Man of the House: A Dark Bad Boy Romance(83)

“Fuck. Turn the car around; we have to head back.”

“Whatever you say.”

I was a father.

Alexei really was my son.

I knew it was true. As soon as I saw her with that baby in her arms, I knew he was my son. I had never really believed she was lying, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been interested in taking her in.

Still, it was hard news to swallow. I had gone from a man who could have and take whatever I wanted to a father. There was a child out there in the world, living right down the hall from me actually, who would call me daddy and depend on me.

I had to take care of another living human being.

I had no clue what I wanted from Kaley or what she thought of me. I didn’t know if I could be a father, if I even had it inside me.

I was a hard man. I didn’t live by normal rules. Lucas had figured out how to be a mobster and a father, but it had softened him.

I didn’t want to be soft. I had worked too damn hard to get where I was. Lucas didn’t have to worry since he was a Barone. But me, I couldn’t afford to calm down. I had to keep moving, keep cracking skulls, keep fighting for every inch the world gave to me.

And a son would slow me down. He would soften me.

But he was my responsibility. I was torn in half trying to figure what the f*ck I should do.

We sped back toward the mansion, back toward my responsibility, and I had no clue what I was going to say or do.

But I had to see her. Kaley, the mother of my child.

And Alexei, my f*cking son.



I knocked on her door, and I felt f*cking nervous.

Vincent Mori, f*cking nervous to see a baby.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen him before. This wasn’t a new thing. But now I knew that I was the kid’s father, so everything just felt different.

I’d gone into drug deals, bought and sold weapons, even killed men and never once felt nervous. I played the game and f*cking won it every time, and never once did I second guess myself or worry.

But there I was, standing in front of some girl’s door, feeling nervous.

The door pushed open.

And there she was. The mother of my son.

“Vince,” she said. “What do you want?”

“We have to talk,” I grunted.

She looked at me for a second and then let me inside. “What’s wrong?”

“Sit,” I said.

We walked over to her little table and sat down.

“Where’s the kid?” I asked.

“With Sonya,” she said. “She’s giving me a little break.”

I nodded and actually felt a little relieved.

As bad as it was to admit, I wasn’t ready to see the kid, not now that I knew what he was. This had all happened so damn fast that I could barely keep my head in the game, barely keep up with what was going on around me.

“I got a call earlier,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” she asked again, clearly annoyed.

I looked at her, frowning. She was so f*cking gorgeous, so f*cking perfect. Her pretty face was nervous, and I kept glancing down at her body. She was wearing this sexy little dress, cut low to show a hint of her tits, just enough to drive me wild.

“It’s about the kid.”

“Vince,” she said, “f*cking say it.”

“He’s my son. I’m the father.”

She blinked. “I thought the results weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”

“They came early,” I said. “I’m the father.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay. I knew that.”

“I didn’t,” I said.

“You had to have known on some level. Why else did you let me in?”

She had a point there. “I understood that there was a strong possibility.”

“Okay, so.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Now you know. What happens next?”

I stood up and walked toward the window. “Not sure,” I said. “It’ll definitely help your case at least.”

“Vince,” she said. I heard her stand and come toward me. “I don’t care about that. I just want Alexei to be safe.”

I looked at her and grinned. “I wish I had a say in his name. Alexei? A Russian name? I have a son with a damn Russian name.”

She smiled. “What would you have chosen?”

“I don’t know. Something strong, something Italian, like maybe Geno or Rico.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “I am really glad you had no say in Alex’s name.”

“What’s wrong with Geno? It’s a good, strong name.”

“You’re delusional. It’s an awful name.”

I grinned at her as she came a bit closer to me. I let my eyes roam down along her body, lingering on her breasts. She also had incredible legs, long and lean.

“Look, Vince,” she said, “it’s okay if you don’t know what you want yet.”

I took a step toward her. “I know what I want.”

“What’s that?”

“The same thing I’ve wanted since I first saw you.”

She didn’t move as I came closer to her, closing the gap between us. I could see the flush in her cheeks, practically could hear her heart hammering in her chest. I was betting that when I reached below that dress, I was going to find her soaking wet.