Ronnie slides her hand up to the back of Gabe’s head, fisting his shaggy blond hair through her fingers, and brings her lips an inch away from his while peering down at them. “And you, pretty boy, are anything but.” She lets go of his hair and pushes him away. “So if you ever plan on getting into my pants like you seem to desperately want, prepare to beg on your knees.” She turns her back to him, her electric blue hair slapping him in the face as she walks over to the girls.
Clay spits his beer all over, choking on the sip he was about to swallow, while Silas bellows with laughter, and I fight the grin desperately wanting to spread on my lips.Told you it was all an act.
“Holy shoot, I think I’m in love,” Emma says, slack-jawed as she watches Ronnie, while Gabe stands dumbfounded in place and Noah snickers at his side.
“Sorry for that introduction, I just really can’t stand pig-headed men. We haven’t met yet. I’m Veronica Masters, but you can all call me Ronnie,” she says to everyone who doesn’t know her.
“I like her,” Cecilia giggles. “I think you’ll fit into our group just fine, Ronnie.”
Great. Another crazy chick.
“All right! How about we get this move over with?” I clap my hands together, getting all the men in here moving while the girls stay back to take care of the kids.
Later that evening when everyone has gone home and the girls are all settled into their new condo near campus, Emma and I sit down at the kitchen island after putting Gracie to sleep forthe night.Although she'll be up in a few hours for her nighttime feeding.
“Wine?” I offer to her as I walk over to the cellar to retrieve a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2000.
“Please. You have quite the collection in there. Did it come with the house?” she asks as I open the bottle and pour us each a glass.
“No, it's mine.”
“Wow, I didn't know you were a wine enthusiast. I've never seen you have a glass before.”
“I usually have a beer with the guys. But when I'm home alone, I prefer a glass of red,” I inform her.
Not many people know that I'd pick wine over beer any day. It's not that I'm embarrassed by my choice, but every time it becomes known, I get that weird look Emma is giving me at the moment. As if it's the last thing she would have expected from me.
“Oh, okay. Well, at least I don't have to drink alone at night anymore.” She smiles with a chuckle before her face returns serious as I settle down beside her. “I ordered a couple of things that should arrive tomorrow morning. Mostly things for my room, but there's also a baby seat to put in my car for Gracie. And I think we should go grocery shopping tomorrow to stock up the house since you'll be gone all week. I'd really like to get Little Tulip started on her cereal, unless you want me to wait for you. That's okay too.”
“No, that's fine. I trust you with her,” I say sincerely.Shocking, I know.
She takes a sip of her wine, then brings it back down to the island's surface. Her hand rests at the foot of the glass with the stem between her middle and index fingers. She rubs her lips together with a pensive expression in her eyes. “There's something I wanted to talk to you about.”She looks nervous,which is weird because I’ve never seen her like this before. What the hell could be making her nervous?
She reaches behind her into her back pocket and retrieves a folded sheet of paper, then places it on the marble counter in front of me. I pick it up and unfold it. As I read the contents on the piece of paper, my brows furrow and eyes narrow. “I don't understand?”
She smiles and in a delicate voice says, “It's a savings account for Gracie. I know you probably already have a trust fund set up for her, but a second wouldn't do any harm.”
“You opened a savings account for my daughter?” I repeat after her, still confused by why she would do that.
“Yes. I want you to put the money you’re insisting on giving me in there.”
“Emma, I have more than enough money to take care of my own daughter and give her a good life. I don’t need yours on top of that. You should use that money instead to buy yourself a house or something.”
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I can’t help but feel like she might think I need help with this unplanned addition in my life. Sure, a child costs a lot, even more when it arrives unexpectedly, but I’m more than capable of taking care of things. I’ve always been very careful with my money and have lots saved up.
She snorts loudly while taking a sip of her wine, then sets it back down. “Grey, I don’t think you realize just how much I don’t need your money. I could buy myself ten houses right now if I wanted to, and I still wouldn’t be broke. Hell, I should probably do that and give them off to charity. I don’t think I’ve done my good deed this year yet,” she mumbles the rest to herself and frowns, while all I can do is blink at her.Her mind really works in strange ways…
Emma gives her head a little shake, then shifts in her seat to face me while placing her hand delicately on my arm. “Butseriously, Grey. I want Gracie to have it. You can even put it aside for her to spend freely when she’s older. I don’t care what happens with the money as long as it goes to her. She deserves it more than I do.”
That tightness in my chest returns, and I rub at the spot, swallowing around the dryness in my throat, and nod.Three days.Three fucking days, and she's already thinking about my daughter’s future before her own.
Who are you really, Emma Mackenzie?
Chapter seven
Greyson
One bunny mug, coming right up!
