We have Rick again. I'm not sure if I'm happy with this, but I'm going to keep on trucking.
"What?" I choked out, my face paling as the words sunk in.
"Denny Auditore's brother is Kalvin's father," she repeated quietly, biting her bottom lip as she took a deep calming breath. Her small hands held up her dress as she headed to the door. "I have to go help Chelsea before the wedding," she reminded me, but I ignored her.
"And you just found that out?" I muttered incredulously, finding it hard to believe. She seemed to know my thoughts and her face flushed.
"Well they're half brothers. I saw him last night, and after the wedding he is supposed to come and spend time with Kal," she said hesitantly, pressing her lips firmly together.
"So that's it? After all this time, you find him again, and that is it? There is no fight or anything?" She frowned at my words, shaking her head as if I was the one being unreasonable.
"What is there to fight about Richard? Kalvin is Kai's son, and I can't deny it. He has the right to see him."
"No he doesn't. He doesn't have the right to anything but back child support payments," I snapped, fingers pushing my shaggy bangs back from my face. Claire scowled at me as I continued to glare at her. "The man had no clue he had a son, and honestly he should be more concerned about squaring things up with the mother of his child, before just bursting into a young impressionable child's life."
"Kal is intelligent. He'll be fine."
"This guy, what do you know about him Claire? It's been over five years. For all you know he could be married or something. You don't know anything about him. What if he's in the mafia?"
"For Goddess sake you sound like Gray now," she huffed, grabbing her purse. "We're going to be late."
"I don't care about that. I'm talking about this. You're going to let a man in here that slept with you once, knocked you up and disappeared off the face of the earth for years. Is someone going to be here with you?" I muttered, narrowing my eyes when she shook her head. "And what if he forces himself on you? Then takes off with Kalvin and leaves you for dead."
"Kai would never do anything like this. HE's one of the most gentle men I know," she retorted, shaking her head at the absurdity of my suggestion.
"How do you know? You're basing this off a guy you knew for a few months several years back," I pressed on, seeing her clinch her face.
"Because I know that I wouldn't love a person like that," she hissed, spinning on me and glaring at me with a look I had seen her give Gray on occasion. I blinked down at the woman, feeling like he slapped me before taking a deep breath.
"What about Kal?"
"Kai wont hurt Kalvin," she said harshly, obviously having enough of my protests.
"What about you Claire? He can hurt you before just like he did before" I said sternly, sighing as she wiped tears away from her eyes. "I'm sorry Claire, I just…I'm worried about you both. I'll let it be for now, but I will pick this up at another time. I don't want you upset when you got to face the facts."
She had no idea what she was in for. A long custody battle, and she would lose Kal, even if it was only partially. As children aged the time was split more evenly between the two parents. With Eric I had gotten him every other weekend and a few hours one day a week until he turned three. Then it was two weeks every other Christmas or Thanksgiving, and half the summer. And when he began school next year, I would have him half the year, and his mother the other half.
Kal was Claire's whole world, and to lose him like that would destroy her.
"I appreciate your concern Richard, but I am capable of taking care of myself, despite what you and my brothers believe."
I only hoped the woman was right.
-_-_-_-_-_-
I smiled as the dark haired girls came slowly down the aisle, carefully tossing out flower petals. I adjusted my glasses, chuckling as Kal walked pointedly towards the alter, balancing the rings on the pillow. I was becoming anxious, the conversation with Claire earlier echoing in my head.
Kal's biological father was here- in the wedding. The music changed and the brides maids came out. Natalie was escorted down the isle by Mark, her face flushing and absent of her usual expression of indifference. The next couple out was Denny's friend Ray and Chelsea's friend Alyssa. Then the man and maid of honor.
I stiffened at the sight, Claire being held tightly by a largely grinning version of Kal, his eyes meeting those of his bemused brother as he lead the blond down the aisle.
I could already tell this man was going to shake the calm waters of our lives. I had no idea what he would want to do, or if Claire had even considered the possibility he might try to take Kal. He obviously had the funds to try, and a DNA test would be a formality.
I wonder if it was normal to feel such an irritation and downright loathsome feeling towards someone who looked like an older version of a child I had watched grow and come to love almost as my own. But I knew what contributed to these feelings.
This was the man I had already lost to, the one that still held that delicate woman by the heart.
And the bastard didn't even know it, that was the worst part. I was a decent man in my own opinion, but nothing irritated me as much as sheer dumb luck. And from what I had been told and observed, Kai Viento had been dipped in glue and rolled in it.
From a cook at a seaside café to heir of a multimillionaire chain, and now from fatherless to a readymade family, complete with a woman no doubt ready to be his once more.
Men that could sow there wild oats with no consequences while men like me were taken as fools, stripped of our dignity…
I jumped to my feet as the wedding march echoed in the room, determined to fight my thought process. Being bitter would do this losing battle little good. I had the past on my side, as well as Claire's brother and his influence. Despite her wants, I knew Claire wouldn't uproot Kal so suddenly, so I had some time as well. I just needed to use those few things to my advantage.
The ceremony went off without a hitch, and I was happy when it was over. We all moved to the next room for the reception, and I happened across my rival speaking quietly to Claire in a corner, and when she was ushered off by Natalie to help with Chelsea, I couldn't help but to walk up to him. He turned at the last moment, bumping into me.
"Mi scusa," he began, before shaking his head and chuckling. "Excuse me."
"I would like to talk to you, privately Senior Viento," I began, though I'm sure my expression was just as icy as my voice. The man's eyes flashed with wariness as he examined me.
"Oh realmente? E lei è?" He said with a hint of a smirk, but I simply removed my glasses, wiping them with a handkerchief as I translated his Italian. He followed me around the corner to the next vacant room.
"I am Richard Stanfill," I began, eyes narrowing as I returned my glasses to my face. "I am a friend of Claire's, and would like to discuss your intentions now that you know about Kalvin."
His eyebrows raised as I spoke, and I knew he understood what I was saying despite him trying to feign ignorance. I took a deep breath and stepped closer to the taller man, scowling up at him.
"I will not let you destroy that woman by taking her son," I said quietly, and I took some joy as his eyes widened, the fact that he hadn't even thought to do such a thing quite obvious. But I pressed on. "It would be best for you to stay away from her."
"Non è il suo interesse" he began, but I shook my head.
"It is my concern. I have been nothing less than a father to that child, and I had planned on being a husband to his mother. And I will be damned if you can come in here after these years and just destroy what I've worked so hard for."
"Tesorina mia, is not your concern. Niether is il mio figlio."
His treasure? His son?
"I beg to disagree," I began but was interrupted by the man in front of me.
"While I appreciate you taking care of them both, now that I know about him, I will be more than happy to step up to the plate."
"Over my dead body. I will not let you walk in here and pluck her away after you carelessly tossed her aside." I growled, knowing full and well my skin was becoming a dark hue of red due to my anger.
"I can arrange that," he drawled out, clearly irritated with me already.
"Back off, Rick."
I snapped my head over to see Mark glaring at me. "And you, DNA provider, stop antagonizing him. You," he said, his attention back on me. "You have no reason telling him to stay away. You're nothing but a friend to Claire, and that is all you'll ever be."
"That isn't for you to decide," I muttered, turning my back on the Italian behind me. Mark shrugged.
"It isn't for Gray to decide either. And you like letting him tell her what to do, don't you?"
I didn't offer a response, instead immediately leaving the room.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"Daddy!" I grinned over the ledge of the Dutch door as Eric reached for the knob. My son was my pride and joy, and it would probably do me good to focus on him rather than Claire's problems with her sperm donor.
"Hello, Mr. Stanfill. How are you?"
"Doing well, Ms. Elli," I murmured absentmindedly to the young brunette. I looked at her, noting that she had a blue ribbon in her hair today.
"You look insanely handsome today," she pointed out quietly, and I couldn't stop myself from flushing. My hair was still held neatly back in the hair tie, and though I had ditched my tie in the car and undone a few buttons, I was still in my nice dress pants and white long-sleeved button up.
"Daddy went to a wedding today," Eric pouted, staring up at me angrily. "Mama wouldn't let me go, so I had to come here," he told Elli, grinning when her hand patted his head reassuringly. "Kal got to go though. That isn't fair."
"Kal was in the wedding," I chuckled, finally opening the half door and allowing my son out. "Any trouble today Ms. Elli?"
"We had some issues at nap time. Eric didn't want to take one, but after a verbal warning he stayed quiet and still the rest of the time. I think that the excitement at his mom's might be causing trouble with sleeping," she said the latter part quietly, her lips quivering into a brief frown.
"Well," I began as Eric grabbed his belongings from the cubby in the hall. "That should stop soon. I'm planning on bringing Eric to live with me after the courts settle the matter. His mother," I began, but shook my head. "She isn't a bad person."
"Of course not. Mrs Richardson just has problems of her own to sort out. I am aware of that," Elli offered in a whisper, her hand reaching up and squeezing my forearm affectionately.
"Mr Stanfill, if you need any advice about the matters, please don't hesitate to contact me."
"Come on daddy!" Eric called, and I sighed, giving the woman a nod in acknowledgement.
"Thank you Elli. I'll see you tomorrow," I mumbled, and Eric ran down the hall and back up to me, standing on tip toe as he looked up at the woman leaning over the half door.
"Bye Ms. Elli. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good bye Eric, Mr. Stanfill." I offered the woman a half hearted wave, raising an eyebrow at her flushed face. She must not be feeling well.
"Let's go home dad," Eric' voice brought me out of my thought and I gave him a reassuring smile and a firm nod.
Everything would be alright in the end, no matter what happened.
For some reason Rick makes me depressed. I feel so bad for him. I need to write him his own ficlet soon. To make up for the guilt.