Seeing Dalton’s body tensing, Ginny abruptly switched the conversation to a happier topic. “Are you going to keep me in suspense, or do I have to ask Dalton?” Ginny teased.
Trudy dropped her hand back to the table. “About what?”
“You told Gavin I would be the first one to find out if you’re having a boy or a girl?”
Smiling, Trudy got up from the table to take her hand. “You coming?” she asked Dalton.
Dalton rose and gave her a kiss. “You two go ahead. I’ll do the dishes and load the dishwasher.”
Ginny wanted to reach out and hug Dalton for being so kind to her sister. In the past, Trudy’s boyfriends wouldn’t spring for a box of popcorn, much less make her lunch or do the dishes for her.
“You’ve got a winner this time,” Ginny told her sister.
“Not only did I get a winner, but I hit the jackpot,” Trudy gushed, starting to get teary-eyed as they climbed the steps.
Trudy wiped them away. “Ignore them. My hormones are all over the place. I can cry at the drop of a hat, then threaten to burn the house down if Dalton doesn’t go out to get me my favorite ice cream or order me a pizza. I quit asking for the pizza when he wouldn’t order me one and had come up with a better idea.”
“What did he do?”
Trudy went to open a door next to the master suite, which was wide open. “Dalton fucking made me a pizza with vegetarian cheese and cauliflower crust instead.”
“He didn’t!” Ginny giggled. “What did you do?”
“I ate it. I couldn’t hurt his feeling. Last time I asked for pizza, though.”
They were laughing when Trudy opened the door and let her go in first.
Misty-eyed, Ginny turned back to her sister. “You’re having a boy.”
Trudy walked farther into the room to open the closet and show her the tiny outfits. Ginny was admiring the crib when the sound of a horn blared from outside. Both women went to the window to see Sex Piston and Killyama getting out of the car and Fat Louise getting out from the driver’s side. Ginny could hear Sex Piston and Crazy Bitch’s loud yells at Fat Louise for sounding the horn.
Her sweet friend was giving her a head start so she could hide.
Ginny didn’t use the opportunity, seeing what Sex Piston was carrying. She put her hands on her hips as she gave Trudy a censoring stare. “You asked Sex Piston to bring you a pizza?”
“Mind ya business, bitch.” Trudy gave her an unrepentant stare back. Clearly, pizza deprivation had made her sister a tad cranky. “Dalton’s going to be so busy protecting you from Sex Piston that he won’t even notice I’m eating a slice … or two.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Reaper parallel parked in front of the jewelry store. He worried he would have to make the thirty minute drive to Jamestown, but when he texted Knox to ask if the West’s jewelry store was still open, Knox had texted back that it was.
The store was quiet without a single customer. A woman came out of the glass office, seeing him at the ring display case. “May I help you?”
Gavin recognized her; she was the same salesperson who had waited on him the last time he’d been in the store. As she drew closer, her polite veneer changed to one of eagerness when she recognized him. “Mr. James, what can I do you for you today?”
“I want to buy a wedding ring set for my wife.”
“Congratulations!” Charline gushed. “Have you decided on the cut and style?” She hovered her hand over a tray of diamond rings in the glass case.
“I’m not particular about either. It’s the stone that’s most important to me. I want a black diamond.”
The saleswoman removed her hand from the case, moving to another long glass case. Taking out a velvet-lined tray, she placed it on the counter.
Reaper stared down at the beautiful rings. However, none of them struck him as being the one he wanted for Ginny.
“Will any of these do?” she asked politely.
“No. I don’t see any that would suit her.” Damn, he wanted to get the ring today.
Swearing to himself, he kept staring at the rings for a long minute, coming to the conclusion he would have to drive to Jamestown to find the one he wanted.
“Sorry to take your time. Thanks for your—”
“We could look on the computer to see the other rings we have available. If you find one you’re interested in, we can have it expressed shipped, and it could be here by tomorrow afternoon. The ring would have to be paid for first, so the timing will depend on your credit score. Shall I bring the computer over and show you the different options?”
“Yes, thank you.”
As he clicked through the pages of rings, Reaper still didn’t see anything close to what he was searching for.