Amethyst St. Clair's POV

It was only supposed to be a swift trip to New York to pick up Max and then fly back to Italy so he could get acquainted with his father and maybe come up with a plan on how to raise him while his parents live on each side of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Really, how hard could that be? I asked myself silently. Well, Daniel made it hard for me. He just called me to inform me that since I went home all of a sudden despite my commission thing in Italy I might as well stay for a few more days so I can attend the scheduled meeting at the office two days from today and his family dinner party tomorrow night.

Looking at Franco now who just announced that he would be staying with us in New York until I am free to go back to Italy.

"You can't be serious," I demanded looking at him with a shocked face.

"I am."

"But what about your work back in Italy?" I asked thinking how busy he was back to his home.

He smiled kindly in my direction. "Don't worry about it. I can take a few days off from work."

I bit my lower lip while weighing my choices. This was not what I expected to happen when I agreed to come back to fetch Max. "Daniel requires me to attend the dinner party he is hosting in his Hamptons estate followed by a meeting at the office the next day."

"I will come with you." I stared at him in horror. I think he got the wrong impression when I told him about my schedule for the next two days. He must be thinking that I am telling him this so he can accompany me to the dinner tomorrow.

"You will come to Hamptons with us?" I asked with a little squeak in my voice. "How should I tell my family about your presence?"

He grinned at me devilishly. "That's up to you. I think that will not be that hard when Roman and your sister already know my identity so it's up to you how to explain my presence to the rest of the family."

I was not so sure about this whole thing. I could almost imagine Daniel's face when I arrived with him. What if he got the wrong idea about my association with him? Because as far as I am concerned he was nothing but a baby daddy to me.

"From what I can see you are reluctant to tag me along to this family dinner." He remarked with a knowing smile playing on his lips.

I stared at him dryly. "Can you blame me? Your attendance there might give my Granddad a wrong impression about our association. He might hear wedding bells inside his head with your arrival."

"And the thought is so repulsive for you?" He surprised me when he suddenly stood up from the sofa and closed the distance between us.

I took several steps backward while giving him a silent warning. "What are you doing?" I whispered menacingly at him while seeing how his light brown eyes gleamed with delight. "Max is looking at us."

"I am not doing anything." He replied suavely. "What makes you think I will do anything to you when our son is looking?" He lowered his head and whispered something in my ear. "I will do that when he's finally asleep."

I glared at him hotly. "Behave yourself."

"For now, I will." He smirked smugly. "But it's an entirely different story when the night comes."

My temper flared at the thought. "What makes you think that you will spend the night here?"

As if on cue, Max spoke from the sofa joining our growing debate. "Mommy, can Daddy stay here with us tonight? He can sleep in my room with me."

It took every ounce of my control not to scowl in their direction. Franco was busy giving me a goading look while our son stared at me expectantly. "I am sure Daddy will not fit in your tiny bed, sweetheart."

"So can he stay in your bed instead?" Max asked hopefully while my cheeks felt burning at the moment.

"Oh, honey..."

I dared to look at his father who was looking at me like a child who was about to receive his gift on Christmas morning.

"Yeah. I am sure your Mommy's bed is big enough for both of us." He quipped exasperatingly.

"I think so too," Max replied innocently.

"Now see here..." I started looking at them both sternly. It feels like they're suddenly on the same team while I am left on my own. "Your Daddy can't sleep on my bed, darling."

"Why?" Our son asked curiously, his light brown eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Yeah. Why not?" Franco added with deviltry in his voice. I threw a deathly glare in his direction because he was not helping me with the whole situation.

"Because..." I was lost for words on how to describe our situation with Max. How can I explain to him that...oh lord, I am starting to have a headache here? "He can't sleep on my bed and that's final."

"You're weird, Mommy," Max remarked while staring at me with his innocent eyes. He looked at his father with excitement. "Let me show you my room, Daddy."

I watched him pull his father into his room leaving me alone wondering what the hell is going on with my life since I went to Italy.

Franco Calvetti's POV

My enthusiastic little boy led me inside his room. I still prevented myself from smiling like an idiot when our son suggested that I should sleep in Amy's bed instead for tonight.

I didn't hesitate to use his innocent invitation to Massimo to my advantage and try to push the button of his mother for the sake of fun. I couldn't miss the way she threw a murderous glare in my direction while explaining as much as she could why I could not sleep on her bed.

It was on the tip of my tongue to inform our son that if I slept in his mommy's bed would likely have a baby brother or sister after nine months. But I am sure Amy will not appreciate the analogy.

"Here's my room, Daddy." He finally let go of my hand and jumped on the bed.

I looked around his room it was big enough with shelves of toys on the side of the wall mostly airplane collections and there was a small study table near the window, there were also bookshelves in the corner and of course his small bed on the other side.

"You like airplanes?" I asked while looking at his collection from commercial aircraft up to the Cessna plane.

"Yep. How about you, Daddy? Do you also collect toys?"

I sat on his bed and ruffled his hair. He was an intelligent boy. I thought for a moment if I still considered them as 'toys'. I smiled ruefully in his direction. "I collect cars."

"Oh, boy!" His eyes lit with excitement. "I want to see your collection someday."

"Don't worry. You will see them soon when we travel to Italy. You and your mom will have a little vacation with me."

"Italy?" His eyes widened in my direction as curiosity entered his expressive eyes. "Do you live there?"

"Yes," I informed him as I saw him think for a moment. Talking to him feels as if I am talking to an adult already. "You will meet your grandmother there. She will be delighted to meet you."

"I have a grandmother?" He asked innocently, his gaze steady on me. "I thought I only have a grandfather and he lives in his huge house in Hamptons."

"Yes, you have a grandmother now," I informed him with a smile on my face. "She's waiting for you in Italy."

"I am excited to meet her too." My little boy said thoughtfully and then he remained silent as if thinking about something.

"What is it?"

He looked at me for a moment before answering. "Are you going leave us again, Daddy? After our vacation is over?

It seems like someone punched me on my solar plexus. I couldn't breathe properly I should have expected that question from him since I just show up in his life now. It was only a natural reaction from him to ask if I would ever leave them again after this.

My throat was suddenly constricted by emotions. I stared straight into his eyes making sure he knew that I was serious. "Listen to me, Massimo. I promised that I would not go anywhere without you and your mom. I will stay here with you and do things we didn't have a chance to do before."

"Really?" His brown eyes gleamed with delight. He surprised me when he suddenly wrapped his arms around my neck. "Yay! I will look forward to doing those things with you, Daddy! Can we go camping? Fishing? And other stuff?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm as I wrapped my arms around his small body. "I promised we would do all those things."

"Oh, I get it!" He announced all of a sudden while clapping his hands together. "Since you are tall and you can't sleep on my bed with me. We will just all sleep on Mommy's."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. I don't know if our son was tempting the devil inside me or if he just subtly wanted to punish me for being absent in the first five years of his life.

"I don't think your mommy will like that." I reasoned out while enjoying his enthusiasm.

"I am sure she will agree." He countered with a grin on his face. "Come let's ask her."

He energetically led me outside his bedroom and went to search for Amy around their apartment. We found her in the kitchen busy cooking dinner.

When she took notice of us she smiled faintly in my direction. "Don't expect anything fancy tonight. My housekeeper is not around to cook for us."

"I didn't say anything."

"Mommy," Massimo inserted smoothly. "We decided that since Daddy is too tall for my small bed we are both going to sleep in your bed tonight."

She shot a dagger look in my direction while stopping to cut the vegetables on the wooden board.

"It wasn't my idea." I raised my hands slightly upward.

"Please, Mommy...?" Our little boy begged his mom. "I want to spend more time with Daddy tonight."

She was still busy giving me a deathly glare while sending a different warm and gentle expression to our son. "Dinner is almost ready. Take your seats at the table."

I hid my smile when she deliberately didn't agree with or oppose her suggestion to Massimo about our bed arrangements.

The dinner was uneventful our son told stories to me animatedly while Amy remained silent and just focused on eating her dinner.

I realized that despite the tension still lingering between me and Amy this should be our normal family dinner if they didn't cruelly break us apart six years ago. This kind of setting must be a normal occurrence for us.

There's no reason now to think about that when everything had been done but I swear there's nothing on earth that would keep me away from my child and his mother ever again.

After dinner, Massimo took a bath with the help of Amy. She instructed me to use the spare bathroom to take a shower I didn't hesitate to do that since it's been a long day for all of us.

I curse escaped me when I realized that I didn't bring any pajamas with me. I used to wear boxers in my sleep. I don't think they will appreciate it.

I wore a new pair of trousers before Massimo led me to the bedroom of his mother. Once we were inside I found the mother of my child fresh from her shower and wearing silk pajamas.

She tossed the black sweatpants and white t-shirt unceremoniously in my direction I caught them before they reached the floor. I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"That's Roman unused clothes my sister forced me to take them home for you." She explained hastily avoiding my gaze. "She thinks you might not have sleepwear with you in case we will spend the night here in New York."

"Thank you," I said to her while pointing to her bathroom for me to change.

When I emerged from the bathroom I saw them already settled on the massive bed with Massimo in the middle.

I carefully went to my side of the bed trying to find a comfortable position in the bed.

"This is the best day ever!" The little boy in our center chirped happily. He went to kiss his mother's cheek and mine soon after. My heart warmed at the gesture considerably. "Mommy, aren't you going to kiss Daddy goodnight?"

I stopped myself from grinning at the simple request of our son. I watched her cheeks flush. "Not as necessary, darling."

"Okay, I will not look." He covered his eyes with his hands as he waited for his mom to do as he requested. "Is it done, Mommy?"

"No," Amethyst replied sternly.

"Just one good night kiss, Mommy, and then I will stop." Massimo prodded cheekily.

I threw a goading smile in her direction. "Give in so he will stop."

"All right, fine. But on the cheek only." Amethyst said with a deep sigh. She started to lean towards me as I presented my cheek for her good night kiss. But the devil whispered something in my ear and I turned my head slightly so our lips meet.

It was only a brief touch but it was enough to have my heart pounding in my chest. She threw me a deadly glare but it was worth it. She turned to her side and ignored us for the rest of the evening.

Something woke me up in the middle of the night. And then I realized that Amy was soundly asleep in my arms her hair spread through her white pillow while her head rested on my shoulder. I looked around to search for our son—that little rascal. He must probably when back to his room.

Part of me was glad that he was doing me a great favor. For now, I will enjoy this, and tomorrow I will probably face Amy's wrath for this.

I kissed the top of her head gently and surrendered back to sleep.