"Where are you going Damon? Your son is in there!" I didn't mean to have my voice raised but it was the only way to get through to him when he was enraged like this.
"Kaydence, please! Let me just fucking go!" His tone was far from quiet.
It was hard to tell what he was feeling. I knew it was a mix of things and he had every right to feel the way he did. I could see the hurt in his eyes about what Sterling had thought about him thanks to Ava. But it was important for him to go back in there and be with his son.
"I can't do that Damon. I know you run from your feelings when you don't know how to process them. Don't do that now, don't do that to him!" I responded.
"If you care so much then you should've fucking told me the moment you knew Kaydence! It's not like there weren't multiple chances!" I could tell he was hurt I kept this secret from him.
"I told you why! I was doing what felt best for him!" I explained myself once more.
"What's best for him? He's my son Kaydence, I think what's best for him should be left to me!" Damon's words felt like venom, even if he didn't mean them.
"That's not fair Damon." I responded. "I bonded with him trying to get him to want to see you. Are you going to run off anytime something doesn't go your way?!"
"Stop yelling at her!" A tiny voice shouted as Sterling made his way to stand in front of me. He scowled at Damon as he tried to be my little protector.
"I just." Damon started to speak but stopped. He was frustrated and didn't know the right thing to say right now.
"Sterling." I decided to get the child's attention. He turned and looked up at me. "Your dad's only yelling because he's frustrated right now. Everything is fine, we're just having an adult conversation. Go back inside with your grandpa."
"But I don't want to. He needs to speak nicer." Sterling protested leaving my side with Damon angry.
"He will. Now go inside." My tone was stern to get him to listen. "Now."
He nodded and scowled at Damon once more before running off. I watched him go back up the steps and into the mansion. I wanted to make sure he was far from earshot before continuing to talk with Damon. Sterling was a darling boy but he had the habit of eavesdropping I learned.
I turned back to Damon once Sterling was inside. Damon was leaning against his car with his arms folded against his chest. "You have this mom thing figured out don't you?" His voice was lower and he seemed calmer now.
"What do you mean?" I asked in response.
"You already seem to be in the role of a mother. I've been watching the way you are with him since I walked in the door." Damon explained. "Considering you're apparently going to be a stepmother it's a good thing."
"Well, I'm just trying to do what's best for the children." I responded.
He moved off the car and closed the gap in between us. His arms wrapped around me tightly and by instinct I hugged him back. "And no, I'm not going to run off when something happens I don't like." He gave a kiss to my cheek and pulled away.
"Then why are you trying to run now?" I asked.
"The thing is Kaydence, I came here early today because I had something come up and needed to go see a client. Technically I'm not running off, just going to do some work and probably clear my head on what I should do here." He answered.
"Oh. I see." I nodded.
"I know this is a lot for me but has my father even had a second to ask you how you feel about it?" He asked as his icy blue eyes looked me over with concern.
"Well." I thought for a moment. He was right, we were supposed to be truthful to each other. "Your father gave me the chance to have this remain hidden from you if I didn't want to take it on."
He nodded. "I suppose that was out of respect for you. How do you feel about it now after meeting him? You know him better than I do."
"Damon, he is such a sweet boy. He deserves better than that orphanage that he's stuck in right now. I want us to be able to get him out as soon as possible." I responded. "I can honestly say I love that little boy like he's my own. Which is why I did what seemed best for him."
Damon nodded again. "I'm sorry that even now that fucking cunt has figured out how to fuck things up." He was referring to Ava.
"It doesn't matter, what matters now is we need to get him where he belongs." I responded. "Damon, he needs to be home with his family."
"I understand that Kaydence, but just give me these few days to think clearly about it. Then when I get back we can talk about it more and decide what to do." He was still hell bent on leaving right now. I'm sure some of it was really that he needed to go but I still felt like it was also so he could run from this.
"Fine. But when will you be back?" I asked. I wouldn't let him leave without confirming his return. "We have a doctor's appointment on Monday and I want you to be there with me."
"I'll be back Sunday night. I promise." He placed a kiss on my lips and got into his car.
I watched as the lights from the BMW disappeared quickly. He may have seemed calmer after Sterling had come out but his driving told me differently. I heard the footsteps coming down the steps, two sets.
"Is everything okay?" Martin asked.
"It will be." I answered. "I should probably get Sterling back to the orphanage now."
Martin nodded and had Theo bring the car around. The ride home was quiet between Sterling and I. I didn't know what to say and I wasn't sure how he felt. It remained this way for what felt like forever. We finally reached the orphanage and the car stopped.
"Kaydence, did daddy leave because he doesn't want me?" I could see some fear in Sterling's eyes as he asked his question.
"No honey." I responded. "Your daddy left because he had some work to do. He is a little upset about the situation but not at you, I promise. He just needs a few days to process everything."
"What if he decides he doesn't want me to come live with you guys?" His questions broke my heart.
"Sterling, I don't care how many times I have to kick your dad in the butt. You will be coming home with us." I reassured him. "I promise, I will not let you stay here. I will be back and you will be leaving with me very soon."