Desire becomes Her

Chapter 15

15

She didn't move for a minute, but felt his hand on the small of her back, nudging her forward and as she stepped into the hall way, her mother closed the door behind them. Why was she so

nervous? She really didn't have a reason to but she was. Her mother gave her a hug, and she hugged her back tight and closed her eyes a moment to treasure it. “Let me look at you.”  She held Addison back, her hands on her shoulders and then put her hand to her cheek. “You look so much better, Addison. “  She was truly happy to see that her daughter was looking better and turned to look out into the living room. “He’s in there playing.”  Lucian and her mother stayed back in the hall way as she walked into the living room to see David standing at the coffee table bouncing to music a toy was playing. When it stopped, he banged the top of it again and the music started again. He had changed so much; she didn't even recognize him. Last time she had seen him; he was 2 months old and was just getting the hang of his own limbs. She wasn't sure what she expected to see, considering what he was. But she was happy to see he looked normal, and the features that linked him to her and Lucian had only become more obvious. She could hear Lucian and her mother talking in the hall way and did her best to ignore them as she sat down on the couch and smiled at David and he looked at her funny a moment before banging the top of the toy again to start the music.

For the most part he ignored her and she sat back on the couch and crossed her legs to just watch him, disappointed but happy at the same time that this was all she was going to have to deal with at the moment. Lucian and her mother stood in the hallway watching her, and Maria was getting anxious, not keen on leaving David with her for very long. Lucian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Why are you so worried, Maria? She's not going to hurt him."

"Last time I saw her, she had let him cry for nearly a half hour.  Just completely ignored him, and then disappeared. I got stuck raising her child for the last year."

"Well, she's had a long time to fix that."

"She's not ready for this."

"Mmm, I agree. But it has to happen at some point. You can't keep him forever." He looked at her blank faced a moment and then turned back to watch Addison and David interact. She had crouched down beside him, offered her arms to him to see if he would come and he did. Though when she picked him up, he was distant, and pushed chubby hands against her shoulder and squirmed trying to get down. She sighed and put him down, talking to him quietly in Italian, a little smile on her face, but disappointed. She sat down on the floor with him, legs bent to one side and she took the heels off and set them aside and decided to just play with him if that's what he wanted.

"I know what you have planned, Maria and it won't work." He looked at the woman and gave a little grin. "You seem to forget the kind of lawyers I have on my side and on her side." Maria looked at him, astonished and somewhat taken off guard and she lowered her brows and kept her eyes on her daughter.

"She can't take care of him, not as well as I can. There's no reason for her to take him now." She had left the papers on the couch. She had been going through them when they knocked and was sure that Addison would look through them. She was too nosey not to. Leaving David to a new toy Addison leaned against the couch and looked over at the papers. She pulled them together into the manila folder and into her lap and looked it over. Her face changed immediately when she read the title of the forms that had been nearly completed. She clenched her jaw; her fingers balling into fists and she did her best to keep her temper under control.

 "Mother...I need to talk to you a minute..." Nostrils flared she got up from the floor and walked toward the kitchen; Maria followed and closed the door behind them. The screaming followed almost immediately, mostly coming from Addison who was furious at the fact that her mother had filed for permanent custody of David. Lucian walked over and sat down on the couch and looked to David who had pulled himself up again on the table and smiled at him.

"Always remember, your mother is always right." David just gave an open mouth smile and offered a weeble-wobble to Lucian. He took it and shook his head a little, listening to the

argument on the other side of the wall.

"What the f**k is wrong with you, Mother? Why in the hell do you think you can do this to me? Why would you take him away from me?"

"Do this to you? I'm the one who’s been taking care of him for the last 10 months! How do you think I feel about all this? You left again, you left all your problems for me to take care of. He doesn't know you, Addison. I don't think he ever should."

"Left? Left all my problems for you to take care of? How much money has Lucian given you to take care of him? I'm sure you've not had any problems the last year. I've been locked away, trying to get better so I can take care of him. ---" She stopped, trying to compose herself, lips pursed as she took in a deep breath. "You can't keep him, he doesn’t belong to you."

"My lawyer says I have a very good case against you and Lucian. You're both absent, you're not stable."

"Lucian sees him every week, mother. And if you think that i***t lawyer of yours will be able to build a case against Lucian and me, you are mistaken. He's got half this country behind him financially and legally. You won't get away with this."

"I'm doing this for his best interest, Addy. Why can't you see that?"

"His best interest is to be with me and Lucian, we are his parents. I'm taking him tonight." She walked from the kitchen and plastered a smile on her face and leaned down toward David. "Hello, my darling." She picked him up and as he squirmed and squealed at being held by a stranger; her mother came out of the kitchen, red faced.

"You can't take him Addison. I have temporary custody of him right now. Taking him would be kidnapping." She had a bit of a smirk on her face, as she knew Addison was not aware of this and she looked at Lucian, furious. She handed David over to him, and the handsome, powerful demon took the baby and stood back. "They gave me temporary custody because you are a threat to yourself, therefore a threat to him. You have to go through the courts or I will call the police."

"You are unbelievable...“ She stopped herself and took a breath. “I'm leaving and he's coming with me. Call the police. I dare you." She put her shoes back on and looked to Lucian who only grinned at Maria and walked toward the front hall way. He took the tiny coat and hat from the coat hooks and put them on David and walked from the house; closing the door quietly and casually behind him. They were halfway down the street before he said something.

 "You shouldn't speak to your mother like that you know."

"What do you know Lucian? You didn't grow up with her." She mumbled her response. She was freezing. She had dressed for the balmy weather where they had dinner. Now they were in New York, in the fall. It was cold and she didn't have a coat.

"What do we do now?"

"We go home. I'll call my lawyers in the morning. Inform them of the situation. I'll take care of it."

"Go home?" She stopped walking and looked at him.

"I have a place in the city. We keep it for clients to stay in and to host parties. We'll stay there until it blows over." She gave a sigh, and for the first time she wished they were going back to the pit. At least there nobody could get to any of them.