Branding Gemma [Grizzly Pines 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

Not that Ryan would make a bad father. It just seemed cruel four years after the fact to say, “Surprise! You have a son!”, and in a note, no less. The boy studied her as he ate his cookies.

“Are you married to my daddy?” he asked.

“No.”

She could claim to be his girlfriend, but after this turn of events, she wasn’t sure where she stood with him. He would obviously need to spend a good amount of time with Isaac, and she wasn’t sure where she would fit into the picture. Should they even continue their ménage relationship? It wasn’t exactly conventional and she didn’t know how it would affect a little boy. He’d be confused, she was sure.

The guys entered the kitchen, Ryan looking less than pleased. Synclair didn’t look too happy either and she wondered what they had decided. She didn’t know a lot about how this worked, but if Ryan was listed as the boy’s father, he would go into the system if Ryan decided not to keep him. Gemma hated to think of that happening. He seemed to be a good boy.

Her gaze focused on Synclair. “I need a ride home.”

He nodded. Ryan looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he knelt next to Isaac. She decided to give them some privacy and followed Synclair out of the kitchen. He didn’t say a word as they went to his truck. Of course, she wasn’t sure there was really much to say. The situation wasn’t going to be changed overnight. And maybe it shouldn’t be. Whether Ryan was ready for fatherhood or not, it had landed on his doorstep. Gemma on the other hand didn’t think she’d make a very good mother. Not that Ryan had asked her to be one.

It was time to distance herself from the guys, at least for a little while. They obviously had some stuff to figure out and she had plenty to think about as well. The ride to the ranch was silent. When they pulled up in front her cousins’ house, she opened her door and slid out of the truck.

“Gemma.”

She turned to face Synclair.

“Ryan didn’t ask for this.”

“No, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has a little boy counting on him now. Our relationship is different from what society normally accepts. I can only imagine what a little boy would think of it. I think it’s time we took a step back.”

“What if I don’t want to take a step back?”

“Are you saying you want to see me without Ryan?”

He sighed and looked out the windshield before turning to her again. “I won’t pretend to know how this is going to play out, Gemma. But I think I know Ryan well enough to assume he isn’t going to ditch that little boy just because he’s determined that he isn’t the father. According to a piece of paper filed with the state he’s the daddy and that’s all that matters right now. Isaac can’t go back to his mom, and according to the letter, there’s no other family to take care of him. She did the only thing she could think of to take care of her son.”

“I don’t blame Isaac, or his mother, for what’s happened. But the fact is that I don’t know where this relationship was heading before this. Having a little boy changes things, Synclair. It isn’t like we can continue the way we’ve been so far. I’m sure as hell not having sex in your house with a four-year-old down the hall. And how are we supposed to go on dates? You don’t have any family here who could take care of him while you’re gone. As it is, you’ll have to figure out what to do with Isaac while the two of you work.”

“Will I still see you at the shop?”

“I think it’s best if I stay away for now. At least for a few days. I’ll call you.” But even as she said the words, she had to wonder if she really would. Her heart ached, as if someone had plunged a knife into her chest. She’d thought things were going so well, that they were on track for a lasting relationship, but this changed things. Gemma had never been good around kids, not for longer than an hour or two. There wasn’t much point in dating Ryan and Synclair if she wasn’t prepared to stick it out until the end, which would eventually mean being a mother to Isaac. It was more than she could think about right then.

She closed the truck door and shoved her hands into her pockets as she watched him drive away. It felt like he was taking a piece of her with him. With a sigh, she trudged up the steps and walked into the house. Elodie was sitting on the sofa, flipping through channels on the TV. She took one look at Gemma’s face and hurried to her side.

“What’s wrong?” Elodie asked.

“I don’t think I can talk about it right now. I think I just broke up with the guys.”

Elodie gasped. “But why? Things were going so well!”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have all night. Dinner is in the Crock-Pot, so it isn’t like I have to watch it.”

Gemma followed Elodie into the living room, where she spilled the whole tale to her. Before she was finished, tears were streaking her cheeks. Elodie comforted her the best she could, but she seemed to be at a loss as to what to do. Before Gemma could pull herself together, Cody walked into the room.

“Why are you crying?” he asked.

“She broke up with Synclair and Ryan,” Elodie explained.

Cody raised an eyebrow. “I’d think that would be cause for celebration. I told you they weren’t right for you. Especially Synclair. It was only a matter of time before it ended.”

Elodie glared at him. “For someone who is so sweet to me, you really can be insensitive when it comes to other people.”

He shrugged. “I’ve never hidden my feelings on the matter.” He looked at Gemma again. “What made you break up with them anyway?”

“It seems Ryan has a little boy.”

Cody rocked back on his heels. “He never told you he was a daddy?”

“He didn’t know about it,” Elodie explained. “The boy showed up while Gemma and he were out of town. The mother is dying and she claims Ryan is the father, but he’s denying it.”

“It sounds like none of this is his fault,” Cody said. “So why did you break up with them?”

“I can’t be in a ménage relationship with them, not with a little boy under their roof.”

“So you’re saying there’s something wrong with the relationship we have with Elodie? That our child is going to suffer because he or she will have three daddies?”

She hadn’t really thought about her cousins’ relationship. Cody did have a point though. If he and her other cousins could raise a baby with Elodie, maybe Ryan could still have a ménage relationship with her. She still felt doubt creeping in though.

“Your baby will be born into a family like that. This little boy has only had his mother in his life. Won’t it be confusing for him if his uncle and his dad are both with the same woman?”

“Not if he calls Synclair daddy instead of uncle. No reason the boy can’t have two daddies,” Cody reasoned. He sighed. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you. I should be thrilled that you won’t be seeing them anymore.”

“Then why are you helping me?”

“Because I’ve seen how happy they make you, and I don’t want to watch you mope around his house for the next several months.”

Elodie squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you go take a nice hot bath? Dinner will be ready in about a half hour.”

Gemma nodded and headed upstairs. She heard Elodie and Cody talking. Ryan’s name was mentioned, but Gemma was emotionally exhausted and couldn’t handle talking about it anymore. Elodie was right. A hot bath was just what she needed. Maybe the steaming water would help clear her head.

Synclair looked up from the front desk when the door opened, relief pouring through him when he saw it was Gemma. He’d thought for sure they’d lost her for good. If she was here, it had to be a good thing, he hoped. Ryan and he had talked quite a bit over the past week, trying to figure out how to convince Gemma to give them another chance. Just because Isaac was part of their lives now didn’t mean they were going to give up on their relationship with the woman of their dreams.

“I thought you might need some help,” she said as she approached the desk.

“Are you only here to work?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve done some thinking over the past week. I know Ryan didn’t ask for any of this, and it’s obvious he didn’t know about Isaac. I can’t say that I’m convinced the boy isn’t his son, regardless of what Ryan says, but I know the little boy isn’t to blame for any of this either. He didn’t ask to be dropped off on your doorstep like unwanted baggage.”

“His mother didn’t have a choice.”

“Maybe not, but she could have contacted Ryan sooner.”

“So what does this mean for us?”

“I’m worried about Isaac and what he’ll think of our relationship. He’s been through a lot already. I don’t know that he could handle something like this.”

“He’s young. He may find it confusing at first, but I don’t think it will be an issue. Besides, you made an impression. He’s asked about you several times, wanting to know when he could see you again.”

She bit her lip. “You should know I’ve never really been around kids, not for an extended period of time.”

“Neither have we, but I think we’re doing okay at this parenting thing.”

“Is Ryan at work?”

“He’s taken two weeks off to spend some time with Isaac. He didn’t want to just drop the kid off at some stranger’s house while he went to work. Not until the kid gets a chance to settle in a bit more. He came to us with one suitcase of clothes. There wasn’t as much as one toy packed. He cried the first night wanting his teddy bear, so Ryan went out and bought him one.”

“Poor kid.”

Synclair moved around the desk and reached for her. She went into his arms willingly, as if she’d missed being with them. He hoped that was the case because he’d sure as hell missed her. There hadn’t been a day that went by without him thinking about her, wondering what she was doing, and whether or not she would ever come back into their lives.

“Why don’t I close the shop for a while and we can go home and have lunch with Ryan and Isaac? We can pick up some pizzas.”

“You don’t have any appointments?”

“Not until six. I’m free until then.”

“What about walk-ins? Won’t you lose money closing the shop for several hours?”

Synclair smiled. “I’m only closing up until two. After that, you’re going to spend some time with Ryan and Isaac by yourself. I think it will be good for you.”

She thought about it a minute then nodded her consent. “I’ll follow you to the house.”

Synclair put a sign on the door that said he would re-open at 2:30 and grabbed his keys. After locking up, he made sure Gemma was safely in her truck before he got in his. He checked his rearview mirror several times, making sure she was behind him. It had crossed his mind that she might bail on him halfway to the house and decide to return to the ranch instead. He knew Ryan wanted to see her just as badly as he had.

They pulled into the driveway at the house and Ryan stepped out onto the porch. He looked nervous, seeing Gemma for the first time in a week. Things hadn’t exactly ended well the last time she’d been to the house, so he supposed he couldn’t blame his brother. Synclair waited for her, placing his hand at the small of her back and guiding her up the steps and onto the porch.

“It’s good to see you,” Ryan said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Synclair knew his brother was fighting the urge to pull Gemma into his arms, and he wondered why he didn’t just do it. Was he worried about her reaction?

“I’m sorry I stayed away so long, but I had some things to work through,” she said.

He nodded. “Did you want to come in?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” She smiled at him and Synclair saw the tension ease from his brother’s shoulders.

“I’m going to order a few pizzas,” Synclair said. “I’ll get a pepperoni for Isaac, supreme for us, and chicken for Gemma.”

“I can’t eat a whole pizza,” she protested.

“Then take home whatever you don’t finish,” Ryan said.

They stepped into the house and Isaac came running, throwing his arms around her legs.

“I thought you’d never come back,” he said. Little did he realize, Synclair and Ryan had worried about the same thing.

“Have you been a good boy for your daddy and Uncle Synclair?” she asked, kneeling down.

The little boy nodded and hugged her neck tight. Gemma rose, lifting the child into her arms. She looked at Synclair over Isaac’s head and he saw a moment of panic in her eyes. He didn’t know how to help her through it, but it was obvious she was good with the kid, despite what she said about not being around them. Maybe she was a natural.

Ryan led her into the living room, where a children’s cartoon played on the TV, while Synclair went to the kitchen to place the order for pizza. After he placed the order, he stopped in the living room doorway, just watching them. Gemma sat beside Ryan, with Isaac in her lap. They looked like a nice, cozy family. Stepping into the room, he sat on the other side of Gemma, resting his arm along the back of the couch.

She smiled at him, but he noticed she was rather stiff. She hadn’t released Isaac though, no matter how uncomfortable she was. Synclair hoped that spending some time with just Ryan and Isaac would help ease her tension today, make her see that she could do this. He had no doubt she would be a wonderful mother to Isaac, if given the opportunity, and he knew his brother had already been thinking about marrying Gemma. Synclair wanted her in their lives permanently, but he was okay with his brother being the one legally married to her. Ryan made more money and had better insurance than Synclair, so it just made sense. It didn’t mean Synclair loved her less than Ryan did.