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At least he stood a chance of a normal life now, or as normal as it could be with Nico Belinsky involved. Not every toddler got to ride on a private jet. Matty was fascinated by airplanes, and he’d barely said a word since we arrived in the VIP area. No, he was too busy staring out the window at the runway. For a moment, I considered buying an apartment near an airport because the peace was glorious, jet engines excepted.
“I didn’t turn out like my father,” Nico said softly.
“You’re a hundred times the man he was.”
A hostess walked over, all smiles. “Sir, ma’am, are you ready to board?”
Nico touched a hand to the small of my back, and I fought to keep from melting.
“I’m ready.”
* * *
“Not Shelley!”
Matty was usually well-behaved, for a toddler anyway, but on the rare occasions he acted out, those meltdowns were spectacular. And today, he’d decided that forty thousand feet in the air was the perfect place to throw a tantrum.
Not-Shelley flew across the jet and bounced off the flight attendant’s shoulder. She was an older lady, not one of the young bimbos Cesare had favoured. We’d both known he hadn’t hired them for their safety skills.
The flight attendant scooped up the snail and offered it back, but Matty shook his head.
“Want Shelley.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said to the poor lady.
“Ma’am, it’s okay. When my son was little, he always used to get cranky on airplanes. It’s the pressure changes.”
I’d given Matty acetaminophen a half hour before takeoff, but he’d still wailed at the top of his lungs, and so far, he’d hurled several crayons and a package of raisins as well as Not-Shelley. I hadn’t dared to get out the tub of Play-Doh. Thank goodness it was only a two-hour flight.
“How long did it take for him to grow out of it?”
“I’d say maybe five or six years. He’s eighteen now and getting ready to spend the summer backpacking around Australia.”
Nico crouched down in front of Matty and stuck out his tongue, then blew a raspberry. The sight was so unexpected, it made me giggle, and it surprised Matty too. Cesare had never helped. No, he’d just made snide comments about my parenting skills and blocked out the noise with earplugs. Matty paused mid-shriek and studied the man in front of him, more curious than anything else. Then he stuck out his tongue too. Nico puffed his cheeks and pulled on his ears. Matty tried to copy him, but he ended up laughing instead. The breath I’d been holding slowly escaped.
“Looks as if Daddy’s got this,” the flight attendant whispered, and I didn’t correct her. Nico had said it would invite fewer questions if we let people assume. “Can I get you a glass of wine?”
“Maybe a very small one?”
“I’ll be right back.”
I settled in the plush leather seat, holding Not-Shelley and feeling guilty that Matty didn’t like her as much as Shelley 1.0. Darla had obviously put hours of work into the toy, but it wasn’t quite the same. The eyes were bigger, the wool softer.
With Matty occupied, I connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi and checked eBay again, hoping for a miracle. And it seemed that today was my lucky day. There were two listings for Shelley 1.0—one looked a bit grubby in the pictures, but the other was “as new, unwanted gift, my daughter never played with it.” I bought the toy in a heartbeat. If Darla asked, I’d tell her that Matty loved Not-Shelley, but we left her at home for safekeeping. A little white lie wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?
“Here’s your wine, ma’am.”
Nico and Matty were colouring now. I took a sip and relaxed for the first time all day.
35
NICO
Hand on heart, Nico hadn’t been thrilled at the idea of a child moving into his home. The villa in Baldwin’s Shore had been his quiet sanctuary, an escape from all the ills in the world. Kaylin’s arrival had upset that balance but, it turned out, in a good way.
Yesterday, he’d sat through an investor presentation, then excused himself to go to Wonder World. Lev Belinsky hadn’t been keen on frivolities, so Nico hadn’t been allowed to visit amusement parks as a child, and it was surprisingly entertaining. First time on a roller coaster? Check. Dressing up as Prince Pleasant and Princess Peony? Oddly fun. Matty had become Wilbur the Wonder Hound, and now he refused to take the costume off, even to go to bed.
Nico would never have visited Wonder World without the two of them. Ride the spiral slide alone? Suspicious looks. Ride the spiral slide with an almost-three-year-old? Socially acceptable. Dig up “treasure” on Pirate Island without a child? Get arrested. Help Matty to hold the shovel? Three women told him what a good dad he was, and he’d overheard one comment about exploding ovaries.
