Page 3 of The Naughty One
He laughed, and his face looked even more desperately handsome than ever. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t interrogating you without an actual purpose. You see, Romy Sasse, Stuart Eames is my father. So, technically, we’re about to be siblings. Welcome to the family,Romy.”
Chapter2
Romy was still shell-shockedwhen she went to her mother’s house that evening. Part of it was admittedly from the additional time she’d spent giddily talking in Blue’s office—he’d insisted she call him that—and the rest was entirely due to hisrevelation.
“Why didn’t you tell me Stuart was Blue Allende’sfather?”
Magda Sasse looked up from the cutting board and grinned at her middle daughter’s abrupt greeting. “Hello to you, too. Because, dear one, Blue said he didn’t want you to know right away. He wanted you to be on his service and thought you might not want to if you knew. Your reputation as a first-class doctor precedes you, honey, and I’m veryproud.”
Romy smiled and hugged her mother. “Thank you, Momma Bear. Anyway, Blue told me he will be with us for Thanksgiving?” Upon hearing that, she’d been hard-pressed to keep it together in the surgeon’s office. Blue in her home, having dinner with her family … why was that weirdlyhot?
“Will it be awkward?” her mother asked inconcern.
Romy hoisted herself up onto the kitchen counter and stole a piece of bell pepper Magda was slicing for salad. “I don’t think so. Well, at least I hope not. He’s a pretty even-temperedguy.”
Magda smiled. “You likehim?”
God, yes. He’s the sexiest man I’ve evermet.
“Yeah, he’snice.”
Nice was anunderstatement.
“He’s an incredible surgeon. Watching him is like watching a maestro atwork.”
“Speaking of maestros.” Magda often changed the direction of conversations on a whim, so Romy wasn’t fazed. “Your sister has a new job. She’s going to work for Livia’s foundation as alecturer.”
Romy’s eyebrows shot up. “She is? Juno’s movingout?”
Her youngest sister, Juno, was the sister who most resembled their free-spirited mother. Tall and willowy, with a shock of messy blonde hair, and a confirmed tomboy, Juno Sasse had made music her first love and passion from a young age. She was the cherished baby of the family and Romy had half-suspected she’d neverleave.
“She is,” Magda confirmed, a touch of melancholy in her voice. Eternally supportive of her daughters though she was, Romy knew her mother would struggle with empty nest syndrome. “Although I’m trying desperately not to think about that day. She’s starting in the New Year, so at least we’ll have Christmas as afamily.”
“With Stuart’s familytoo?”
Magda shot her a nervous look. “Well, yes. If that’s okay with you andArti.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Romyasked.
Magda sighed. “There is some, how can I put it, some unpleasantness with Stuart’s wife. Hopefully soon to be ex-wife, if she ever signs the damn papers. She keeps harassing Stuart, usually through herson.”
Romy raised an eyebrow, not liking the sound of that. “What’s the son’s nameagain?”
“Gaius. I’ve only met him once, but he seems friendly enough. Hasn’t Blue ever mentionedhim?”
“We’re careful to keep family stuff away from work, and I don’t actually socialize with Blue Allende, remember? We’d never even met until today. He might be my brother soon, but he’s still in a league of his own.” Romy grinned as Magda rolled hereyes.
“You mean you don’t socializeat all. Romy, you’re beautiful, you’re young … don’t let what happened in New York stop you from living yourlife.”
Romy grimaced, feeling the familiar cold feeling at the memories. “Mom … Dacre doesn’t know I’m back home, and if he finds out, he’ll come here and … God, I don’t want toimagine.”
Her mother looked down at her hands as they continued to move swiftly, her knife skills in the kitchen as good as any surgeon’s were in an operating theater. “I hate that you were with him. You’re too young to have gone through a divorce or anything else he did toyou.”
Romy marshalled her emotions, reminding herself that those days were long past. She was safe now, however much Dacre Mortimer was an animal. Her leg still hurt from where he’d stamped on it and broken it the previous year at the same time that he’d almost beaten her todeath.
“Look, at least I learned a lesson,” Romy said to her mother now. “Don’t go on first impressions. Dacre was Mr. Charm until hewasn’t.”
“Was that a dig at me?” Magda didn’t sound upset, just sad. “Because I know Stuart and I haven’t known each other thatlong.”
