style="font-size:15px;"> ‘I thought you always worked late?’ Her response came back with the speed of a bullet.
Even though Adam smiled, it did not reach his eyes. ‘I’m prepared to make an exception.’
So miracles did happen! Or would it be a one-off? She’d like to bet that he would rarely make such exceptions. In the beginning maybe, but soon he would be back to his old lifestyle and poor Ethan would be left wondering what had happened to the father he had only just met.
‘Very well,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘I guess there are things we need to talk about.’
‘I’ll send a car for you.’
Sienna raised her brows. He would send a car! Not he would pick her up. Oh, no, he didn’t have time for that. He would send his driver. It would give him extra time at the office. Damn the man. She felt like slinging his suggestion back in his face, telling him that he didn’t deserve to meet his son, he would be a failure as a father and she wished that she had never set eyes on him in the first place. But, of course, she said none of these things.
‘Eight o’clock. You do have someone who can look after…Ethan?’
It was the way he said his son’s name, the awkward way he said it, that made Sienna realise that the shock she had given Adam went far deeper than she had at first thought. It had shifted the earth from beneath his feet and he was having great difficulty in getting used to the idea.
Had she made a mistake? A big mistake? Nevertheless, she nodded. ‘I have a friend who will look after him.’
‘Good.’ The word came out harshly. ‘Till tomorrow, then.’
Within minutes Sienna was being driven away from the riverside development, sitting like royalty in the back of a gleaming black Bentley. In the rearview mirror she could see the driver’s impassive face and knew he must be wondering who she was and what sort of a relationship she had with his employer. If only he knew!
Sienna lived in a rented two-bedroom ground-floor apartment in the north London suburbs and as Adam’s driver pulled up outside she could imagine what he must be thinking. Nevertheless, she held her head high and her shoes in her hand.
Once indoors she flopped down on a chair in her living room. Tiny in comparison to Adam’s oversized apartment, but comfortable. She had everything she needed here. Dropping her head back, she let out a deep sigh. It had taken a lot of courage facing Adam today and where had it got her? Precisely nowhere. OK, he now knew he had a son, and he wanted to talk about him, but he hadn’t been exactly enamoured by the fact.
She went over their conversation in her mind and could see no part where Adam had shown enthusiasm or pleasure. Anger that she had kept him in ignorance, yes. But he had asked no immediate questions about Ethan, hadn’t enquired whether she had photographs. She had to face him again to fill him in on the details he should have asked there and then. She guessed it was shock on his part, but even so…
And the outcome was that she would have to buy her friend a new pair of shoes. She glanced at her watch. Jo would be here any moment with Ethan. She had no children of her own and was always willing to look after him, even on a Sunday afternoon.
As if on cue, she heard the sound of their voices outside the door and jumped up to let them in. Ethan ran to her and wrapped his arms around her. Jo smiled. ‘How did it go?’
Her friend lived in the flat above. They had both moved in at the same time and become firm friends. ‘I broke your shoe,’ Sienna said with a rueful grimace. ‘It was a dumb idea, wearing them. I’m sorry.’
‘What were you doing? Running away?’ asked Jo with a laugh. ‘And don’t worry about it. They were stupid shoes. I could never walk in them.’
Ethan went to his room to play and Sienna grimaced. ‘As a matter of fact, yes, I was running away. It was a waste of time going there. Adam didn’t want to know. He actually accused me of trying to get money out of him. He suggested Ethan wasn’t his.’
Jo drew in a swift breath. ‘He didn’t! What did you say?’
‘I suggested DNA.’
‘And?’
‘He backed down a bit.’
‘And the outcome is?’
‘I’m meeting him tomorrow night—for dinner.’
Jo raised her brows.
‘He was in shock,’ declared Sienna with a wry grimace. ‘We didn’t talk much, he needed time to get used to the idea. Can you babysit Ethan?’
‘Of course.’
‘You should see his place, Jo. It’s out of this world. In fact, it’s on top of the world. He lives in a penthouse suite overlooking the Thames. His driver brought me home—in a Bentley no less.’
‘Then you should grab him with both hands,’ said her friend with a wide grin. ‘Why did you ever let him go?’
‘It’s a long story. Do you want a cup of tea?’
Sienna dressed carefully for her dinner date with Adam. She hadn’t many good clothes; as a matter of fact, the trousers and top she had worn to face him were the best things she had, bought a few months ago to attend a wedding. But she couldn’t wear them again or he would think she had nothing else to wear, so she matched a black strappy top—one she sometimes used to sunbathe in, but he wouldn’t know that—with a black floaty skirt that was years old but nevertheless still looked good. She fastened a silver belt around her waist, added a silver necklace and slipped into black sandals. Her hair had been brushed until it shone, and with a slick of lipstick and a dusting of eye-shadow she pronounced herself ready.
Just in time. The car arrived. The impassive driver knocked on her door. Sienna slid into the back seat, inhaling appreciatively the rich smell of leather. And almost immediately wished that she was going anywhere but to meet Adam again. It was going to be an uncomfortable encounter. There would be more recriminations and almost certainly the suggestion that he wanted to meet Ethan.
But she wanted to feel comfortable with Adam first. She wanted Adam to feel at ease as well. Otherwise when father and son eventually met there would be an undercurrent and she didn’t want that. It needed to be a happy meeting. She wanted Ethan to be ready, but even more than that she wanted Adam to treat his son in the way that a father should, with warmth and humour—neither of which were Adam’s strong points.
She wished for the hundredth time that she hadn’t gone to see him. It had been a huge mistake. One she might live to regret.
‘Here we are, madam.’ The driver jumped smartly out of the car and opened her door. Sienna felt almost like royalty. ‘Mr Bannerman is waiting inside.’
Oh, he was, was he? Sienna felt like telling the driver to take her back home. Except just at that moment Adam appeared in the doorway of the restaurant. They were in Mayfair, in the heart of London’s most exclusive district. Shopping, dining, living, all for the very rich.
Sienna felt distinctly out of place. Nevertheless, she kept her head high and her eyes firmly on Adam’s. He wore a grey suit and a white shirt with a grey and red tie and he looked the epitome of the successful businessman. While
