She shook her head. "I won't do it, Marc. I won't go through that again and I sure as hell won't put my son through it."
Jaw clenching, he bit out, "He's my son, too, Vanessa."
"Yes," she acquiesced with a short nod of her head, "which is why you should want to protect him, too. From everything, and everyone."
Releasing the rolling pin, she put one hand flat to the island, the other on her hip and squared off, a mother bear ready and willing to protect her young, no matter what. "Danny is innocent. I won't let anyone make him feel less than perfect, less than wonderful. Ever. Not even his own grandmother."
Marc put his hands to his hips and cocked his head. "I had no idea you hated her so much," he murmured quietly.
"She was horrible to me," Vanessa retorted, rolling her eyes. "She made my life miserable while we were married."
For a minute, he didn't say anything, trying to gauge the truth of her words.
Had his mother really been that awful to her, or was Vanessa exaggerating? He knew women didn't always get along with their husbands' families and that mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships could often be acrimonious.
Heaven knew his mother wasn't exactly the warmest person in the whole world, even with her own children, but had she really been so cruel to Vanessa when he hadn't been around?
"I'm sorry you feel that way," he said carefully, "but I have to go back. Not for long-a few days, maybe a week. And I'd like to take Danny with me."
At that, Vanessa opened her mouth and he knew another argument was coming.
"You can't really stop me from taking him along," he told her flatly. "He's my son and you've kept him from me-and from my family-all this time. I think I deserve to take him home with me for a while."
Cocking his head, he fixed her with an intense, no-nonsense stare. "And we both know I don't need your permission."
"Are you threatening to take him from me?" she asked in a low voice.
"Do I need to?" he responded just as softly.
Though her mouth flattened in obvious anger, he could see the pulse beating frantically at her throat and her blue eyes glittering with emotion.
"It's just for a few days," he assured her again, feeling the odd need to wipe the fear and brimming tears from those eyes. "A week at the most. And you're more than welcome to come along, keep an eye on both of us. Why do you think I invited you in the first place?"
She licked her lips, swallowing hard. "You're going to make me do this, aren't you?" she asked in a wavering but resolved voice.
"I'm going to do this, with or without you. What part you play in the situation and how close an eye you keep on Danny is entirely up to you."
She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't think the choice he was giving her was any choice at all, but damned if he'd back down or go home, even for a short stay, without his son. He'd only just discovered he was a father; he wasn't going to walk away that easily.
Nor was he willing to let Danny out of his sight for that long. It might only be a handful of days by the calendar, but he'd gotten so used to seeing his son each and every day, to spending true quality time with him, that even twenty-four hours would feel like a lifetime at this point.
The same could be said of being away from Vanessa, he supposed, but then, his attraction to her had never been in question.
No, his thoughts now had to be for his son. And though he would never intentionally cause his ex-wife this much anxiety or upset, he couldn't honestly be sure that she wouldn't pick up Danny and run with him the minute he drove out of town.
It would mean leaving her aunt and bakery and the life she'd built here in Summerville, but she'd kept Danny's existence from him once. What was to say she wouldn't try to steal the baby from him this time around?
There was also the small issue of her current physical condition. Like it or not, there was a chance she was pregnant again, and until he knew for sure one way or the other, he didn't intend to let her get away or keep another of his children a secret from him for a year or more.
Which meant that if he couldn't stay in Summerville and keep an eye on her and Danny every minute, then he would have to take Danny with him back to Pittsburgh. Vanessa could go along or not, but the one thing he could count on was that if Danny was with him, she wouldn't be hieing off to parts unknown.
Mouth set in a mulish slant, she mumbled, "This is extortion, you know."
He raised a brow and resisted the urge to chuckle. "I'd hardly call it that."
"What would you call it, then?"
"Fatherhood," he replied. "I'm simply exerting my parental rights. You remember what those are, don't you? They're what you denied me for the past year while you kept Danny to yourself."
He hadn't meant to let his bitterness over the past slip out, but he could tell by her expression that she'd heard it loud and clear.
"I'm not letting you take Danny anywhere without me," she said stubbornly.
Her implication being that if he insisted on taking Danny home to visit his family, she would be going along, however reluctantly.
"If you can be ready by tomorrow, we'll leave around noon."
"I'm not sure I can be ready quite that early."
Marc tipped his head and gave a short nod. "Fine, make it one o'clock, then."
The last thing Vanessa wanted to do was leave Summerville and the nice, tidy life she'd built for herself to return to the lion's den that was Keller Manor. It might have been only temporary-very temporary, if Marc's promise held true-but whether it was five days or only one, every minute was bound to feel like an eternity.
Which was why she didn't rush when it came to packing for herself and Danny. She took her time discussing her absence with Aunt Helen and setting up a couple of extra employees to cover for her, wanting to make sure The Sugar Shack really would run smoothly while she was away.
Then she actually solicited Marc's help in gathering everything they would need to take Danny on even a short trip. She was pretty sure he had no idea just how involved traveling with a baby could be.
While she decided about which of her own items and outfits to pack, she put him in charge of gathering up Danny's clothes and toys. Making sure they had enough diapers and wipes, bottles and formula. Blankets, booties, hats, infant sunscreen and more.
Vanessa kept thinking up new things to add to the list, hiding her amusement when Marc would begin to grumble and reminding him that returning to Pittsburgh was his idea. They could skip all of the fuss and muss, if he'd only agree to let her-and Danny-stay in Summerville.
Each time the topic came up, however, any mention of canceling the trip or of his going without them simply caused his jaw to go taut, and he would silently return to collecting Danny's things or securing the safety seat in the back of his Mercedes.
By one the next day-because try as she might, she hadn't been able to postpone any longer-they were standing on the curb, ready to leave. Danny was in his car seat, kicking his legs and gumming his very own set of brightly colored plastic keys, while Marc waited near the front passenger door. A few feet farther along the sidewalk, Vanessa and Aunt Helen stood hand in hand.
"You're sure you want to do this?" her aunt asked in a hushed voice.
Oh, she was very sure she didn't. But she couldn't say that. Partly because she'd grudgingly agreed to go and partly because she didn't want Aunt Helen to worry about her.
"I'm sure," she lied, even though her fingers were chilled inside her aunt's solid grip. "It will be fine. Marc just wants to introduce Danny to his family and take care of some business with the company. We'll be back by the end of the week."
Aunt Helen raised a brow. "I hope so. Don't let them drag you down again, darling," she added softly. "You know what it did to you last time, living under that roof. Don't let it happen again."
A lump formed in Vanessa's throat, so large, she could barely swallow. Pulling her aunt close, she hugged her tightly and waited until she thought she could speak.