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Chapter 2

The flight to Paris came a whole lot quicker than I thought that it was going to, so much quicker that I had convinced myself that time had intentionally sped up so that this date arrived quicker than it needed to.

It felt like it was only yesterday that I was opening the envelope and reading the piece of paper with my name on it, when it had been a month since that day.

Eve had told me that going was a stupid idea, especially since I was planning on taking Ellaine with me, and there would be no hiding that she was Mikee's daughter. The secret I had spent so long hiding would be out, and there was bound to be some heartache, but I had done what I thought was best for Ellaine and I would defend my decision not to tell Mikee until the day I died.

But, I was still debating which was worse.

The fact I was going to come face to face with Mikee again for the first time in years, the fact Ellaine was going to meet her father (since she had taken to asking where daddy was recently), or the fact that I had been desperate enough to invite my mother as my plus one to the event.

"Mummy. I want Barbie."

"I know, sweetie. But Barbie is in the suitcase which is under the plane." I knew that I should have put her Barbie in the carry-on bag but my mother, insisting that Ellaine wouldn't need her toys on the plane, had put them all in the luggage which had to be checked in, and now my daughter was bored. "How about you colour this in for me instead?"

The air hostess, feeling sorry for me, had given me a colouring book for Ellaine, even though she had originally bought it for her own daughter. I was grateful though and, for the last hour anyway, it had been enough to keep Ellaine occupied, but now she was growing restless and the only thing which would entertain her was her Barbie; just as I had told my mother when she removed the doll from my bag and placed it in the suitcase.

"Colouring boring. I want my Barbie, mummy." I knew that she was about to start balling her eyes out and, as much as I hated giving into Ellaine giving her what she wanted, I hated seeing her cry more. Both Eve and my mother had told me that I spoil Ellaine too much and that I need to stop, but she is my daughter and, if I want to spoil her with toys and clothes, then I will spoil her. "Plane stop? You get my Barbie?"

"Ellaine, baby. If mummy could stop the plane, then she would. But even mummy doesn't have that power," I sighed, taking my daughter from her seat and placing her on my lap, knowing that was the only way to prevent her from having a tantrum which would only embarrass the both of us. "Is my princess tired?"

"Sleepy Elli." I ran one hand through her hair, kissing the top of her head as she snuggled into my chest with her thumb in her mouth, and her free arm wrapped itself around my other arm which was supporting her body and ensuring that she didn't slip from my lap. Ellaine was my world and, no matter what happened during these three weeks, I was always going to love her and she was always going to be my world.

"So? Who is this Mikee Barnes, and how do you know him?" My mother took advantage of the silence which had fallen now that Ellaine was no longer being fussy, and she was falling asleep.

While we were preparing to leave for the airport this morning, my mother had given me the lecture about not sleeping with anyone who was invited. She had even given me the lecture which warned me to avoid anyone who was related to Mikee, which wasn't going to be too difficult.

Morgan Barnes.

He was Mikee's younger, and less successful, brother.

He didn't do relationships. He didn't care for his family. He didn't understand that people do have feelings. And he doesn't understand that he tends to constantly hurt those feelings.

Morgan Barnes was everything I hated about the male population, so there was very little chance of me wanting to sleep with him. Not unless he has changed in the little time since I last saw him, which was last month, so I am not going to hold my breath on that one.

"Just someone I know. He stayed in Dad's hotel for a couple of months over the Summer. The one I was working in at the time, and we became pretty good friends," I shrugged.

In fact, Mum, we became such good friends that he is the father of your granddaughter. But, surprise. He doesn't know that he got me up the duff because as far as he was concerned, he was sterile and it was impossible for him to have any kids.

I knew it was for the best if I kept those thoughts to myself. Especially when my mother has never been too good at keep secrets and, if I told her the truth about how I know Mikee, then everyone at the renewal ceremony would know before the end of the day; and I couldn't risk that happening.

"Does he have any brothers? Sisters? Parents?" My mother questioned, and I was beginning to think that she suspected something before we even arrived there, but then there was another part of my mind which told me I was simply being paranoid and I had nothing to worry about.

"A brother. Morgan." I looked down when I heard the light snores coming from Ellaine's mouth, and I was relieved that she was asleep, because it meant that the remaining six hours of this twelve hour flight might provide me with some peace; other than my mother's constant nattering in my ear and her questions which were better left unanswered on occasion.

"Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately." I didn't want to know Morgan, but that was the unfortunate thing about working in the restaurant where he conducted all his business, I was always guaranteed to see him and I always had to pretend that I enjoyed speaking to him as well.

"How do you know him then?"

"Whenever he's in London on business, he always comes into Samson's restaurant with his clients, and I am always the waitress they request." Morgan, without fail, will ask for me to wait on his table, and he will always tell me that it's because the company appreciate the beauty. It's bullshit, whatever the reason, and I don't get paid enough to listen to his sexual remarks each time he comes into the restaurant.

"Is he hot?"

"I can't believe you just asked me that. You're 57, Mum, not 25 anymore."

"You need a man in your life. He could be perfect for you." My mother shrugged as she went back to browsing the free magazine which she had picked up while we were in the departures lounge.

There was a part of me which hoped she would figure out for herself everything wrong with what she had just said, because I didn't need her setting me up with people, least of all people I despised for their very nature and the manner in which they treated women.

"I am happy being single. Thank you very much."

"I was just saying, Aria. Ellie needs-"

"Don't just say anything. If I wanted to sleep with him, then I would have done by now because, trust me, I have had more opportunities than you would even care to count." I didn't give a damn what she had to say, certainly not when she was telling me that Ellaine needed a father to become something in her life. I didn't have my father, I barely had my mother, but I turned out better than my mother had hoped I would do.

"Whatever, Aria. If you want to die old and alone, then carry on going the way that you are, because you're doing it perfectly." My mother muttered under her breath before she turned her head in the opposite direction, put her earphones back in, and returning to the magazine she had been reading.

I could already tell that these were going be a somewhat, interesting and quite possible dramatic three weeks.

**

"Mr. Barnes was not aware that you were bringing a child with you. If the room is not to your liking, then there is a much larger room on the floor below." I didn't catch his name when he introduced himself to everyone because I was dealing with, not only a tired Ellaine, but also a tearful Ellaine who wanted to be back home and in her own bedroom. She hadn't adapted well to the time difference, and neither had she adapted to the fact her routine was going to be completely different for the next three weeks, something which I wasn't looking forward to dealing with.

"I am sure that whatever room we are in will be satisfactory. But thanks for the option."

"In that case, here is your room, Miss Peterson." He opened the door and I was immediately struck by both the simplicity and the grandeur of the room, not that I expected anything less from Mikee and his wife. He had, when we were sleeping together, often bought me pieces of jewelry which were simple in design but huge in cost.

"Thank you." I handed him $10 for his help, waited until he had placed our cases at the end of the bed and closed the door before I allowed myself to fully enjoy what the room had to offer.

The suite was more than I could have hoped for, though I should have guessed that Mikee would ensure I had a comfortable stay while I was here, because I knew that there had to be some part of him which still cared about me and I could only hope that there was a part of him which cared about Ellaine when he realized that she was his daughter.

The bed, which was plenty big enough for both Ellaine and I, was covered in a grey and white duvet set and the wooden headboard at the top of the bed made me wonder whether I would be able to fit one of these into my apartment. The wardrobe could have been used as another room with the amount of space in there (exaggerating, of course, but you should have seen the size of it), the TV was bigger than both ones I had back home combined, and the view I had from the window was one which I wouldn't forget in a hurry; it was simply stunning to see the mountains alight under the sunset.

The only thing I disliked was the salmon coloured walls, and the matching carpet, and the silly decorative flowers which were on the bedside table. It was obvious that they were features which were decided upon by Sandy, Samantha, Sa-Whatever Her Name Is, because I knew from my own experience that Mikee had taste and he would never have picked those awful things to be in the same room.

"Mummy?" Ellaine pulling on the bottom of my jumper was enough to remind me of where I was, and just how tired I was as well.

"Yes, baby?" I attempted, and failed, to stifle the yawn which emerged from nowhere. But I had been up since half five Paris time, taken a twelve-hour flight where I had been unable to sleep because my mind was buzzing with all the things which could go wrong, and now I was in a time zone which was eight hours behind that of what I was used to.

"Mummy tired?" I watched blindly as Ellaine pulled herself onto the grey storage boxes which were at the end of the bed and then as she climbed into the bed, throwing herself down on the right-hand side with a loud sigh, something which made me chuckle because that was how I got into bed after a long day at the restaurant. "Mummy and Ellaine sleep now?"

Considering the eight-hour time difference, I probably should have stayed awake a little longer, and even forced Ellaine to stay awake so that we could both get used to it, but I was too tired to think about that right now and I knew what happened when I denied Ellaine her sleep-that's not something which I was mentally prepared to deal with on the limited sleep I have had already, and it's why I nodded my head in agreement with my daughter's statement.

"Yes, baby. Mummy and Ellaine sleep now." And, the moment Ellaine was comfortable in my arms and I knew she was asleep, I was also dead to the world.

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