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Looking around his home, there is no question that this is a bachelor pad. There are no pictures that adorn the walls and the furniture is meant to look good but not to sit on and watch TV with a cozy blanket and eat popcorn. The dining table is glass with chrome and has no place for a five-year-old to sit and have dinner. The better option is to sit on the floor.
Kalum walks closer. “What’s wrong, Aura?” he asks, his voice laced with worry. His gaze lands on Lane and then back at me. “Tell me.”
“I appreciate your concern for us but it really is unnecessary.” I look down at Lane and then back at Kalum. “We feel uncomfortable here. This is no place for me to stay with Lane. It is generous of you to allow us inside your home but like I said, unnecessary to inconvenience you. You must have a wife or girlfriend and it would probably make her uncomfortable for us to be in your space.”
Kalum glances around his penthouse, and he slides his hand inside his pocket.
Lane squeezes my dress at my waist. “Mommy, can we go now?” he whispers.
“I’m trying, baby,” I mutter.
Kalum looks nervous but then his features turn serious and hard. Almost lifeless. Just like this apartment.
“There is someone that I want you to meet. You two could catch up and maybe she can help you with Lane.”
The change of subject is unnerving, being that Lane and I want to get the heck out of this cold, lifeless apartment. My curiosity is piqued about meeting someone from my past, wondering who could possibly help me with Lane. Not that I need help with Lane. I take care of him and never needed a babysitter. Lane goes with me everywhere because I don’t trust anyone that isn’t his father. Which now only leaves me. I’m all he has left besides Exie. Lane never allowed his parents to spend too much time with Lane. Lane told me his relationship with his parents was always strained because they wanted him to take over Turner industries and Lane’s passion was street racing and engines. His family didn’t agree but he didn’t care. Turner Racing Automotive was Lane’s passion and his life.
The elevator behind opens and when I turn around, an older lady with gray hair and tan skin greets me with a smile. “Aura.”
I embrace her in a tight hug, and tears stream down my cheeks. “Oh, Camila. How I’ve missed you.” She steps back, tears streaming down her plump cheeks. She looks down and her eyes soften.
“Oh, Aura. He’s beautiful.” She leans down and Lane’s expressive eyes give her a once-over, and he gives her a hint of a smile.
“Hello, I’m Lane Turner Jr.,” Lane says in his soft voice.
“Oh, my. You are a very well-spoken little boy. My name is Camila and I have known your mom since she was your age.”
Lane’s eyes light up. “Really?”
“Yes.”
Camila straightens and gives me a sad smile. “I’m sorry for your loss, Aura,” she says softly.
The back of my eyes burn like wildfire but I have to be strong. I cannot break down in front of Lane every second.
“Thank you. He was… everything,” I tell her with a watery smile.
“I can tell,” she says.
Kalum’s voice reaches my ears as it echoes inside the apartment while he walks down a hallway to the left. “I’ll be in my office.”
“How did you end up here?” I ask her.
“When Kalum left for college, he rented a place off campus and took me with him. His parents protested, but he didn’t speak to them unless it was about the family business since—”
She looks at Lane as he crouches down on the floor and plays with his cars using the almost invisible grout lines on the marble tile as a track.
“Since I left,” I finish for her.
“Yes. Since that night, Kalum has been—different.”
I nod and figure it was because he felt guilty for some reason. He called me nonstop the next day but I thought it best I didn’t answer. Because I was never going back. I promised myself I would never set foot inside that house. I don’t regret anything because it brought me to Lane.
I try to feel sympathy for Kalum but in all honesty, I was just a nuisance for him since I entered his life and left just as fast. During the months I stayed with Lane, I thought I was deeply in love with Kalum, and maybe I was, but it was nothing compared to the love Lane showed me. Lane cared about me. He loved me and he gave me everything. For months, I thought he’d left me when I told him I fell pregnant because I thought he didn’t want me or the baby. I was a mess, but he showed me how wrong I was to ever doubt his love for me. He showed me just how much he loved me ever since. He never left me alone except when he was in his shop building a car or making it faster.
“He says you will be staying with him for a while. The media are going crazy asking questions about how you will run the company and who will be at the track. They expect you to sell and will do whatever it takes to offer you anything for Lane’s builds and his car.”
“I know, but I won’t sell it. It will be passed down to Lane Jr. when it is time. I’ll make sure of it. Lane trusted me and only me with his legacy.”
