"Reid," Vanessa giggled as they walked hand-in-hand in the mall with Lailah on her hip. "You keep distracting me, just tell me what happened," She wanted to know why Reid looked so peaceful after his visit with Mason. She hoped that no blood was shed.
Reid pointed at the toy store and gasped. "Look, Lailah! It's a toy store! I want you to grab everything that you want and I'll have someone hold your things until we're ready to check out," His words made Laliah squeal with joy, though Vanessa knew that she didn't understand much of what he said. She was only excited because she could see toys in the window.
"Toys!" Lailah screamed and tried to wiggle out of Vanessa's arms.
Vanessa laughed lightly at her daughter's enthusiasm and put her down. "Go play, sweetie," She kissed her cheek and watched as she ran to the dolls.
"She looks so happy," Reid observed with a smile on his face. He wrapped his arm around her waist and led them to a bench. "Sit, cara. Sit and I will tell you what happened,"
She watched as Lailah played with two teddy bears. She was glad that her little girl was resilient. She acted as if earlier today didn't even happen, it was nothing but God.
"Okay," Vanessa murmured and took a seat on the surprisingly comfortable bench.
Reid followed suit and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Are you happy, amore mio?" His voice was soothing and gave her a sense of undeniable security, which was something hard to come by while sitting in a hectic mall.
The answer was yes. He was her, she wasn't sure what cute name to call him, but he was Reid to the fullest and she loved being with him.
"Yes," She answered and pecked his cheek. "Are you happy, Reid?" She asked the same question, minus the Italian part. She didn't speak a tap of Italian.
Reid nodded and brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. A smile rested on his face and Vanessa couldn't look away. He looked so happy.
"I paid him a visit," He spoke filling the silence with his entrancing deep accented voice. "Cara, he is a very crazy man. As if his mother dropped him on the head as a baby," He sounded puzzled, but Vanessa didn't understand how after one visit Reid knew that Mason was crazy, while she spent six years with him and she only just realized something was off.
"I didn't go to his home to hurt him, I only wanted to have a talk. I told him that if he stepped out of line with you one more time, I would hurt him. I apologize to you for taking a while to get back, but the man has no respect for a man to man talk. He wanted to get physical and I am never one to turn down a fight," He winked at her. "He is a very wild man, he tired himself out before he could even hit me, amore. I left without touching him since it is unfair to kick a man while he is down. And now here I am,"
She tried to keep the smile from taking over her face, but she couldn't. It made her so happy to hear about what happened, and now she knew that Reid was a fair man. "You're very kind," She murmured happily. "Thank you for defending me," She never thought that someone other than Eva would want to defend her.
If she was honest, she would add that she hated the fact that she always needed to be defended. Sometimes she wished that she was stronger, bolder, and spoke just a little louder. If she was like that, then she wouldn't be such an easy target.
Reid lifted her chin with his thumb and gazed into her eyes. Butterflies erupted within her as his eyes scanned her face, his gaze never faltered.
"A man will always protect what he treasures, tesoro mio." He kissed her cheek. "Come, let us go see what little Lailah has found," He suggested and she agreed.
Reid was very different. He was intentional with every word, every action, everything that he did. Men weren't supposed to be that way. Mason told her many times that men were wired to just act without much thought behind it, but he always told her that he was the exception. But now she knows that he lied. Any person, male or female, would be careful, only if they cared. Now she realized that Mason just didn't care.
It was a painful revelation, but a much-needed one. She smiled. Reid, Reid cared and he cared a lot. She was grateful to him. "You care," She blurted softly, making Reid look down at her.
"Sì, very much." His smile affirmed her thoughts. He was a genuine man.
"Oh!" Vanessa jumped at the feeling of something hitting her legs. She looked down and saw her sweet little girl with a huge animated smile on her face. "Hello, my sweet! Did you find anything?" She kneeled to her height and kissed her forehead.
Lailah nodded and reached for her hand. "Mommy! I found toys! a-and a phone toy!" Her eyes held so much joy and it touched Vanessa's heart. This little girl was her everything.
"Will you show me and Mr. Reid what you found?" Vanessa asked and Lailah nodded.
Lailah looked up and tugged on Reid's hand. "You want to see?" She asked him kindly looking at him through her lashes.
Reid, who was around four feet taller than her, kneeled and said, "Yes, please."
Lailah clapped her hands and cupped her hands around Vanessa's ear. "Mommy! Mr. Reid says yes," She whispered loudly.
"Wow! That's wonderful, sweetie! Let's show him the toys then," Vanessa instructed her little girl, who smiled and grabbed Reid's hand.
"Don't want you to lost," Lailah explained sweetly to Reid and led him to the toys.
Vanessa watched and she tried not to laugh. Reid had to bend down so Lailah could reach his hand, but he did so with a smile on his face. He was a real trooper.
"Mommy! You come too!" Lailah yelled and Vanessa did as she said.
She was enjoying every second of her time with Reid, and it seemed like Lailah was too. And though she trusted him, she still prayed that this was the right decision. She didn't want to go through any more pain.
She couldn't.
-
Two weeks later
"You really didn't have to do this, Reid," Vanessa's hands were clung together as she spoke. Her voice as soft as a cloud.
Reid loved doing things for her and Lailah. He enjoyed seeing the joyous looks on their faces. "I did, cara. Her birthday is next week and unfortunately, I'll be out of town, so I wanted to do something special for her,"
He was going to Miami to scope out new land for a new resort, and to take care of some business that he hadn't shared with Vanessa yet. It was nothing bad, he just rarely spoke about it.
So to make up for being away from the sweet little girl, he decided to take her to Disneyland. He had an idea that she liked the princesses and everyone loves Disney.
Lailah tapped his head and squealed. "Look!"
She decided that the most comfortable place for her to be while at Disney, was on his neck so she could see everything. She made it very clear that since he was tall, she could see the princesses better.
"What are we looking at, miele?" (Honey) He asked while trying to see if he was missing something. He looked around, but he didn't see anyone special.
Vanessa giggled at his side and pointed at Sleeping Beauty's castle. "It's the castle, Reid. It's so beautiful," She gushed with a bashful smile.
She looked so beautiful. "Well, I must take my beautiful ladies to see the castle. I believe that we have a reservation for lunch in the said castle," Reid told them and Lailah smacked the top of his head as if he were a drum.
She gripped his head and turned it. "Really?" She asked with wide eyes. "We go?" She squeezed his head tighter.
It didn't hurt, but it did feel strange. He hadn't felt tiny hands on his head in decades. "Yes, miele. Only the best for the sweetest little princess I know,"
Lailah's mouth dropped and she kissed his head. "Thank you!"
-
Lailah was off to sleep, which made sense after she spent hours in Sleeping Beauty's castle being pampered and playing with the Princesses.
Vanessa was waiting on the couch for Reid to get back from his phone call. They were supposed to be watching a movie, but his phone rang and it was urgent.
She could hear him pacing down the hall speaking in Italian, he sounded serious.
"Le ho detto che sarei stato lì lunedì prossimo, quindi sarò lì lunedì prossimo. Abbi pazienza, Cabbrieli." (I told you that I would be there next Monday, so I will be there next Monday. Have patience, Cabbrieli) His tone was a little tense, but she wasn't afraid.
He walked into the living room and smiled at her. "Non voglio essere maleducato, ma puoi fare un viaggio in California." (I'm not trying to be rude, but you could make a trip to California.)
She liked hearing him speak in his native tongue. It was very attractive. Mysterious even, seeing as she had no clue what he was saying.
"Non dire così! Non importa, non posso chiederle di venire con così poco preavviso. Ha un lavoro e una bambina, non può saltare e lasciare lo stato." (Don't say that! It doesn't matter, I can't ask her to come on such short notice. She has a job and a little girl, she can't jump up and leave the state) He stopped pacing and sat next to her. "I will be off the phone in a second, cara. I'm sorry," He said sounding truly upset that his phone call interrupted their time together.
"It's alright, Reid. I want us to pick the movie together anyway," She wanted to see his taste in films, so she was cool with waiting. Also, she could hear the man on the other side of the phone and he sounded like he really needed to talk to Reid.
Reid leaned over and kissed her cheek. "This is why I treasure you, cara." He got off the couch and walked to the kitchen.
"Sii rispettoso e posso chiederglielo. Lei ti piacerà sicuramente." (Be respectful and I may ask her. You will certainly like her.)
She wanted to get her translation app and figure out what was going on. She wasn't nosy, but she wanted to know if he was saying something sweet, or if his accent made everything sound romantic.
"Anch'io ti voglio bene, figliolo. Come ho detto, ci proverò." (I love you too, son. As I said, I will try.) This time his tone was softer, she could tell that there was a resolve in whatever problem there was.
"Lo farò, addio per ora." (I will, goodbye for now.) He walked out of the kitchen and sat down next to her on the couch.
"I apologize again, cara. I do have something to tell you," He said and scanned her face to gauge a reaction.
She looked at him and waited for him to continue. "It's okay, Reid. I'm not upset, just tell me what's wrong, or right," He was making her a little nervous. She prayed that it wasn't going to be something terrible like he's actually Mason's cousin and he wants to be crazy just like him. It was out of the box, but it could happen. She giggled at her outrageous idea.
"I have a son," Reid explained while caressing her hand.
"You, you what?" To say that she was shocked is an understatement. She wasn't upset, but she was just confused. "Wh-why isn't he here? You left your child?" She hoped that he wasn't a deadbeat dad, that would ruin everything.
"You're so sweet, Vanessa. He's not a child, he's actually thirty-two. Your concern is touching," Reid told her sincerely. "He'd like to meet you, that was him on the phone," He continued.
She wanted to say no. She wasn't very good at meeting new people, she loved new people because they were great, but it gave her anxiety at times. Just like when she met Reid, she was scared that he would turn out to be like Mason, but he was the kindest man she'd ever met.
"There's no need to be afraid or nervous, cara. If you don't feel comfortable with the idea of meeting him, you don't have to." Reid added after she was stuck in thought for a good minute. "I want you to want this, Vanessa. Don't feel pressured,"
Her heartbeat was the only thing she could hear. She wanted to say yes, but her nerves were everywhere. Mason always told her that having too many friends was dangerous. "I don't know," She whispered.
1, 2, 3. She breathed in. 3, 2, 1. She breathed out.
"He's a liar," She scoffed under her breath. Mason lied about so much. He lied about little things, big things, almost everything. He told her about how dangerous traveling was, which is why after their honeymoon, she never left the state of California. Her family and co-workers traveled all the time, and they were all fine. "C-could you tell me about him?" She asked hopefully.
Reid chuckled softly and nodded. "His name is Cabbrieli, he lives in Miami and he runs one of the restaurants in my Miami hotel. He's a level-headed young man, but he was just a little upset that I wasn't coming to see him sooner, that's why I may have sounded a little testy. He's an only child and though he is grown, he's not used to sharing me." He smiled at her and gently kissed her cheek. "He was a little jealous of you, but now he wants to meet the woman who's taking away all of my free time,"
Vanessa's cheeks grew warm. "Oh," She giggled and pushed her hair behind her ear. "He sounds nice," She hoped that her little meltdown didn't make Reid change his mind about her joining him. "If you don't mind, I-i'd like to meet him. Only if I didn't wear out my welcome, I was just really nervous, but now it sounds nice," She wanted to go now, it sounded fun.
"Of course, cara. I honestly didn't think that you'd change your mind at all, I will let him know later. But for now, we must pick a movie," He was so charming. If they needed a man to play Prince Charming, Reid would be the best candidate for the role and he wouldn't even have to act.
She watched as he casually searched his television for something to watch. It was a mundane task, but he made it look so interesting. He made everything look interesting. "You're very handsome, Reid. And genuine, it's nice." She noted freely. She loved having the confidence to say how she felt about him, never in a million years did she think that she would be complimenting a very handsome man, other than Mason, and not feeling insecure about his answer.
Reid looked away from the television and smiled his mega-watt smile. "Thank you, beautiful. That's nice of you to say," He winked at her and went back to searching, but not before taking her hand.
Yeah, it certainly felt nice.
-
Authors Note
Soooo, now we know that Reid doesn't kick a man when he's down. Hmm...or maybe he lied...just kidding!
Anyway, how did you guys like the dynamic between Reid and Lailah? I think they're a cute pair and Lailah has taken to him quite nicely
We learned that Mason lied a lot. Having friends is a problem, traveling is dangerous, men don't care and he's the exception, plus a whole lot more!
Vanessa is realizing more and more that Mason was crazy and she's glad to be away from him. Again, yes she went through therapy, but scars are still left after a good beating. So she has mental scars of certain things that Mason did, though she's completely over him.
Moving on!
Reid has a son! Whoa! Cabbrieli, pronounced Cab-Bree-Ellie
This was something that I kind of pulled out of my butt two weeks ago, and now you guys get to meet him on Friday!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and see you again on Friday!