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A cell beeping drags me out of my musings, and my gaze lands on my brother. His eyes move over the screen before they widen, and his jaw clenches.
“Thalia?” he says through gritted teeth.
“Yes?” she responds, but her voice sounds off.
Evan's jaw twitches. “Why is there a story in some trashy tabloid saying that you are dating Theodore Rhodes? That you had an affair with him behind his girlfriend’s back?”
My mouth drops open, gaze shooting to my sister before it flies to my father when he barks, “What?”
There’s a flurry of movement and shouting, and then Thalia leaves to go and pack up the apartment she has been sharing with François. Falling back in my seat, I blow out a breath. After this drama, we will have to talk to my parents tomorrow.
Little did I know, tomorrow would never come.
“Can you believe this?” I screech as I pace the lounge in our apartment. Thalia, Theo, my mother, brother, and father watch me like I am about to break. I won’t, but I am pretty fucking mad right now. “Someone leaked this. They said theirsource,” I growl as anger courses through me that someone has betrayed me. I think over all the people that know about my son. A handful of friends. My family. Our security. I know without a doubt it wasn’t someone in this room or anyone on our security team, so it must be someone I considered a friend.
My father pushes out of his chair and steps in front of me. “Sweetheart, calm down. The article is not ideal, but it was bound to happen at some point. You couldn’t keep Baron hidden forever.”
My shoulders sag, and I inhale a breath. He is right. I just expected more time before the tabloids caught wind. I am not stupid; I knew it would happen. I’ve been walking around the city for nearly two weeks and am surprised I got away with it this long. It just hurts that someone I trusted has spoken out and deceived me. “I know. I just needed a little more time. Baron doesn’t deserve to be hounded by the press, and I know we will be now that they know he exists. I can’t keep him cooped up in here for the rest of his life. But I know that the paps will follow our every move when we step outside because it’s a new story, and they want the details…” My eyes move to my son who is sitting on my brother’s lap, oblivious to what is going on.
I sigh, feeling defeated. “Maybe we should go back to Wellington.”
Papa’s hands clamp down on my shoulders. “Absolutely not. You are a Maxwell, and you will not hide. You havenothingto be ashamed of. You will carry on as you are. Enjoy the city with Baron, finish school, and start on the Aria exclusive line for Maxwell’s jewelers. You are my daughter, and you are strong. You’ve got this sweetheart.”
I nod, sucking in a breath. “I’ve got this,” I repeat, even though I am not sure. If it was only me, I would have no problem with getting on with it and facing the sharks with cameras. I just don’t want my son exposed to the world and harassed by people wanting their pound of flesh because they think they are entitled to it since I am a Maxwell.
“Dad’s right. Don’t run away. Your life is in New York. You shouldn’t have to hide,” my brother adds.
I turn to him with a smile as he bounces Baron on his knee. Closing the distance between us, I scoop my son up in my arms and nuzzle his neck. He squeals, making me chuckle. Nothing else in this world matters apart from whether he is happy. I would do anything for my son and anything to protect him.
“You know you are always welcome in Wellington, Aria, but I have to agree with Papa and Evan,” my sister says. Glancing over Baron’s shoulder, I meet her eyes.I flove you,she mouths, making my mouth curve into a grin.
“We are all here for you, tesoro, and we are not going anywhere. We can’t make you stay in the city, but I think you need to be around your family. I have plenty of time off for the foreseeable future, and I intend on spending as much time with my grandson as possible. You can go back to school instead of finishing it online, and I can look after Baron. It makes sense, Aria, and like everyone else, I agree. You can’t hide for the rest of your life.” I hear the plea in Mama’s voice. She wants to be around her grandchild. I can’t take that away from her.
Straightening my shoulders, I blow out a breath as I make my decision.
I am staying in the city and will face everything that comes at me head-on.
No more hiding.
No matter what that brings.
* * *
A couple of days later, I am heading to the college campus to speak with the dean about finishing school on campus after the holidays. Giving birth to Baron and living in Wellington meant doing school online and falling behind. I am mostly caught up now, but it’s time to get back to some normality, and that means going back to school. Mama is looking after Baron today, and she insisted she will be able to watch him when I go back to class, which will help me immensely. I don’t like the thought of leaving him with a stranger.
Strolling down the hall to Dean Goldstein’s office, I find his secretary outside. She smiles when she spots me. “Miss Maxwell, you can go on through. Mr. Goldstein is expecting you.”
“Thank you, Nancy,” I say with a smile before turning to Edward. “Why don’t you take a seat out here? I shouldn’t be long.” Edward nods and takes a seat.
Stepping up to the door, I knock and wait. Not a second later, a masculine voice says, “Come in.” Pushing down the handle, I open the door and step inside. Dean Goldstein glances up from his computer. “Ah, Aria. It is good to see you.” He waves a hand to the chair in front of his desk. “Take a seat.”
Shutting the door, I make my way over and drop down. “Likewise. It’s good to be back.”
He nods, leaning back in his chair. “What can I do for you?”
“I want to finish school on campus. I know I have some catching up to do, but I think it will be better for me to be here instead of continuing classes remotely.”
He eyes me for a long beat before speaking. “Sure, I can arrange that for you. But I do have a concern. I saw the article about your son. Are you going to be able to manage school and a child? We do have a creche on campus, but I am sure…” He trails off as if searching for the right words. “You are a high-profile student, Aria. I don’t expect you will want to leave your son in a creche with people you don’t know.”
