Each visit had been brief and almost painful. She allowed him to spend every second with Jonathan when he showed up. It was all he would get for a long while.
Passing the pictures she’d gotten from their video chats, she turned to the page of Jonathan’s first birthday. Jack had managed to stop by much later than everyone else. His disappointment that Jonathan was asleep was evident, so she’d suggested he look in on their son while he slept. Jonathan stirred awake and she’d allowed Jack the pleasure of changing the soiled diaper that had awakened him.
They’d played for a short while and Jonathan had been excited to see the man from the pictures and computer and had actually taken four or five steps in a row. It was more than he had ever done. Jack had scooped him up for a bear hug, proud as any dad. She’d captured the moment in a picture.
Those hugs weren’t enough to sustain her son. There was nothing she could do though. The e-mails from her to Jack were frequent and filled with details of Jonathan’s life. But other than a brief ‘thanks’ there was never any mention of Jack’s life. He claimed it was safer that way.
In all their communications, their son was all they ever discussed. No mention was made of the two of them. It was as if their relationship hadn’t happened. But Jonathan was proof it had.
She touched the picture showing Jack snuggling Jonathan against his strong chest as he rocked the baby back to sleep. Callie wanted to snuggle there too. It’d been far too long since she’d been held.
It would be longer still before she could seek comfort in another man’s arms, if ever. Her relationship with Jack was too complicated for any prospective lover to understand. But she’d made a promise to Jack and she’d keep it no matter how much the pain of never being able to have him hurt her. She wouldn’t let her son think his father didn’t love him.
Jonathan became bored with the pictures and wiggled to the floor toddling around the room, checking out his gifts. He passed the book shelf, pointing to the laptop.
“Mama, see Dah dee?”
Callie looked at the clock, it was already six. She’d been so steeped in memories she hadn’t noticed. Getting to her feet, she grabbed the laptop. As she set it up on the old trunk, she smiled at her son. “We’ll see if he’s around. You can tell him about your presents.”
Jonathan jumped up and down in excitement, waving his three fingers again. “I two.”
Heather grinned from her reclined spot on the couch. “You might want to work on the two fingers thing again. I don’t think he’s quite got that number down.”
Callie glared at her friend as she clicked on the video icon. Jack’s, or rather Aunt Agatha’s, avatar was dark. He wasn’t on yet. She flashed disappointed eyes to her son who was still skipping around the room.
Scott’s sympathetic voice drifted to her. “He wanted to see Jonathan today. Said he wouldn’t miss his birthday for anything.”
Callie nodded, willing the little avatar to light up and flash at her. Jonathan scampered around then giggled, squealing, “Dah dee!”
“Soon, sweetheart.” She sighed. “He wouldn’t miss your birthday.”
Jonathan continued chirping his daddy song.
“Hey, pal, Mommy’s right. I would never miss your birthday.”
Callie froze, her heart skipping a beat. Her head turned toward the low voice. Standing in the doorway was the most breathtaking sight she’d ever seen. Jack Holland.