Gypsy Beach (15 page)

The humility and the fear that haunted his
words touched the deepest wells of her heart. She swallowed down
another round of tears and prayed that somehow he would get to keep
his little girl, but she wasn’t leaving him. To the bitter end, he
wasn’t going to have to fight for her. She couldn’t guarantee him
Evie, but she could promise him her love from then on.

“I think what you said was right, Ryan. All
Evie or I really need is to know that we’re loved and that we’re
wanted.”

Letting the implication of her words flood
through him like a healing balm, Ryan was finally able to draw a
full breath. “Well, I love both of you more than life itself, and
if I can somehow get to keep both of you, then everything I’ve been
through will have been worth it.”

Aware that she was more than willing to stand
right there beside him, Sienna was too afraid to even imagine what
would become of Ryan McNamara if his ex-wife managed to take his
little girl away from him. She’d never hated someone she’d never
even met before, until that moment.

“Ryan, you have me, and I want to help you
get Evie, too.”

That did it. All of the terror he’d tried for
so long to manage inside the ample musculature of his body broke
free from the fissures of his heart. His body convulsed against his
own fierce commands, and tears poured from his eyes. “Thank you,”
he managed in a heartbroken vow.

“What does Evie look like?” Sienna didn’t
know why she cared. It certainly didn’t matter, though if she took
after her daddy she was probably gorgeous. She was trying to ward
off the initial shock of meeting his child, she thought.

Ryan drove his thumb and fingers into his
eyes to halt the tears. He wiped away the remaining ones and dug
his cell phone out of his pocket. “She’s the only thing I ever take
pictures of. I don’t want to forget one single thing. You know, in
case…” He choked on the terrorizing fear again.

Heartbroken from his reasoning, Sienna took
the phone and began flipping through pictures of Ryan and Evie at
the zoo, at the park, in the swimming pool, and hanging out on the
couch. As an anecdote to the pain of it all, she laughed
hysterically when she got to a shot of Ryan complete with a
princess crown, painted fingernails, play make-up, and jewelry with
Evie beaming beside him.

He joined her laughter at his own expense.
“Probably should take that one off my phone, at least.”

Sienna shook her head. “You’re an awesome
Dad, Ryan. Really.”

“I sure as hell try.”

Still attempting to keep her nerves at bay,
Sienna studied the Atlanta skyline in the afternoon sunlight. “It’s
really pretty.”

Ryan considered her perspective. Atlanta was
a beautiful city. It had lost a little of its appeal as of late,
but he shouldn’t blame Alexa and his parent’s mistakes on the city
that had raised him, he supposed.

“Yeah, it has its perks, but I really prefer
a little eclectic Gypsy beach town, I think.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Sienna beamed up at him, and
Ryan had no idea how he’d managed to make such a thing possible,
but he drank in every soft sigh, every grin, and every giggle that
she proffered him on their journey.

After they’d sat in endless lunch-hour
traffic, Sienna sighed. “The traffic kinda sucks, though.”

Ryan laughed and nodded his agreement. Soon
enough, they were headed up 400 and into the pretentious
neighborhood of Buckhead, where everyone who was anyone wanted to
live. Ryan and Alexa’s old house was just a few streets over from
the condominium where John resided.

Before she knew it, Ryan was pulling through
a grand wrought iron gate that had opened when he entered a code.
Her eyes goggled at the posh complex. They passed two pools and
tennis courts on the way to John’s building.

At seventeen, the knowledge that Ryan’s
family had a lot of money was very abstract. He never acted stuck
up, so she never thought much of it. She tried to use her best
manners when she was around his parents, but it seemed she always
fell short of the mark.

She was still lost in her ponderings when she
followed Ryan’s lead and slid out of the truck. He wrapped his arm
around her and led her onto an elevator. Before he could knock on
the slick black door, it flew open and the little girl from the
pictures on his phone seemed to materialize from thin air.

“Daddy!” She raced into his arms, and he
lifted her up and squeezed her tightly. Sienna beamed. The love
between them filled the very air around her.

“Hey, baby girl.” Ryan didn’t seem to want to
let her go, even though she’d pulled away to smile at him.

“John said I could dress myself, and I wanted
to wear this shirt, and this shirt, and my tights and my skirt, and
my Elsa panties and my Belle panties, and my purple socks, and my
boots, and all of my necklaces. John helped me with my boots.” She
pointed out each of the shirts she’d pulled on, one long sleeved
under a short sleeved t-shirt, along with a dozen necklaces made of
plastic beads. Sienna swooned. Nothing she’d put on matched, but
Sienna had never seen anything more beautiful. She had blonde hair
and dark brown eyes. Her peaches and cream complexion must’ve come
from her mother, but her features were all Ryan’s. Sienna didn’t
have to get to know her. She loved her right then.

“You look beautiful, baby. I want to
introduce you to someone, okay?” Ryan studied his daughter. She
gave him an exuberant nod. Sienna doubted she ever denied her Daddy
much of anything.

“Evie Grace, this is my friend, Sienna.”

Evie gave Sienna one of her broad beaming
grins. “Hi, Sienna, my name is Evie Grace McNamara, and I’m four
years old. Mommy says that I can only wear my one fancy necklace
that matches my outfits, but Daddy always says I can wear all of my
princess necklaces if I want to because I love them. And I like all
of your necklaces, too.”

Sienna leaned and brushed a kiss on Evie’s
rosy cheek. “Well, I think your Daddy is really, really smart.”

“I think so, too!” Evie seemed very pleased
with Sienna’s proclamation. She gave Ryan another fierce hug. “And
I get to go to the beach with you, and I don’t have to go back to
mommy’s house for a long time.” The hopeful light that beamed from
her entire little body cut Sienna to the quick. Another round of
tears played just behind Ryan’s eyes as he managed a nod.

“That’s right, baby. You get to come back to
the beach with Daddy and Sienna, I promise.”

John had joined them at the door. He was
staring at Sienna like he couldn’t quite believe she was real. He
extended his hand. “You’re Sienna? Like
the
Sienna? This is
the
Sienna?” He turned to Ryan for the last question.

Ryan laughed. “The one and only.” He reached
back and wrapped Sienna’s hand up in his left while he carried Evie
in his right arm.

Sienna tried not to gawk at John’s condo in
complete bewilderment. Evie didn’t seem to think there was anything
odd about the sheer size of her godfather’s home. She wiggled down
from Ryan’s arms and grasped Sienna’s hand. “Daddy got me an Elsa
doll. Come on! I’ll show you!” When she tried to walk she tugged at
her many layers of clothing to maneuver around the wad of cloth
between her legs, giving her the appearance of being slightly
bowlegged.

Ryan chuckled. “Evie, baby, come to the
restroom with Daddy. I think maybe we should wear the Elsa panties
today and the Belle panties later, and let’s pull your tights up so
you can walk, okay?” Evie screwed her face up in consideration, but
finally nodded and let Ryan carry her to the bathroom.

“I’m sorry I keep staring at you. I just
can’t believe you’re here. Did he know you were gonna be back at
Gypsy Beach? Is that where you met back up after all these years?
Did you plan this?”

Sienna noted the inquisition in John’s tone.
He was very good looking, but there was a lethal edge to John, one
she was certain probably came out in the courtroom.

“Uh, no, I’d just moved back. It was a
complete coincidence.”
There is no such thing as a coincidence,
Sienna Rose.
Sienna glanced around the massive great room,
filled with bookshelves, mildly concerned that she wasn’t the only
one that had heard Nana’s echoed voice.

John glanced down the hallway where Ryan had
carried Evie. “Look, I’m not sure how long the panty situation will
take him to fix, but I gotta tell you, he’s been in love with you
forever. He drank himself stupid over you. He’s been a disaster for
years. I swear, I’m not trying to be an asshole or anything, but
he’s my best friend. I love him like a brother. I don’t want to see
him get hurt like this ever again. Alexa nearly killed him. If
you’re planning on breaking his heart just because he was a stupid
kid and never showed up at the beach that summer, please, just
don’t. I don’t think he’ll survive another blow like that.”

Sienna supposed she should have been
offended, but she found herself deeply appreciative of the fact
that John cared so much about Ryan.

“I know everything that happened. I know how
horrible Alexa is, and I promise I have no intention of breaking
his heart.”

Her deep sincerity seemed to convince him. He
nodded his relief. “I’m an attorney, so I’ve seen it all. I guess
I’m a little jaded.”

Before Sienna could assure him again, Ryan
and Evie returned. Evie appeared to be moving with more ease. She
danced her way into what looked like a gourmet kitchen nearby. Ryan
was carrying a tiny, folded pair of Beauty and the Beast panties, a
pair of pink knit pajama shorts, and a pair of teal tights in his
hand.

“This might be why four is a little young for
dressing herself,” he chastised John.

“Hey, Alexa’s always bitching at her about
what she wears. She’s a kid, let her wear fifteen pairs of pants if
she wants.”

“Thank you for watching her,” Ryan conceded.
“There’s just one thing I need to ask you about before we get out
of your hair.” He pulled the paperwork, such as it was, that Roby
had thrust in Sienna’s face from his bag and handed it to John.
“Guy’s making a claim on the Inn Sienna’s grandmother owned and
operated for years. The Inn she just inherited and intends to open
come Memorial Day. The Inn I’ve been redoing for her.”

John came to the diner napkin that bore Ted
Roby and Nana’s signature and he sighed. “Seen this before. You’d
be shocked how often this happens. Do you have a deed at all,
Sienna?”

“Well, they thought the original deed must’ve
been destroyed, so they made me a new deed when I paid off the
taxes on the Inn, but that man says he has the original.”

Ryan’s stomach churned. He recognized that
look in John’s eye and the slight tensing of his shoulders that
said this could be trouble.

“Okay, you get Miss Evie off to the beach. I
will look into this, and I’ll either give you a call this weekend
or I’ll head up there. Ryan, you need to photograph everything you
touch. Take before and after shots to show that you’re making
improvements on the hotel and that she hired you to care for it.
That will go a long way if this ends up in court. I’ll let you know
what I find out.”

“Thank you for doing that for me.” Sienna
decided that the small part of John that she found so intimidating
might work well for her if Ted Roby pushed this ridiculous thing
much further.

“Hey, you keep making him smile like that,
and I will try to lawyer you out of this. That’s how this works,
okay?” He tossed the paperwork on his massive dining room table.
Sienna wondered if anyone had actually eaten a meal there. It
appeared to be a showpiece only.

Evie carried a much-worn stuffed bunny and
small plastic cup with a lid back towards Ryan. She lifted her
hands up, and he scooped her up into his arms. “You ready to go to
the beach, baby girl?”

“Yes, Boppy and I are ready to go to the
beach.” She rubbed the bunny against her cheek and nuzzled her face
against her daddy’s neck. All three of the adults in the room
swooned over her.

“Oh!” John’s eyes lit in delight. “I got you
something else, too. Seriously, I do not charge you people enough.”
With that, he opened a small drawer on a hutch and tossed Ryan a
set of keys, which he caught instinctively.

“How the…” He paused and cleared his throat.
Evie raised her head and giggled. “Uh, how did you get my Suburban
back?”

John looked very pleased with whatever he’d
done. “That was part of the bargaining with Alexa. I explained that
you had to have a safe car to drive Evie in and that you hadn’t had
a chance to get one after she had your Suburban impounded. She was
in such a rush she signed it back to you free and clear. Tow truck
just put it in the parking garage.”

Sienna watched as Ryan took Evie to the
potty, made her another cup of water, and set up movies for her to
watch on their long drive back to the beach. It was all so
intimidating, and he did it with ease. The realities of how
different her world had just become settled like a granite boulder
in her stomach.

Trying to distract herself, she glanced
around Ryan’s custom Suburban. It had video screens for each of the
back passengers, a DVD player, and several large tool boxes in the
back.

“So, I guess your other truck didn’t really
compare.” Her voice shook though she’d ordered it not to.

On the brink of a complete panic attack, she
watched as Ryan buckled Evie into her carseat. “You okay?”

How did he know she was freaking out? She’d
worked very hard to appear calm.

“Kind of.”

With a steadying breath, Ryan cranked the
Suburban and backed out of John’s driveway. “Wanna talk about
it?”

Sienna shook her head. She didn’t know what
to say. Working through the overwhelming desire to fling open the
car door and sprint away took most of her concentration.
I’m not
doing that anymore. I can do this.
She reminded herself of all
that Ryan had been through, and John’s reminder that he might not
survive if she should suddenly decide that she couldn’t help him
deal with impending disasters that seemed to be lurking around
every corner. Ryan was the only thing that had ever made sense to
her, and, he came with Evie. She could do this. She just didn’t
know how.