by Tina Martin
She picked up lunch on the way to the office and when she got there, she already saw an email from Regal, just waiting for her to open it.
To: Felicity James
From: Regal St. Claire
Subject: Please Read
Felicity, I know this is difficult for you but if you give me a chance, I’ll show you how much I can be there for you and Rayne. I’m not in this to hurt you.
Regal St. Claire
Senior Architect | St. Claire Architects
___________
She clicked off of his email and forced her lunch down, still unable to find an appetite after what she’d just done. When she decided she wanted Rayne back, she never imagined she’d have to do something like this to get her. The bad part was, she wasn’t one-hundred percent sure it would work. What if she’d done this for nothing?
She dropped her fork and scratched her neck.
“My goodness…I’m breaking out in hives,” she said.
She looked up when Zandra knocked on the door.
“Okay, Felicity…what gives?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve been acting weird for a while now.”
“Have a seat, Zan. I may as well fill you in. You’re going to find out sooner or later.”
Zandra sat down. Attentive. “So, here goes…I have a daughter that I gave up at birth and to improve my chances of getting her back, I married Regal St. Claire.”
“Our client!” she asked. Her eyes stretched open as far as they could go. “You married our client?”
“Yes.”
“O-M-G. I—I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s all pretty new to me, too.”
“And you have a daughter, Felicity?”
“Yes, and I can’t go into much detail about it but yes, I have a daughter. She’s four.”
“Wow. My mind is literally blown.”
“And mine is fried. I’ve been so stressed out, I don’t know which way to turn next, but I do think I need to take some time off work. Never thought I’d hear myself say that.”
“Look, girl, you have to take care of yourself. You look like you’re overdue for some rest and relaxation, anyway.”
“That’s been the case for years.”
“Well, you’re the boss. You can take all the time you need. Shoot. With a man like Regal under your thumb, why not take some time off?”
Chapter 29
She couldn’t get out of bed Tuesday, not that she’d planned on it. After talking to Zandra about possibly taking some time off, she had put it into effect immediately and closed down Wedded Bliss for a couple of days. It felt good to sleep in and not be concerned with clients for a little while. She had to get her own life together.
She hadn’t eaten a thing since getting up – didn’t even have a sip of water. After looking at her phone she saw that the time was 2:33 p.m. She’d slept most of the day. Then she saw missed calls from Regal and a text message:
Regal: Don’t forget...my house at 3:30. Try to get here by 3:00
According to the time stamp, Regal had sent the message around noon. She had no idea what it meant. Why did she have to go to his house and why was he talking to her like she was already aware of what was going on? She texted him back:
Felicity: What are you talking about?
A few minutes later...
Regal: You’re kidding right? DHHS is doing the home visit today.
Felicity: What?
Regal: They notified me around lunchtime. You didn’t get a call from Ms. Greene?
She looked through her phone’s call log and saw she had missed a call from DHHS. Now she was going to be late for the most important appointment where Rayne was concerned.
* * *
It was close to four when she arrived at Regal’s place. Ms. Greene was already there. Regal was just about to show her around upstairs.
In full ‘husband mode’, Regal said, “Hey, baby. You made it. I told Ms. Greene you were running a little late.”
“Yes. Hi, Ms. Greene. Sorry, I’m late.”
“That’s okay. Mr. St. Claire was just showing me around your lovely home.”
You mean his lovely home…
“I was just about to take Ms. Greene upstairs.”
“Okay.” Felicity rubbed her sweaty palms together, anxious about this, feeling like her world was crumbling. She couldn’t help but notice how Regal appeared calm and collected in his sharp, black suit. He’d worn a khaki-colored suit to the courthouse yesterday. Today he looked strictly business, overly confident and ready for whatever.
“How has it been going so far?” Felicity whispered to him as they followed Ms. Greene up the stairs.
“So far so good. Where were you? I tried the office, I called Gianna—no one knew where you were.”
“I was at my apartment,” she whispered. “I’m not feeling all that good today.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“How are you going to say you’re not feeling good, yet nothing’s wrong?” he asked staring at her until they reached the top of the stairs.
“Whew—feels like I had a workout coming up that spiral staircase,” Ms. Greene said.
Regal chuckled. “Oh, it’s nothing when you are constantly up and down every day.”
“I can imagine,” she said.
“So the remaining three bedrooms are up here,” Regal explained, his shoes pattering as they walked on the chestnut brown, hardwood floors.
“I don’t need to see all the rooms. I’m particularly interested in the one where your daughter will be sleeping?”
Felicity panicked yet again. For a woman who was usually unperturbed, she was a ball of nerves. This time, she had a good reason. She hadn’t bothered to come over here to make one of his guest bedrooms into a little girl’s room. She could have made an effort if she didn’t sleep the morning away.
“Rayne will have this room,” Regal said, opening the door.
Felicity’s mouth fell open when she saw the room. It was decorated to perfection – a dream bedroom for a little girl. Sheer pink and white curtains draped the canopy around the princess bed. The pink plush rugs, vanity, toy chest, the massive dollhouse and bed coverings were exquisite.
“Wow. This is lovely,” Ms. Greene commented as she looked around in amazement. “Makes me wish I had something like this when I was a little girl.”
Regal smiled, pleased with Primrose’s work. He looked back at Felicity and saw her eyes glistening with tears. He watched her as she walked over to the dollhouse, touched it then sat on the bed and hung her head.
Regal looked over at Ms. Greene and said, “She gets emotional every time she comes in here.”
“Then I’ll get going. I’ve seen enough. A child will flourish here in this home. I’ll be sure to put that in my report.”
“Thank you.” Regal looked over at Felicity still sitting on the bed, her face hiding behind her hands. He wanted to know what was going through her mind – needed to know what she was feeling at this exact moment, but first, he had to see the social worker out.
Moments later, he was back in the house, looking for Felicity. He jogged upstairs to find her still sitting on Rayne’s bed. He kneeled in front of her – didn’t hesitate dropping to his knees in a suit – and grasped her wrists to gently pull her hands away from her face. “Felicity.”
She heaved a breath then opened her eyes to see him. Staring into his face, she saw him grimace, then take a deep breath of his own.
“Talk to me,” he told her, his hand sliding from her wrists to her soft hands.
She sniffled.
His heart ached for her. Looking at her now was like looking at a woman who was defeated – who’d took all she could take and now, she could no longer hide the pain. She couldn’t take much more.
“I don’t...um...I don’t know what to say,” she said quietly. “When did you do this?”
“I can’t t
ake the credit for this. I told Primrose to handle it for me and she ran with it.” He looked around again. “She did a pretty good job, huh?”
Felicity nodded. “Why are you going through so much trouble for me?”
“Because you’re worth it.”
“I failed at so much, Regal.”
“No, you haven’t,” he said. “You only fail when you stop trying and from everything I’ve seen, you haven’t stopped. You even married a guy you don’t like to get your daughter back.”
“I do like you, Regal.”
“Then why the space? Why do you find it necessary to avoid me one minute and the next, we’re the best of friends?”
“Because I’m not sure why you like me so much when I’m everything you said you didn’t want.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.
“Regal,” she said loosening her hand from his grasp to touch his face. Her fingers rested on his prickly beard. Dang, she loved the feeling. “You don’t have to do any of this for me.”
“Felicity,” he said, holding her hand again. “You said you’re everything I said I didn’t want. Tell me what you mean by that.”
“When you first signed up for Wedded Bliss, you told me the kind of woman you wanted, remember? I don’t fit that description. I’m estranged from my parents and I have a child. You wanted a woman with no kids who had a good relationship with her parents.”
“I did want that, but that was before I knew you had a daughter—before I knew of your issues with your parents. So, I’m making an exception, Felicity, because the truth is I didn’t join Wedded Bliss for you to find a wife for me. I joined because I want you.”
She looked confused. “You want me?”
“Yes! Yes, woman! I want you, and you know I do. Do you think I would do this for just anyone Felicity?”
He nudged her chin up so she would look at him again, then raised his brows waiting for an answer.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Then, I’ll answer it for you. No, I don’t do this for anyone. But you aren’t just anyone. You are my wife. The woman—the only woman who’s ever had the power to steal my heart. I don’t want Danella or anyone else you think you’re going to find for me in your database, girl. I want you.”
Felicity was shaking her head. “This is all wrong—”
“No, it ain’t.”
“Yes, it is, Regal. It’s all spur-of-the-moment—the kind of behavior that landed me alone and pregnant.”
“No. This time is different,” he said then kissed the ring he put on her finger yesterday. “It’s different because I will never abandon you, Felicity. You have me at your disposal and I don’t care how you use me. What’s mine is yours and I’m not going anywhere.”
“And what do you want from me in exchange for all of this?”
“Your heart.” He squeezed her hand again. “That’s what I want.”
She blinked back tears. How could she give him her heart when it was so badly damaged?
“Listen—I hate to do this but Ramsey’s having a meltdown. I have to head back to the office.” He glanced at his watch. “If you want, you can stay here and rest for as long as you like and think about what I said, okay? We’ll talk more later.”
“Okay.”
He stood up, kissed her on the temple then said, “If you want, you can sleep right here in Rayne’s room. Your lil’ self can fit just fine on a full-size bed.”
She smiled sadly.
“I’ll see you later, Felicity.”
“Okay.”
“Think about what I said.”
“I will.”
Chapter 30
“What’s this nonsense about a second drawing?” Ramsey asked, the veins bulging from his temples as he paced the floor in his office, staring back at his brothers, though his question was aimed at Regal. He’d already unleashed his wrath on Romulus and Royal. They should’ve seen it coming. While the business was named St. Claire Architects, they all knew Ramsey was in control of all the high-level business decisions and it was looking like he considered this to be one of those decisions.
“It’s a backup plan, Ramsey,” Regal responded.
Ramsey’s jaw clenched. “A backup—all I hear is an admission that the contract we signed is of no value to you.”
“Not true at all,” Regal said calmly.
“Then what’s the point of a second drawing—one nobody ran by me for approval by the way?”
“I knew you wouldn’t go for it, Ram, so I didn’t bother running it by you,” Romulus admitted.
“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Ramsey asked.
“It’s not ridiculous,” Royal said. “You’re just upset that you weren’t kept in the loop. This is my job, Ramsey. I saw a problem and with the help of Romulus and Regal, I made an attempt to get ahead of it.”
“So your solution is to let some other company force us out of a contract?”
“When it comes to the welfare of the people in this community, we can’t afford to sit on our hands while our lawyers go back and forth with their lawyers.”
“Yes, we can! That’s the nature of this business. You know this. This isn’t new!”
“Ramsey, what’s the big deal, man?” Regal asked, his patience being tried. “You act like this is the first time we’ve ever done this. We’ve made concessions before—”
“Yes, but never to this degree. We have a signed contract. Do you know what this would mean for St. Claire Architects if we let this slide? We may as well never sign another contract again because it won’t mean a thing! Do you not get that?”
“We get it, Ram,” Romulus said.
“Yet, you still decided that changing our design was a viable alternative.”
“I didn’t think it was a bad option,” Regal responded. “I had my doubts about it at first, but building a few more stories up isn’t such a bad idea.”
“It’s not the design I’m concerned about, Regal,” Ramsey said. “It’s the contact. I’m not going to be strong-armed out of a contract and that’s the bottom line.”
“We’re supposed to be a team here,” Regal said. “Yet, when it comes to things like this, you pull rank.”
Ramsey shook his head. “I’m done explaining myself on this. You can scrap that drawing because it’s not going to see the light of day.”
“Is that your final answer?” Regal asked. “No one else has a say-so about anything around here?”
“You heard what I said,” Ramsey responded heated. “And it’s not up for debate.”
“Well, alright, then,” Regal said. “Ramsey-The-Great has spoken.”
Since there was nothing left to be said, Regal left the office and headed straight for his car. He dialed Felicity’s number but didn’t get an answer. Was she still at his house or had she already gone home?
He got his answer when he arrived home to find her car still parked in the driveway. He pulled into the garage. When he entered the house, he went upstairs to see if she was still in Rayne’s room. She wasn’t. Then he checked the other guest bedrooms upstairs. She wasn’t there either.
When he saw the door to the master bedroom cracked, he walked there and saw something that made him smile – made him forget about Ramsey’s rant at work and all the nonsense surrounding the drawing. There she was, lying in the center of his bed, wearing one of his T-shirts, sound asleep. She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Something about seeing her in his shirt made him hot. He took off his tie and buttoned down his shirt three buttons.
Felicity wasn’t under the covers, just lying on top and on her side. Her bare legs looked longer in this position. He could see the definition in them, especially her calf muscles. The shirt fell just below the curve of her butt, leaving her thighs exposed for his pure satisfaction. He wondered how long she’d been asleep.
Instead of staring at her – something he could do all day – he decided to get out of his suit and take a shower in the master bath. It h
ad been a long day for him as well. He’d went to the office in the morning, left early for the home study with Ms. Greene, scarfed down some lunch on the way back to St. Claire Architects only to be chewed out by Ramsey when he arrived.
Most times, he and Ramsey were on the same page. This time, not so much. But he had other things to tend to at the moment – like Felicity lying up in his bed.
When he was out of the shower, he quickly slid into a shirt and a pair of blue, silk boxers before walking into the bedroom, taking steps closer to the bed. That’s when he saw her eyes were open.
His heart swelled with feeling as he sat on the bed. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she said soft-spoken.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I am.”
“How long have you been asleep?”
“I don’t know. What time is it?”
Regal glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s 7:31.”
“Oh. A couple of hours, then. After you left, I went to the kitchen and got some water, then I toured your entire house before coming up here to take a shower—took me ten minutes just to figure out how to turn the shower on.”
Regal laughed. He’d had a state-of-the-art shower installed in the master bathroom – one of his favorite spots in the whole house.
“Did you rest okay?”
“Yeah, I did. Your bed is like a dream.”
“Then, when I’m in it with you, you’ll feel like you’re in heaven, baby.”
“Is that so?” she asked, smiling lazily.
“Yes. That’s so.” Regal threaded his fingers through her loose hair. “Are you hungry?”
“No.”
