Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

" W here can I put him down?" Orlando asks me.

"In his crib." I point to the little setup I have next to the bed.

Orlando walks over and looks down. "Fuck it. I can do shit one-handed," he says before shifting Sebastian's weight into one arm.

"You can do what one-handed?" I ask him.

"Pack for you. You're coming home with me. Both of you," he says.

"No, I'm not. We're staying here."

"I have to be at my uncle's, Aleeka. We kind of left without telling them. Which means it's not gonna be long before they rock up here to find us. I'm not leaving without you."

"Well, I guess you're not leaving, because I'm staying here," I tell him more firmly.

Orlando takes his phone out of the front pocket of his pants before sitting on the bed and typing out a message with his free hand. He then brings the phone to his ear.

"Pops…" he says and waits. I can't hear what is being said on the other end of the call. "I'm fine. I can't leave. I'll explain later but I have to stay here."

Sebastian chooses that moment to stir, and let's just say the kid has a good set of lungs on him. I sit up and move closer to Orlando, who glares at me.

"Pops, gotta go," he says before quickly hanging up. Then he looks at me. "Lie the fuck down, Aleeka. How are you going to get better if you don't rest?"

"He needs me…"

"He doesn't need you to give him the flu you have." Sebastian wails louder and Orlando looks down at him in confusion. "Why is he screaming? What happened? Did I do something?"

I can see the worry creasing his brows. "No, he needs his diaper changed."

Orlando's eyes widen. "Shit. Really?" he asks, and I nod. "Okay, I can do this. Tell me what to do."

Josie runs through the door, snatching Sebastian out of Orlando's hands while shooting him a glare. "What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything. He needs a new diaper," Orlando tells her.

"Well, this I gotta see." Dante grins from where he's perched by the doorway again.

"You two should go. Pops knows where we are, and he's not too happy about it." Orlando glances from Dante to Josie.

"I've got this. Go and make Aleeka a cup of tea or something," Josie orders while practically pushing the two boys out of the room. Once they're gone, she walks over to Sebastian's changing table and lays him down. "How are you feeling?" she asks as she gets the wipes and a fresh diaper ready.

"I can do that. You don't have to change him," I say instead of answering her.

"Orlando will shoot both of us if I let you get out of bed, so just stay put. I don't mind." She laughs.

"I'm sorry…"

"For what? Being sick?" She raises a brow at me.

"For not mentioning the fact that I have a son," I tell her.

"You don't owe me an apology. That's between you and Orlando," she muses. "Besides, this little guy is adorable, even if he does look like Orlando."

"You know Orlando and Dante are practically twins, right?" I laugh, and then stop when the motion sends aches through my entire body.

"Kind of." Josie shrugs before picking up a much happier, freshly changed Sebastian.

"Thank you."

"You're family. He is family. You don't need to thank me." Josie frowns at me. "It's what family does for each other."

"He might be family, but I'm not," I remind her.

"I made peppermint." Orlando glances at Josie and Sebastian as he places a cup of hot tea down on the nightstand next to me. He then walks over and takes our son back into his arms.

"Babe, we gotta head back. If we turn ourselves in now, it won't be as bad," Dante says.

Josie rolls her eyes. "They're not going to do anything," she tells him, then pivots in my direction. "Call me if you need anything. I can come back."

"Thank you." Emotion clogs my throat. I can't remember the last time someone other than my dad helped me do anything.

Silence falls over the room the moment Dante and Josie leave. Orlando is looking down at Sebastian, who is much more content in his clean diaper. "Tell me about him," Orlando says quietly.

"He's a good baby, really good. Except he doesn't like to sleep through the night just yet. His favorite food is apple puree, and he loves music. Your music…"

"You play my songs for him?" Orlando looks at me.

"Always," I say. "I didn't want to keep this secret from you. I just… panicked. We're young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Your career is already taking off. I don't want to interrupt that."

"He's my son, Aleeka. Don't you think that trumps any fucking concert or tour?" He's angry, and I don't blame him. I also know he's doing his best to keep that anger in check.

"I…" I don't know what to say. Not that it matters. Because the door opens and Orlando's father walks through with another man. One of Orlando's uncles, or so I can only assume.

They stop short and stare wide-eyed at Orlando and then at me. Then back at Orlando or maybe Sebastian, who's curled up against his chest.

"Orlando?" Mr. Valentino approaches us slowly.

"Pops, you remember Aleeka, right?" Orlando says, holding Sebastian so that his face comes into view. "It appears we made this little guy together."

"I'll… ah… Wait outside. You got this?" the other man asks while slapping a hand down on Mr. Valentino's shoulder.

"Yeah, I got this. Thanks, Theo."

"It was bound to happen eventually. I'm just fucking glad it wasn't me, Grandpa." Orlando's uncle laughs as he exits the room.

"How long have you known about him?" Mr. Valentino asks.

"About two hours," Orlando replies as he stands to meet his father at eye level.