Chapter 6

 

 

 

“How was your weekend with lover boy?” Gianna asked stepping into Gemma’s room as if she’d been down the hallway lurking, waiting for the exact moment Royal left.

“Look at this…I have a revolving door tonight,” Gemma quipped.

Gianna walked in and sat on the bed next to Gemma. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine, Gianna. Royal took good care of me.”

“I bet he did,” she snarled, narrow-eyed.

Gemma grinned at the implication of her tone. “I don’t know why you lookin’ all crazy. Royal did take good care of me. He’s harmless.”

“I didn’t know you were going to stay with him for the weekend.”

“Then that makes two of us. It was his idea. He said it would give you and Ramsey some privacy. I agreed.” She shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Gianna’s brows raised. “Anytime you’re not with me, is a big deal. I need to make sure you take your medication.”

“Correction—I need to make sure I take my medication, Gianna. Look, you’re going to have a son or daughter of your own in like what? Six…seven months? I can’t have you stressing about me when you have a baby on the way.”

“I’m not stressed. I just need to know that you’re okay at all times. It would’ve been nice to have a heads up that you were going to be staying with Royal.”

“Okaaay,” Gemma conceded. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

Gianna frowned. “Next time? You’re already planning on staying with him again?”

“No, Gianna. This was just a one-time deal. And it was for you and Ramsey.”

Gianna turned up her lips.

Gemma shook her head. “Jeez, okay, I don’t know what it is you’re thinking, but in case this is it, let me clarify. Royal St. Claire is not interested in me.” She untied her scarf, placed it on the bed and massaged her short hair. She felt comfortable with Gianna seeing it – no one else.

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“What does that mean?” Gemma asked.

“It means, Royal has a thing for you and you can’t even see it.”

Gemma cackled. “Royal does not have a thing for me.”

“Oh, yes he does. Now that I have experience with a man, I can read the signs.”

“Oh, goodness. Here we go…”

“I’m surprised you don’t see them. You have to have picked up on it by now.”

Gemma turned red in the face as she laughed. “There’s nothing to pick up on, Gianna. I promise you there isn’t.”

“You’ve never seen Royal staring at you? He stares at you a lot, just like Ramsey does to me.”

“That’s only because he has this obsession with making sure people are okay. It’s his job. He’s a…um…whatchamacallit…a troubleshooter.”

Gianna grinned. “Girl, do you even know what a troubleshooter is?”

“Yeah. A person who shoots trouble. Duh.” Gemma grinned.

“Come on, Gemma. Be serious.”

“It’s hard to be serious when you’re trying to imply that Royal has a thing for me. It’s not possible. I’m not even his type.”

“Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t Ramsey’s type. Now, we’re married with a baby on the way. I’m telling you—there’s something more.”

“Gianna, you didn’t even know Ramsey was feeling you until I told you so.”

“Then I’m returning the favor, baby sis. Maybe you’re so close to Royal, you can’t see it, but I’ve been watching him—like the way you two were dancing on the yacht Saturday afternoon. He had you pulled so close to him, I’m surprised you’re not the one with the baby on the way.”

Gemma couldn’t help but laugh. “Excuse me but when did you find the time to watch us dance? I thought Ramsey had you occupied.”

“I wasn’t so occupied that I couldn’t see the way Royal was looking at you.”

Gemma brushed off her words. She didn’t want to admit it but she had caught Royal staring at her on several occasions. And then there was the way he looked at her – a way in which she couldn’t describe – not to mention the way he seemed to enjoy hugging her. Touching her. “Enough about your theories. Can we change the subject?”

“To what?”

“I dunno…let’s say, you. Do you have morning sickness?”

“No.”

“You haven’t been sick at all?”

Gianna beamed. “No. Not at all. That why Ramsey’s mother seems to think I’m having a boy. She said she didn’t get sick with any of her boys when she was carrying.”

“Well, that’s great you’re feeling okay. I know Ramsey is through the roof excited.”

“He is.”

Gemma stretched. “Well, I hate to rush you out of here, but I need to take a shower and go to bed.”

“What’s the matter? Didn’t get much sleep at Royal’s?”

“I got plenty of sleep. But today, we took a walk to a restaurant near his condo and walked back. I dozed off in the car on the way here and now I’m ready to pass out.”

“Okay, then,” Gianna said standing.

“Oh, and I’m going with you to the bakery tomorrow, so don’t leave me.”

“Why don’t you wait until Tuesday, Gem? I don’t want to tire you out.”

“I’ll be fine. I want to go ahead and get started. Royal thinks it’s important for me to do something.”

“Does he?”

“Yes. He wants me to have something special that I like to do. He thinks I could volunteer at the children’s cancer hospital—says I could offer hope to the kids.”

Gianna smiled. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”

“I know.”

“And Royal came up with this on his own?”

“He did.”

“That proves right there that he’s been thinking about you.”

“Maybe, but not in the way you’re suggesting. It’s certainly not the way Ramsey sits around and thinks about you.”

Gianna looked delightfully happy. “Wow. It’s so different watching you in the very same position I was in and not being able to see what’s going on right in front of your eyes.”

“The only thing I want to see in front of my eyes are my eyelids. Now, skedaddle on up out of my room. You know Ramsey gon’ call a search party if you stay too long.”

“Whatever.” Gianna laughed. “Goodnight, Gem.”

“Goodnight. I love you.” She looked at Gianna’s stomach and said, “I mean, y’all.”

“We love you, too.” Gianna walked to the door.

Gemma waited until Gianna exited, then removed the rest of her clothes. She stepped in the shower, seriously considering the things Gianna was saying. What if…

What if Royal really liked her beyond a simple friendship? She grinned. Not likely. Royal wasn’t just any random man she’d met. He was a St. Claire for goodness sakes. At twenty-five, he had his stuff together. He wasn’t confused about life. He seemed to have carved a clear path for himself. Surely, she was a diversion from that path, but that’s it. A diversion – not a fixture. There was no way he was the least bit interested in her besides the fact that he wanted to help her.

Royal the troubleshooter wanted to make her life easier using his professional prowess in doing so. She didn’t see anything wrong with that, besides the fact that he could be a little pushy and insistent. And it didn’t help that he was drop-dead gorgeous. She had to will herself to fight an attraction to him, but she’d done it. She had developed a plan to combat fantasizing about him. Whenever she found herself lost in his eyes, she’d picture in her mind what the Royal woman would look like – like a freakin’ supermodel – not a cancer survivor with hardly any hair, no body and no…nothing. So brushing off everything Gianna had said, she persisted and maintained that she and Royal were just friends and nothing more. That’s the way it was. The way it would always be.