Page 34 of A Family Affair: The Vow
Rae pushed past the fear and uncertainty clinging to her and asked the only question that mattered. “Why would you care if I was still seeing Richard?”
“Because you matter to me, Rae, and no matter how many times I deny that, it’s still true.”
* * *
Rae didn’t havea job waiting for her in Virginia. She didn’t have a boyfriend either. Vic studied her pale face, the mascara smudges under her eyes from the tears she’d tried to stop. His chest ached that someone had hurt her, yet there was no use denying a small part of him was relieved. Was it ridiculous to be happy that there was no compelling reason for her to rush back to Virginia? Maybe she didn’t need to return at all. Of course, that was only foolish thinking because she belonged in the city, though he wished she didn’t.
He’d hoped things could be different, that she might give them a chance. He’d tried to deny the attraction, the feelings that lay deep inside him, but it would be a lie to say they didn’t exist. And he’d never been a liar. And a fool? Yeah, he’d gone down that path with her three years ago and wasn’t going to do that again. Still, she was hurting and he wanted to help her. “Do you want to get out of here?”
She bit her lower lip, nodded. “Yes. I… Can you take me home?”
“Sure. Just give me a second and I’ll settle up the bill.” Vic slid out of the booth, headed to the bar where Nick was working on a strawberry daiquiri. The look Nick gave him said he’d figured out Rae wasn’t exactly happy about losing her job.
But all he said was “Good to see you, I like her.” Simple words that implied there might be more than friendship going on, even if they didn’t know it yet.
When Vic returned to their booth, Rae had already buttoned her jacket and slung her handbag over her shoulder. He didn’t miss the balled-up napkin in her right hand, no doubt an attempt to stop the tears. Vic grabbed his jacket, took her hand, and made a beeline toward the door. Once outside, she sucked in a deep breath, squeezed his hand.
“Thank you.”
“Sure.” Rae had shared a lot in the booth at O’Reilly’s, but she didn’t say a word as he drove her home. He glanced at her once or twice, took in the closed eyes, the hands clutching the napkin in her lap, the dark hair swirling about her shoulders. This had to be a nightmare she hadn’t anticipated. He guessed her parents didn’t know...which meant Leah didn’t know... That was a lot of baggage to carry, especially in a town you couldn’t call your own around people who were more strangers than friends. And Josh? Yeah, he might be a relative but he was still an adult-in-training. Talk about rough.
Vic pulled into the driveway, shut off the truck. “Rae, are you okay?”
After, he would always wonder what might have happened if he’d listened to the tiny voice in his head that cautionedBe carefuland kept the truck running. But he’d pushed that warning aside and shut off the truck so he could talk to her, because he was worried about her—truly worried in a way that had nothing to do with physical attraction. This was about caring for someone in pain and wanting to ease that pain.
Maybe she sensed that because when she turned to him, she cleared her throat, sniffed. “How did I end up in a life I don’t even recognize?”
“Hey, don’t talk like that. Everybody goes through a rough spot now and again. You’ll find your way out of it.”
She shook her head, buried her face in her hands and started crying. Not a soft cry or whimper, but closer to what some might consider a wail. Vic leaned toward her, touched her shoulder. “Rae, let’s get you inside, okay?” A tiny nod followed by more crying. He bounded out of the truck, rushed to her side, and opened the passenger door. “Come on. Lean on me.” He guided her toward the front steps and when they reached the door, she handed him her keys.
“Can you come inside for a little bit?” A sniff, followed by “Please.”
That was so not a good idea. Three years ago she’d made a similar request, but this was different. Rae was in pain and he couldn’t leave her like this. “Sure.” He pushed open the door, waited for her to step inside before he closed it. “How about I stay until you’re settled?”
A sniff, a swipe of her cheeks and a “Thank you.”
Vic helped her out of her jacket, shrugged out of his own, and followed her into the living room. One more sniff before she slid onto the couch and buried her face in her hands. What had happened to the strong, independent woman who knew exactly where she wanted to go and how to get there? This was about a lot more than a lost job and the guy who’d dumped her. He shouldn’t ask any more questions; he should just sit next to her, let her cry, and wait it out. But when she lifted her head and he saw the despair on her face, the fresh tears streaking her cheeks, he couldn’t stay silent. “Rae, talk to me.”
“I’ve made so many wrong choices… I’ve destroyed my life. What life? I don’t have a life, Vic. I don’t have anything. I don’t have anyone.” More tears, more tear swiping. “I’m thirty years old and I’m a mess.”
“Hey.” He clasped her hand, squeezed it. “That’s not true. So, you made a couple missteps, had some bad luck. That doesn’t define you. Understand? That’s not who you are.”
“But what if it is? What if this is exactly who I am? A gigantic mess-up?”
“What if it isn’t? Sometimes we can’t see it until the mistakes land on top of us, but we don’t quit. We never give up because there’s always another chance to get it right.” He cupped her chin with his fingers, held her gaze. “Tell me, you understand that it’s okay to screw up as long as you learn from it.”
“What if I hurt people?” Her lips trembled. “What if I hurt people who didn’t deserve it?”
“Then you tell them you’re sorry.”
Those honey-brown eyes turned bright, glistened with fresh tears. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Vic. I’m so sorry.” She thrust her arms around his middle, hugged him tight, her face buried against his chest. More tears, more shoulder-shaking grief pouring out.
“It’s okay.” He eased an arm around her, stroked her back and spoke in the voice he used with Nate’s children. “It’s okay.” Eventually, her shoulders stopped shaking and her breathing evened out. Vic had no idea how long they stayed that way, but when his neck started bothering him, he eased back against the couch cushion, and Rae followed, her body half lying in his lap. Vic closed his eyes, continued to stroke her back, murmuring about letting go of the past. That was the last thing he remembered before he dozed off.
He woke to whisper-soft kisses along his jaw and a hand on his thigh. Vic inched his eyes open, held his body still as he pushed through the grogginess of sleep. If his eyes weren’t open, he might think this was a dream, but this was pure reality, and it confused the hell out of him. More kisses along his jaw, a flick of tongue on his neck, a soft sigh. He wanted to lean back and let her continue, but his conscience wouldn’t let him because he did not take advantage of women in fragile states. Vic sucked in one breath, two, forced out the words “Rae. What are you doing?”
She pulled away, glanced up at him. “I don’t know but...I don’t want to stop.”
