It had been a busy week.
“You didn’t have to leave all the fun for us,” his father said.
His smile strained his cheeks. “It was no bother. Besides, I needed a break from all that fun.”
There was a long silence in which his parents shared a knowing look. Then his mother said, “We’d heard you went with this new girlfriend of yours.”
He stiffened as he sank into the seat opposite them. “I told you, it’s not—”
“We were hoping you’d bring her over to meet us.” This from his dad, who of the two of them had always been less interested in his love life. He wanted a daughter-in-law and grandkids but not with the same zealous intensity as Trent’s mom.
“I told you, she—”
“Didn’t she want to come over?” his father asked.
“Maybe she’s shy,” his mother said.
He couldn’t help the snort that came out at the thought of a shy Vanessa. Insecure, maybe. Vulnerable, definitely. But never shy. “That’s not it,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Well, you’ll have to bring her over eventually,” his mother continued. “We can’t wait to meet her.”
He winced. “Yeah, about that…” He eyed his mother warily. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
“Why not?”
He blinked. How was his mother so very certain that Vanessa was the one for him, when even Vanessa didn’t believe that to be true? And truth be told, after what she’d said to him today, he had to wonder if she was right. Maybe it was doomed to failure if they didn’t want the same things.
His mother was still waiting for an answer and he shifted uncomfortably. “She might not be in town for long…”
“Why not?”
“Where’s she going?”
“Are you going with her?”
They threw the questions at him and he sat there openmouthed for a second as he tried to figure out how to answer.
Coming here had probably been a mistake, he now realized. Their conversation was too recent, her disappearance too sudden. He hadn’t even had time to process…
But then again, maybe that was why he was here. His parents had always been good listeners and the wisest people he knew. He leaned back. “One at a time. Why isn’t she here? Because she’s off with her friend—” He hoped. “Where’s she going? I don’t know. Back to New York, maybe?” He wasn’t even sure she knew where she was going.
“Well?” his father prompted. “Are you going with her?”
He blinked several times. “Of course not.”
They both looked confused. “Why not?”
“Because…because…” Where to start? He ticked them off on his finger. “My life is here. My career is here. My friends are here. You are here.” That last was the most important, but he didn’t say that.
“And we’ll always be here for you if you decide to leave,” his mother said promptly. “So will your friends.”
He huffed. He knew that, of course, but that wasn’t the point. “I’m running for sheriff—”
“And we’re so proud of you, son,” his father said.
“Which means I need to stay here,” he finished.
His mother cocked her head to the side. “Only if that’s what you want most.”
He stared at them. What he wanted most? He gave his head a little shake. Were they honestly trying to get him to leave town for a woman he barely knew. “We’ve barely even started dating,” he said. “I don’t know how I feel about her yet.”
They both stared at him in undisguised amusement. “Don’t you?” his mother asked with a laugh. “Because I knew the first time I looked at you.”
His father joined in the laughter. “And I knew with your mother the first time I met her. We were married in three months.”
He dropped his head and held back a sigh. He was well aware of his parents’ whirlwind marriage and their epic love story. He’d heard it all often enough as a kid to tell it himself.
“I know all that, but—”
“I hope you’re not just staying here on my account.” His mother sounded so horrified that he didn’t react quickly enough.
“No, of course not, I—”
“You’d better not be,” his father added, his brow drawing down in a stern glare that reminded Trent of his childhood. Namely being sent to his room without dinner.
“We didn’t raise you to be our caretaker,” his mother said. “We have plenty of friends and family nearby to help us if we need anything—not to mention, enough money set aside that we can hire some help, if need be.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, I know all that, but—”
His father interrupted with an indignant sniff. “We raised you to be independent, just as we are.”
“And I appreciate that, but—”
“There are other law enforcement jobs,” his other continued.
He stopped trying to argue. What was he even fighting for here? The right to give up on the girl he cared about? “I understand all this. And I agree. But…it’s not that simple.”
“Why not?” his father demanded.
“Because I don’t think she wants me.” He blurted it out quickly, but it still hurt to admit. It hurt in an entirely different way than Shelley’s rejection because this wasn’t about his pride or his ego. This was about his heart. For the first time ever, he got it. He felt it. The kind of connection that people based a lifetime on. And either she didn’t feel it too…or maybe she didn’t want to.
“Well then it’s up to you to convince her, isn’t it?” his mother said, her expression saying she wouldn’t hear any arguments.
“Er…yes, ma’am,” he found himself saying. He stared at her for a moment, and then his father.
Stubborn as could be, both of them. Kind to a fault, loyal and generous…but stubborn.
Just like him.
He straightened in his seat. “Yes, ma’am,” he said again, this time with enough conviction that he earned a smile from each of them. And as he said it he felt…resolve. And fear. There was every chance she would run again if he pushed it, but he knew without a doubt he’d lose her if he didn’t try.
He got up from the seat abruptly.
“Aren’t you staying for the fireworks?” his mother asked.
He was already halfway to the door. “I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve got to go find my girl.”
16
Vanessa shouldn’t have been surprised that Addison found her. She hadn’t gone far—these heels wouldn’t allow it. She’d made it as far as the refreshment stands at the bottom of the hill before collapsing onto a nearby bench.
To Addison’s credit, she seemed to understand without being told that Vanessa wasn’t ready to talk. Her limbs were still shaking, her mind whirling, and her heart…
Well, she had no idea what that organ was up to or why it chose this particular moment to go soft on her.
She barely knew the guy! She wasn’t supposed to have feelings for him.
Addison’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“I’ve got to get out of here, Addie,” she said softly, her voice irritatingly shaky. “It’s for the best for everyone if I go now.”
Addison was quiet for too long. Then she squeezed Vanessa tight, resting her head on her shoulder. “If you want to leave, I can understand that, but I think Trent at least deserves a goodbye and an explanation before you run off.”
Vanessa nodded. “Yeah, I know. Running away right now, that was so—” Immature. Childish.
Typical.
She swallowed thickly as that last word seemed to echo in her ribcage. Shame and regret were unpleasant sensations but they couldn’t be ignored.
She should never have come back here.
This was a mistake.
All she’d found was humiliation and confusion and—
“There you are, Nessie.” Chip’s voice was the absolute last thing she wanted to hear right now.
“Do you want me to send him a
way?” Addie whispered.
Vanessa grinned at the thought of sweet, shy Addison sticking up on her behalf.
Addison really had come a long way.
And me? How far have I come?
She gave her head a little shake as she smiled over at her friend. “Thanks, but I’ve got this.”
She stood, leaving Addison on the bench, watching in case Vanessa needed her help. Vanessa steeled herself for this next encounter with her own personal Ghost of Christmas Past.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Chip said when she reached his side.
“Why?” Her tone was as blunt as her question. She crossed her arms, but not in a defensive gesture, but rather a challenge. She just barely held back a sigh of annoyance as she tipped her head to the side. “What could you and I possibly have to discuss?”
Chip’s brows arched in shock.
Surprise! I’m not in love with you anymore. She blinked as a realization occurred that had her missing whatever it was that Chip said. She wasn’t in love with him anymore? That wasn’t even accurate because…
She’d never been in love with him.
That much was so obvious now. Only a child would confuse an unhealthy, unrequited crush as love.
And she wasn’t a child.
Not anymore.
“So what do you think?” Chip asked, his smile ingratiating. It put her on edge and she realized…she had no idea what he’d just said.
“Could you repeat that?” she asked mildly.
His smile grew as though he’d won. His entire demeanor was unbearably smug. “I said, why don’t you come work for my team. The winning team.”
She blinked several times because…he couldn’t be serious. She laughed. In his face. Was it rude? Yes. But it couldn’t be helped. It just sort of…came out. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she mumbled an apology.
Be professional, she told herself. Be an adult. You are above this.
But maybe she wasn’t because she couldn’t stop another wave of laughter.
Her. Work for him. That was just so ridiculous. What was more it would mean going against Trent—a man she truly believed in.
A man who believed in her, against all odds.
A man who…
Oh crap, she was falling for him. She’d known it. She’d seen it coming, but nothing had prepared her for this.
Real love.
Actual love.
Not infatuations or flirting or casual dating or anything else. Whatever it was she felt for Trent, it felt real.
It felt more real than anything she’d experienced in a very long time.
And it was true, she didn’t know him well. But that didn’t change the fact that she wanted to know everything about him.
It didn’t change the fact that when she was with him she felt safe, and challenged, and strong, and…confused.
She took a deep breath to steady herself because suddenly she felt like she really was falling. Right this second. The ground shifted beneath her and the world seemed to realign itself around her with this new realization.
She was confused when she was with him, but only because the way he made her feel was new and different. He reminded her of the girl she’d been, he made her very aware of the woman she’d grown up to be…
He made her want to be better. Grow more. Become the person he saw when he looked at her—a woman who was strong, but could still be vulnerable. A woman who faced her past even as she looked toward the future. A woman who was smart and driven, kind and generous.
A person who was worthy of a genuine, honest, caring man like Trent.
“Don’t tell me you don’t want to be a team again,” Chip said.
She blinked as his words got through to her.
“We have history, Ness.”
She wrinkled her nose at his use of her old nickname, at the way he used it. With the same derision and disrespect.
“Exactly,” she said with a small smile.
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“History,” she repeated. “You said we had history, and that’s exactly what we have. We’re not friends anymore…if we ever were.”
“You liked me,” he said. His smirk looked forced and she could see their relationship for what it was so clearly it left her mouth tasting sour.
“You’ve always liked me, don’t try to pretend you wouldn’t come running if I called.”
Ew. Gross. Her nose wrinkled up even further into a grimace. This was how he’d seen her. How he’d always seen her. She’d been a salve to his ego, a boon for his pride. She’d appeased his insecurities by adoring him no matter what he did.
Wow, Addison wasn’t the only one who’d come a long way. And maybe it was time to be less ashamed of her past and more proud of how far she’d come.
Maybe it was time to forgive herself for being young and immature and having low self-esteem…
Chip stopped talking and it seemed like he was waiting for a response.
She’d stopped listening again, but there was only one thing to say. “I’m not that girl anymore.”
His brows drew down and he glowered at her, his smile turning to a cruel smirk. “Oh yeah? And who are you now, Nessie? Someone who’s too good for us? Too good for this town?”
He kept going but she didn’t hear him. She was getting good at tuning him out and besides, her mind had caught on that one question. Who are you now?
She stared at him, only half aware of the way a flush of anger was staining his neck and cheeks as he laid into her.
Who are you now?
That was the question, wasn’t it? Who was she now?
Who did she want to be?
“Is this guy bothering you?” Colton’s voice beside her startled her. She hadn’t heard him draw near, nor had she seen Addison come to her other side as she faced off with Chip.
She hadn’t even realized that Chip’s tirade hadn’t stopped.
Colton was glaring at Chip, who glared right back.
Any other day of the week she might have loved to see Chip get his lights knocked out but today…?
She had better things to do. “No, he’s no bother,” she said, her tone bland and bored as she turned away from Chip, ignoring his cursing. “He’s just some guy I used to know.”
Despite her words, Colton still took Chip by the elbow and “escorted” him away from her, telling the other man mildly how bad it would look for his campaign if he caused a scene.
Her breath was coming in short gasps as excitement and fear and anticipation and terror ran roughshod over her nervous system.
She was going to do this.
She was going to stop running and start a new life.
It wasn’t every day one decided to take a massive leap of faith into the unknown.
It wasn’t every day that one came upon a fork in the road and had to decide which way they were going, and who they wanted to be at the end of this journey.
But today?
Today was that day. And for the first time in a long time, Vanessa didn’t want to run. She wanted to stay. She wanted to face her past, plan for her future…
And she wanted to do that with Trent.
Addison’s arm wrapped around her waist. “You okay? That looked intense.”
It took a full second for Vanessa to realize that she was talking about Chip. “Oh, that? Not a big deal. Hey, did you see where Trent went? I need to talk to him.”
Like, right now.
Colton reached her other side. “He went to drop off some stuff for his parents, but he’ll be back.”
She nodded, her nerves leaping wildly at the thought of what she was about to do. But to Colton and Addison, she gave a determined nod. “Okay then. I’ll wait.”
17
The wait seemed to take forever.
It was likely less than an hour, but as the sun sank toward the horizon and families gathered in clusters with their blankets and chairs to watch the fireworks, it felt like an eternity.
Vane
ssa tried not to think too much about what she’d say.
Or what he’d say.
Or if she’d be too late…
Nope. She wasn’t thinking about any of that. Instead she was viewing her hometown with new eyes. Or trying to, at least. She stopped to talk to people she remembered and had always liked, focused on the memories that brought warmth and happiness rather than the ones that made her cringe…
Was Cyrano perfect?
No. Of course not.
But neither was she.
And it wasn’t this town that had hurt her, just a few of its residents. But for every one who’d put her down, there were dozens more who’d helped build her up. Her teachers, her family, the people who’d given her work and clothes and anything else she might need…
Not because she was beautiful and savvy, but because she’d been a part of this town, a member of the community.
The sun had fully set and she was starting to think Colton might be wrong that he was returning…
Maybe she should text. Or call.
Vanessa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe she should perform some grand gesture and show up at his parents’ house with her tail between her legs and some flowers in her arms. Or maybe…
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of a familiar hottie in a deputy’s uniform walking over the hill beside her.
Or maybe she should just trust that he would find her. A wobbly smile tugged at her lips at the thought.
Trent would come for her. He would find her.
And a part of her had known that he would.
She wasn’t a big believer in fate or destiny, but then again—up until recently she’d never thought love at first sight was a real thing either. But now she was starting to wonder.
“You came back.” His voice was low and gravelly and filled with affection when he reached her side.
She nodded. “Can we…Can I…” Oh mercy, this was not off to a great start. “Could I talk to you for a moment?” She looked around at the crowd of people. “Alone?”
Fake Dating the Hometown Deputy: A Sweet Standalone Romance (Fake Dates Book 2) Page 12
