Page 40 of A Family Affair: The Vow
Vic reached for his phone on the nightstand, squinted. “A little before 5:00 a.m.”
“It’s still early. We could sleep, or...” She climbed on top of him, placed tiny kisses along his jawline. “Or, we could do something else.”
“I vote for ‘something else.’”
She brushed her lips along his neck, eased onto his hardness and began moving until Vic was the one sighing. “Oh, Vic,” she whispered. “This is heaven.”
Yes, it was...and then some.
* * *
For eight days,life with Rae was perfect and Vic had begun to relax and think about their future. There was no denying how they were together—in and out of bed—and he wanted to say the words that would leave no doubt that he wanted a life with her.I love you. He’d never spoken them to anyone except his mother, but Rae deserved to hear them and tonight she would.
At least that had been the plan until his world landed on top of him, crushing his belief that he and Rae belonged together. Gone were the dreams, the hopes, the possibilities, and he’d never seen it coming.
Vic had been chopping firewood outside of her house as a favor to Josh. The kid had been burning through quite a bit since Rae loosened up about the “no sleepover” rule.Hannah likes to sit in front of the fireplace,Josh had said, his cheeks turning bright red.Says it’s romantic. Vic agreed to chop the wood as long as Josh stacked it and kept the house clean.Like you promised your aunt you would, he reminded him. One day, he’d teach Josh all about safety precautions when using an ax, but for now he just wanted to keep the kid out of the emergency room.
As for Rae and the reason she no longer harped on Josh about sleepovers... Well, her nephew was smart enoughnotto point out it was because she was busy having her own sleepovers. Nope, Josh kept quiet, a sign the boy was maturing and he didn’t mention Vic and Rae’s relationship other than one time.Seems like things are working out between the two of youandI’m really happy for you guys.
Yeah, Vic was happy, too.
The boy had been getting better about keeping his promises and acting like a grown-up. Rae told Vic that when she stopped home to change, the dishes were clean, there were no beer bottles or pizza boxes on the tables or counter, and she could have sworn she smelled spaghetti sauce the other day.Imagine that?she’d said.And I didn’t even have to ask him to clean the bathroom.
Right, imagine that.
Vic and Rae had spent every night together since she’d showed up at his place inquiring about Monica’s comments. He liked to wake up with her beside him, could get used to it real fast. Hell, who was he kidding? He wasalreadyused to it.
He was thinking about love and forever when the late-model Mercedes pulled into the drive. Vic raised a gloved hand, shielded his eyes against the afternoon sun, and watched as a man about Vic’s age stepped out. Medium build, movie-star looks, sharp dresser. Shiny shoes. Who wore shoes like that with three inches of snow on the ground?
The answer pinged Vic’s brain before the man spoke his first word. Richard a.k.a. Dick. Ex-boyfriend. City boy. He moved toward Vic, slipping and sliding with each step. When he was a few feet away, he removed his sunglasses.
“I’m looking for Rachel. Is she here?”
Rachel, not Rae. There was no missing the culture or the condescension in the guy’s voice. Yeah, this was Dick all right. “Nope, Rae’s not here.” Vic set his ax on the stump, waited for Pretty Boy to say more.
“Do you know when she’ll be back? I tried calling her several times but she’s not answering.” Big sigh, the kind that said “inconvenienced” and “not happy about it.”
“No idea.” And then, because Vic could not help himself, he added, “I’m surprised you couldn’t get through to her. I never have that problem.”
The man’s gaze narrowed the tiniest bit, and Vic spotted the instant his wordsandtheir meaning registered as inI’m more than a casual acquaintance. The smile came next, showed lots of perfect, white teeth.
“Ah, and you are…?”
Vic removed his work gloves, advanced on the guy, and thrust out a hand. Rae’s ex eyed his hand as though he were trying to find a way to avoid contact, but good manners wouldn’t let him. He eased a hand toward Vic’s, shook it. “I’m Richard. I’m sure Rachel spoke of me.”
Soft hands. Limp handshake. “Oh yes, she told me all about you.”
“Then you know Rachel and I have been together quite a while and despite our current situation, we’ll be together again. Actually, that’s why I made the trip.” Pause, and then “We have a lot to discuss. It’s been a very emotional time for her, and we need to talk about when she’s coming back to Virginia.” The challenge in that statement was undeniable. “When her sister returns, of course. So sorry to hear about that. Family is very important, isn’t it?”
“Family’s everything.” Vic bet the guy didn’t even know what that meant.
The ex checked his watch, frowned. “I really wish I could speak with her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have anything to say to you, did you ever consider that?” Vic should have just shut up, but he couldn’t because for some ridiculous reason, he’d believed he had a right and a responsibility to stand up for Rae and protect her. He didn’t want to see this manipulative bully bother her, but maybe what Vic should’ve realized was thathewas the one who was the bother.Hewas the one who was the fool.
“Oh, but I’m certain she’ll want to talk to me when she hears of the tremendous opportunity that’s open at the company. It’s an exceptional position that will engage and challenge that brilliant mind of hers. And the compensation?” He shook his head. “Rachel’s going to love that. She always has been adamant about maximizing her earning potential. Well, no question, she’ll do that with this position.” One more smile. “And best of all, we’ll be working together again. I don’t think it can get any better than that.”
Vic pushed the doubt from his brain, continued to defend Rae’s right to do what she wanted without this man’s interference. “I think you’ll be surprised to see that she’s not the same person she was when she arrived here. She’s not interested in big titles, money, or making a name for herself.”
