by Lila Rose
“I’m sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion.”
“Don’t, baby. I get it.”
“No, I should have trusted you right away, but I think things were overwhelming me, and I couldn’t handle… I didn’t want to think…. You mean a lot to me, Vice, and the thought that popped into my head, of you using me for one thing only, hurt. Still, I shouldn’t have thought it in the first place.”
“You’re wrong. I went about things the wrong way. I should have come to you first and asked if it would be okay to have Kenzie share with her friends.”
She smiled softly. “We’re still learning about each other. Things will happen, but I’m glad I didn’t walk out and instead listened to you.”
“Listening is good.” I smiled, until worry clutched my heart and I had to ask, “Are we okay?”
“Yes, of course. I may be stressed for a while though. I’ll need to see if I can fulfill the orders before I, um, leave the job I have now. Vice, how will I do this?”
I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn’t lost her. Happiness made my smile widen when she’d asked me for advice. “Hire some help.”
Her eyes widened. “Can I do that?”
“Soon, yes, you should be able to, but for now you’ll have to see what you have in stock, what you need to make, and figure out if you’ll be able to make them by the set time. How much time do you give yourself?”
“I’ve stated on the site if it’s not in stock, the turnaround time would be a month.”
“Good. Until you have the answers, we’ll figure the rest out after. But no matter what, you’ve got me, your mom, and I’m sure Molly, Clint, Grayson, and Kenzie will help you out. Although, not sure Grayson and I would be any good with delicate jewelry.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought me down to touch her lips to mine. Of course, every time I had a taste of Adalyn I wanted more, so I deepened the kiss, sliding my arms down to her ass and gripping.
“Hey, keep the PDA to a minimum,” Trent bellowed, breaking us apart. Adalyn’s cheeks heated, the way I liked to see them, especially if I was the one making them that way.
“We’ll figure it all out,” I said.
“Together.”
“Yeah, baby. Together.” Another peck and then, “Come on, I better rescue the barbecue from Grayson. He can’t cook at all.”
She gasped. Her hands landed on my chest, and she pushed. “Hurry then, we can’t have our first dinner party ruined.” Her eyes bugged out. “Have I already ruined it from having my little—”
“Hell no. This, the people here are family. They won’t care about any of it.” Taking her hand in mine, she nodded, and I led her back to the barbecue. I left her with her mom, who hugged her tightly and reassured her everything would work out, while I stole the tongs out of Grayson’s hands.
“All good?” Grayson asked quietly after Kenzie went over to Adalyn.
“Yes, thank fuck.”
My stupid move could have caused Adalyn to leave. If she had, I would have lost it… then soon after chased her to see reason and drag her back to my house where I’d lock her and Drew away forever.
Christ, that sounded crazed, but the thought of her walking away from me made me that way.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Drew tugged on the sleeve of my sweater at the dinner table. He sat to my left and Vice was on my right at the head of the table. On the other side of Vice was Mom, then Trent, which I was pleasantly surprised to see was where he picked to sit. Next to Trent was Molly, who was still cooing over Makala in her high chair between her and Clint. On Drew’s other side sat Noah and then Kenzie, with Grayson down the other end of the table. Thankfully, Vice had a huge dining table.
To start with, when Trent had sat down, he blurted loudly, “What’s with the rabbit food?” Vice laughed straightaway, while I glared across at Trent, until he added, “Ah, it looks good?”
Drew tugged on my sleeve again, gaining my attention. “Mom.”
Glancing down, I smiled. “Yes, honey?”
“Is Vice your boyfriend?”
The whole table silenced.
However, I couldn’t look away from Drew. He was waiting for an answer as he stared back up at me. At that moment, I wasn’t sure if telling the truth would be good or bad for Drew. Still, there was no way I would lie to him either.
“Yes, he is, honey.”
“You okay with that, Drew?” Vice asked, his hand took hold on mine next to my plate.
Drew’s eyes flicked down to our joined hands and then back up to Vice. “So does that mean you’ll be around a lot more?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Sweet.” He grinned.
The others at the table laughed, but I met Vice’s eyes and smiled warmly, blinking back the wetness in my eyes. Drew did in fact adored Vice. With my hand still in his, he turned them over and then pulled them to his mouth and kissed my wrist.
My emotions threatened to overwhelm me as I looked around the table and realized my family had grown. With my man, new friends, and my newly extended family, I was blessed.
“Hmm, salad’s good,” Trent mumbled around a mouthful. I glanced at him and smiled big before giggling.
Looking to Vice, I said, “See.”
He snorted. “He’s only stuffing it in to be polite.” I moved my gaze to his plate and raised my brows at him. “And I’m only eating it because my woman made it.”
Another hit to the heart.
If the man wasn’t careful, I could easily fall in love with him. Though, I knew I was already over halfway there. Dang it, I was totally there, and it was a wonderful feeling. My hands shook in fear because what I already felt for Vice was new to me. John had never brought the heart-pumping, belly-fluttering, pulse-racing, and mind-whirling feelings from me the way Vice could with even a look, a smile, or a smirk.
I knew it was too soon to tell Vice, though. We all needed time to adjust, especially since Drew had only found out we were dating.
Dinner was amazing, and yes, all men ate a lot of the salad. I’d just gotten dessert out of the refrigerator when my phone rang from within my bag. I quickly grabbed it and my eyes widened. Glancing to Mom, to see she was already looking at me, I said, “It’s Cammy.” Mom gasped. “I’m sure everything’s okay,” I added. Grabbing Vice’s eyes, I told him, “It’s my sister, I’ll just be a moment.” He nodded. I made my way out of the room and pressed the answer button. “Cammy?”
“Hey, sis.”
“H-hi. Are you okay?” I asked, unsure how the phone call was going to go. I rested my free hand on the back of the couch in the living room.
“Totes. Sorry been missing yours and Mom’s calls. Been busy. I have a new job, and it’s amazing. I’m really enjoying it, even if it’s only a waitressing job.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m happy for you, Cammy. Where is this job?”
“Someplace exotic. But I just wanted to touch base and say I’d love to see you and Mom soon. I have some time off coming soon, was thinking of flying in.”
My breath caught. “We would really love that. You just let us know when.”
“Will do. How’s my nephew?”
A normal conversation with my sister was new to me. Usually, she was snarky over everything I said or picking at me about my weight, my choices in life, and not once had she asked about Drew. Shock tangled with happiness ran through me.
“He’s great, Cammy. Loves the new school, and he’s playing basketball. Something he’s wanted to do since he was six.”
“That’s great. How’s the job at the sex shop going?”
My brows dipped. I hadn’t thought she’d known about that job since we hadn’t spoken since before I even started it. Even when, like she’d said, I’d tried to call her on occasion.
“I’m not working there any longer.”
“Oh? How come, I thought you loved that job?”
“It was perfect for the hours and meeting people—”
> She laughed. “Don’t tell me you met men through there and dated them?”
“Ah, no.” That was something I would never do. Well, until Vice came along. However, that was different. I hated him to start with.
“Oh, right. Anyway, I’d better go. It was great talking to you, Adds babe.”
She’d never called me Adds babe. What was that about?
“Okay, um, we’ll talk soon, yes? And Mom would love to hear from you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call her tomorrow. Later.”
“Bye.” I hit the End button, pulled the phone away, and then stared at it. That phone call was strange. It was as if someone had possessed my sister, only that someone was a nice person just calling to chat. She’d never done that.
“Adalyn?” Vice called. Turning, I saw him leaning against the wall near the closed door to the dining and kitchen. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there though; I hadn’t heard him close the door on us. “I didn’t understand your shock on getting a phone call from your sister. Wanted to be close if you needed me.”
He wanted to be close if I needed him.
God, that man.
“I’m okay. I think.”
He walked forward until one of his hands wrapped around the side of my neck and the other landed on my waist. “Talk to me, baby.”
So I did. “My sister and I have always fought, even when we were young. I never understood why we did it. Maybe she hated how close Mom and I were, but she never wanted to help us in the kitchen or read with us or do anything we liked. My own sister confuses me, still, and I was sure she hated me, but that phone call…” I shrugged. “It was normal. Not one hateful word was thrown my way. I liked it, but it was weird too. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, Addy. It does. What was she after?”
“Usually when she calls it’s because she needs help from a situation, needs rescuing, but that time was to touch base, see how we all were. Maybe it’s her new job? I don’t know how or why the sudden change, but I like it. I think. She mentioned she’d like to see us when she gets time off.”
“That good?” he asked, studying my face.
“I think so?” Another shrug. “I guess we’ll see if this change of hers stays.”
He nodded. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
I tilted my head to the side in confusion. “Yes?”
He smirked. “Baby, I didn’t even know you had a sister.”
“I don’t talk about her much. She’s been a troublemaker for so long I tend to not think about her too much. I wasn’t keeping her from you. It’s more like we’re still learning about each other’s lives.”
Still learning, and yet, I’d still fallen for the man.
“This is true. Do you have any other siblings?”
“No.” I smiled. “Do you?”
“No.”
My eyes widened. There was something I didn’t know yet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know since Vice looked way younger than myself. Still, I blurted, “How old are you?”
“Old enough.”
“Vice Salvatore… wait, do you have a middle name?”
“Nope. Do you?”
“Yes. Rogue.”
His head jerked back while his eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Mom’s a huge X-Men fan, and Rogue was her favorite. She picked mine and Dad picked Camila’s.”
“What’s hers?”
“Daphne, after his mother.”
“Normal.”
“Yes— Hang on, are you insinuating I’m not normal?” I asked, glaring and pushing at his chest to let me go. Only he wouldn’t.
He chuckled. “Baby, you’re far from normal, and I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
Groaning, I snapped, “How can you be sweet and annoying at the same time?”
“Talent.”
I scoffed. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten you haven’t answered my questions. How old are you, Vice?”
“Forty-three, baby.”
I gasped and slapped his waist. “You are not. Don’t lie to me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. When it dwindled, he pecked my lips with his. “Adalyn,” he muttered, amused. “I’m forty-three.”
Stepping back, I scolded, “Vice Salvatore, it is not nice to lie.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m not. I’m forty-three, Addy. Is that a problem for you?”
I blinked slowly, and then again. Next, I ran my eyes over his body. “You look thirty. How can that be possible? I worried I was a cradle snatcher.”
He snorted. “No cradle snatching here, so you can stop worrying.”
“Well… good.” I smiled. “Forty-three, wow. You look amazing for your age.”
He grinned and stepped up to me, claiming me back into his arms. “Glad you think so, baby.”
Suddenly, the door to the dining room snapped open. Trent filled it. “Bloody amazing dessert, Adalyn.”
My eyes dropped to his hand as he scooped a spoonful of apricot pie up from the baking dish and ate it. A gasp escaped me. I shifted from Vice to stand before Trent with my hands fisted down at my sides. Murdering was illegal, I reminded myself.
“I… you… why?” I cried, glowering at him. “Do you think, Trent, other people would like some?”
“Sweetheart, you made like a gazillion.”
Stamping my foot, I yelled, “I didn’t make a gazillion.”
“Well, at least a pie per person. I picked mine.” He grinned. “Any leftovers feel free to hand me the rest. Best pie out there.”
At least he complimented my food.
Running a hand over my face, I took a deep breath. Before I could say any more, Trent moved, and Mom slipped into the room.
“Is she in trouble?” she asked, her hands fidgeting together in front of her.
“She’s fine. It was strange how fine she was. Sorry, I should have come and told you right away.”
She nodded, then smiled. “It’s fine. If I had a man candy like Vice, I’d be also distracted.”
Vice laughed. I shook my head, and Trent, oh wow, Trent glared at Vice. Then he clutched his pie to his chest, spun, and stormed back into the dining room.
With a smile, Mom winked at me and then followed Trent.
Vice’s eyes met mine. He mock whispered, “I think I might have to keep one eye open while I sleep.”
“I think it’s great.” I beamed.
“What, that I could possibly be killed?”
“Oh, no. Not that part.” I patted his arm. “But how jealous Trent seemed.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Molly opened her door after she’d buzzed me up. The week had been frantic where I quit working for Vice and started full time on my own business. I still wasn’t sure if I would get all my orders complete, but I was trying. So even though I should be working, I wasn’t because I’d promised Molly I’d make it to her girls’ weekend to drink and talk wedding stuff.
“Come in, come in. The moms are here already. So are Kenzie and Lori. We’ve just been waiting for you and Jenny.”
Entering, I said over my shoulder, “Sorry to keep you waiting, and to add Mom can’t make it. She’s not feeling the best. She’s home while Drew has a sleepover at Rick’s.” Which was how I met Rick’s mom.
“Hope she’s okay soon.”
“She will be.” I smiled. As I walked into the living room, everyone glanced my way. After a quick hello, I took my seat next to Kenzie on the couch. Lori was sitting on the floor with magazines spread out all around her, while the moms were opposite Kenzie and me on another couch.
Molly came from the kitchen holding two glasses of champagne. It was only just after lunch. If I started drinking so early, I didn’t see good things for me. Still, I noticed everyone else had a glass already.
It was also Molly’s girls’ day, so I took the offered glass and had a small sip. “Okay, what’s on the agenda?”
&
nbsp; Everyone looked at me.
I flicked my gaze around the room. “What?” I asked.
“Grace and I would like to thank you for taking on our boy,” Melanie stated.
Smiling warmly, I said, “I think it’s my mom who needs to thank him for taking Drew and me on. I’m a lot to handle.”
They all laughed.
“Do you plan to have children? How old are you?” Grace asked.
“Grace,” Molly snapped.
“What?” she shrugged. “I need to know if I’m getting any grandchildren.”
“You will, from me.” Molly rolled her eyes.
Grace blew her a kiss. “I know, my dear. Still, I’d like to see Vice have one.” She turned back to me. “So, how old are you?”
“Thirty-seven.”
“Hmm. You’ll both have to hurry if—”
“Grace,” Melanie warned.
I cleared my throat. “Um, we’re kind of just new. I’m hoping it will last, but no one ever knows what could happen.”
“Pish posh, it will happen. You’ll last the long run. I can see it already.”
I loved she thought so, and that she seemed happy about it.
Still… insert freak-out mode because speaking about it with his mother made me feel I was overstepping once again. It was too soon.
“I like this dress,” Lori called loudly.
We all faced her. She held up a page from a magazine with a dress that looked like something my mom would have worn back in the day.
“I’m not really sure it’s something for me,” Molly said.
“A little old, dear,” Melanie added.
Then Melanie and Molly started talking about what type of dress Molly had always dreamed of. While they were and Grace’s attention was elsewhere, I smiled softly to Lori. She’d saved my bacon from a grilling. Lori winked back and moved to a new magazine.
Three hours later, we had a plan of attack. Though I wasn’t sure attack was the right word for a wedding. Then again, I was sure, with the dress Molly found that Clint would be attacking her that night. Especially after she showed us the lingerie she would be buying. Heck, if I were a guy, I’d hump her leg from just seeing it.
