Page 51 of A Family Affair: The Vow
“A toast?” Vic lifted his wine glass, waited for her to do the same before he clinked his glass against hers, continued. “To a future filled with love, promise, trust, and a world of possibility.”
Oh, but the man certainly knew how to pull off the charm when he wanted to... And how could a person not get caught up in that voice or those mesmerizing blue eyes? She sipped her wine, tried to calm the emotion and the tears that threatened to slip out.
“I’ll answer the question about trust. Ihaveto trust you if we’re going to work, all-in, not just until something happens that seems suspicious. It won’t work if we have that kind of relationship and I don’t want that kind...not with you.”
“And talking it through? You’re open to that, too?” She thought of the anger and accusations she’d witnessed the other day.
“Yes. If you’re willing to give us another chance, I’ll do whatever’s necessary to show you how much I want this. I might not deserve you, but I sure as hell don’t want to give you up.” His voice shifted, turned rough. “And I’ve tried.”
If they were sharing truths, she’d share a few of her own. “You, Victor Tramont, have lived inside my soul for so long. You have the ability to change my world… To make me laugh, cry, love, and hurt in ways no one ever has.”
He reached across the table, clasped her hand. “I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I promise you that.”
She held his gaze, let the emotion take over as her heart inched open. “I want to believe, truly I do, but I’m so afraid.”
“All I ask is a chance to prove I’m not going anywhere—unless you’re beside me. When you love someone, you also accept the responsibility of protecting that love and I didn’t do that with you. I got angry and jealous and I let my stupid pride and fear take over.” He squeezed her hand, said in a quiet voice, “You didn’t deserve that, Rae. I’m really sorry.”
The first tear fell, followed by the second, and when the third slipped, she eased her hand away, reached for her napkin and swiped at her cheeks. “I wish we’d had this conversation before we ended up here.”
“Me, too. But maybe we wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as we do now.” Vic picked a gift from the box, slid it toward her. “And you might not have gotten these gifts.” His lips pulled into a slow smile. “You’ve won these people’s hearts, Rae, and that’s not easy to do. You’ve also won their trust and friendship. Betty organized everything, and my job was to stop by and pick up each gift. If you know this town, there’s always more than just a ‘here you go’ and ‘you’re welcome.’ I heard about what you’re doing with each person, your tireless help, your encouragement, your excitement. They all told me you were changing their lives and they believed in themselves, becauseyoubelieved in them. They also made sure to elaborate on how I’d messed up and better make things right with you because their ‘friend’ deserved to be happy.”
Friend. She liked the sound of that. “They’re all very special to me.”
A nod, a smile. “So, let’s see what they sent you.”
Rae spent the next fifteen minutes working through each gift, moved by the heartwarming treasures from her friends. The gifts were true signs of generosity and kindness.
A walnut box from Miriam Desantro with a note inside.The magic begins when you open your heart.
A needlepoint Christmas ornament from Dolly Finnegan.Love is a journey meant to be taken together.
A turquoise river rock from Ava Carlisle withLove, Hope, Foreversprawled across the top in silver lettering.
Sea glass dangle earrings with a matching bracelet from Hannah and a note.Thank you for believing in me.
A royal blue-and-cream knit winter scarf and headband from Wanda Cummings.To keep you warm and toasty in Magdalena!
A framed black-and-white photograph of a bean sprout poking through the soil from Mimi Pendergrass.Love grows from tiny seeds of hope.
Anise pizzelles from Pop Benito with a handwritten card that saidFollow your happiness wherever it may lead.
The very last gift was from Lily. Vic set it aside, his voice gentle, his eyes bright. “Lily said you can’t open it until you have dessert.”
There were a lot of questions buried in those words and they weren’t just about dessert. Vic wanted to know if she could forgive him, trust him again and open her heart.He wanted to know if she could love him. “Dessert? Hmm. Do you want to split the triple fudge brownie?” Her lips twitched. “I like to choose my dessert and work backward.”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
The heat in that look said he was offering to share more than a triple fudge brownie. She reached across the table, took his strong hand between both of hers. “When do you think we should order the champagne because there’s definitely going to be champagne.”
Pause and a slow smile. “Now.”
“Agreed.” She leaned toward him, said in a low voice, “If the food wasn’t so delicious, I might suggest skipping the meal and just going with the champagne and brownie.”
That made him laugh. “I’m sure Harry would have a few thoughts on that one.” He glanced toward the front of the restaurant. “Speaking of Harry...”
“I think he wants to make sure we’ve said everything we have to say before he interrupts again.”
A nod, a careful “Have we said everything we have to say?”
