The room had been dark when he stepped inside and she’d thrown herself at him. Only…it wasn’t Tate. The real Tate had opened the door and caught her kissing his best friend thoroughly, her arms around Drake’s neck. It seemed Drake had followed her into the room, but it had been she who looked guilty.
The thought of that night made her feel ill, so she pushed it out of her mind, and a while later the limousine turned into a driveway. A security guard opened two large gates, showcasing a beautiful mansion. Gemma said the first thing that came to mind. “This isn’t your apartment.”
“It’s my home now.”
A spasm went through her heart. This was more than big enough for a family. “Were you planning on marrying?”
“One day.”
“So there’s someone special in your life?”
“Only my son.”
She looked away, thankful the car was pulling to a stop. The pain of losing Tate had been made worse by frequently seeing him in the papers with a beautiful woman on his arm. Not that it was any of her business, but knowing he wasn’t serious about anyone made her feel better about things.
Everything was a bit of a blur after they left the car. Gemma insisted on carrying Nathan again as they went inside. He was usually a happy child, but his eyes were wide and she could sense he was confused by everything today.
He wasn’t the only one!
Tate briefly introduced them to the housekeeper, who beamed at them both. “He’s beautiful, Mr. Chandler.”
Tate’s face softened as he looked at his son. “Yes, he is, Peggy.” Then he glanced at Gemma and his eyes hardened before he turned back to Peggy. “So the suite next to mine is ready?”
“Of course.” She hesitated. “Mr. Chandler…I was thinking. I have a crib you can use temporarily. It’s not an expensive one, but Clive and I keep it in our rooms for when we mind the grandchildren. He could set it up in the suite…until you get your own, that is. We won’t need it anytime soon.”
Tate nodded. “Good idea, Peggy. Thank you for thinking of it.”
Peggy’s face filled with pleasure. “You’re welcome. I’ll get Clive right on it.”
Tate put his hand under Gemma’s elbow and herded her toward the staircase. “Good. I’ll talk to you shortly about what else we need.”
Of course Tate would give her and Nathan their own suite, Gemma thought with relief. Tate hadn’t wanted her once he’d “discovered” her with Drake. He wouldn’t want her now.
As he opened the bedroom door, he indicated his own rooms farther along the landing. The distance was considerable, thank goodness.
Her suite was bigger than her apartment. The large bedroom had a king-sized bed, a sitting room and a gold-encrusted ensuite. It was as one would expect in such a house, except that while the bedroom was suitable for a crawling infant the sitting room definitely wasn’t childproof.
“I might need to move a few things out of Nathan’s way. And that couch might need a cover.” It looked like it was made of velvet. Not exactly safe for grubby little fingers.
“I don’t care about the furniture, but I don’t want him hurting himself, so do what you need to do. I’ll make sure Peggy has everything else in the house childproofed as soon as possible.” Tate put the bag of baby paraphernalia she’d brought to the hospital on one of the chairs. “Does he need anything heated up?”#p#分页标题#e#
“No. This is fine.” Gemma had a bottle of juice in the baby bag. “He’ll probably take a nap.” He’d been sleepy in the car, though now he squirmed to be put down.
Gemma placed Nathan on the plush carpet with his teddy bear, then closed the sitting room door so he couldn’t go in there. He wasn’t quite walking yet, but he could crawl like the wind and at least she could keep a firm eye on him in here.
“Clive will bring the crib up, and I’ll be back soon. Peggy will need a list of anything Nathan needs. We’ll order a crib and other things tomorrow. I want them as soon as possible.”
How wonderful to be able to snap your fingers and have things happen. She’d snap her fingers and get her and Nathan out of here if she could. “I’ve got everything he needs at home.”
Arrogance bounced off him. “I intend my son to have the best.”
“He has. He’s got me.”
“Of course. And now you won’t need to worry about anything else.”
Her breath stalled. “What do you mean?”
“We’re getting married.”
“Ma-married?” She heard the words and thought she might faint. The minute he’d learned about Nathan, she’d known he was old-fashioned enough to insist on marriage, but hearing it out loud hit her hard.