CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

          THE CLOSER IT GOT TO TWO IN THE AFTERNOON, THE MORE SHE WANTED TO DISAPPEAR. Of course, she had met Marcus before, but that was as his nurse and not as ... whatever it was she was going to meet him as now. Not only that, Rio had also told her his mother was going to drop him off and now she really did feel uneasy. 

Lucy did not want to impose and she certainly didn't want to give off the wrong impression. The last thing she wanted was for the situation to become more complicated than it already was. The brunette did not know how his ex-wife would feel about her being there with their son. She was a stranger to them and she was either going to be kind or suspicious. Hell, she might even be a drug lord herself. Lucy had no clue.

The woman tugged a sweater over her head after having taken a very much needed cold shower after she'd been bend over almost every surface in the home. Lucy hoped she looked somewhat presentable and when she felt two hands snake around to grab her hips, she looked up in the bathroom mirror. 

"You're still tense," he ran his nose along the shell of her ear. "thought i'd fucked it out of you?"

Lucy took in a sharp exhale and narrowed her eyes as she met his gaze in the mirror. "You can't talk to me like that when your son is five minutes away from coming over."

Rio chuckled, pressing a kiss to her jaw. "Relax, ma. It's just Marcus, he already knows who you are. I'm sure he'll love you."

The woman sighed and leaned back into her chest, appreciating the warmth and the brief moment of calm. "It's not him i'm worried about."

"His mom?" he quirked a brow as he squeezed her hips gently before turning her around to face him. "You ain't have to worry about her. She's a good woman, she'll like you just as much."

Lucy pursed her lips, unconvinced, but before she could respond, there was a knock at the door. Her heart immediately raced again, and Rio chuckled softly. He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his grin calm and reassuring.

The man with the eagle tattoo made his way towards the living room then, and she pushed off the counter slowly to follow behind him. Perhaps she should have just gone back to her apartment. Each step felt heavier than the last, her nerves returning full force. 

When Rio opened the door, she saw Marcus standing there, looking exactly as he had in the emergency room. His small frame was adorned with the same bright, infectious energy, and a backpack was slung over his shoulders. The moment his eyes landed on his father, a wide smile spread across his face.

"Daddy!" Marcus exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he ran toward him and collided with his legs.

Rio knelt down, pulling his son into a warm embrace. "Hey, champ. You ready for the weekend?"

"Mom said you were taking me to Legoland!" Marcus nodded excitedly, his gaze briefly shifting toward Lucy, curiosity dancing in his eyes as he took in the woman in his fathers apartment. 

The brunette smiled at him, her heart softening as he clung to his father. Despite her nerves, the boy's enthusiasm was almost contagious and for a brief moment her worries about meeting his mother faded into nothing. He offered her a shy smile in return.

Rio stood up and glanced at Lucy, placing a hand on Marcus's shoulder. "Marcus, this is Lucy."

Marcus looked up at her, his face lighting up with recognition. "I remember you. You're the lady from the hospital. You fixed up my arm."

"That's right." she nodded, clasping her hands together in front of her. "It's nice to see you again, Marcus. You look much better."

The child grinned proudly and lifted his arm while pulling his sleeve up. "See, no more stitches!"

"That's awesome!" grinned Lucy, her eyes briefly moving towards the woman in the doorway. Her black cropped hair went perfect with the tone of her skin and she had a single brow raised, smile tugging at her lips as she watched her son. Fuck, she was beautiful.

"Now I can ride my bike again!"

Rio watched the interaction with a soft expression, clearly pleased. He squeezed Marcus's shoulders gently as he looked down at him. "You've got a lot of energy to burn, huh?"

"Uh-huh!" Marcus nodded, bouncing on his feet again. Then he looked up at Lucy, curiosity still in his gaze. "Are you staying with us?"

Lucy glanced at Rio, unsure how to respond but before she could say anything, Rio chuckled and crouched down to Marcus's level. "Lucy's gonna be spending some time with us, yeah. You cool with that, pup?"

Marcus thought for a moment, his brow furrowing in concentration, before he looked back at Lucy and smiled. "Yeah, I'm cool with that."

Lucy let out a quiet breath of relief, smiling warmly at the boy. "I'm glad. We're going to have a great time."

As the tension in the room eased, Lucy's eyes once again flickered to the woman standing in the doorway. She was stunning, with an air of confidence that seemed effortless. The smile on her face was genuine as she watched her son, but Lucy couldn't shake the feeling of being silently evaluated. Which was fair if she were being honest. It was the same thing she'd do if a strange woman came into her child's life. 

The dark haired woman offered Lucy a quick smile before she turned her attention to her ex-husband. "He's been talking about Legoland non-stop all week. Good luck getting him to sleep tonight."

"Ah," smirked Rio as he ruffled his sons' messy hair and looked at her. "we'll manage. He's in good hands."

Marcus then bolted for his bedroom and forced his father to come with him as he tugged on his hand. Rio didn't even have the time to introduce the two woman and Lucy's eyes almost twitched in annoyance that she had to do it herself now. 

Lucy stood there for a moment as she watched after the two of them before glancing back at his ex as she felt the weight of the unspoken introduction lingering in the air. Clearing her throat, she held out her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

She raised a brow and mimicked her smile as she took her hand with a firm shake. "Rhea," she replied, voice smooth and kind. "nice to meet you too. I've heard about you."

Lucy furrowed her brows. "Really?"

Rhea crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Christopher doesn't talk much, but when he does it's usually important. And Marcus," She glanced towards the room they had disappeared to. "he tends to share every single thing. You've clearly made an impression."

The brunette let out a nervous laugh and nodded as shifted her weight around. "Good to know. Uh, you don't mind that i'm here around your child when you don't know me?"

She met her gaze and she shook her head. "Chris doesn't let anyone around Marcus, so he must trust you a lot. And I trust him."

"Okay," nodded Lucy with a smile. 

"Hey," Rhea pushed her shoulder gently as they stood side by side in the living room. "we should get coffee sometimes. Get to know each other, if you're up for it?"

"Yeah," nodded Lucy, genuine smile covering her face at the thought of gaining a new friend. "that sounds fun."

Rhea returned the smile, her eyes softening a bit. "Great, I'll hold you to it," she said, pushing off the doorframe and straightening up. "It's nice to know there's someone else looking out for Marcus too."

Marcus came barreling back into the room and flung himself at his mother, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Mom, you gotta see my room! Dad got me some new lego stuff!"

Rhea smiled warmly, crouching down to his level. "That's so cool, sweetie but I've got to go now. Be good for your dad, okay?" She kissed him on the forehead, her hand gently smoothing his hair.

"Okay, Mom," Marcus said, a little disappointed but quickly recovered.

Rhea straightened back up and gave Rio a warm smile before she turned her attention back to Lucy. "It was nice meeting you, Lucy." 

Lucy nodded, her smile soft and reassuring. "It was nice meeting you too, Rhea."

With one last look at Marcus and a wave, Rhea headed for the door. "I'll be in touch about that coffee," she said with a wink before stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

The brunette heaved a sigh of relief and turned back and met Rio's gaze, who watched her with a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "Told you there was nothin' to worry about."

Lucy chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I thought for sure she'd hate me."

Rio wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close as Marcus played with his new legos. "Nah, she ain't like that at all. Besides, there's no reason for her to hate you. You're here 'cause I want you here and she knows i'd never bring anyone around him that I didn't trust."

"She said that, too."

"Good." he squeezed her waist gently. "Now, you gonna join us for Legoland this weekend?"

           IT WAS SEVEN AT NIGHT WHEN HE GOT A PHONE CALL AND CURSED UNDER HIS BREATH. Lucy looked up from the coffee table where she and Marcus were colouring and she furrowed her brows. Empty boxes of pizza lay beside them on the floor and he was slurping away on a large glass of iced tea. 

The woman watched him as he held the phone to his ear and clenched his jaw. He stood in the kitchen, his back toward them and spoke in urgent and quick sentences but they were to quiet for her and his son to hear. Lucy shot Marcus a reassuring smile when he looked to his dad and offered him another coloured pencil for his drawing. 

"Try this one, it's perfect for the sky," she suggested, handing him a blue pencil. Marcus smiled, momentarily distracted from whatever was pulling his attention to his dad.

"Yeah ... i'll be there in fifteen." Rio hung up the phone and ran a hand over his face. 

Lucy's smile faltered slightly as she peered at the clock on the wall. She pushed herself to her feet and made sure Marcus was still drawing and made her way toward him. "Everything okay?"

Rio took in a deep breath and glared at her, though it was not directed at her. "Your friends screwed up. I need to take care of it."

"What happened?" she demanded, keeping her voice down. 

"Lost me a whole lot of goddamn money." he hissed, pressing his molars together in anger. "Can you watch over Marcus while i'm gone?"

"Are you going to hurt them?" 

He met her gaze and kissed his teeth. "I should."

"Are you?"

He saw the worry behind her eyes and despite the fact they were fighting right now, he knew she'd never forgive him if something happened to her friends. He just needed to cut them off. The little thing they had going on just wasn't worth it anymore. "Not this time."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, not knowing if she believed him or not. "I'll stay with Marcus. Don't be gone too long or he'll start worrying. We're leaving tomorrow at eight, right?"

Rio gave a single nod, his jaw still clenched. "Yeah, eight. I'll make sure I'm back before then." He hesitated for a moment, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "Thanks for doing this. I know it's not easy."

"I got it." she nodded and he squeezed her shoulder gently before making his way to where Marcus was sitting. 

Lucy watched as he got to his level and talked to him to which Marcus frowned and then wrapped his arms around his father's neck. Rio pulled Marcus into a tight hug, whispering something that made the little boy's face light up. After a final pat on the back, he stood up and gave Lucy a nod before heading toward the door.

The brunette watched him go with her arms crossed over her chest and concern washing over her. She turned back toward Marcus who was already staring at her and plastered a big smile on her face. 

"How about some snacks before bed?"

The child's face lit up at the mention of something forbidden and jumped up. "Yes! Can we have popcorn?"

"Popcorn it is. Let's make them extra buttery."

He followed her into the kitchen eagerly and watched her put the bag of kernels into the microwave, the scent already filling the loft. He went on and on about what he was most excited to see at Legoland the next day and she gave him her undivided attention as they waited. 

As the popcorn popped in the microwave, she nodded along his stories with a soft smile on her face. He really was the best child and he had such a wild imagination she couldn't help but feel comfort crawling back into the apartment after Rio had left so suddenly. 

Lucy handed him a bowl when it was done and made sure he had enough butter as he liked. 

"Don't tell your dad about this, okay?"

"Our little secret." grinned Marcus, tooth missing. 

okay i love rhea so much