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“Be strong, Kat. You can’t fall apart. Not right now,” Rico says.
I nod once, taking in a huge breath as I try to gather my courage. “Thank you, Rico.”
“I’ll have someone bring around a car. Get changed quickly.”
He leaves and I quickly put on some clothes. And then for good measure, I pack a small bag of things that are necessary. My laptop, another change of clothes. Knowing my father, I won’t be able to return home for at least a couple of days.
He’s going to be furious. He might actually kill me.
But I can’t think about that. Not now. Not when I’m about to meet my son for the first time. I gave birth to him nine years ago. And I’m about to meet him for the first time today.
My mind is miles away as I drive towards the address Xander sent. I’m surprised I get there safely. When I arrive, I only have to state my name at the reception before I’m allowed up to the penthouse. I’m a complete and total wreck the entire ride up.
The elevator door opens, giving me a view into their home. Xander’s standing right in front of the doors when I arrive. His eyes trail over my face immediately, cataloguing my expression. I’m sure I look like a hot mess. He doesn’t look too good himself, his hair looks like he’s all but pulled it from his roots.
And yet when he smiles at me, it momentarily feels like everything will be okay.
“Hi,” I say unsurely.
“Come in,” he gestures with his hand.
I walk into the house my eyes immediately colliding with a spectacular view of the city. The far wall of the room is nothing but glass, a long endless wall of glass. I take in the dark clouds in the sky, the skyline of the city, the view nearly magical.
The interior of the house itself is large and spacious and homely. It has a large living area with a long plush couch and a loveseat. There are various tones of grey and blue in the room. The far end of it has a long electric fireplace with art hanging on the walls.
My eyes take in the artfully decorated penthouse to distract me from the impending meeting. My heart feels like it’s about to explode. The marble floors are black, streaked with gold and contrasting nicely with the entire décor. There’s an open kitchen with a dining table that can easily fit six people and stools scattered across the island.
There’s a staircase curved to the level above and I’m guessing it leads to the bedroom. When I look back at Xander, his eyes are still on me, watching me carefully.
“It’s a nice house,” I say for lack of something better to do.
“Yeah, Isabella took care of everything,” he informs me.
I remember Isabella’s his stepmother. She seemed like a nice woman. Although I only met her once at the thanksgiving dinner that ended horribly.
“Nate will be done soon. He’s a little nervous,” Xander tells me, eyes shining with sympathy.
I nod in understanding, feeling a tremble go through me. He notices, just like he tends to notice everything. It’s a little annoying.
“It’ll be okay, Katerina.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I murmur.
Then we hear light footsteps padding down the stairs. My lungs seize and I hold my breath almost involuntarily as he finally appears.
The first thing I notice are his eyes. His big green eyes that stared at me with so much wonder in them when I gave birth to him. Now they regard me warily, unsurely. He continues to stand at the foot of the steps, both of us staring at each other.
He has freckles dotting his nose. Adorable little freckles and a head full of light brown hair. It’s curly, just like mine, just like his dad. But what really kills me is the fact that he looks like me. My hands go over my mouth as a sob escapes me.
I am going to lose it.
Nate takes slow careful steps towards me until he’s right there, looking up at my face.
“Hello,” he greets politely, gently.
And because I’ve lost complete and total control of my mind, all I can do is gasp softly.
“Hi,” I finally say. “You’ve gotten so big.”
