Four Days Later...
“Who are you?! What are you doing with my grandson-wait...wait, I-I know you-”
“Rena Abreu.” Rena cut short Athena’s guessing game with the abrupt introduction. “I work for Aaron. I was Giselle’s best friend.”
Athena looked unimpressed. “That doesn’t explain why you’re-”
“I came to see my godson,” Rena kissed Brogue’s cheek before setting the happy child back into the spacious toy-filled playpen.
“You have no rights to-”
“Don’t waste your breath, lady. Gabriel already made things clear. No mention of Giselle’s heritage or anything that raises questions he doesn’t want the baby to have answers to. Questions like who I am. How Giselle and I became friends. How I know her family-his family.”
“He’s a Tesano.” Athena’s tone was emphatic. “Nothing else matters and if you haven’t heard, Giselle’s so called family abandoned him-”
“They would never-!” Rena bolted toward the woman and then stopped mid-stride and closed her eyes. She reminded herself that she’d come there to do more than see her godson. “If it were up to me, this child would know the truth.”
“But it’s not up to you.” Athena folded her arms over the low cut white blouse. The hem was fashionably tied at a still-trim waist.
“No, no it’s not,” Rena gave into the despair beginning to spring up from the deep hole where she’d tried to bury it. “In time my best friend’s only child will hardly know me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can to see that he’s protected until he can protect himself.”
“How dare you!” Athena’s bosom rose and fell energetically as she fumed. “I would never hurt him.”
It was Rena’s turn to appear unimpressed. “Hurt comes in all kinds of ways, now doesn’t it? Do right by this child or I just might forget G.G. made me promise to never say a word about how you poisoned Imani with that fucking plant when she was pregnant with Hill. I let that slip to Aaron and how long before it makes its way to Roman?” Wicked delight illuminated Rena’s pretty face when the other woman blanched.
Athena put a hand to the back of the nearest chair in order to steady herself.
“Don’t worry,” Rena’s tone was casual as she took a turn around the sunny parlor and stopped to sniff at an explosion of white tulips atop a black baby grand piano. “Imani wants it to stay buried, it stays buried. Besides, I have another little gem no one knows. No one except you and Mr. Liam’s brother... Emilio?”
Athena didn’t appear to be breathing then.
Rena beamed a satisfied smile. “You know the secret I mean? I wonder if Mr. Liam would kill you before or after he got back from Italy seeing the brother he thought was dead?”
Athena settled to the sofa she had gripped for support. “How-?”
“You two weren’t the only ones in the alley outside the old factory that day,” Rena knelt before the sofa, smiling up at Athena. “You and Giaimo Tesano-”
Athena lashed out, her intention to drive her fist into the younger woman’s cheek. Rena caught her wrist before she made contact. Standing, Rena retaliated with a backhanded blow to her face. Athena slumped to the cushions, bracing on her elbow. She pressed the back of her other hand to her lip and checked to see if blood had been drawn. Her hand came away clean.
Rena wiped invisible dust from the seat of her jeans. “Mr. Liam was a saint to tolerate you for as long as he did. I’m sad to say I don’t have that kind of patience. You do right by this child, bitch or you’ll never see me coming.”
Rena’s livid expression transitioned into one of adoration when she looked to Brogue. Leaning over into the playpen, she brushed a kiss to his forehead. “See you next week at your grandpa’s, handsome.”
Rena left the parlor as cooly as she had arrived, whistling as she strolled the main corridor leading to the front door. She bypassed the woman who waited on the porch-her hand poised as if she were about to knock.
The woman’s hazel eyes narrowed curiously, but soon she was turning back to the open door. Her eyes flared when she saw the woman of the house approaching. “Mrs. Tesano.”
Intrigue fought past the weariness in Athena’s eyes. “I know you.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt. Jocelyn Shelton, I-”
“You know my Stone, you were at his funeral.”
Jocelyn Shelton’s attractive face brightened with a pleasant smile. “Yes, I-your son and I were very close once, but we uh...it couldn’t work between us.”
“Stone was gay.” Athena softly stated, a quiet smile at her mouth.
“Yes,” Jocelyn looked happily relieved. “You knew?”
“He told me. I asked if he was sure, he said he’d tried-tried to make it work with girls.”
Jocelyn nodded. “He did. It broke my heart that he was so tormented by this.”
Athena nodded and made herself dash away the grief laying claim to her heart. Seeing that Jocelyn Shelton hadn’t arrived on her doorstep alone, helped to accomplish that.
“And who is this?” She stooped to come eye level with the olive-skinned little boy who looked to be no more than 7 or 8.
Jocelyn smiled adoringly. “This is my son. Mine...and Stone’s.”
Athena gasped, turning wide eyes upward and then back to the child. “Stone.” She whispered, brushing her fingers over the child’s plump cheeks. He had mounds of charcoal curls and eyes the color of melted chocolate.
“I know this is a shock,” Jocelyn was saying. “I don’t expect or need anything, I-” Nervously, she tucked a thick tuft of chestnut brown hair behind her ear. “I wanted to tell you after Stone’s passing, but I lost my nerve. Stone never knew. He...struggled...struggled with so much, I just...I didn’t want to add to it.”
The young mother cleared her throat noisily then, as if trying to muster additional strength. “I have no proof to give, but you must believe me, Mrs. Tesano. Stone and I were very close. He confided in me. Everything from his sexuality to what he hoped to accomplish for his father at Tesano.” She laughed suddenly. “He even told me where his first name came from. La grande-”
“Pietra,” Athena finished.
Jocelyn laughed again. “He said it was from his Uncle Giaimo.”
