by Tina Martin
“Yes. I call them pistachio cupcakes. I ground a half cup of pistachios into the vanilla batter, then after I baked them, I used green tinted cream cheese frosting and sprinkled grated pistachios on top.”
“Nice.” He took another bite. “I particularly like the appeal these will have to the healthy eaters among us who will go after these cupcakes because they can justify the calories by saying they had pistachios for a snack.”
Gianna smiled. “Right. It’s the guilt-free cupcake, but not really…”
Ramsey finished off the cupcake. “What else have you been up to today? You look beautiful in that dress by the way.”
“Thank you. I went to see Felicity. We talked a little about the baby shower. She’s getting with your mom later on this week.”
“I meant to ask you…were you planning on inviting Geraldine to the baby shower?”
“I don’t know. Should I?” she asked him.
“That’s your call. Of course, I’m here for support. If you want her there, by all means, reach out to her.”
“Okay. I think I may…not sure just yet.”
Ramsey offered a single nod then ran his thumb along her jaw. “What do you have on tap for the rest of the day?”
“I’ll probably go home, take a nap, then annoy Carson for a while.”
Ramsey grinned.
“I think he’s bored, Ramsey.”
“Why? There’s enough work around there to keep him busy.”
“I know, but he’s so efficient with everything, and everything has to be precise and perfect. If he burns something—well, not even burn…if he scalds something, he’ll dump the whole thing out and start over again. And you should see how meticulous he is when he does laundry. He folds shirts like they do at those fancy department stores. And then if the floors aren’t shiny, he will get on his hands and knees with a rag and a bucket and clean every inch of it. You’re only that anal when you’re bored and have nothing else to do. He needs some fun in his life. You should set him up or something.”
“I doubt if the old man wants to be with someone. The loss of his wife broke his heart. He doesn’t talk about it, but he’s still very much in grief.”
Gianna nodded sadly. “You know what he’s going through. Maybe you can help him.”
Ramsey agreed with her, briefly reflecting on Leandra and the turmoil in his life after she passed. Had he not found Gianna, he’d be what Carson is now – lost and broken – hiding pain behind a heavy work schedule.
“Well, let me get out of your way,” Gianna said glancing around his office. “I know you have plenty of work to do.”
“I do, but not so much that I don’t have time for one of those ten-minute kisses that may end up with us on my desk.”
“Slow down, cowboy,” she said, her hand flat against his chest. “That was before I was carrying our baby.”
“It was, wasn’t it? I suppose that’s why you’re carrying one now—can’t keep my hands off of you. You’re so good to me,” he said kissing her lips. “So good.”
Gianna lost herself when she kissed him, feeling his arms strong and possessively around her.
“Drive safe on the way home.”
“I will.”
“Call me when you get there,” he told her.
“So, you want me and Carson to call?”
Ramsey smiled.
“Yeah, I know you have him checking up on me.”
“But it’s all for no other reason than the fact that I love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
Ramsey took another kiss – one that left him longing for more. “I’ll see you around six. I’m going to try to get out of here early so I can spend some quality time with my girls.”
A smile glowed on Gianna’s face. “Okay. See you later.”
Chapter 19
Nearly two and a half weeks later, as Gianna approached the eighth-month mark of her pregnancy, the family assembled at Ramsey’s Lake Norman home for the baby shower. Bernadette, Felicity and Gemma had set up the decorations on the deck near the pool. The family was there – the brothers – Regal, Romulus and Royal. Gemma was in attendance, of course, and Geraldine was there, too. Even Jerome showed up. And of course family friends of The St. Claire’s came, including Bernadette’s close friend, Harriet.
At first, the dynamic seemed off especially with both Geraldine and Jerome in attendance sitting at separate umbrella tables. Then, Siderra was intentionally avoiding Romulus, and it was odd and obvious to the people who knew them well. And then there was Regal…
Ramsey watched him eye-stalk Felicity’s every move. The woman couldn’t eat a grape without him watching her chew it.
They’d just wrapped up a baby-naming session. Bernadette had passed out paper and pencils, asked the guests to write down a name for the baby and place it in a pink bowl. Then, she handed the bowl of names to Gianna who would read the anonymous results aloud to get the family’s reaction.
“Okay, here goes,” Gianna said, taking the first piece of folded paper from the bowl. “The first name is Anastasia.”
“Not in this lifetime,” Bernadette said. “I will not have my grandbaby named after some cartoon character.”
The family laughed together.
“Tell us how you really feel Ma,” Regal joked.
“The next one is Rayne,” Gianna said.
“Yes. That’s my suggestion,” Felicity spoke up to say. “Y’all remember that when Gianna chooses it.”
“That’s pretty,” Geraldine said.
“Yeah,” Siderra chimed in. “It’s different.”
Regal shook his head. “I should’ve known it was WB who came up with some bull like that. If mother didn’t like Anastasia, what makes you think she’ll like Rain? I can hear the kids teasing my niece now—‘look, y’all. It’s getting cloudy. Here comes the rain.’”
Ramsey chuckled along with Regal. Bernadette found herself tickled, too.
Felicity wasn’t amused in the least. “It’s spelled, R-A-Y-N-E, doofus. Not R-A-I-N.”
“It doesn’t matter how it’s spelled. What matters is how it sounds.”
“And you sound silly.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t suggest to name my niece rain so who’s the silly one?” Regal challenged.
Felicity narrowed her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Okay you two,” Royal jumped in to say. “Gianna has more names to read. Continue Gianna.”
Gianna pulled another name from the bowl and said, “Ooh, I like this one. Rianne…it has two ‘Ns’ like my name and begins with an ‘R’ like her daddy’s name.” She glanced up at Ramsey and watched him wink at her. A smile touched her lips. She pulled out another piece of paper, saw the name and giggled when she asked, “Okay, who suggested ‘Cupcake’?
The family erupted in laughter, but no one confessed although judging by the sneaky look on Mason’s face, she decided he was the culprit.
She continued reading the other names – Elizabeth, Charlotte, Sasha, Paisley, Lilac, Lavender and Rose. Who wanted her baby named after a flower?
Following the name game, they played a round of baby bingo and another game where they split off into teams of two and used tissue paper to see which team could make the best-looking diaper on an adult. Regal volunteered to be the ‘baby’ for his team and Siderra was the designated baby for her team. However, Team Regal pulled off the victory, especially when Regal took one of the fake milk bottle props used for decoration and pretended to suck milk out of it.
And now, they took time out to eat…
Carson had a break from cooking since Bernadette decided to go with a caterer who made everything from the cake to the shrimp cocktail trays.
Gianna glanced up at the blue sky, soaked it all in while a warm breeze bathed her face. “This is perfect,” she said. She was standing with Bernadette, Gemma and Felicity near the grill. “You all did a wonderful job. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, dear,” Bernadette said.
>
“Yes, you deserve it,” Felicity told her.
“You deserve it all,” Gemma said, excited, “And so does my little cupcake niecey-pooh.” She touched Gianna’s stomach.
“Wait…are you the one who suggested I name her ‘Cupcake’?” Gianna asked.
“No. I think it was Romulus,” Gemma said. “He had a smirk on his face when you read the name aloud.”
Gianna smiled. She would’ve never guessed Romulus would’ve done that since he didn’t seem to have a sense of humor. He was always serious about everything. Very cut and dry. Matter of fact. Maybe he was loosening up a little. Gianna was going to say something to this effect when she grimaced just slightly as she rested her left hand on her stomach. Was that a contraction? She’d never felt anything similar to it before, but quickly plastered a smile on her face so as not to alert anyone. Soon after, there was another one. She rubbed her stomach and took a sip of water.
Ramsey had just prepared a plate of shrimp cocktail and walked over to where Royal was standing. Royal had his eyes on the women because his woman was there, but he saw something that raised his concern. He looked at Ramsey and asked, “How far along is Gianna?”
“She’s a few days shy of eight months. Why?” Ramsey tossed a shrimp into his mouth.
“It’s probably nothing, but I’ve watched her grimace a few times and hold her stomach.”
Ramsey looked over to where Gianna was standing. “Just now?
“Yeah, while she’s over there talking to the women.”
Ramsey set his plate on the nearest table and made a straight line for her. “Excuse me, ladies. I need to borrow my wife for a moment.”
“What’s wrong?” Gianna asked.
He took her by the hand and led her to a private area of the yard where they weren’t in earshot of anyone asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said. “I just felt like I was having contractions for a moment there.”
“Then we’re going to the hospital.”
“No, Ramsey. These aren’t labor contractions. They’re just the ones they told us about in the pregnancy class, remember? The fake ones?”
“How do you know they’re fake?”
“Because it’s just as the doctor described them. My stomach gets really tight, then it releases. It’s a little uncomfortable, but it’s bearable.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t bring me any relief, baby.”
“Ramsey, I don’t want to leave the family here and run off to the hospital. I’m fine. I am. Just trust me.”
Ramsey sighed heavily, remaining equally worried. “If they don’t stop, we’re going to the hospital as soon as this is over.”
“Okay.”
He took her in his arms. “When was the last time you felt them?”
“About five minutes ago.”
“And not since?” he asked, placing his hands on her stomach.
“No.”
“Okay. Are you enjoying yourself otherwise?”
“I am. I was just telling your mom how nice this is. And it’s such a beautiful day. It’s like the universe is accepting our daughter, welcoming her to a new life.”
“That’s a beautiful way of putting it,” Ramsey said. He glanced at her lips, then back up to her eyes. “Oh, and by the way, Rianne was my suggestion.”
“I figured that out when you winked at me.”
“What do you think about it?”
“It has a nice ring to it. Rianne St. Claire. I like it.”
“I thought you would.” Ramsey took her by the hand again as they walk back toward the festivities. “I’m going to watch you like a hawk for the rest of the day, but if you think anything is wrong, you call out to me. Understood?”
Gianna smiled. “Yes, Ramsey. I will.”
Somehow, Geraldine and Jerome were busy talking about the old times when they were together.
Bernadette was telling Harriet how excited she was to become a grandmother.
Siderra was standing at the food table helping herself to chips and dip while checking her phone when Romulus walked up and stood beside her.
“Never known you to be so attached to your phone,” he said.
She looked up at him, her breathtakingly fine best friend, realizing that lately, she’d been trying her best to avoid him. Why? Because she was falling in love with him, but she knew those feelings would never be reciprocated by Romulus because he wasn’t the fall-in-love type of guy, and he especially wasn’t interested in her. He went for the flashy, figure-eight type – not the artsy girl who made crafts for a living. The more she thought about it, the more she resented him. She knew it wasn’t fair to him because he didn’t have any idea why she’d been giving him the cold shoulder, but that’s how she was feeling at the moment. She looked away from him when she responded, “Well, I do have a business to run.”
He couldn’t pinpoint the nature of her mood swing. Seemed she was getting along with everyone else, but now that he was talking to her, she had an attitude. “So, where is the phone when I try to call you these days?” he asked. “You rarely answer calls from me anymore and don’t tell me it’s all because of the business.”
“It’s just a new—no, not new—a different mindset.”
“Yeah, and what’s this mindset’s name?”
She gave him a hard glare. “None of your business, Rom. I don’t pry my way into your life and who you may or may not be seeing. Give me the same respect.”
“I do respect you,” he said firmly with an edge to his tone. “And whoever I’m with, I don’t ignore your phone calls. How about you extend that same courtesy to me? And if you’re not going to be at a family dinner, at least let me know so I’m not caught off guard.”
She felt an instant headache. What he didn’t know was, she hadn’t planned on being at any more of his family dinners because while she loved his family, they weren’t her family. In her mind, she’d held out hope that one day they would be, but as the years passed by, her hopes of actually being a real family member fell by the wayside. Romulus didn’t like her in that way and she couldn’t torture herself any longer – sitting at dinner pretending to be happy when all she wanted was to be his wife. She wasn’t about to tell him this now and possibly ruin Gianna’s baby shower, so she responded, “Duly noted,” and ate another chip right before walking away from him.
He threw up his hands, confused.
Felicity stepped away from the women to try the mini-tuna croissant. She put three on her plate. As soon as she took a bite, Regal walked up behind her and said, “Uh oh…here comes the Rayne.” He chuckled. “I’ma start calling you Rayne.”
She rolled her eyes, then held a napkin over her mouth when she asked, “Can’t you find somebody else to pester?”
“Nope. I’m all yours,” he said, taking one of the croissants from her plate. There was a tray full of them on the table, but he thought taking one from her plate would piss her off, so he did it and felt good about it.
“And what name did you come up with since you’re so busy dissecting mine?”
“Charlotte,” he said, trying the tuna.
“Oh, that’s original...” she teased.
“Gianna never said she was looking for originality—just a name.”
“Why Charlotte?”
“It’s a pretty name,” Regal said. “And Ramsey and Gianna met in Charlotte. Fell in love in Charlotte. Everything went down in Charlotte at that bakery. The name Charlotte has meaning. Meanwhile, Rayne, on the other hand, sounds depressing.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“Nah,” Regal said, taking a croissant from the tray this time. “I think everyone here felt the same way. Mom almost fainted when she heard Gianna say, Rayne. Rayne St. Claire…yeah, that’s not going to work.” He tossed back the croissant and obliterated it.
“Who gave you any authority?”
When he finished chewing, he said, “Oh, trust me when I say not only is Ramsey my brother, but I’m one of his closest adv
isers.”
Advisers. Felicity rolled her eyes. “Well, ultimately, the decision will be made between Ramsey and Gianna the way it should be.”
“Yeah, and you can keep Rayne and maybe name your daughter that. Rayne...” Regal smirked. Walking away from her shaking his head, he said, “Good one, Dub.”
Felicity felt pressure build at her temples. She hated it that Regal knew how to press her buttons. It would be difficult avoiding him since his brother was married to her best friend and they would always run into each other at functions like this. There had to be something she could do.
“Well, son, you done did it now,” Mason said, draping his arms over Ramsey’s shoulder as they stood looking at Gianna.
“She’s incredible, Dad.”
“I know. I see the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. And now this baby is coming. You have a few gray hairs already, but when this little girl gets here...woo wee…then the real gray hair is going to spring through.”
Ramsey grinned.
“You’re going to guard that little girl with your life,” Mason said.
“Just like I do with her mother.”
Mason nodded. “Just remember you always have your family. I know nothing about raising a daughter but I did raise four boys into very capable men.”
“That you did.”
Mason patted Ramsey on the back. “All right…that’s my pep talk for ya. I’m going to help your mother. I know she’s looking for me.”
“Thanks, Pops.”
“Yep.”
Ramsey walked over to Carson.
“Enjoying yourself, old man?”
“I am. It feels nice for someone else to do the cooking.”
“I’m sure it does. Hey, has Gianna mentioned anything to you about contractions?”
“No, Sir. She’s always holding her stomach, you know, in an endearing way—a motherly way, but contractions? No. If she were having them, she didn’t mention anything to me about it.”
“Okay. Keep a watchful eye on her this upcoming week. She said she was having the false contractions, but I need to be sure she’s okay.”