Maid To The Billionaire

The Tycoon’s Love

By Holly Rayner

Copyright 2015 by Holly Rayner

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in

whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying

and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit

written permission of the author.

All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age.

Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are

entirely coincidental.

Also by the author:

The Billionaire’s First Christmas -

http://amzn.com/B00QSO9J36

The Billionaire’s Obsession – An Heir At Any Price Book One -

http://amzn.com/B00NR3JW2E

Table Of Contents:

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER ONE

VICTORIA


Baby Michael had to stay in the hospital for a few days after his birth. They wouldn’t let him leave
until he was five pounds. They let me stay on a recliner in the NICU, partly I think, because they knew
I wasn’t going to leave unless they physically removed me. I can hardly believe how much I love him
still. It’s so overwhelming sometimes there’s hardly room in my chest for anything else. Sometimes I
begin to wonder how people can have more than one child. How could you possibly open up your
heart that wide more than once… and then Alex comes in to see us and I realize that the heart really
knows no bounds. Mine stretches to accommodate him as well. I tell myself that I don’t have a right to
feel that way about him. He’s Michael’s father but technically, he’s not even my boyfriend. My heart
and brain are in a constant battle over it. He’s been here every day. He brings me food and makes
sure that I’m eating it and he holds our son and tells him about all of the things they’re going to do
together someday. It’s adorable to watch and once again, my heart swells.

I was sitting here today next to the crib watching my handsome boy sleep when the doctor came in and
Alex snuck in right behind him. My heart, still not listening to my head, sped up at the sight of Alex
and my breaths quickened.

“How is Sir Michael doing today?” the doctor asked. He’s called him “Sir Michael” since the day of
his birth. He said it’s his eyes, they make him look regal.

I smiled at him and my eyes drifted over to Alex and I smiled at him too. He smiled back at me. I
melted. Focusing back on the moment I said, “He’s perfect, Dr. Samuels, just perfect.”

The doctor grinned and looked at Alex and said, “We’ll see if she’s still saying that in a few years
when he’s sliding down the banister backwards. Raising boys is not for the faint of heart, you know.”
“I’m sure my mother would agree,” Alex said.

“And I’m sure my boy will be the best banister slider there ever was,” I told them. Dr. Samuels
laughed and unwrapped Michael’s blanket. He started poking around on his little belly. Michael
started to fuss, annoyed at the intrusion.

“You don’t like that little man?” Alex asked him, stepping up to the other side of the crib. He put his
hand down next to the baby and as the doctor pressed his cold stethoscope into the baby’s chest,
Michael reached up and grabbed onto one of Alex’s fingers. Alex’s eyes widened and he looked at
me with a look of pure awe on his face. “He’s so strong!”

Dr. Samuels pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and said, “He is a strong guy. Everything looks
good and the nurse said he is up to five point one pounds today.”

A thrill shot through me. “That means we can take him home today?”

“That’s what it means,” he said. “If you’re ready.”

“We are so ready!” I told him. I looked at Alex again. The baby was still gripping his finger. If it had
been dark in the room, Alex’s smile would have illuminated it.

“We’re ready,” he said.

“I’ll get the paperwork started,” Dr. Samuels said. “You’ve got a fine boy there.” We both thanked
him and he left. I got up and stood on the opposite side of the crib from where Alex was.

“Hey there little man, did you hear that? We get to take you home today. Mama’s got a cozy little bed
for you right next to mine…” I said.

“Please let him come to the mansion…” I looked up and Alex was imploring me with those intense
hazel eyes.

“But… I’m breastfeeding him… Alex you promised that Michael and I wouldn’t be separated. He’s
too little, he needs me.” I could actually feel my entire body going into fight or flight mode. I’d never
experienced emotions the way I have since Michael was born. I guess that’s the maternal instinct in
me.

“No Vicki, calm down. I’m not taking him from you. You can come too. Please, stay with him in my
home. I know he doesn’t need me the way he does you… but I do need him.”

Is he asking me to move in? I looked back down at the baby. I thought about the difference between
my room in Liz’s apartment and the nursery that Alex had so painstakingly designed for our son. At
his home, Michael would not only have everything… he would have both of his parents as well.

“Okay, we’ll stay… for a while,” I said. Alex came over on my side of the crib and wrapped his
arms around me. He pulled me into his chest and held me there. I couldn’t believe how good it felt.
We stood there like that for a long time until Michael started fussing again.

Alex kissed me on top of the head and then with his mouth close to my ear he whispered, “Thank
you.”

I shivered and then reached down and scooped the baby up into my arms. “Thank you… for him,” I
said, kissing little Michael on the cheek. I sat down with him in the rocking chair and nursed him. By
the time I finished, the nurse came in with our discharge instructions and half an hour later, we were
in the back of the Bentley, taking our son home.

***

When we got to the house, Alex and I got little Michael all settled into the nursery. We both stood
there staring at him and I wondered if all new parents had such a hard time tearing themselves away
from their children. As we walked out of the room with the baby monitor in tow Alex said, “Would
you like to begin interviewing nannies this week?”

“No. I don’t want a nanny. I can take care of my own child.”

“Vicki, you’ll need help… you’ll need a break at least every once in a while…”

“I’m not turning over the care of my child to a stranger.”

“I had a nanny growing up, I turned out okay.”

“That’s not the point. I want to be the one there when he takes his first steps and says his first word
and rides his first bike…” I felt tears brimming in my eyes. This was one of those moments when I let
myself remember what different worlds Alex and I came from. It wasn’t that my mother was there for
me… she wasn’t, but I grew up knowing that she should be. I’ve been away from my son for ten
minutes now and I ache for him already. Alex was smiling at me and he had a look that I didn’t
recognize in his eyes.

“What?” He reached over and wiped a tear that had escaped off my cheek. His touch was searing hot.

“Vicki, I need you to trust me. I need you to believe me when I say that I don’t want to take one minute
of that boy’s life away from you. I’d like to hire a nanny to be here to help, that’s all. We can hire her
part time and you can send her home any time you like. I just don’t want you to be so exhausted that
you can’t enjoy your time with him. I will help as much as I can, but you know that business takes me
away a lot. Please trust that from now on everything I suggest or do is not just for Michael, but for you
as well, okay?”

I felt another tear roll down my face. I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Post-pregnancy hormones I
think.” He smiled and once again he pulled me into his chest.

When he did that, all of my worries and angst faded away. After several seconds he pulled back and
said, “Are you hungry?”

“I’m ravenous!”

He laughed. “Good, let’s go downstairs and see what we can find.” I automatically looked back at the
nursery. He laughed again. “You have the monitor. He’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” I said, reluctantly. Alex was right, I knew that rationally… it was just so hard. I followed

him down to the kitchen and when we got there, I stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway.

“Oh my God, Alex! When did you do all of this?”

He grinned. “I’d love to take all the credit, but before we left the hospital I called Cook and asked
him to do this for us. Karen helped him and then she dismissed the rest of the staff so we could have
an evening alone with our son.”

“It’s incredible!” There was a hand-written banner welcoming Michael and me home, a huge bouquet
of red roses, sparkling apple cider chilling for me and champagne for Alex. I can’t drink while I’m
breastfeeding so it was so nice of them to remember that and leave me the cider. There were silver
trays filled with finger sandwiches and one with a big pile of boiled crab legs, a huge bowl of

Caesar

salad and another area with cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate
cupcakes… It was amazing. “Thank you!”

He grinned. “You’re welcome. You deserve it and as soon as I can tear you away from the other man
in your life, I’d like to take you out on a real date.”

Alex tried to no avail while Michael was in the hospital to get me to go out to dinner with him. I
couldn’t do it. I knew that it was pointless and I wouldn’t enjoy a bite, knowing that I’d left my baby
alone with strangers. I don’t think Alex has any idea how badly I want to spend time with him… but
as badly as I do want that, I want to be a good mother even more. Hopefully, he can help me find a
balance, so that I will be able to do both. For now, I avoided the subject by looking at the food.

“This looks so yummy! I’m so hungry!” We fixed our plates and sat down together to eat.
As we ate he said, “Tell me more about you, Vicki. I know that you grew up in Glendale, are your
parents still there?”

I felt the color rise to my cheeks. I didn’t like talking about my parents with my friends. Talking about
them to someone like Alex who I assume led a charmed life… that was even more difficult. “Well, I
guess since we’re linked at least for the next eighteen years you have a right to know, but please don’t
judge me by my relatives.”

He flashed his dimples at me. “I would never,” he said.

“When I was five, my father decided that being married, and especially married with a kid was not
what he wanted to be. My mother probably didn’t help the situation any by refusing to give up her gig
as a professional pole dancer.” He was still looking at me and the look on his face hadn’t changed at
all. “Do you wish you would have asked me this before we made a baby together?”

He grinned again and said, “We can’t help who we’re born to. Have you ever seen your father
since?”

I shook my head. “My mother always said that was a good thing. She said he was an alcoholic and
basically an all-around bum. I vaguely remember him… I mostly remember being afraid of him and

feeling almost relieved when he left.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, at least not that I recall. He just had this kind of menacing way about him and he was huge, so to
a five year old, he looked like an angry giant.”

“I’m sorry, Vicki. Little girls should have a father they can look up to and be proud of.”

I nodded. “It wasn’t fun growing up without a father, especially since my mother paraded a lot of
‘Uncles’ through the house every month… or sometimes every week.”

“Do you still see her?”

I felt guilty… I’m not sure why. I expected him to think poorly of me for saying yes, but I wasn’t going
to lie to him. “I do. I know that it’s silly, but I still keep hoping at nearly twenty-four years old that
she’s suddenly going to change and want to be my mother.”

“It’s not silly. It’s what we all want. I can actually identify with your pain.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Was your mother a pole dancer too?” I asked, jokingly.

He smiled. “No, but she wasn’t motherly at all. She was a stereotypical Orange County housewife.
My father was a successful businessman and he worked a lot of hours. My mother spent time playing
tennis and heading up charities and lunching with her friends; she didn’t have the time or the patience
for a rambunctious toddler. I had a nanny until I was old enough for boarding school and then that’s
where I went until I headed for college. It’s funny when you’re grown and they want to have a
relationship with you then… I don’t feel like any of us really know each other.”

“I’m sorry. Every little boy should have a mother that kisses his boo boo’s and reads stories to him at
night.”

“I have a good feeling that our son won’t have to worry about a mother who is not motherly, although
he may have to slip under her radar to breathe.”

I laughed. “I’ll get better… more relaxed… I think.”

He reached out and touched the side of my face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The
slightest touch of his hand caused my every sense to be heightened.

“Our son is very lucky to have you.”

I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “Maybe we could get that part time nanny and have a date every
once in a while… Michael might appreciate the break.”

Alex laughed. “I doubt that, but his Daddy would more than appreciate the time to get to know his
mother.”

After we finished our dinner and dessert, we went up and checked on Michael. He was still sleeping
like the angel that he is. Alex took my hands and said, “You need to get some rest before he’s waking
up to eat again.”

I nodded. “Where am I sleeping?” I hate to admit it, but I was hoping that he’d say he wanted me to
sleep with him.

“The guest room right next door will be close for you, will that be fine?”

I forced a smile. “Perfect,” I said. I know that we agreed to take this all slow… so he was right, we
shouldn’t sleep together so soon, but my hopes were still dashed, right up to the point where his arms
encircled me and his hazel eyes hooded as he looked down at my mouth. I automatically reached up
and slid my fingers into his hair. I love his thick, dark hair. I raked my fingers through it and he
moaned as his mouth came down to meet mine. He kissed me then, letting his tongue dance against
mine and then he pulled back slightly, letting those exquisite full lips graze across mine a few times
before pulling back. I was breathless and my knees were weak.

“I wanted to do that for two weeks. Since you won’t go out with me, I suppose outside of the nursery
is as good of a place as any.”

“A nanny,” I said, breathlessly. “That’s what we need.”

CHAPTER TWO

VICTORIA


The next day I went to the apartment to pick up my things. Alex insisted that I go and spend some time
with Liz while I was there. Michael was almost two weeks old and I’d spent nearly every minute
with him even though he’d just come home from the hospital. To me, that was a good thing, just
thinking about leaving him made my chest hurt. I was really unsure how I would do with a nanny. She
would probably despise me. As reluctant as I was to leave him, Alex can be very persuasive. He told
me that Michael would suffer if I didn’t take care of myself and stay healthy, and he told me that I was
“hogging” Michael and he wanted some time to himself with him. I couldn’t very well argue with
either of those since it seemed he had our family’s best interest at heart either way.

Alex’s driver took me over and dropped me off in front of Liz’s apartment. I’d tried to drive my own
car. It was another thing that Alex had objected to. He told me that he was having a new car sent over
for me. He didn’t feel like mine was safe, for me or Michael. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I’d
had my car for a long time and it never did me wrong. I didn’t want to argue with him over something
so silly though. The man was buying me a new car; I should be thrilled.

The driver told me to call when I was ready and he would help me load my things. This life was
foreign to me. I’d never been so pampered, or pampered at all for that matter. It was going to be hard
for me to get used to. There was also the part where Alex liked to be in charge of things and he
practically insisted things be done his way. I appreciated his desire to make life easier for me, but I
had no intentions of losing myself completely. I was still going to follow my dreams.

As soon as I got out of the car, Liz opened the door and threw her arms around me. “It’s good to see
you. Look at you, you look so pretty! I’m so happy for you!” I was slightly confused. She had already
come to the hospital to see Michael and she’d told me how happy she was for me then.

“Thanks, I love him so much. I’m happy for me too.”

She pulled me inside and she looked like she was about to burst. “You’re even ready to admit that it’s
love? Oh my goodness that’s even better than I thought!”

“Wait a minute… what are you talking about?”

“You and Alex of course. What did you think I was talking about?”

“Michael.”

“Oh, well of course I’m happy for you and proud of you and your gorgeous son, but I was talking
about you moving in with Alex.” When I called her about picking up my things I had done my best to

avoid the “why” of moving in with him. It was a lot about convenience still, mostly about raising
Michael… but I also couldn’t deny that I had very strong feelings for him.

“Oh! Oh no, that’s just about Michael. We both want to be with him and this was the best way for that
to happen. Alex and I are… well, I’m not sure what we are yet. We’re just co-parenting and taking
things slow for now.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because of how you feel about him.”

“I thought you were going to make me some cookies… and tea.”

“You’re not going to get out of talking about this,” she said.

“I’m not trying to get out of talking about it. I just want what I was promised. I smell chocolate chips.
You wouldn’t deny a post-pregnant woman a chocolate chip cookie, would you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, come on.” We sat out on the balcony with a plate of cookies and a pot of
tea. While I stuffed my face with cookies she said, “Okay, now talk to me.”

“I’m not really sure what you want me to say. Of course I care about Alex… he’s my son’s father. But
it’s not like I’m expecting him to marry me…”

“Vicki, you’re in love with him.”

“No. When I said that, I was talking about Michael.”

She smiled. “I know you were, but honey I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice when you
talk about him. You may not have even admitted it to yourself… but honey you do, trust me.”

I laughed. “I should trust you to tell me who I’m in love with?”

“Yes, because no one knows you like I do. You’re in love with him and if this is truly only about
Michael then you’re going to end up getting hurt eventually…”

“You mean when he brings another woman home?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“He kissed me last night. It wasn’t a friendly kiss because I’m the mother of his child. It was a real
kiss and there was real passion behind it. I don’t know that I’m in love with him, but I care very much
about him and I’m attracted to him in a way I’ve never been attracted to anyone before. I think it’s

worth exploring as long as I keep reminding myself that living with him does not make us a couple…
yet.”

“Just be careful with your heart honey. Jason did a big enough number on it.”

“I will be, I promise. What’s new with you?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she said, with a sad smile. “I went on two dates this past week. One of them
was with the guy from apartment 82… did you ever meet him?”

“Oh! The cute guy with the little Boxer he walks every morning?”

“Yeah, him.”

“He’s so cute and he seems really nice. You didn’t have fun?”

“It was… interesting. We went to a restaurant in Venice Beach where we could eat outside… do you
want to know why we had to eat outside?”

I could guess, but I said, “Why?”

“Because Louie… that’s the boxer’s name… he had to go with us. He sat on the seat between us.
Louie has some kickin’ breath and he emits gas almost constantly.”

I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my face. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny…”

“Oh, go ahead and laugh. It’s either that or cry. I always wondered why he was single and now I
know.”

When I finished laughing I said, “So who was date number two?”

“You remember Grant from my Yoga class?”

“Grant? I thought he was gay?”

“He’s not sure… I am. We went to a club and he spent the night staring at all of the hot guys. I walked
up on him getting one guy’s number.”

“Oh Liz, I’m sorry!”

She rolled her eyes again. “Me too. I attract the weirdos like flies.”

“Don’t give up. You’re amazing. You deserve so much better.”

“Does Alex have a brother?” she asked, with a laugh.

“Not that he’s mentioned, but if it turns out that he does you’ll be the first person I call after I meet
him.”

She smiled and said, “Or a cousin. A cousin would be nice.”

We talked and laughed for over an hour and I realized that Alex was right… as hard as it was to leave
the baby I needed this. I felt lighter and I suppose it’s true what people say about being unable to care
for others if you don’t care for yourself. When it came time to go, I assured Liz that I wouldn’t be a
stranger.

“I will call you in a few weeks after we get a nanny hired and we’ll have lunch, okay?”

“I’d like that,” she said. “I’d also love to see that sweet baby boy again too.”

“That, you can do anytime. You know where to find us.

“Um… yeah, I’ve only been to the mansion that once when I dropped you off… I felt out of place just
in the driveway. I don’t really fit in there.”

“Don’t be silly,” I told her, but I had to wonder if she really was being silly, or not. Didn’t I feel the
same way? I lived there now and I still had a hard time thinking of myself as anything but the maid. I
knew in my heart that I’d never fit in with the people I’d seen at Alex’s parties and the thought of
meeting his parents terrified me. When it was just me and him, or me and him and Michael, everything
was great and his world and mine melded together to form a beautiful place. But, I had been around
that house long enough to see him in his element. He’s hosted parties and gatherings that I worked at;
serving food or drinks, he was everything a man in his position should be. He was polite and
charming and a gracious host all the way around. He put on a tuxedo and wore it as if he’d been born
in it. I wasn’t elegant, nor was I comfortable in formal wear. I heard his guests talking about
vacations and new houses and cars… I wasn’t comfortable with that either, I fear that I never will be.
But at the same time, I wasn’t ready to give up on the dream of Alex, Michael and I being a family
either. It was definitely a quandary.

When I got back to the house I ran into Karen in the foyer. She hugged me and congratulated me on the
baby. It was strange and a little bit uncomfortable to be the mistress of the house where I used to
work. I wasn’t quite sure what to say to the people I used to talk with and joke and laugh with on a
daily basis. She was actually deferential to me, which really freaked me out.

“Thank you, Karen. He’s amazing that’s for sure. Have you seen him?” She smiled and her
uncomfortableness seemed to disappear.

“I just came from upstairs. I was checking on the new upstairs maid and I looked in on Mr. Reigns…
both of them…” She had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as she said, “It was the sweetest
thing I’ve ever seen. You’ll just have to go up and take a look for yourself.”

“Well now you’ve peaked my curiosity. It was so good to see you, Karen.”

“You too, Miss…”

“Karen?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Victoria or Vicki, just like it has always been.”

She smiled, “It was good to see you, Vicki. Your son is beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

I went up the stairs and down the long hall towards the nursery. On my way there, I passed the master
suite. The door was open and I glanced in. I was frozen to the spot, in awe of what I saw. Alex was
lying on his big bed, shirtless. Baby Michael was lying on his chest in only a diaper. Alex had one
hand resting protectively on the baby’s back. They were both asleep. It was literally the most
beautiful sight I’d ever seen. I don’t know how long I stood there like that… I couldn’t draw myself
away. My attention was suddenly drawn behind me where a middle aged lady was mopping the floor.

“Oh hello.”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Hello Miss. I’m Esther I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

“Hi Esther, I’m Vicki.”

She glanced in at what had me so captivated and said, “Oh my goodness, if that’s not the sweetest
thing I’ve ever seen.”

I smiled. “Me too,” I said. “I can’t seem to drag myself away.”

“Don’t Miss. Just stand there watching them as long as you can. Before you know it, that little one
will be grown with his own babies. My youngest just turned twenty-two.”

“How many children do you have?” I asked her.

“Two boys,” she smiled. Then suddenly she looked wistful and she said, “They didn’t have a daddy
around. Your little one is lucky.”

“Yes, he is.” She went on to do her work and I stood there looking at the two men I loved most in the
world. She was so right. Michael was lucky and if it meant living here forever and watching Alex
have relationships with other women… then that’s what I would do to ensure that he never had to be
without his father.

CHAPTER THREE

ALEX


I had the best time taking care of Michael while Victoria went to visit her friend. He was so alert to
be so little and when I talked to him he stared up at me wide-eyed and looked like he was taking in
every word. It was almost eerie to look down at eyes that were so similar to my own. The only
difference between them was that his held an innocence that mine had long since lost.

When he got hungry, I fed him the bottle that Vicki pumped before she left. He ate it like a champ and
then we lay down on my bed to have a talk and he fell asleep on my chest. I didn’t have the heart to
move him and before I knew it, I fell asleep too. When I woke up, Vicki was sitting by the bed
watching us.

“Hi, how long have you been home?”

She shrugged. “An hour or so. I lost track of time watching the two of you.”

I looked down at Michael. He was beginning to wake up, stretching and wiggling in that way
newborns do. He amazed me like nothing in my life ever had. I would be eternally grateful to Vicki
for giving him to me. “He’s something, isn’t he?”

“He sure is.” I looked up at her and she was looking at me, not the baby. She smiled and then she
stood up and scooped him off my chest. Holding him in one arm, she leaned down and pressed her
lips to mine. It was a soft, sweet, intimate kiss… nothing that should have excited me too much… but
it did. I found myself wanting her more and more with each day that passed, but I had to examine my
feelings and make sure that this was about me wanting her and not me being grateful, or her just being
convenient. She’s the mother of my son and she’s a good mother. The last thing I ever want to do is
hurt her.

“That was nice,” I told her. I sat up and said, “What time is it?”

“Around three.”

“I have an idea… if you’re up for it.”

“What’s that?”

“Maybe after you feed him and get him settled back down… Karen could watch him for a bit while
you take a walk in the gardens with me? I could ask Cook to pack us some snacks and we could have
a little picnic by the pond?”

She smiled and her eyes lit up. “I’d like that a lot,” she said. I was happy and surprised. I’d almost
expected her to refuse to leave Michael again. I suppose it was because we weren’t going that far, or
away for that long.

“Great!” I reached for my shirt and pulled it on. “I’ll go talk to her and cook and set it up.” She
started out of the room and I said, “Vicki?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for him.”

She laughed. “You put in half the genes you know.”

“I know, but you could have… you didn’t have to let me…”

“It’s okay, I know what you mean. Just so you know I’m so glad that I did. I think he’s so lucky to
have you. We both are.” She left with the baby and a smile that made me feel warm all over. I think
this past couple of weeks with her and Michael have been the most truly contented moments of my
life. I wanted it to be like this forever… only I was beginning to want more. I didn’t want to rush her
and scare her… but I am not sure how much longer I’d be able to keep those kisses chaste.

I asked Karen and she said she’d love to watch Michael for an hour or two. Cook set about packing a
basket full of delicious snacks and by the time Vicki finished feeding Michael, everything was ready.

We walked away from the back of the house towards the gardens that I regrettably didn’t usually get
enough time to enjoy. When I first bought the house I’d had grand delusions that Cassandra and I
would live here forever and that we would raise children here. I had the gardens designed with
walking paths and clearings around the pond where the lawns were lush and green and just perfect for
a picnic on a beautiful day. We walked along one of the brick paths and the smells of the flowers
wafted around us in the breeze. The fragrance was soft and sweet and I could see Vicki inhaling
deeply as we passed the roses. I stopped and picked a deep orange and white one; a variety that I’d
had specially imported. I handed it to her and she smiled and put it up to her nose. I wondered as I
watched her if she had any idea how beautiful she is.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen one this color before.” She looked into the rose garden and made a
little happy noise. “Look at them all! Every color you can think of! They’re gorgeous. Why does the
gardener deliver red ones for the house every day?”

I hated to bring up Cassie to her, but in order to give her an accurate answer I said, “He’s still
following the instructions that Cassie gave him. You can let him know that you’d like a different
color… or a variety. You’re the lady of the house now.” I couldn’t really read the look on her face. I
wasn’t sure if it was shock or reluctance.

She laughed then and said, “I’m the lady of the house?”

“Well of course you are. You’re the mother of the lord of the manor and my…”

She looked at me curiously, in anticipation of what I was going to say next. “Your what? What do you
think of me as… other than Michael’s mother?” She looked like she enjoyed putting me on the spot.

“I would love to think of you as my girlfriend… to start. If that’s okay with you?”

She smiled brightly then and the next thing I know she was throwing her arms around my neck. I had to
drop the picnic basket and blanket I held onto in order to wrap her up in mine. “It’s okay,” she said.
She looked up at me with her pretty face and I brought my lips down to meet hers. She was so
responsive, I loved kissing her. This kiss started out sweet, but the feel of her in my arms was too
comfortable and the tickle in my core too powerful. I pressed my tongue into hers and she tangled hers
up with mine. Her hands went up and her fingers tangled in my hair as my hands found the bottom of
her blouse and ran up underneath her shirt and across her silky soft skin. I wondered if she could feel
the evidence of my desire against her hip. When we broke the kiss, we were both breathless and a
light sheen of sweat had gathered between us.

“I want you, Vicki.”

She smiled, “I could feel that,” she said, with a blush. “I want you too.”

“Will you stay with me, in the master suite tonight?”

“Any night that you’ll have me,” she said. I kissed her again.

“When we get back to the house, I’ll move your things in there. I’d like to have you there every night.”

She laid her head into my chest and we just stood there for a long time in the midst of the beautiful,
fragrant flowers. Vicki finally pulled back first and said, “Since we have to wait until tonight, maybe
we should finish our walk and have our picnic. Breastfeeding makes me hungry.”

I laughed. “Okay, then we better feed you. I fed the little man the bottle earlier. He’s a glutton. You’ll
need your nourishment.”

We walked until we came to the clearing by the pond. Vicki gasped again. “Oh Alex! It’s so
beautiful!”

“It is,” I agreed with her. “But you know what?”

“What?” she asked, looking at me with those clear blue eyes and her blonde hair blowing back gently
in the breeze.

“It pales in comparison to you.” Although it wasn’t my intent the compliment netted me another
embrace and another long, deep kiss. After we tore ourselves apart again I laid the blanket out and sat
down. Vicki was still transfixed by the pond and the brilliant colors that surrounded us. The sun

reflected off of the water and back into her eyes. They were filled with wonder and I suddenly
realized that I wanted to do something every day for the rest of her life that brought that look into her
eyes.

I sat out the food that Cook packed for us and said, “Would you like to join me or should I just fix you
a plate and hand it on up?”

She grinned and sat down. “I’m sorry, it’s just so gorgeous.”

I looked at her smiling face and said, “That’s okay, I know the feeling.”

She looked down at what I sat out and said, “Wow! Cook outdid himself.”

Laughing I said, “He usually does.” He hadn’t packed anything paper. There were real china plates
and linen napkins and glass champagne flutes. He remembered about Vicki breastfeeding and he’d
packed apple cider instead of champagne. There was a tray of exotic cheese and hard salami and
another of prosciutto. He’d packed a baguette and even some beautiful French pastries. While we ate,
I took the opportunity to ask her something that I’ve been thinking about. “Have you ever been out of
the country?”

She looked at me like I was crazy and said, “I’ve barely been out of Los Angeles.”

“I was thinking that maybe you and I could take a weekend and go somewhere… anywhere you’d like
to go… somewhere you’ve always wanted to go…”

“Oh, I think it’s a little too soon for that, don’t you?”

I raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. “You just agreed to move into my room.”

She laughed. “I guess that did sound a little backwards, didn’t it? I meant that it’s too soon to leave
Michael.”

“Then we won’t leave him. We’ll hire a nanny this week and we’ll plan the trip for next weekend.
Michael and the nanny can go too.”

“Well…” My phone rang before she was able to finish.

“Hold that thought… as long as it was a yes,” I told her with a wink. “Hello?”

“Alex, it’s Amanda.” Amanda is my personal assistant. I could tell just by the sound of her voice that
something was very wrong.

“Hey Amanda, what’s up?”

“It’s not good, boss.”

“Okay… what is it?”

“Variety has a two-page spread about your “love child.” It names his mother and it also says that she
was in a relationship at the time and working as your maid. They of course failed to mention that you
and Cassandra were in the middle of a divorce at the time.”

“Damn it! Where did they get their information?”

“I don’t know, but it’s pretty accurate.”

“Do whatever damage control you can. I’ll talk to Vicki and she and I will decide what we want to
do. I’ll let you know.” I hung up, pissed that my good mood had been blown out of the water just like
that. Vicki was looking at me with big eyes waiting to hear what had happened. “Variety did a story
about my supposed infidelity and the birth of Michael. They named you in it and said that you were
my maid when you got pregnant. I guess they made it all sound pretty seedy.”

Vicki looked like she was about to be sick. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“You’re sorry? For what? You didn’t seduce me… I was separated at the time and you and that bozo
you were with were “on a break.” We didn’t do anything wrong and you have nothing to be sorry for.
We have Michael and we have each other and the rest of the world can go…”

She smiled and put her fingers on my lips. “I get it. Thank you. You’re so sweet. I just worry all the
time, Alex… I worry that I’m not going to fit into your world. I worry that I’m going to embarrass
you, or cause trouble for you…”

I took her hand and I looked into her eyes. With every last bit of sincerity in my body I said, “First of
all, you could never embarrass me. You’re beautiful, intelligent, and you have more class in your
little finger than most of the women I know. Second of all, if anyone thinks that you don’t fit into my
world… they better keep it to themselves. They will be very, very sorry if I ever hear them say
anything of the sort… okay?”

She nodded, but I’m not sure she believed me. We finished out picnic, but the mood was much more
subdued than it was. When we made it back to the house, Amanda was there. I wanted to choke her
for showing up and not just calling me. I had a feeling that she was about to say something to make
Vicki feel even worse… and I was right.

“Who is Rita Lawton?”

“I have no idea….”

“She’s my mother,” Vicki said. Suddenly I was the one who felt sick.

CHAPTER FOUR

VICTORIA


“Excuse me!” I turned and ran for the stairs. I could hear Alex calling after me but I was feeling like I
was about to be sick. I ran up the stairs and vomited all of that beautiful food I’d just eaten on our
picnic. I don’t know how long I sat there in front of the toilet, but by the time I finally dragged myself
up, brushed my teeth and drank some water, Alex and baby Michael were waiting for me in the master
bedroom.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, as he bounced our baby up and down. My heart swelled. I am so in
love with him.

“I’m fine,” I lied. I still felt sick and I wanted to cry. “What did she say about my mother?”

He patted the bed next to him. I went over and sat down and took Michael out of his arms. I hugged
him to me. When my baby was in my arms I felt like I could take on the world. “She said they
interviewed her. She left me a copy of the article. I haven’t read it yet. I’m not sure what you’re afraid
she said but it doesn’t matter Vicki, I promise you. I will have my staff do damage control on this.
I’ve already called Noel, my attorney and I’ve called my PR guy Vic… we’ll get through this.”

“How will this affect Michael’s future?”

“It won’t. It’s the twenty-first century. Babies are born out of wedlock more often than not. He’ll have
every advantage, I promise you.”

“What about your parents? What must they think of me?”

He rolled his eyes. “My parents are in Tuscany and were barely fazed when I told them they were
grandparents. Being parents was inconvenient to them. I hardly imagine they plan on putting
themselves out to be grandparents. They’re not planning on returning here for anything other than a
visit now and then, so it’s not like anything can really hurt them at this point. Whoever leaked this to
the press is petty and vindictive but we’re not going to let them win. I want you in my life… in my
bed… you’re in my heart, Vicki and I hope that I’m in yours.”

I was crying… again. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to control these tears lately.”

“You just had a baby, from what I’ve read, I think it’s normal.”

I nodded and said, “You are in my heart Alex. That’s why I worry so much. I’m so afraid that all of
this mess is going to ruin what we have together.”

“Then stop worrying, now. This is not going to affect you and me and I am never going to let anything
hurt Michael… so we’re good, no matter what the article says.”

I put my sleeping baby up on my shoulder and said, “I’m going to lay him down and I’ll be back. I
know it’s a form of self-torture but I have to read the article.”

He smiled sadly and nodded. I think he expected me to say that. He leaned in and kissed the baby and
I went and laid him down in his crib. When I got back, Alex was reclining against the headboard of
the bed. I sat down next to him and he put his arm around me, kissed the side of my face and handed
me the magazine, open to the article. The headline read:

“Billionaire Alexander Reigns steps out on wife to have a torrid affair… with his upstairs maid!” I
knew that I should stop there, but it was like watching a train wreck… I couldn’t. I read on:

“A source close to the couple states that while Mr. Reigns was still married to his wife,
Cassandra, he became involved with his upstairs maid. The maid is a twenty-four year old woman
by the name of Victoria Lawton. Our source also tells us that Miss Lawton was involved in a
serious relationship with another man at the time… in fact, she was engaged! Last week, Miss
Lawton gave birth to a baby boy. Mr. Reigns was quick to dump his faithful wife Cassandra and
rush to Miss Lawton’s side and meet his heir apparent….”

I handed the magazine back to Alex. “I can’t read anymore.”

He nodded and took it. “You don’t want to know what your mother said?”

“I can imagine. I never told her you were the father of my baby. I’m sorry Alex. She’s a mess and
money means more to her than anything… looks and money, that’s what makes her world go around.
I’m so ashamed.”

“Please don’t be,” he said, pulling me into his side tighter. “We’re going to be okay… all of us, I
promise.”

***

I slept in Alex’s bed that night. Nothing happened between us, he just held me all night. It only
reaffirmed my belief that he is nothing but a good man. Everything he does and says makes me fall
deeper in love with him, and as much as that makes me happy, it makes me worry more as well. If I
were to lose him at this point I’m not sure how I would recover.

Alex got up early and went into work. I was already up feeding Michael when he left and he came in
and kissed us both and told us to have a great day. He left me with a warm feeling and an optimistic
one. Waking up in his arms made me want more than ever to believe that everything would be okay.

After I fed Michael and put him down for his nap, I showered and dressed for my day. I was about to
go down for breakfast when my phone rang. I nearly threw it out the window when I looked at the

face of it. It was my mother…I had a feeling she would be calling soon.

“Hello Mom.”

“Victoria. I can’t believe that a stranger had to tell me about the birth of my first grandchild.”

“Really? I can’t believe you gave an interview to a stranger about your daughter.”

“I didn’t say anything bad. Did you even read it? I was completely supportive.”

“You shouldn’t have spoken to them.”

“Well if my daughter had informed me of her affair with a billionaire and subsequent pregnancy by
him… I would have known not to talk.”

“Give me a break mother. When you thought this was Jason’s baby you had no interest in him
whatsoever… I quote: “I am too young to be a grandmother.” All of a sudden because you know he is
Alex’s son, you’re interested. You should really be ashamed of yourself.”

“That’s no way to talk to your mother Victoria.”

“Then you should act like a mother every now and again.”

“I’m going to write your attitude off as post-partum depression. When can I see my grandson?”

I sighed. She wasn’t going to give up easily. “He’s too young to take out yet. I’ll bring him by to see
you next week.”

“I can come see him at the Reigns estate… that is where you are living, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“You really didn’t read that article, did you?”

“It said that I was living here? Jesus!”

“There’s no shame in landing a rich, good-looking man Vicki. I’m proud of you. What time shall I
come see my grandson?”

“Today is not a good day, mother. I’ll let you know.”

“Victoria…”

“Good-bye Mother!” I hung up, cutting her off. It wasn’t like me to defy her. No matter how much
she’d annoyed me over the years I have gone out of my way to be as respectful to her as possible, but

she’d pushed my last button. She would have easily turned her back on both me and my son if he had
been Jason’s child. She can feel the brunt of rejection for once this time. I was finished.

I had breakfast with Cook and it was like the old days. He and I talked about everything and nothing
and it was relaxing to get my mind off of everything and just be silly and normal for a while. He told
me stories about the people who came into the shelter he ran. He seemed like he loved his work so
much and I knew that he did it all with his own money and out of the goodness of his heart. He is truly
an amazing person and I have so much respect for him.

After breakfast, Michael was awake so I bundled him up and put him in his stroller. He and I went for
a walk through the gardens and I think it relaxed and awed him almost as much as it did me. The
grounds of the estate were as beautiful, if not more so, than the inside of the house and I felt very
blessed to be a part of it.

When we got back to the house, I was delighted to see that Alex was home. I fed and bathed Michael
and tucked him in for his afternoon nap and then I sat down for coffee with Alex. I could tell there
was something troubling him and when I asked he said, “There was an industrial accident at my plant
in Kentucky. Five of my employees were killed and another twenty seriously injured. I have to fly
over there… right away.”

“Oh no! Alex that’s terrible, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“They’re not sure yet. It’s being investigated. I’ve been told on a preliminary basis that there was
some type of electrical malfunction. I have to go and make sure the families of the victims are taken
care of. I also have to make sure the rest of my employees are safe and that we get the plant back up
and running as soon as possible.”

“How long will you be gone?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry Vicki. I just don’t know. I know this is a bad time, but I thought maybe
you and Michael could come with me…”

“Oh no Alex. I’m sorry, it’s not that I wouldn’t love to be with you and I know that Michael will miss
you, but I worry about him so much, taking him out so soon and putting him on a plane and in a hotel;
so many different environments. I’m just afraid of him getting sick or just… maladjusted.”

“I understand. I’m going to miss both of you, a lot.”

I put my arms around him. “I’m going to miss you too, and so will Michael.”

He grinned and stretched his lips out for a kiss. I kissed him and he said, “Will you miss me enough to
maybe give me a big send-off while our son is sleeping?”

I smiled, “What type of send-off did you have in mind?”

“Well, it involves some physical effort and both of us naked…”

I kissed him again. I felt a thrill in my belly at the thought. “I think that can be arranged. But hurry,
before your son wakes up.”

Alex took me by the hand and led me up the stairs and straight into his room. I had yet to think of it as
“ours,” but I was working on it. He undressed me and I helped him undress. I lay down on the bed and
he looked down at me and said, “You have no idea how beautiful you are, Vicki. You take my breath
away.”

I reached up to him and he lay down next to me. “I feel the same way. I can hardly breathe when
you’re in the same room.”

Alex made love to me. It was sweet and passionate and everything I’d been imagining since that one
and only time we were together when we conceived Michael. When he left, I wanted to cry and smile
at the same time. I would miss him, but I would also look forward to him returning. I love this man
with every fiber in my body and I knew at that moment that I was going to fight tooth and nail to keep
him forever.

CHAPTER FIVE

VICTORIA


Later that afternoon when Alex had gone and Michael was sleeping I found myself feeling lonely so I
called Liz.

“Hi lady! How are you?”

“I’m good. I was just thinking about you.”

“Did you see the article?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry honey. Are you okay?”

“I’m doing alright. Alex has been wonderful.”

“That’s good. I was afraid I’d have to kick his butt otherwise.”

I laughed. “He’s really been amazing. But there was an accident at one of his plants in Kentucky and
he had to fly out this afternoon, so I’m lonely. I was wondering if you’d like to come out and have
dinner with me?”

“Will Michael be there?” she asked with a giggle.

“I guess I’ll never be the main attraction again, will I?” I asked with a laugh.

“Afraid not. I’d love to have dinner. I’m still a little bit leery of the mansion. It kind of makes me a
nervous wreck.”

“It’ll just be you and me and Michael. The staff leaves at seven. We’ll wait until then.”

“Okay, that sounds good then,” she said.

“I can’t wait. Thank you, Liz.” After I hung up I went in to talk to Cook and ask him to add one for
dinner. He was making Tilapia and he was already preparing it at four in the afternoon.

“Would you mind if I asked you to add one for dinner? My friend Liz will be stopping by.”

He waved his palm at me. “Of course I won’t mind. Can I give you a tip Miss Victoria?”

“Tip away.”

“You’re the woman of the house. It’s okay to be polite to the staff but you’re going to have to learn to
separate yourself from us.”

“How do you mean?”

“You don’t ask me if it’s okay to have company for one thing, you tell me you’re having company.”

“I don’t think I can do that, Cook. It’s changing my whole personality in a way. I’m not sure that living
here and being with Alex calls for that. He’s not rude to the staff.”

“Oh no, he’s never rude. But, he is most definitely the boss. There’s no guesswork there at all and no
room for a staff member to take advantage of him. As nice as you are Miss Victoria, that’s what I
worry about. I’d hate to think anyone would take advantage of your kindness.”

I was touched by his concern, but this was one of those things I’d been worried about myself. I can’t
ever imagine acting like I was “above” anyone. I came from the same place they did and my current
position was pure luck and at this point I felt tenuous at best. “Thank you for your concern. I know that
I need to be more aware of people who might want to take advantage. But I’d like to believe I can do
that without losing touch with who I really am. Besides, I happen to know that on a class to class
basis, you way outdo me anyways.”

He laughed. “A lot has been said about me over the years. The word “Class” was never entered into
any of it.”

“Well then, they didn’t know you,” I told him with a smile.

He was about to say something else when the doorbell rang.

“Excuse me.”

“Of course.”

I went to answer the door. I knew Karen would get it if I didn’t, but I was right here… I turned the
corner and heard Karen’s voice saying, “I will see if she’s here.”

Then my heart dropped down into my stomach when I heard the person she was talking to say, “Thank
you.” Speaking of being taken advantage of… it was my mother. Damn her! I took a deep breath and
stepped into the foyer.

“Oh there you are, Vicki.” I smiled at Karen.

“Thank you, Karen. I’ll take it from here.”

“Of course.” She stepped out and I waited until I heard her heels disappear down the hall.

“Mother, what are you doing here?”

She looked me up and down and then she said, “Maybe if you worried about your appearance, your
staff wouldn’t call you “Vicki.” That’s very disrespectful.”

I almost laughed. “And who are you, the Queen of England?”

“Don’t talk to your mother that way,” she said.

“You keep saying that, yet I hear you speak rudely to everyone you encounter. What is it that makes
you different to everyone else?”

“What’s wrong with you? Are you still having post-partum depression?”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Mother, what is it that you want?”

“I told you, I want to meet my grandson.”

“I thought I was going to call you when it was a good time.”

“I doubted that you would do that. What’s wrong with now, anyways?”

She’d worn me down. Cook was right; I was easy to take advantage of. “Okay Mom. He’s sleeping
right now. Would you like some tea while we wait?”

“What about a tour?”

So that she can do a mental inventory of how much everything is worth. With a sigh I said, “Okay, I
can do that.”

I took her into the living room first. She stopped to peruse the artwork on the walls, checking for
signatures and dates on the paintings no doubt to assess their originality. From there, we went out onto
the sunporch. She wasn’t much interested in plants and flowers but she did comment on how much the
skylight must have cost. I tried to point out the gardens to her outside the glass but she was
disinterested in that as well. I showed her the formal dining room and tried to skip the kitchen, but she
headed in there on her own. I reluctantly followed her.

“Well hello there, big guy!” Oh Jesus, she’s so embarrassing.

Cook looked at her warily and then at me and said, “Hello. You are?”

“Whoever you want…”

“Mother!” She was really too much. “This is our cook, Gregory Black. Gregory this is my mother,

Rita.”

Gregory smiled at her and I saw my mother’s posture straighten as she pushed out her fake boobs.
God help me. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said.

“And you as well, ma’am,” he said.

“Oh please, I’m way too young to be a ma’am… call me Rita.”

He only smiled again. I took my mother by the arm and said, “Gregory is busy. Let’s get back to the
tour.”

She resisted saying, “I can’t imagine that any room could be more interesting than this one.”

“Mother,” I said through gritted teeth. I could tell Gregory was trying not to laugh.

“Maybe your mother would like to have a look at the basement.”

“Yes, come on Mom… you’ll love it down there.”

She finally moved but as we were leaving the room she said, “I’ll be seeing more of you now that my
daughter is lady of the manor, I’m sure.”

Gregory did chuckle then as he said, “I’ll look forward to it ma’am.”

CHAPTER SIX

VICTORIA


Mom and I were upstairs in the master suite when the baby monitor in my pocket signaled that my
handsome little man was awake. She was going on about the gold fixtures and the sound of her
grandson didn’t even faze her.

“The baby’s awake,” I told her.

“Oh… yay!” She was so transparent. I headed to the nursery and was mildly surprised when she
followed me. When we got to the nursery, before she even looked at her grandson she said, “My
goodness look at this, it’s like he’s royalty.”

My head was beginning to pound. The cure for it however was quickly in my arms. I kissed my sweet
boy on his fat little cheek and said, “Hello there handsome. You have a visitor.” I tried to hand him to
my mother and she actually took a step back. “You don’t want to hold him?”

“Oh, I’d love to… but this is a new blouse, I’d hate to get spit-up on it, you know?”

I rolled my eyes. She leaned in and looked at him and said, “He doesn’t look like you, but he is
handsome. I’ve seen publicity photos of his father, he has good genes.”

“Yes he does. He looks a lot like Alex.”

The baby forgotten that quickly, she looked at me and said, “So, what about Alex? Has he proposed?”

“He’s not legally divorced yet, mother.”

“But you are sleeping in that big room with him, right?”

“Mom, I need to feed my son. If you’re truly only here because you think that me being with Alex will
benefit you financially I’ll solve that mystery for you right now. What is Alex’s is Alex’s. I’m not
with him in any way shape or form to benefit financially or otherwise in any materialistic way. I care
very much for Alex and being with him is all about that and Michael.”

She narrowed her eyes at me and said, “I really don’t know what has gotten into you. Becoming a
mother has made you hateful and spiteful.”

“Because I won’t agree to share money that’s not mine with you?”

“If you marry him it will be yours,” she said, proving what I already knew; she did expect to benefit.

“I’d like for you to leave now, Mother, and please don’t come back unless you’re invited.” She
opened her mouth to say something and I took out my breast and put it in my son’s mouth. She made a
face that told me she was repulsed by the natural sight of a mother feeding her child and in a huff, she
turned on her heel and left. I looked down at Michael and said, “Wow, if I had known it would be that
easy, I would have fed you an hour ago.”

***

By the time Liz arrived, the last of the staff was leaving, Michael was down for the night and Cook
had set out one of the most amazing looking meals that I have ever seen.

“Wow, look at all of this,” Liz said, looking around as we sat. I asked Cook to put us in the kitchen. I
knew how Liz felt about the mansion and I was hoping it would be more comfortable for her than the
formal dining room.

“Yeah, Cook goes all out. He’s really something…” I suddenly had an idea.

“What’s that look?” she said. “What are you up to?”

“I was just thinking I should introduce you and Cook. I think you would really like him and him you.
He really is an amazing man. I had never really thought about him as a “man” though until today. You
can thank my mother for that.”

She laughed. “You never thought of him as a man? Should I worry about that?”

“No,” I said, laughing. “That didn’t come out right. It’s just that he’s a little bit older… okay; he’s
quite a bit older than us so I never looked at him that way. But tonight when I saw the light in my
mother’s eyes I realized that he’s a really, exceptionally good-looking man. He’s also intelligent and
worldly. He’s wealthy and he can cook!”

She made a face and said, “How much older?”

I shrugged. “Maybe early forties.” Liz is almost thirty. She has sworn she would stay at twenty-nine
forever, but thirty will be upon her in a month.

She looked like she was considering it and she said, “That’s not so bad. Your mother was here?”

I curled my lip. “Yes, checking out the inventory under the guise of seeing her grandson.”

“What did she say about the baby?”

“That she couldn’t hold him because he might spit up on her new blouse.”

“Oh honey! I’m sorry!”

“Thanks. I am too. It would be nice for Michael to have at least one decent grandparent.”

“I know, but he has two amazing parents so that’s good, right?”

I smiled, “Yes, he is lucky in the parent department.”

Liz and I ate and chatted and then I gave her the same tour I’d given my mother. It was a lot different
however, in that Liz actually complimented Alex’s taste and said nice things and didn’t look like she
was casing the joint. By the time we finished the tour, Michael was awake. Liz held him and she
wanted to feed him so I heated a bottle of breast milk I’d pumped and she sat in the rocking chair by
the window with him and sang while she fed him. She put him back to sleep. After we tucked him
back in she said, “My uterus spasms every time I see that beautiful face of his.”

I smiled. “I thought you didn’t want kids.”

“I don’t, but my uterus doesn’t know that. He’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

I hugged her. “Thank you. After my mother’s visit, I so needed this.”

She looked at the time and said, “Anytime sweetie, but now I have to get home because that awful
thing called work will be expecting me early in the morning.”

I nodded and hugged her again. “You’re a great friend.”

“So are you,” she said. “When should I come back to meet this cook of yours?”

I laughed, “Any time you’re ready.”

I walked her out and as I was going back into the house I had the feeling someone was watching me. I
looked around and saw Liz’s taillights as she went up the drive. I shook it off, telling myself I was
just being paranoid. Once inside I locked the door and set the alarm. Then I went up and checked on
the baby. The house seemed a lot bigger at night when Alex wasn’t there. Michael was fine, still
sleeping. I kissed his little face and went into my own room to get ready for bed. I called Alex before
I lay down. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message.

“Hey handsome. You don’t have to call back, I know it’s late there… I just wanted to say goodnight
and I hope all is going well. I know what you have to do there must be so hard. I’m thinking about you
and I wish I could do something to help. Get some rest and please take care of yourself. Good night.”

I put the phone down, turned off the light and lay down in the big, empty bed. As soon as I did I heard
a noise that sounded like a door opening out in the hall. At first I told myself that I was just being
silly. The doors were all locked and the alarm was set. Alex and the staff are the only ones besides
me that have a key and the code. I tried closing my eyes and I heard it again. This time it was
unmistakable… there was someone in the house.

I could actually feel my heart rate accelerating as I climbed out of the bed and reached for my robe. I
slipped it on and made my way to the bedroom door as quietly as I could. I had no idea what I would
do when I came face to face with whoever was in the house but I knew that they would hurt my baby
over my dead body. Once outside the bedroom door, I stood quietly and listened. The sounds of my
own breathing were magnified in the quiet hallway. I didn’t hear the sounds again so I went towards

the nursery to check on Michael. The door was halfway closed. I knew I had left it open, I always do.
My heart was hammering in my chest as I pushed it open.

“What the hell are you doing?” Cassandra was standing over my son’s crib looking down at him. She
turned and looked at me and the look on her face could only be described as menacing. “What are you
doing? Get away from my son!” I must have looked as crazy as I felt at the moment, because she
stepped away. I went over and made sure he was okay. He was still sleeping. I turned on her then and
with my own menacing stance, I pushed her out of the nursery without laying a hand on her. “How did
you get in here?” I asked her, once we were in the hallway.

She snorted. “I’m still married to Alex. This is still my home. I have a key to the front door and I
know the code.”

“You don’t live here any longer. You don’t have a right to be here, much less in my son’s room. I
should call the police on you!”

She snorted again. “Maybe you should, but you won’t. You’re already a joke; the maid seduces the
billionaire and she makes headlines for a day, you’ve had your fifteen minutes of fame. It will all be
over soon. You and Alex have a beautiful boy there… it’s too bad once he takes me back that you’ll
only get to see him on visiting day.”

“You’re insane. What are you talking about?”

“Alexander loves all of this. He loves his home and his cars and his private jet. He loves his business
and his bank accounts. He loves fine foods and fine wines… he’s not going to give that up…any of it,
for you! The baby will be more difficult, but let’s face it… an unwed maid with a pole dancer for a
mother or a billionaire, which do you think the judge will give custody to?”

“Get out of my house or you will be the next headline.”

“It’s my house. Mine and Alexander’s. When I move back in, you’ll be lucky to be able to get a job
cleaning toilets.”

“Get out!” I screamed at her.

“I’m going… for now. But if I were you honey, I wouldn’t unpack my bags too soon.”

She turned then and went down the stairs. I watched her go with my heart still racing in my chest. I
was sweating and having a hard time catching my breath. I wanted to tear or break something or beat
someone up. No, not someone. I wanted to beat her up. I never liked her before, but now that she’s
threatened my child, and me I felt myself seething with hate for her. She was wrong about Alex and
there was no way that anyone would ever take my child from me.

I was finding this new world to be more maddening by the hour but I realized I’d gone from
“intimidated” to “angry,” and that was a good thing… intimidated meant running and hiding, angry

meant standing my ground and fighting for what was mine. I wasn’t afraid of her. She might be used to
getting what she wanted up until now, but she wasn’t going to win this time.


Holly Rayner