He mentally chastised himself for his carelessness and swore to himself that it wouldn't happen again. His tiredness overtook him and he fell asleep, but in his dreams, she came to him again. In his dreams they were on the boat and they made love and laughed together, shared each other's company, danced and held each other beneath the stars, and loved each other.
When he awoke the next day, he had breakfast with Denise in the kitchen and he realized that she was watching him like a hawk as she moved around the room. She seemed nervous and ill at ease as she sat with him, almost like she was twitching.
"Roman, I was thinking... after last night," a disgruntled look crossed her face, "I think we should go away together for a little trip, when you're feeling better, and spend some time alone. What do you think?"
He realized then, as he looked at her, that Cami had completely unsettled her, and his calling Cami's name out the night before had undone her. She was absolutely insecure about it and about her relationship with him.
"Listen, Denise, if this is about last night, then you don't need to worry about anything. I'm sorry about my mistake, and it was indeed a mistake, she and I aren't anything more than friends, and it was probably just all the medicine that the doctors have me on right now. I don't want you to worry about anything, alright? Try to let that go as much as you can." He felt badly about it, but there was no way to undo it.
She blinked at him a few times and then scooted her chair closer to him. "Well, we have to start working on fixing things between us, so I want to lay some ground rules down. I understand that you want to see your kid-"
He shot her a serious look and spoke in a strong voice, "Emma, her name is Emma. Use her name."
Denise shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Alright, then, Emma. I understand you'll be wanting to see her, so I was thinking that she could come over here when you want to see her, and then you don't have to go to... her place to see her. That way you don't have to be around her." She smiled brightly at him.
"You and I can set up a room for Emma here, and she can spend time with us here. Her mother can drop her off and pick her up at our door, and then you don't need to be at her place and be around her. That's what I want to do about it." She looked as if the matter was finished.
Roman thought carefully about what she was saying. He knew she was trying her best to keep him away from Cami as much as possible, and he could understand why, but he could not understand the ache in his heart at the idea of not seeing Cami. He felt like Denise was stealing away his opportunity at a friendship with her, and it hurt him.
He also knew that there would probably be better times to discuss it, and better ways to handle it, than to argue with her over breakfast when he had called out Cami's name during their intimacy just the night before.
"We'll have to figure it out as we go along, but for now, I guess that will work." He sighed. He was meeting Cami later to see her new home, and he would talk with her then.
Chapter 7
Cami and Cicely decided to go out to an early dinner when they left the hospital. They loaded Emma into the backseat and in no time they were traversing the lofty hills of San Francisco.
Cami hadn't asked what her Mama thought of Roman. She had been waiting quietly, and almost impatiently, to find out, but Cicely was taking her time and hadn't said a word about him at that point.
They were near the restaurant when Cami finally broke down and asked.
"Well, Mama?" she asked as a nervous smile touched the corners of her mouth.
Cicely looked out the window. "Well, what?"
Cami laughed and scolded her. "Mama! What did you think of Roman?"
Her Mama smiled a little and looked over at her casually. "I need to spend more time with him to tell you what I really think, but he seems like a nice man. He seems like a good man, and I like what I know of him so far.
“That's all I can say to you about him for now. Janine is quite a character, though. That lady isn't afraid to say what she thinks! Not at all. I like women like that. Ladies that speak their mind with no filter or hesitation. It saves me the trouble of having to get past all their games and just know them."
Cami nodded. "I knew you'd like her. She's really been so good to us since we got here. She's looked out for us just as much as Roman has. She's the one who helped me find a home here. I think our move would have been so much harder without her helping us."
Cicely looked at Cami then and said, "I will say one thing about Roman. He really does care about you a great deal. I could see that as plain as day on his face when he looks at you.
“He watches you with love. I don't think he knows it yet, but it's obvious. If you two think you're going to be able to raise my little Emma as just friends and not have any sort of romantic feelings for each other, you've got a challenge ahead of you.
“He cares for you and he cares for Emma, and that is only going to grow stronger over time. If his wife thinks she can hold on to him, she better hold on tight. You're a grown woman and you can do what you want, but I'm going to tell you right now, Cami, you be careful around him, and you keep your wits and senses about you, because I don't think it would be too difficult at all for you to fall right into love with him and end up with a broken heart."
Cami was silent as she listened to her mother. She knew that what Cicely was saying was true. She had seen it and felt it at the hospital, and before then, at his office and in her hotel room when they kissed.
There was something very strong and hot between them; like a gravitational force that pulled at them, drawing them together like a yin and yang. Though their friendship was indeed growing stronger all the time, she could not deny that there was much more than friendship bubbling just beneath the surface.
"Well, Mama, he's married, and we are both making that a priority, as well as Emma's future and best interests, so even if we do have some feelings for each other, they are going to remain feelings of friendship, and that's all."
Cicely gave her daughter a sidelong look and nodded slightly. "Mhmm. Well, we'll see what happens."
They got out of the car and headed into the restaurant. Cami made it a point to pay extra attention to Emma as they were seated, hoping to change the subject before her Mama took it any further. Cami knew her Mama wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to talk any more about it.
They spent the next three days getting Cami settled into her new home. It was a sweet little condo with a private garden and it had a sweeping view of the city and the bay. Cicely was really impressed with it, and Cami was excited to be moving into her own place. Roman had purchased it for her and Emma, but the deed was in her name, and she owned it free and clear, and that felt incredible to Cami.
Janine helped them with furniture and extras, and Mama and Cami did all the shopping to get the place all settled. There were three bedrooms; one for Cami, a nursery for Emma, and a guest room where Cicely stayed. By the end of the week, it looked perfect, and Cami was excited to have Janine and Roman come over to visit and see it.
Janine picked him up and the two of them showed up for lunch. They loved the home right away and Roman hugged Cami tightly when he came in. He held her for a long moment before letting her go, saying softly to her, "I'm so glad that the two of you are in such a nice place.
“This is lovely, and it seems ideal for you both. It's a safe neighborhood, it's got good restaurants and shops around it, and a park nearby; this will be a good place for Emma and you to be." He looked relieved and happy, and Cami hugged him again.
"Thank you, Roman," she said. "I'm so grateful to you for giving this to us."
He nodded to her and they went out to the patio to enjoy lunch with Cicely and Janine.
It was a good visit, and the conversation flowed lightly between Cami's new place and her art, and Roman's recovery. They talked about Cicely in Seattle and Janine's adept handling of the business, but no one brought up Denise until Cicely and Janine insisted on clearing away the lunch dishes and Roman and Cami w
ere left alone
.
She looked at him and saw that he seemed more relaxed than he was when he and Janine first came to the door.
"How are things going for you at home?" she asked, reaching out and holding his hand in hers for a moment.
The feel of her fingers on his skin was like a balm to him; soothing and comforting, warm and tender. He drew in his breath deeply and sighed, looking at her.
"It's alright. Denise is trying like crazy to fix our marriage. She is getting to a point where she has accepted that we have a daughter and she has begun to refer to herself as Emma's step-mother. She has some misgivings about you, and that's really my fault. I'm sorry about it. I hope this isn't difficult for you, but she wants you to bring Emma to us for visits, and leave her with us. Then, when the visit is over, you could pick her up from us again," he said miserably.
Cami bit her lip thoughtfully. "That's clever of her. It takes me out of the picture entirely when it comes to you. Every interaction we have is supervised by her, and she has some semblance of control." She frowned a little. "How do you think she'll be with Emma?"
Roman looked right at her. "She's not going to be alone with Emma, ever. Emma is my daughter, not hers, and if she happens to be around, then that's fine, but anytime Emma comes to see me, it will be to spend time with just me, and Denise wouldn't be much more than an observer on the sidelines. She'll be good to Emma, or she will have hell to pay."
Cami's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well, that takes care of that!" She gave a little laugh. Then she tilted her head a bit and reached for his hand again, this time holding it and not letting it go.
"That doesn't give us much time to spend together as parents for Emma, and it doesn't give us any time to be around each other as friends." Disappointment colored her expression and she felt bad. "I'll miss you," she said quietly.
He rubbed his fingers softly over hers. "I'll miss you, too. Maybe I can talk to her and have you over with Emma sometimes, so that we seem more like co-parents to our girl, rather than single units."
Cami shrugged. "That doesn't seem like much."
He nodded. "I know. I'll see what I can do. I'm trying to maintain a delicate balance at the house right now. Things are... not what they should be."
Cami looked at him with concern. "Are you alright? Is she being decent to you?"
Roman shrugged. "I guess so. I can see that she's trying, but something in me doesn't trust it, and I don't know why, but it feels like she is being nice to me because of something she wants, not because she genuinely cares about me, but I can't quite tell."
Cami's fingers closed snugly around Roman's. "Just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."
He smiled and nodded at her. "I will. I promise."
Janine came out on the patio then and Cami and Roman let go of each other's hands while Janine pretended not to notice. "It's time to go, Roman. Cicely just put Emma down for a nap and I have some things I need to get to this afternoon."
Roman stood and reached for his crutches. "Well, it was a lovely visit, and I enjoyed myself. I'm so glad to see you two in this place, it's perfect for you." He smiled warmly at Cami and she rose up and hugged him, slipping her arms around his waist and laying her head against his chest.
"Thank you so much for gifting it to us." She held him tightly and he closed his eyes and held her back, wishing that he could stay there in her arms just a little longer.
She let him go and looked up at him, and he smiled at her. Then Janine said good-bye to Cicely, and they left.
Cicely handed her daughter a cup of tea. "Young lady, you better be real careful."
Cami felt distracted by the feel of him, by his scent and his warmth. "Careful about what?" she asked, sipping her tea and looking up at her Mama.
"You just mind the way you are with him. You both have some pretty strong feelings for each other and neither one of you is in a position to do anything about it, so you better just watch out. Don't take any chances. I don't want my babies getting hurt. If he was single, I would be glad to have you two looking at each other the way you do, but he's not, so you have to keep it simple, baby." Cicely drank her tea and held her tea cup, looking at Cami earnestly.
Cami shook her head. "Mama, I don't think he likes me the way you think he does. I think it was just a little confusing at first because of the way we left things when we saw each other last year, but now it's different. Now we're just friends. We're both working hard to make it that way between us for ourselves and for Emma."
Cicely laughed softly. "Well then, you two keep working at it, because you have a long way to go if you only want to be friends."
***
Roman's first follow-up appointment was a good one. He was able to get rid of his crutches and get a brace for his ankle. He was back at his office and had picked up matters at work where he’d left off with them, except for the things that Allen had taken care of.
It felt to him like his life was settling into some sort of strange new normalcy, although he couldn't quite get comfortable in it. Denise was being extremely sweet with him; not really taking great care of him, but at least paying more attention to him than she had in years, and she had even started talking about moving back into his bedroom,
although they hadn't been intimate since his first night home when he had called out Cami's name. He felt that she was secretly holding that against him and was biding her time getting back into his bed, though she liked to talk to him about it, almost in a teasing way.
Allen came into Roman's office two days after he returned, and he looked extremely frustrated.
"What can I do for you?" Roman asked him.
Allen sat in the chair opposite Roman and leaned back in it, lifting his hand to his head. "I hate to ask you to do anything; you just got back and you're still healing, but I don't really have a choice anymore."
Roman's brow furrowed. "What is it?"
Allen sighed dramatically. "It's Denise. She has been hounding Carmen and Edward again, and the Senator said to me just now that he loves the boat and he wants to get it, but they feel that they will have to pass on the deal. And that’s because they don't want to have to be around Denise at all. She seems like she is a package deal with the boat.
“They really like you. They want to spend time with you socially, they want to invite you onto their boat if they buy it. But they just can't stand Denise and he just told me, in no uncertain terms, that they are probably going to look elsewhere for a boat just because of her."
Roman felt his stomach tighten. "That's not good. I don't want to try to find someone else to try to spend that kind of money on that boat. I want the Senator to get it."
Allen lifted his hands up in the air and brought them back down again with a slap against his knees. "I know. I know... that's what I told him. They just can't stand her. To be honest, I think it's more Carmen than Edward, but he's going with what his wife wants, of course, and that's where we are. The only reasons he isn't already gone are because he really likes us; meaning you and me, and he is best friends with Captain Heatherwick now, and he just loves the boat. But I'm telling you, Denise is going to cost us this entire deal."
Roman sighed heavily and shook his head. "Alright. I'll talk to her when I go home tonight."
Allen nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry, Roman, I know things are way off for you right now. I wish this was easier."
Roman shook his head. "It'll all work out. We'll make it work out. I'll talk to her tonight."
Allen smiled a little and left Roman's office.
When Roman got home that night, he sat with Agnes and Denise at the table and ate dinner silently while the two of them talked. When Agnes went to her room, he looked at Denise and said quietly, "We need to discuss something."
She wheeled on him and stared at him with wide eyes. "What? What's going on?"
Roman walked to his library and sat down on one of the sofas. Denise followed him and sat beside him, looking worried.
Denise's jaw fell open. "What? What are you talking about? Carmen is one of my best friends!"
Roman shook his head. "No, Denise, she's not. I know you've been trying to get her to become your friend, but she just doesn't like you and she doesn't want to be friends with you." He was sorry to have to be blunt with her, but he knew that was the only way to get her to really understand.
She jumped up off the sofa and glared at him. "She is too my best friend, and I love her!"
Roman looked up at her sympathetically. "Does she ever call you?"
Denise was quiet a moment and then shook her head. "Not very often, but she's a busy lady! She's the Senator's wife!"
The Baby Shower Page 109
