Page 46 of Secret Baby
She swallowed, and then fixed her hair one more time with the front mirror. Then she stared into the backseat. Clara wore a new pink dress that matched Vicki's. Once the decision to dress alike hit Clara, Vicki had jumped in to find the perfect outfits. There were a few differences in the attire. The bottom of Clara's dress flared out, and Vicki's bottom clung to her body. The high belts also made her waist seem tiny. All of this was to show Colt that they were a family. Clara danced to her music.
Vicki's makeup was flawless. She stepped out of the car and thought she saw a flash of light. A memory of New York where the Hudson family smoked her out once played in her mind. She shook her head, blamed the sun, and helped Clara get out of the car seat. She fixed the hem of the dress at the same time. Finished, they went inside, and Vicki held the door.
Clara ran the moment she spotted Colt as he stood next to a table. Vicki's heart leapt as her gaze followed her daughter. Then her hands went to fists at her side and she plastered on her widest smile as she sashayed over. Heat raced up her spine, as she saw Colt in his blue jeans and button-down white shirt. Clara hugged her father, and his face almost showed relief. That wasn't possible. He couldn't know she'd spoken to a lawyer, unless Alice told him.
Clara babbled that she had a great day, and that Vicki was awesome. He mussed her hair as he stood and offered his arm to Vicki.
Her arms ached to hug him, but she held them locked at her side. Then, a second later, he opened his arms and offered a hug. Vicki's heart beat faster, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His huge bicep almost blocked out the world as she did. She licked her lips and wished to kiss him again.
"Dad, Vicki and I went swimming, but I missed you so much." Clara jumped up in her seat and scooted over to the center as he stepped back. "Dad, you sit next to Vicki."
Vicki adjusted her shirt and glanced at Colt's brown eyes. If she was engaged to him, she'd never let him have dinner with another woman. She took the seat opposite their daughter and let Colt sit where he wanted, though he followed their daughter's orders.
"Bossy as ever." Colt wrapped his arm behind her chair. "Should I offer Vicki a napkin on her lap or just hand it to her?"
Vicki laughed and then shook her head at Clara. "Handing it to me is fine."
Colt winked. "No, wait. The princess is directing."
"Hand it to her and kiss her hand, Dad."
Vicki shook her head, though she imagined how his lips would feel against her skin. She took the napkin from his hand and threw it in her lap. Colt elbowed Vicki and her entire body relaxed. "Why did Belle leave so suddenly?"
"Gone back to D.C.," Colt said. "She had a job to finish."
Clara bounced in her chair. Colt leaned closer to his daughter. "Did I tell you how I met Vicki?"
Vicki blinked. He intended to change the conversation from Belle to childhood. She opened her mouth, but then Clara giggled. "How, Dad? Tell me."
Colt's arm on her chair seemed permanent. Vicki settled into her seat and scooted closer. "I followed your Aunt Alice to get her to go home so Grandma would serve our dinner. I'd told Aunt Alice not to talk to the blonde earlier, but she dragged me to say hello. Vicki then told me she sat behind me in Spanish class. I knew that, but I hadn't had the nerve to say anything to her."
Vicki's mouth fell open. "You knew?"
He stared at her and nodded. "You scared me."
He was never afraid of anything in his life. "You?"
His cheeks tinged red as he turned to Clara. "Yeah. Then she smiled at me every day after, and I switched my seat in accounting to sit closer to her."
Vicki added, "Your dad was two years older than us, so he didn't talk to any other girl my age."
"She says that now, but Victoria Morgan was the girl everyone was afraid of in school."
"I was not."
Clara asked, "You did? You were afraid of Vicki?"
Vicki shook her head. "Your dad has a great smile, and he's trustworthy. It's pretty rare in my world."
Colt winked at her. "I came home from a semester at college, and after I kissed you, you freaked out that you'd betrayed your friend."
"I just graduated high school." Vicki laughed as she remembered how innocent she was then. "Then I told you my dad would never approve."
"So Vicki and I were a secret, and we didn't tell your grandparents, either." Colt then winked at Clara. "Remember I told you not to tell Grandma when we visit Aunt Alice?"
"You dated my Vicki, Daddy?" Clara asked.
It was clear that her daughter intended to ask about her mother again. Vicki blinked. Her heart soared. This was the moment she'd been waiting for.
