Roman's Vow (Riley's Pride #4) - Sandra R Neeley Page 0,34
Roman answered.
“You mean Mama?” Darcie asked.
“Yep. It won’t be much longer and she’ll be able to call us. And look, I have some pictures of her for you to look at,” Roman said, reaching for his ever present phone and bringing up his photo gallery. “Here you go,” he said, handing the phone to Darcie.
Darcie set her Barbie doll on the table along with her muffin, then laid the phone flat beside them so she could better see the photos. “She’s smiling,” Darcie said happily.
“She is,” Roman agreed.
“Is this when you got married?” Darcie asked.
“It is. That first one is while we were listening to the man that was marrying us. Then the rest are when they said we were married and could kiss,” Roman said.
“And that’s you kissing her,” Darcie said, giggling.
“It sure is,” Roman said, with a soft smile.
“How did you take the pictures if you was kissing her?” Darcie asked.
“Uncle Riley took ‘em, and then he sent them to me.”
“She don’t have a ring on, though,” Darcie said.
“That’s because I have it here,” Roman said.
“Can I see it?” Darcie asked.
“You can,” Roman said, wrapping an arm around Darcie to hold her against him while he scooted the chair back enough to stand a little. He fished in his pants pocket with his other hand, then sat back down, situating Darcie on his lap and scooting the chair back in. “Here it is. I decided to save it for when she’s coming home with us,” he explained. Roman opened the ring box and handed it to Darcie.
Like any true girly-girl, she ooed and ahhed over it. “Ohhh, it’s so sparkly!” she said, reaching out tentatively to touch it.
Cristie jumped down and came around to that end of the table to see it. “It’s so pretty,” Cristie said. “I like that ring.”
Maia removed the potatoes from the skillet and walked over to peek at it as well. “Damn, Roman. You’ve outdone yourself. That’s a gorgeous set.”
Roman smiled and nodded. “They had others, but no matter what they looked like, I kept coming back to this one. I hope she likes it, too. If not, I’ll get her whichever one she wants.”
“She’ll love it. It’s classic, antique looking, yet modern,” Maia said.
“And it sparkles!” Darcie said excitedly.
Maia walked back over to the stove. “Give me five minutes and I’ll have the eggs ready and ya’ll can eat.”
Ten minutes later the girls had eaten and were in the living room playing Barbies while the grownups and Sebastian were still eating and visiting.
“Lucas didn’t waste any time getting out of here last night,” Riley commented.
“Naw, he was preoccupied. Anxious to get out and go for a run,” Roman said.
“Preoccupied with what?” Riley asked.
“I’m not sure. You’d have to ask him,” Roman said, not looking up from his food.
“I’m asking you,” Riley said, point blank.
Roman looked up from his plate and met Riley’s gaze for a few moments before shrugging. “I don’t know what to tell you. He just feels… I don’t know, pulled or something.”
“Pulled? To what?” Riley asked.
“Whatever it is that followed him from Travis’s,” Roman said.
Riley’s eyebrows raised. “And what would that be?” Riley asked, trying to keep the level of his voice reflecting a calm demeanor that he didn’t feel at the moment.
“I don’t know, Riley. That’s why you should ask him. I don’t even know how to explain it to you, because he hasn’t explained it clearly to me. All I know is that he said it doesn’t feel dangerous, and that it’s here for him,” Roman said.
“It?” Riley asked.
“Yeah.”
“What is it?” Riley asked.
“Unless he saw it while we were gone, or last night, he doesn’t know. He’s never seen it, just feels it watching him. I wish I could tell you, but I just don’t know,” Roman explained.
“You felt it?” Riley asked.
“Kinda. I kinda felt like something was nearby, but I didn’t feel threatened, and I’m not afraid to live over there and to have Darcie there. I don’t think it means harm to anybody, whatever it is. It just wants to be near Lucas,” Roman said.
“So it’s over behind the park?” Riley asked.
“Yeah.”
“Since when?” Riley asked.
“Since about Christmas time. We felt it at Travis’s, and then when Lucas didn’t go there anymore, he noticed the same feeling of being watched over here. I’ve only sensed it a time or two. It’s not interested in me or anybody but Lucas. But, I don’t think it’s dangerous either,” Roman answered.
“You don’t think I should have known?” Riley asked,