Ciara
I’m so frightened that I can’t breathe. The questions start to blur together so all I hear is “Ciara “Baby Mama” and “Hooker” over and over again. Where is Evans? Out of nowhere there’s a firm hand gripping my shoulder. I scream as I’m pulled through the crowd. Is a paparazzi trying to kidnap me and Alfred? In broad daylight?
Henrik is suddenly inches from my face. He’s wearing huge sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low. In all the commotion, I didn’t notice a town car idling at the end of the driveway. Henik pulls me down the drive and into the car. “Hurry!” he shouts, sliding in behind me. The reporters follow us every step, but Henrik slams the door shut and the car hurtles away as I clutch Alfred tighter. The driver puts up the privacy screen as a courtesy.
“What the hell was that all about?” I ask. My breath is coming in short little
Henrik smile. “Welcome to the Leonards family. Never a dull moment.”
Wow, someone’s gotten used to all of this. “I can’t believe you’re so casual. They were like a pack of wild dogs.” With big teeth and hungry starving eyes. Except these people were hungry for answers about my personal life. I almost wish I could go back to being an anonymous nursing student, watching crappy movies with Adam and eating cold pizza from the student center. I nuzzle Alfred’s head. But then I wouldn’t have Alfred. I love him more than anything in the world. And I’ll do anything to protect him. I shudder to think what would happen if one of those reporters had injured us. Evans would have been furious.
“I wasn’t always,” Henrik says seriously, shaking me out of my anxious thoughts. “But when you’re raised to be in the spotlight you also learn how to avoid it when necessary. My first pro tip is to buy a baseball cap and big sunglasses. Maybe Alfred needs a hoodie to cover his face. Or a large scarf to wrap around him.”
I can’t tell if he’s kidding. I sink into my seat and try to calm down. I find myself staring at Henrik as I breath in and out. It’s easy to see how he found a career as a model; he’s truly stunning. He and Henrik have the same mesmerizing blue eyes. They’re almost too blue to be real.
“Where are we going?” I ask to break the silence.
“I thought we could hide out at my mom’s for a while,” Henrik says. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the best place I can think of.”
Ugh. Rosa’s. She’ll probably judge the fact that I’m in jeans and not an evening gown or a smoking jacket or whatever. Even though things with her have thawed a bit, I’m still never fully comfortable around her. But I guess Alfred deserves time with his grandma. Henrik must see my face because he pats my knee.
“Relax. My mom’s a pain, but she’s also understanding when it comes to how the press goes after the Leonards.”
A few highways and a left turn later, and we’re pulling into Rosa’s driveway. Henrik hops out of the car and leads the way up to the front door and rings the doorbell. He doesn’t have a key?
A housekeeper answers the door. “Mr. Leonard and Ms. Damien, hello. May I take your coats?”
I pass the woman my coat as Henrik says, “Thanks, Tia.” I nod my thanks at her; I’m still too shaken to speak. He pulls on my hand and tugs me through the foyer, then the kitchen, until we finally hit the den. The entire house smells woodsy and warm, like there’s a special scent pumped through all of the vents. There’s a huge white couch in the middle of the room that looks like a cloud and probably cost twenty times my rent in my first apartment with Adam. I can’t imagine a baby ever being comfortable in this house. I’m a grown woman and I’m terrified of accidentally breaking something.
Rosa is sitting on the couch in black pants and a long gray cardigan. Discreet diamond earrings are in each ear and she’s wearing a thick silver choker. There’s a glass of red wine on a small marble table in front of her. It’s stained with her signature bright red lipstick.
“Hi, Mom,” Henrik says. “Hope we’re not interrupting anything.”
“Henrik” Rosa sniffs. As she stands up I notice she’s wearing leopard print, calf-hair slippers. I miss my mom’s fuzzy socks from the C-Mart. Rosa hugs Henrik and eyes me and Alfred. I haven’t put him down this whole time. He’s like my security blanket. “Hi Ciara.” She rounds back to look at Henrik. “Henrik, you should change hairdressers. It looks like you’re trying too hard to be cool.” I laugh internally. Henrik’s monthly haircut probably costs as much as the new iPhone.
Henrik rolls his eyes at me. “Ciara, Alfred, and I dropped by because there are a ton of paps outside of Evans and Ciara’s house. So they’re gonna hang out here for a while until things are calmer.”