her sisters. He remembered the many brave faces he’d put on with no one there to take notice except his mother. Turning away from the reminder, he took a seat across from Jasmine’s sisters in the waiting room.
Jasmine settled into a chair and started on the paperwork. Her sisters studied him with varying degrees of interest.
“Is there a problem, ladies?” he finally asked.
“Why didn’t Jasmine take a cab?” Willow asked.
“It would have taken too long.”
“One of us could have picked her up,” Willow said.
This felt a little like a what-are-your-intentions interrogation, not that he had any experience with those. Or with anything in this situation, really. Long-fallow instincts had kicked in when he’d seen Jasmine in need, overriding his usual laser focus on business.
“That would have taken even longer,” he said, attempting to soften his clipped tone since they were just trying to look out for their sister. “Besides, my mother wouldn’t have appreciated me leaving a lady high and dry.”
The two women shared a look, one that should have made him very suspicious. But, like all good businessmen, Royce held his tongue. He knew better than to give them extra ammunition, especially when he wasn’t sure what the bullet was actually made of in this instance.
Suddenly both women glanced down. Following their gaze, he took in how Rosie was snuggled up against Ivy. Her eyelids drooped. He could see the softening effect the little cutie had on Ivy and Willow, and even felt an echo deep inside himself. He hadn’t dealt with so many emotions since his mother died.
Was it being in this place? The same hospital where they’d spent her last days? Or was it these women? Seeing their interactions, how they cared for each other, he found it fascinating. A little scary, too. Being the focus of their attention wasn’t comfortable at all.
Like his mother, they seemed to be able to see past the front he presented to the world to the actual man beneath. He could almost feel the crack in his protective wall. He wasn’t very comfortable with that.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
He reached out one hand to rub it gently against Rosie’s chubby, flushed cheek. “She feels a little feverish.”
“She’s been teething,” Ivy explained. “Which means she’s often fussy and not sleeping well, poor thing.”
“Poor Mama,” Willow added, giving the little girl a loving look. “I don’t think Jasmine’s had a full night’s sleep in days.”
Which explained why Rosie was so tired today. But Royce knew absolutely nothing about babies and teething, so he switched subjects. Anything to distract himself from the memories whirling through his mind. “So, what do you ladies do for a living?” he asked, even though Jasmine had already told him the answer.
Willow jumped in easily. “I teach history at the community college.”
Royce nodded. “Any specialties?”
“American and local history. When you’re descended from a pirate family, you can’t help but immerse yourself in Savannah’s colorful past.”
“I’d imagine.” Somehow he wasn’t surprised to find Jasmine had some pirate blood in her. She certainly drove a hard bargain to get exactly what she wanted.
Ivy filled the pause. “I’m the executive assistant to Paxton McLemore.”
That was interesting. “Intense guy to work for, isn’t he?”
“At times, but I love it. Challenging but enjoyable.”
Obviously they were a family of very smart women who were very good at standing on their own two feet, making their way in the world after losing their parents. He could relate. Impressive.
But, unlike him, they weren’t focused only on making money. He thought over all the charitable causes for which Jasmine had coordinated events. The dossier his assistant had put together had been more than impressive.
As she rose and crossed the room to return the clipboard to a woman behind the desk, he couldn’t help but think of all she’d dealt with at home while she’d been pulling off those events. Unlike Royce, she didn’t go home, put up her feet and catch up on her rest after a hard day’s work.
No, she worked just as hard at home. If not harder. She kept her family together and fed. Took on the role of mother. And apparently offered hands-on help to the charity she’d chosen to support with his event.
Her life had turned out very differently from his.
The women across from him went suddenly silent. Royce followed their gaze to see Jasmine slowly approach from across the room. Before he knew it, her sisters were on their feet.
Royce watched the baby pass from sister to sister with a kind of bewilderment and an incredible calm. Until inevitably the baby was passed to him, and he found himself standing alone in the waiting room with the child snuggled carefully in the crook of his arm. He watched as the girls disappeared around a column and joined their sister.
He glanced down at the baby now in his arms. She was so small. Yet when she was awake and her eyes were open, that small body came alive with personality. Even at her young age.
As Jasmine turned back toward the hall, the child gave a shuddering breath, evoking sympathy for how miserable she must be at the moment. She probably wished she was home in her own bed instead of being carried around a noisy hospital waiting room.
Though he knew she couldn’t have heard it from where she stood, Jasmine froze. Then she whipped her head around to survey her sisters. “Where’s Rosie?”
As if passing the buck, both women pointed in his direction. Jasmine’s eyes went wide with shock. But as she glanced down to see Rosie still sleeping, the tears that she’d held back earlier finally overflowed.
* * *
As the women before him sniffled and hugged each other, Royce moved closer to stand outside their circle with the baby nestled in his arms. For a brief moment, something akin to panic welled up in Royce’s chest. A feeling he hadn’t experienced since he’d first realized he was completely alone in the world. As if these people he barely knew had abandoned him.
Crazy.
A noise caught his attention. He glanced down, meeting wide dark eyes. The one difference between Rosie and Jasmine. The baby’s eyes were dark and oddly wise. But beautiful. Compelling. Royce found himself as mesmerized as he’d been by his first glimpse of her mother’s bright blue eyes.
Suddenly he realized that he was bouncing the baby slightly. It was a rhythm entirely seated in his bones, natural but unfamiliar. And he couldn’t stop.
“King?” a nurse called from across the room. “The King family?” He looked up.
The women before him seemed completely oblivious. Stepping closer, he adopted a firm, no-nonsense tone. “Ladies, let’s go see what the nurse has to say.”
Immediately their tears stopped and
