Page 10 of Mile High Baby

He gave me a hug and his serious, stoic face morphed into a big smile, his silver eyes twinkling. "Of course, I did. Why would today be any different?" He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tiny plastic bag full of mint green colored M&Ms.

I laughed, loving how he spoiled me as badly as my father did. "Is the M&M's store open this early?"

"I picked them up yesterday when your father said he would be asking you to come home." His face turned serious, and all the joy at seeing Knightly fell away.

"What's going on?"

"That's not for me to tell. But I'm here to get you and take you over to your father's place. He'll explain everything."

That had always been the downside to Knightly. His true allegiance was to my father, and he wasn’t going to tell me my father’s business.

"Well, let me get my purse."

"Have you packed a bag? Because I believe your father would like you to stay with him."

I considered grabbing the bag I hadn't unpacked last night, but I shook my head. "I'm not committing to anything until I hear what Dad has to say. After that, if I need to get some things—”

"Me and Mrs. Tillis will take care of it."

I grabbed my purse and headed out with Knightly. As I stepped out onto the street, the scent of baked goods drifted over to me. I turned to the bakery a few doors down. "Let's stop and get Dad some of those lemon cookies that he likes."

Knightly gave me a firm stare. "Your father's orders are to—”

"I want a doughnut, Knightly. And I want to get Dad some lemon bars."

If Knightly pushed it, he would win this battle, but luckily for me, he liked to spoil me. He hadn't told me my father's secret, so I was pretty sure in his mind, letting me get a donut was my consolation prize.

"I will drive you over."

"It's right over there." I pointed toward the bakery just a few doors down. I started to make my way over.

"I'll be waiting outside."

It was just after eight thirty, which meant I’d missed the early morning rush. There were still some customers there, but the bakery's busiest times were closer to seven thirty and then again around lunch and then later at four thirty.

I got into line behind a blonde woman who was holding the hand of a child who must've been four or five years old.

The child tugged on his mom's hand. "Mama, which cookie do you think Grandma would like best?"

The blonde woman turned her head to look down at her son. "Her favorites are oatmeal raisin cookies."

I let out a small gasp as recognition came to me. "Samantha?"

The woman's head swiveled toward me, and it took her a moment, but then she said, "Tori?" She tugged her child closer to her as if protecting him, which seemed like an odd gesture. Samantha and I had been the best of friends in college. We had lost touch over the last couple of years when she'd moved away after getting her degree. The night before she left, we ate a lot of ice cream and drank a lot of wine and bawled our eyes out, so this reaction seemed a little off.

Undeterred, I opened my arms wide and tugged her in close for a hug. "How are you doing?" I pulled away and looked down at the little boy beside her. "Oh, my God, you’re a mother." I put my hand on my hip, tilting my head to give her a look. "No wonder I haven't heard from you in such a long time. You've been busy." I worked to stay positive even as I was realizing that she must've gotten married to have this child and she hadn't notified me of any of it.

She smiled back, but it wasn't until she looked down at her son that the smile felt genuine, not forced. "This is Pax."

I bent over and held out my hand to him. "It's so nice to meet you, Pax. I'm Tori. I'm an old friend of your mom's."

Pax looked up at Samantha, who gave him a nod, and only then did he take my hand and shake it. "My real name is Paxton, but people call me Pax."

"My real name is Victoria, but people call me Tori." My mind flitted back to Sterling and the way he'd called me Victoria. Maybe I'd rethink my name again.

Ahead of us, the customer got her cookies and the line inched forward.

"Are you back in New York for good or are you visiting your parents?" I asked.