Page 56 of Letting Go
“Liam is as up to speed as I could bring him and will be in touch about some additional security measures tomorrow, if not before then.” Vivian nods, understanding and not looking at all surprised by that news. “I should head back to Nashville, but can I do anything else before I go?”
“No, but thank you for coming out to check on our girl, Agent Bennett. It’s nice to know that she has so many people looking out for her,” Savannah says as she reaches out and squeezes her sister’s hand. When she looks back me, her eyes are quickly blinking back tears. “I really appreciate it, Agent Bennett.”
“Of course, ma’am, and you can just call me, Walker.”
Savannah looks from me to her sister and back before responding, “Okay then, thank you for coming out this evening, Walker. And thank you for looking out for our girl.” I nod in response as Vivian stands up from a kitchen barstool.
“I’ll walk you out,” Vivian says.
“No, you will not,” I interrupt her as her eyebrows shoot up. “But you can walk me to the front door. Then you can stay inside the house where you’re safe and lock the front door behind me.” Understanding spreads across her face and she nods in agreement. I follow her through the front living room to the entryway. “You should really try to get some sleep tonight but maybe stay in the main house if your sister has the room.” I phrase it as a suggestion but my tone sounds more like a command.
“That’s a good idea; she already told me I could have a guest room if I didn’t want to be in the guest house by myself. Thank you for coming all the way out here and for calming me down on the phone, Walker. I really appreciate it. I know I’m a lot right now, and I know things are … well, things are crazy, but you’re becoming a little sliver of peace amidst the storm.” Vivian’s vulnerable admission is quiet as she turns to face me by the front door. When she looks up at me, her eyes look almost nervous about that confession, and I can’t have my girl thinking that. Without thinking, I pull her into my arms and give her a hug. She wraps her arms around my neck and leans back to look up at me. Before I realize what I’m doing, I slide one of my hands along her jaw to cup her cheek, and I lean toward her as she tilts her head and closes her eyes.
I may be crossing a line, but right now I don’t give an actual fuck about anything besides feeling Vivian’s soft lips against mine for the first time. One of her hands glides up my body until she runs her fingers through my hair, pulling herself closer to me. The moment our lips touch, that magic sensation, as she calls it, flows from my lips and reaches down into my chest. We’re both communicating unspoken emotions in this kiss. The exchange is but a prelude to so, so much more. For now, we keep it innocent and simple, and far too short, but I pull back and lean my forehead against hers. Vivian sighs with her eyes closed as she gently twirls her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. I take a deep breath, inhaling her delicate feminine scent, a mixture of pear, vanilla, rose, and cedarwood. I don’t know what perfume she wears, but it’s become my favorite scent in the world.
“I’m doing everything I can and will continue to do so. I am only a phone call or text away, alright? And I meant what I said, you better lock this door right behind me when I leave, Sugar,” I tell her as my arms drop when she takes a measured step back out of my embrace.
“I will. Would you mind sending me a text when you get home safe? I feel bad you’re driving all the way back again tonight, but I’m also really grateful that you came all the way out here for me.” Vivian tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and looks down at her feet, but I can still see that beautiful blush spreading from her cheeks and down her neck.
Placing two fingers under her chin, I gently lift her eyes back to me. “It’s an honor to be the person you called first, okay?” She nodsand I may be blatantly ignoring those professional boundaries I just spoke to her brother about, but I can’t make myself give a damn right now. I step closer to her, pulling her in to wrap my arms around her for one more hug. Vivian’s arms slide around my waist as she lets out a large sigh against my chest. I give her forehead a soft kiss and in that moment, I realize two things—she fits perfectly in my arms, tucked just under my chin.
And I am so incredibly fucked.
Chapter thirty-two
Vivian
“Did Liam really think we wouldn’t notice the linebackers following us around?” I tilt my head toward one of the three men that seem to be wherever I am the last three days.
“I mean, it’s Liam, so I don’t think he cares if we notice or not. He’s going to do what he thinks is best.” Savannah looks over her shoulder at one of the tanks that’s become my new shadow. “Poor guy doesn’t even fit very well in a booth here.”
The bodyguard is clearly smushed into the booth near us and I feel a little bad about that. I’ve been staying home more than usual over the last few days, but Savannah convinced me to join her for breakfast at the diner after we dropped off the girls at school. “What are you in the mood for today? I think I might get the ham and cheese omelet.” She scans the menu, weighing her options. “Oooo, or maybe the berry French toast, that looks really good.”
“I was thinking the French toast too. But I would also like a side of what is going on and why did you drag me out of the house today?” I set my menu down on the table.
Savannah tilts her head, unashamed of the accusations. “I did kind of drag you, but I’m not sorry. I don’t want you to be afraid to leave the house. I don’t want anything to hold you back from living your life, honey.”
I look at my sister and know there’s more that she isn’t saying. “And what else?”
She blushes, lifting her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I also wanted to chat about a certain Special Agent and check in to see where your head is with all of that,” she admits. Before I can reply, our waitress stops by to take our order and refill our coffee cups. Mamas always need coffee refills.
I look around before leaning forward so I can try to keep this conversation between us, instead of the entire town. Local gossip is a necessary evil of small towns, but I do my best to avoid being the topic of discussion. “What is it that you want to know?”
“It is clear as the sky is blue that the two of you have feelings for each other, but other than a few tidbits about your daily texting and the occasional phone calls, you haven’t really said that much about it. I suspect that’s in part because most of the time we have little ears around, but those sweet angels are in school, so spill. What’s he like? Is he similar to Trent in any way or is everything different?”
“Walker is definitely different from Trent in so many ways.”
“Like what? Other than I don’t think he would ever forget your birthday.”
“No, I can’t ever see him doing that.” My last birthday before Trent died, he forgot it. He tried to cover it up and play it off, but when I opened the card he gave me that night, I found a sticky note inside from his assistant saying my birthday was September fifteenth and to let her know if she needed to order me a gift again this year. Trent didn’t even watch me open the card, so I put the sticky note back on the card, set it down on the counter, and walked out of the room without saying a word. We didn’t talk for two days after that.
“What can you see him doing? Where is your head with this? And what does your heart say about that handsome Special Agent Man?”
“He is quite handsome, isn’t he?” She nods in response, while giving me a big smile. “You’re right, I do have feelings for him, but it’s complicated because he’s involved in the investigation of Trent’s murder. Also, I don’t know if it’s too soon for me to have feelings for someone else. And at the same time, I feel like I shouldn’t be held to any kind of timetable when it comes to my feelings after everything that Trent did before he died.”
“Okay, so let’s pause the whole my husband was murdered part of that, and let’s unpack just your feelings for a second. What is it that you like about Walker?” Savannah is clearly borrowing what was one of our mama’s favorite strategies. She would always tell us to pause part of a problem and focus on the smaller pieces, instead of being overwhelmed by a complicated situation.
I consider how to best to answer her and find myself smiling thinking about Walker. “The first thing I noticed about him was his presence, and not just his physical body which is honestly beautiful, but the way he carries himself. Walker is confident, strong, and in control. It’s like I can somehow feel him when he enters a room, like it changes the way the entire room feels to me.”
