Ralph hurriedly bought pizzas and bottled water for them. He rushed over to the lounge and found Adira sitting there. He placed the food parcel on the floor near the chair. He then asked her whether she cared to join him for the picnic. She smiled at that. Ralph then advised her to put Raven on the floor next to them, so he could also keep an eye on her. Her green eyes narrowed, and she asked Ralph how he knew the child's name. He teased her, "How would I not know my daughter's name?" She replied, "That was not funny." She sat down but still kept the baby on her lap. She thought the carpet was not clean.
Ralph replied, "Oh, shit. I did not think about that." He then grabbed his rucksack and pulled out a blanket wrapped in plastic. He ripped that off and spread the blanket next to Adira. He asked her whether it was O.K? She nodded and then put Raven in the middle. She then sat with crisscrossed legs and thanked him again.
Ralph replied, "Welcome again." He then said she should take her pick, following which he would. She took the parcel nearest to her with a bottle of water. She told him he should not have taken the trouble.
He replied that he was happy she had accepted his invitation. He then told her to finish everything. Because they didn't know how long they were stuck there.
Ralph was a stranger. He was a stranger, who probably needed Adira as a distraction. He had lied to the elderly man, that she was his wife. Although he would have been a sexy stranger to her, had he not introduced himself as a Wellington from San Juan Islands, Washington. Adira had heard a lot about them. She had heard that they had lost their fortunes, and lost their father. Her best friend's sister had dated Wellington, and she used to give them all the information about them. Adira still remembered how her friend's sister used to gush about one 'Liam Wellington' in particular.
Adira asked Ralph whether he was related to Liam Wellington.
Ralph replied that he was. He replied that Liam was his younger brother. Ralph stared at Raven and wondered whether she was Liam's daughter. He did not know why, but he was jealous of his brother Liam then.
But the next moment he was relaxed when Adira informed him that "My best friend's younger sister had for some time dated Liam Wellington. That was why I asked you, as you shared the same surname."
Ralph heaved a sigh of relief. He laughed in a friendly manner. He shared that altogether they were four, three brothers and a sister, Mike, Ralph, Liam, and Violet, all in that order.
Adira wondered whether she would ever want Raven to have siblings. The little girl was very precious to her. She felt sad that the little one's dad did not want her to come into this world. Well, he would repent someday, she thought. In her case, she never regretted having her baby. Though she had to sacrifice her sleep, she didn't mind that.
Ralph asked her the meaning of Adira. She shared with him that the name Adira means noble, strong, and powerful. She was given that name by her grandmother, a kind and loving person that every child should have. She said that she missed her grandmother. She was a lot better than her Aunt. Ralph questioned her, "Why did you name your daughter Raven?" She replied that it was because her daughter had glossy black hair.
While taking a bite of his burger, he questioned her. Did she have any brothers? Sisters?
Adira was now a bit worried. She started thinking if after Ralph had derived all her information, would he expect anything in return. But then she thought of sharing information about herself. She said that she had a younger brother, Neil Jordan. She then informed him that she had been staying with her Uncle Michael Jordan and Aunt Helen before marriage. She shared that her Aunt was only obsessed with her social standing. Adira then continued eating.
She finished eating and then checked her phone for any missed texts. She thought to herself then, who was she kidding? Except for her brother, nobody bothered whether she was alive or dead. Not even her so-called friends from South Africa or Texas cared to call after the birth of Raven. It seemed that she ceased to exist for them. But if she would be honest with herself, they cut off ties with her after her divorce from Lucifer Borges. Lucifer was an influential man with a multi-million dollar empire to his credit. She had an arranged marriage with him. Her Uncle, Michael Jordan, was rich, but he was a very greedy man. He had fixed his niece Adira's wedding to Lucifer in exchange for being a partner in his firm, Borges Industries, a branch in Texas.
Adira peered at Ralph from under her long eyelashes, hoping he would not catch her ogling him. Though she was not interested in any men right now, she didn't know why she felt that Ralph had been mighty fine in her eyes, with his blonde hair and deep blue eyes. From his sharp cheekbones to his sexy lips, he was worth looking at.
Ralph had been chatting with his soldier friend sitting on the chair behind them. The way he was laughing at his friend's joke made butterflies flutter in Adira's stomach. This guy is damn sexy, from head to foot, she thought. His friend then thanked Ralph for something, to which he blushed and said, 'anytime guy.'
Adira asked him whether he did not like being thanked. He asked her whether he was so obvious. She nodded to that.
Ralph then gazed at Raven as she opened her eyes sleepily and said, "Welcome to our world, little one." Adira told him that while she had been traveling from South Africa, everyone wanted to touch Raven and kept asking Adira about her marital status as if she had a neon sign on her head saying 'Ask me a question.'
He stared at Adira momentarily and then asked her the same question, "What is your marital status?"
She returned the ball to his court and questioned him about his marital status. Ralph replied that he was single. "Now, what about you?" he asked her.
She replied she was single but was focused on her daughter presently. "She is my entire world," Adira added.
The microphones were on then, and a woman announced that all flights were canceled or delayed till further notice.
"Oh lord," Ralph muttered. He then asked Adira, "Honey, where are you headed to?"
She replied, "Back home, to my Aunt's place in Texas." She then asked him, "What about you and your buddies?" She thought it was silly, but she felt so safe around him, and he had also bought her lunch.
Ralph replied that he and his friends were headed for Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Adira said, "It is too bad for you all to have been delayed." Though, she cheered on the inside. She was glad she had company.
Ralph said, "Looks like you are stuck with me at the moment." He then gazed at her and saw her yawning deeply. He told her to take a nap and said he would keep a watch on them.
She told him, "You have already done enough for me."
Ralph leaned towards her. His aftershave had a pleasant smell, she thought. He told her that "You and Raven sleep. I will keep both of you safe. I swear on my father's grave. I won't let anything happen to either of you."
Tears welled up in her eyes hearing that. Stupid tears that had no business showing up, she thought. But then she was so exhausted, and she had no strength to argue with him. She said, "OK."
He searched through his rucksack and searched for another two blankets. He ripped them out of their packages and offered to make a bed for Adira.
She sat there stunned and amazed at his efficiency while he made a cozy bed for her with those blankets. Adira asked him, "Why are you doing this, Ralph?"
"Because I love my Mom. When she finally got the help she needed, I saw the difference it had made in her. Though it had been almost too late," he said.
Adira touched his arm. The heat of his skin was scorching while the sparks of desire flared up. She just said, "Ralph, you were not too late. I could say you were right on time."