50. Tessa

50

Tessa

T he apartment my father has so magnanimously agreed I can live in is vast. At least 10,000 square feet. I was half-tempted to say no, but it felt like I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face.

If it was just me, I would have dug my heels in. The thought of using my father's blood money to fund a lifestyle I don't want or need disgusts me, but I have the kids to consider.

Their needs trump mine.

But what really sold it to me is the fact the apartment is only three blocks away from Harry's school. We can walk there. And there's a nice children's park on the way, so Chloe can enjoy some outdoor time and Buttons can stretch her legs.

I fully admit I threw a shit fit when Kade told me my father had enrolled Harry in Forest Academy. It's typical of Dad's overbearing attitude toward me - he hasn't once picked up the phone yet he thinks it's OK to make executive decisions about my son's schooling.

Poor Kade bore the brunt of my anger, but he was surprisingly prosaic about it.

Once he'd shown me a brochure, explained how secure it was, and taken us for a visit, I agreed it was the best place for Harry. He starts next week and I have a ton of stuff to buy before he does. Good job my father gave me a credit card with no limit, eh?

Buttons bounces around our feet, unused to being on a leash. Apartment life isn't exactly suitable for an energetic dog, but I'm hoping this is only temporary. Once my father says I'm safe, I'll move out and find a small rental with a garden for the kids and Buttons.

They need space to play outdoors, and this apartment building is more suited to my father's floozies than a mother with two kids.

"The sliding glass doors to the terrace are protected by an alarm sensor. They're locked for now, as I figured you wouldn't want Harry wandering out there unsupervised. I'll give you a key fob for the alarm and locks, and there is a main control panel by the front door, but one of us will be with you at all times."

I follow Kade on his guided tour, keeping my mouth firmly shut. Cin disappeared to check out the building's security room and Madden went to pick up groceries and other essentials. The kids are sitting in the enormous living room watching TV while Kade gives me a tour of the apartment. The pair of them are tired and grumpy after an early start and long drive. Once we have settled in and they've eaten, I'm putting them to bed.

"Have you ever considered becoming a luxury real estate agent?" I ask Kade when he extols the virtues of the granite counters in the kitchen.

From the way he scowls, he doesn't think I'm funny.

"You'd make a killing." I run my hand over the cool granite and picture rich women falling over themselves to book Kade for a guided tour of some remote Bel Air mansion. God, he'd make millions in commission.

The guy is hot enough to have his own reality TV show.

Maybe he could specialize in high-end properties for mafia families. Surely that's a niche?

"I organized for a decorator to come in and sort the kids' rooms out. I figure they'd settle better if their bedrooms weren't too boring." He pushes a door open and I'm greeted with a cheerful bedroom painted in blue and yellow, with a racing car bed and boxes of toys.

My mouth dries up and I feel awful for teasing Kade. I can hardly believe he's gone to so much trouble for us.

"Kade, this is amazing." He shrugs like it's nothing at all, but there's a faint pink tinge to his cheeks that I almost miss because he turns away abruptly and opens a second door.

"We put a small bed in here too, for when Chloe gets too big for her cot." This room is also lovely. Pale yellow and green decor with Disney wallpaper and a gorgeous bird mobile hanging from the ceiling, as well as a cute night light and comfortable chair for me.

It looks like something from an interior design magazine.

"How did you manage all this in a few days?"

"Money talks." Of course it does. I roll my eyes. If there's one thing my father has always been good at, it's throwing money at things.

Kade gives me a tour of the rest of the apartment. There's a large bedroom for me, which is painted in neutral tones. The attached bathroom is a cornucopia of white marble and gold fixtures and fittings more suitable for a luxury hotel than an apartment I'll be living in.

I wonder if the interior designer my father hired previously worked for the Kardashians.

The guys each have rooms and adjoining bathrooms, and there's a fourth bedroom for Kade, although I don't know why he'd need to stay here. Presumably, he has his own place.

Just as he's telling me about the laundry room downstairs and the gym with a swimming pool, his phone rings. He checks the screen and I see the name Candy flash up.

"Hot tub sex date again?" I joke, even though I'm not at all amused at the idea of Kade screwing some bimbo. But he's a free agent. It's none of my business who he fucks when he's not with me.

"No." From the way he quickly swipes the message away, I'm not sure I believe him, but whatever. He can fuck who he likes.

I have no right to be jealous.

None at all.