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“ Mia slept blissfully through the whole thing. It’s not that you said it, Ella, it’s what you said. Who are you expecting to come. And why?”

Words gathered, realigned themselves and she tried to navigate her way around them; determine how much to share with him.

“Ella?” He’d misunderstood the slowness of her response, obviously assuming reluctance over confusion. “Ella if you or Benny are in danger this is something I need to know, because that can directly affect Mia…”

“It won’t…” Her words sounded stark even to her own ears.

Holding up a hand to request a moment more, she drew in a deep breath.

“I overreacted, and I apologize again. It wasn’t that—” She paused, tried again.

“The thing is, I’ve always feared the worst, and yes, I do have concerns someone will come for Benny, but deep down I don’t really think it will be anything like I imagined had happened today.

Know it won’t. That would be contrary to their objective.

So, today I guess I was acting on instinct. ”

“I don’t understand… They? Who are they? And how will they come for him?”

“Through the court system, I imagine. Legally. In their minds, at least.”

“Ella, you’re Benny’s mother, how or why would anyone try to take him?”

“For love of the root of all evil, Leo. Money.” Her tone was glum as she continued. “This is information I would prefer be kept between us. It’s hardly a secret, but for the moment we’re way out of the limelight, and the less people who know where we are, the safer Benny will be.”

“Safer? He’s in danger?”

“Not danger exactly, but there’s a risk he could be used in order for others to access his money.”

“You’re saying Benny has money? The kid upstairs sleeping in his crib? The almost two-year-old?” Leo shook his head, disbelief rolling off him in waves. “Man, I was obviously a slow learner.”

She smiled, albeit it wasn’t a full-strength version. “Not just money; we’re talking money with a capital M . He inherited a fortune from the sale of a global pharmaceutical company, and his annual return alone would possibly fund an entire third-world country. A small one, but still…”

Ella sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility grow even heavier as she outlined the extent of Benny’s fortune.

“Yes, my little Benny—my adorable, kind, joyful little man—is heir to a very expansive fortune. And there are people who would like control of him, and in turn, then, they get to control all that money. It’s my job to protect him, to protect his heritage and his inheritance so that he can make his own decisions when he is old enough to manage his fortune himself.

Apart from the fact that it’s Benny’s right, it is also what Emile would have wanted me to do. ”

A soft whistle hit the air. “Still getting my head around that. Benny? Our Benny? That goofy little teddy bear upstairs is loaded?”

“One and the same.” Outwardly she remained calm, but his use of the word our had caused a worrying flutter in her chest, and it thrilled her a little too much.

She hastened to remind herself that indulging in fantasies can only sustain one for so long, only until the heartbreak of reality once more broke through.

Hurrying on with her explanation she added, “Correct. My sweet little Benjamin Francoise Emile Alphonse Guyon is very wealthy—both a gift and a curse, in my opinion. It began with Benny’s great-great-grandfather, also named Benjamin.

” For the full effect she gave the name its French pronunciation.

“He founded what became one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. It was sold for multiple billions, and the fortune passed down to his son, Emile’s grandfather.

He , in turn, chose to bypass his own son, Emile’s father, Jean-Luc, and left that fortune to be divided between his only two grandsons and their heirs.

But Emile and Alphie— Alphonse —were both killed on the same day, leaving Benny the sole heir. ”

“That’s why you were singing to him in French…

” She heard the murmured words for what they were—nothing more than a loose fact sliding around in a mind overwhelmed with information that must sound absurd.

“But if Emile and Alphonse are dead, and their father as well, then who could try to claim Benny and control of the fortune?”

“This is the weirdest part. It’s Emile’s last pseudo stepmother, Jean-Luc’s last lover, his de facto, Celine Dupuis. She had intended to be wife number seven; only Emile’s father eventually got smart and stopped marrying them—his words. Not mine.” She shook her head.

“And she’s the one you fear will take Benny? That doesn’t make sense.”

“She’s bitter. And greedy, as is her lazy son who’s pushing her all the way; convincing her she’s owed .

Jean-Luc and Celine had lived together just long enough for Celine to claim part of Jean-Luc’s estate and wasn’t happy to discover there wasn’t much to claim; that he’d been largely living off an allowance supplied by his father’s lawyers that ceased with his death, and all properties were tied to the estate that Emile and Alphie inherited.

Jean-Luc basically had nothing of his own.

As an aside to help you understand, neither Emile’s father nor my own were known for their fiscal responsibility.

Both lived for the moment, never concerning themselves with the future, which is why Jean-Luc’s father bypassed him in his will. ”

Leo whistled. “How the other half live, huh? But I still don’t understand. You’re Benny’s mother—someone who’s not even related can’t take a child from its mother unless that child is some kind of physical or moral danger. Benny is in neither, and I’d testify to that!”

That was the catch right there. Someone who’s not related.

Her darling little Benny was fair game. None of this left her mouth, instead she simply followed his lead.

“Thank you and I appreciate that. And yes, I know, it sounds bizarre, but stranger things have happened. All they have to do is prove that I’m a bad mother, or unstable—or financially unable to provide for him—and then apply for custody. ”

“Surely, they need more than hearsay? They’d need solid evidence.”

She nodded. “I know.” Speaking slowly, she expanded. “The thing is, I fell apart a bit when Emile and Alphonse were killed.”

“Understandable,” he cut in vehemently, and she loved that he was so on her side. But would he always be? If he knew it all?

“It was awful,” she continued, letting her head fall back against the sofa, trying not to be drawn into a swamp of memories.

“Benny was so tiny. I was numb for days. I was fortunate that we had brilliant staff, staff who’d loved Emile and Alphie, many of whom had been with them since they were children.

They stepped up to help me with Benny. I was operating on some kind of autopilot, but he was never out of my sight, beside me night and day.

In fact, he was the only thing that kept me putting one foot in front of the other.

But for those first weeks, I struggled.”

Deep creases marred his usually smooth tanned brow.

“I’m not really one for throwing anyone’s advice back at them, but I remember you telling me not to beat myself up over things that are done and in the past that were not of my making.

It all must have been a helluva shock. I kinda think you were entitled to fall apart. ”

“Maybe, but in fairness to Emile and Alphie, it may have been more than that. Not sure if I’ve already mentioned that Benny and I were supposed to be on that boat that day?

We didn’t go because Benny was unwell. All I remember thinking that night, the night after it had all happened, was that his dear little life could have ended that day, too, and that was what brought me undone.

What had happened was unfathomable. What might have happened to Benny was unbearable. ”

Leo didn’t toss out any more advice, her own or otherwise; just sat listening, frowning, processing.

Ella continued, “A doctor was brought in, someone we didn’t know and who was completely unsympathetic.

I think the staff assumed it was to get me a sedative so I could rest, but the doctor recommended I go into care, into an institution, which was ridiculous.

Even in my distressed state, that was patently clear.

” She shrugged. “I refused; pulled myself together; and somehow got through. Then, fortunately, word got back to me through those same wonderful staff members, that Celine had been mooching around, trying to push for me to be hospitalized for mental health reasons, and declaring loudly that she would take Benny. Call it madness, but that day I packed him up and we left.” Memories swirled and tightened inside her, renewing the panic she’d felt that day.

“You have to understand, Leo—they don’t care for Benny, wouldn’t love him…

He’d be packed off to boarding school like his father—and I—had been.

Out of sight. All they want is control of the money. ”

He swore quietly, his mouth a tight line, his eyes bleak. “That’s when you came to America?”

“I was somewhat familiar; my mother and I visited America, and I have dual citizenship. I decided it was better than staying in Europe at the time. I am in contact with Emile and Benny’s lawyers, and some of their senior staff, and they advise me of what’s happening, and how best to proceed.”

“This is why you’re so adamant about not having a casual fling? Because you’re worried that it would harm your reputation and affect your right to keep Benny? Hell, Ella! Why didn’t you tell me? I mean, not that I was proposing a fling—well, not deliberately.”