Page 57 of Secret Baby
Neither of them moved. Slowly, she slid out of his embrace and sashayed her hips to the kitchen counter, where she'd left bags.
A life with Vicki would be better than a life alone. The thought hit him harder than a hurricane. All he could hear was how his heart pumped.
She walked away with her bag and headed toward her bedroom.
His leg muscles twinged, and he stood there unsure what to do. His mind argued with his earlier thought until he could repeat the message.
Victoria Morgan and Colt Collins was a bad idea altogether. They'd never be a couple. He wasn't the type to break one woman's heart and run to another. He needed to be fair.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
While on the edge of her mattress, Vicki brushed her hair as she crossed her legs. Colt had believed she'd use him. She brushed more furiously, until her arm was in a frenzy, and then dropped the brush on the bed.
Her body ran cold and she stood to return the brush to the bureau. Part of her had hoped he'd fall in love with her, but it wouldn't happen if they had no trust.
She opened the drawer, tossed in the brush, and then slammed it closed. The drawer did not help her lose steam.
A knock at the door caused her to jump and almost fall. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then went to the door. Colt stood there with a glass of wine for her in his hand. He handed it to her. "I fixed us dinner. Can we talk?"
"I guess." She took the glass. The jumpiness in her dissipated a little. She smelled the white wine. "Thank you."
His cheeks had a slight blush as he guided her to the table. As they made it to the dining room table, he held her chair for her. Colt's manners were stiff tonight. Then she inhaled the delicious dinner. A simple steak was fine with her right now. She waited for him to push her seat in. "Thank you."
"You just said that." Colt sat across from her, unfolded his napkin, and then added broccoli to her plate. "You are allowed to yell at me. I was a jerk."
"My lawyer let you believe it," she said, as she reached and brushed her fingers on his shoulder.
He gazed in her eyes. "This is not a judgment, but where were you today? I was scared you took Clara from me and wouldn't bring her back."
She sighed. "Didn't you get my note?"
His brown eyes were big. "No. What note?"
She pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "The one left on the refrigerator."
He stood, walked over, and shuffled everything. She followed, and he shook his head. "No. I don't see any note."
"I left it there." Vicki bit her lip. She crouched to the floor and tried to peer under the huge machine. There was a paper there. She tried to reach it. A few seconds later, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Your sister needed a ride to her doctor's appointment. I forgot about it until she called. John had to go out of town for the day."
"You were with Alice? That makes me a double jerk..." His phone rang and interrupted whatever he'd say next. He stared at the caller ID then answered, "Hello."
She took a sip of wine and waited.
A moment later, he hung up. "Lawsuit was withdrawn. Vicki, I'm sorry."
"You were scared for Clara." She placed the glass on the table.
He ran his hand through his hair. "What is it you wanted to say to me?"
"In your dreams, you call out my name." She stared at the ground. She needed to start this conversation. They had to build trust. "My first night here, the night of the hurricane, and then the night Belle was here."
"Belle mentioned your name as the reason I changed my mind, but I denied it." He dropped his hands to his lap. "I must have set her up to believe the wrong things."
Neither of them had done anything wrong. She took his hands in hers and squeezed. "I went to your room. She asked me to help her, and in exchange she'd ensure I had Clara full time. She wanted you to go with her to D.C., but I never responded. Then at the dress shop, she reminded me that she was yours for years."
He squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
Vicki gazed into his eyes. "We did nothing wrong. None of us are pure and none of us are guilty. Don't put mental roadblocks in the way now."
