Larenzo's Christmas Baby

Now he pushed those churning emotions aside and focused on work. He had a meeting that afternoon with a brilliant scientist who needed funding for a new voice-recognition technology he’d patented. Larenzo was looking forward to it; it was exactly the kind of thing he’d wanted to support when he set up his new business. It was the kind of thing he’d tried to support as CEO of Cavelli Enterprises, and he’d left the running of the company’s other interests to Bertrano. He wouldn’t make that kind of mistake again. He knew better now than to trust anyone, not even the people you loved.

* * *

As soon as Larenzo left the apartment, Emma breathed out a discontented sigh. He was amazingly attuned to her moods, but the last thing she wanted to do was tell him what was bothering her.

Last Saturday she’d taken Ava to New Jersey to see Meghan, and the conversation she’d had with her sister had kept her up for most of the night. It had started innocuously enough, with Meghan asking her to come for Thanksgiving, which was next week.

‘I’m sure we’d love to,’ Emma had said. ‘I’ll ask Larenzo.’

‘Do you need his permission to come here now?’ Meghan had asked frostily, and Emma had stared at her in dismay. Over the last few weeks they’d mutually, silently agreed on a ceasefire when it came to Larenzo, but her sister had looked as if she was about to come out with guns blazing.

‘No, I don’t need permission,’ she’d answered, although that wasn’t quite true. She always asked Larenzo if she could visit her sister on the weekends, since she knew she was taking away precious time he had with Ava. Larenzo had always said yes. But she hadn’t been asking for permission. Not exactly. ‘I just want to make sure he’s free,’ she’d told Meghan, who had stared at her as if she’d sprouted a second head.

‘Who cares if he’s free?’ Emma had stared at her in confusion and Meghan had shaken her head slowly. ‘Emma, you don’t actually think I’m inviting him, do you?’

‘I...’ She’d stopped, because of course she had thought that. It was Thanksgiving, the holiday that was meant, more than any other, to spend time with your family. And Larenzo was part of her family, whether Meghan liked it or not. ‘I suppose I did,’ she’d said slowly, and Meghan had shaken her head again, the movement definitive.

‘Emma, let me make this clear. I will never invite that man to my house, to my family, or into my life. The fact that you even thought for a second that I would shows me just how much he has brainwashed you—’

‘Give me some credit, Meghan,’ Emma had snapped. ‘I can judge a person for myself.’

Meghan had pressed her lips together. ‘I don’t think you’re seeing this particular person clearly.’

‘And I don’t think you are,’ Emma had countered. ‘Meghan, everything you know about Larenzo has come from newspapers trying to sensationalise a story in order to sell more papers.’

‘Do you really think he can be entirely innocent?’ Meghan had asked disbelievingly. ‘There was so much evidence—’

‘He was framed,’ Emma had answered. ‘He told me so himself.’

Meghan had rolled her eyes. ‘Of course he would say that.’

‘I believe him.’

‘Of course you do. Emma, this man could be manipulating you—’

‘And if he isn’t? If he’s completely innocent, and you’re judging him without even bothering to get to know him?’ Meghan hadn’t answered and Emma had pressed her point. ‘Meghan, Larenzo is part of my life now. He’s Ava’s father, and he’s a good father. If you continue to blackball him like this, it will only end up driving us apart.’

Meghan had paled. ‘So it’s him or me?’ she had asked, her voice choking.

‘No. I don’t want it to be that at all.’ Emma had felt near tears as she’d stared at her sister, horrified at how quickly things had escalated. ‘Please, Meghan.’

‘You have to make your choice,’ Meghan had insisted, and Emma had stared at her helplessly.

Now, as Emma buckled Ava into her stroller to take her to her gymnastics class, she wondered just how she could make such a terrible choice. With her father in Budapest and her mother out of her life, Meghan was the only family she had, the person she’d been closest to for her entire life. The thought of losing her made everything in her cry out in despairing protest.