by J. M. Walker
Her eyes welled. “Why are you so amazing?”
“I have good parents.” I gave her a small smile. “My dad was persistent and broke down my mom’s walls. I’m just as persistent, Gigi. And I promise, I’m not giving up on us. This is just a little roadblock and together, we will get through it. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Vince.” She curled herself around me. “Thank you.”
***
(Gigi)
When Vince reacted to the news better than I expected, I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. But when the words that I had lost his baby, left my mouth, I could see the pain behind his eyes. He was right though; it wasn’t my fault and it wasn’t his. It just…happened.
“Does anyone else know besides Meadow and Shade?” Vince asked while we were curled up in my bed.
“No.” I cupped his face, brushing my thumb along his bottom lip. “I’ll tell people eventually but right now; I just want to heal as best I can first.”
He kissed the pad of my thumb. “I get that. Anything you need, you just let me know. I’m here.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“I do have something to tell you though.” He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Tenise came on to me today. It was weird. She came over and brought some baked goods. Rory was working and Mason is out of town. She said it was a joke and that Rory put her up to it. I need to talk to Rory, but I wanted to let you know as well.”
“Wow.” A tremor of unease rushed through me. “That’s…odd.”
“Yeah, it was. Very odd.” Vince turned his head toward me. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I don’t want you thinking that I asked for it. I didn’t.” He pushed onto his elbow. “I promise I didn’t.”
“I know.” I cupped his shoulders, pulling him down to meet my mouth. “I know,” I murmured against his lips. I knew from the beginning that there was something about Tenise that I didn’t like. “I know you’re not that kind of guy,” I said, looking up at him.
“I’m not.”
I smiled. “I know.”
Vince laid down beside me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. “You’re fucking incredible.” He kissed the side of my neck, snuggling his face into me.
I sighed, realizing then that this was it. He was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I just had no idea how to tell him that.
Gigi
Vince hadn’t left my side since finding out I lost his baby. Our baby. Since I lost something I never officially had. Even though I didn’t know I had been pregnant, it still hurt. It was like a piece of my soul was taken from me without me even realizing it. I couldn’t help but blame myself but every time I felt low, Vince picked me back up and put a smile on my face. He had been my rock over these past few weeks, and I could never repay him for helping me through the agony. He put on a brave face when I needed it most, but I still knew that he was hurting as well. I would catch him brushing his hand over my stomach when he thought I was sleeping. Or hear a shaky sigh leave him whenever he thought I wasn’t paying attention. It hurt. But I knew that together, we could get through it.
I ended up throwing myself into dancing. I didn’t have alcohol again though. The guilt messed with my head. Drinking while pregnant and not even knowing it. I still blamed myself but every time I saw Vince, he told me without so much as uttering a single word that it wasn’t my fault. That none of it was my fault.
Ryder was shipping out on Monday and we were heading to my parents’ place tonight for a going away dinner. Everyone would be there. Including Vince. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of days because he had been helping Rory with renovations and he was also working at the center, so he was exhausted by the time the day was over. I invited him to spend the night with me but a part of me wondered if he just went home, so he wouldn’t be tempted to take it further. But I knew. Tonight, was the night that I wanted us to reconnect. He hadn’t hinted in the least to have sex again, which I appreciated but I needed him. I couldn’t wait anymore.
After getting ready, I took a cab to my parents’ house. My nerves were all over the place, so I planned on having a couple glasses of wine. My stomach felt off. But I just took that as a sign of excitement that I would see Vince and also because my brother was leaving for who knew how long.
When I pulled up in front of my childhood home, the street was already lined with cars. Looked like they weren’t the only ones having company over this evening.
As I left the taxi, the twins took that moment to pull up behind me.
“Hey,” I said as both Ashton and Aiden came toward me. “How are you guys doing?”
“Not too bad.” Ashton pulled me into a hug.
“You sort things out with your dad?” I asked Aiden, returning Ashton’s hug.
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “Sort of. We both promised to keep it civil at least for tonight or else Mom is going to kick both of our asses.”
“Sounds like something my mom would do.” I left the warmth of Ashton’s arms and gave Aiden a hug. “You good?”
He returned the hug, smiling down at me. “Don’t worry about me.”
But I did. We all did. Before I could respond, he pulled away from me and walked up the sidewalk to the house.
“I don’t know how to tell him that he has a problem,” Ashton said, coming up beside me.
“You can’t tell him.” I crossed my arms under my chest. “You can only be there for him, but he has to come to terms with his issue himself.”
“How do you know that?”
I looked up at Ashton then. “I just do. I think Aiden will have to hit rock bottom before he asks for help or even realizes that he has a problem.” My stomach clenched, hoping it didn’t come to that, but something told me that it would.
Ashton cleared his throat. “Where’s your man?”
“He should be here soon if he’s not here already.”
“You didn’t see him today?” Ashton raised an eyebrow.
“No. He’s been helping his friend with some renovations besides working with you guys.” I frowned. “Why?”
“No reason.” Ashton shrugged. “Just wondering if there’s trouble in paradise already.”
I rolled my eyes. “You may not have a drinking problem like your brother does but you’re still a dick.” I walked away, not liking whatever accusation Ashton was implying.
“Gigi.” Ashton rushed to my side. “I’m sorry. I’m deflecting.”
I looked up at him, a laugh escaping me. “Look at you using the big boy words.”
It was Ashton’s turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever. I just wanted to apologize. You and Vince are good together.”
“You haven’t seen us together, so how would you know that?”
“I saw you together at his party. But that doesn’t matter. I have seen the way he looks at you. He’s looked at you a certain way for years. Maybe forever.”
I stopped, staring up at Ashton. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ashton grunted. “Right,” he said slowly and walked the rest of the way to my parents’ front door, leaving me to stew over whatever it was he meant.
I let out a heavy sigh and followed him. As soon as I entered the house, I was hit by a scent of something delicious. Whatever it was my mom had been cooking, smelled wonderful.
The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly tingled. I looked around me. Vince was nowhere to be found.
When I took a step forward, a heavy arm wrapped around my middle, pulling me back against a hard body. I let out a squeal.
Vince chuckled. “Miss me?” He continued pulling me into a nearby room.
“Vince,” I gasped as he shut the door. “What are you—”
He pulled me against him, crushing his mouth to mine.
I sighed, snaking my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer.
A growl left him but before the kiss could become anyt
hing more, he pulled away from me.
“What was that for?” I asked, panting.
“I missed you.” He kissed my cheek. “I also wanted to mess up your lipstick a bit.”
“And for people to notice and say that it’s about damn time?” I laughed, wiping my mouth and making sure that my lipstick wasn’t messed up too much.
He chuckled. “Yeah.” His eyes locked with mine. “So how have you been?”
“Good. How’s my lipstick now?”
He winked. “Perfect.”
I laughed, closing the distance between us and cupping him over his pants. “I missed you though and I think tonight, you should show me how much you missed me.” I gave him a squeeze and kissed his chin before releasing him.
“Fucking hell,” he groaned.
I giggled, leaving the room he had pushed me into only to be met by my father. “Daddy.”
“Having a good time?” he asked, looking over my head.
I coughed. “I just got here but yes.”
Vince came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I was just saying hi to Gigi. I haven’t seen her in a few days. Wanted to talk to her first without getting interrupted.”
Dad looked between us both. “Fine. Gigi, your mom wants to see you in the kitchen.”
I nodded, pulled from Vince’s grasp, and headed down the hall. I stopped and looked at him over my shoulder. I assumed he would have been talking to my father but when I caught him looking back at me, my breath caught.
Blowing him a kiss, I headed to the kitchen to see what my mom wanted and hoped at the same time that my dad wouldn’t kill Vince.
***
(Vince)
Just when I thought Angel was going to rip my face off, he pulled me in for a hard hug instead. My body stiffened, my eyes widening at the unexpected gesture coming from him. “Uh…Angel?”
He coughed, cleared his throat, and released me. “Listen, I like you for my daughter. She comes around more because of you.”
“She does?” She never mentioned that she wasn’t visiting her parents. Maybe her accident affected her more than I thought.
Angel nodded. “Maybe I’m just emotional because my son…” He cleared his throat again. “It doesn’t matter. Just be good to Gigi. That’s all I ask.” And with that, he walked away and headed out into the backyard.
Gigi took that moment to step back out into the hall. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
She smiled. “Good. Supper’s ready. Save me a seat at the table?”
I only nodded and joined everyone else in the backyard. I was greeted by people I had known my whole life, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than Angel’s words. I had pulled Gigi into the room off the hall because I wanted to kiss her without being seen but in all reality, I wanted to stake my claim in front of everyone. I wanted the world to know that she was mine and that I was hers. I wanted her to know the same.
Sitting at the table, I waited for her to come out. Once the last bit of food was on the table, I stood and waited for her to come back outside.
Her laughter rang out at whatever she heard or saw that was funny. That sound did something funny to me. It forced a ripple of pleasure down my spine. I wondered what she would sound like if I forced that laugh to turn into a scream.
When she came back outside, I stood.
All eyes turned my way, but I didn’t care.
Gigi caught my gaze. A slight tinge of pink hit her cheeks. It was like she knew.
I left the table and went up to her.
She backed up a step, staring up at me. “Vince,” she whispered.
Closing the distance between us, I captured her hair in my hand and crushed my mouth to hers.
***
(Gigi)
A collective gasp sounded around the group of people we had known our whole lives.
I knew what Vince and I had was serious when he claimed my mouth and made it his own in front of our friends and family. I had been feeling lost for so long and it took him finding me to make it better. He made everything better.
Before the kiss could turn into something that would be deemed inappropriate in front of our families, Vince broke the kiss. He smiled down at me. “I meant what I said. It’s just you and me, babe. Always and forever.”
My throat burned. All I could do was nod at the sincerity coming from him.
“Well, that was interesting,” someone said but all I could focus on, was the man who made me feel…safe.
“What was that for?” I whispered.
Vince winked, pulling away from me and heading into the house. I was left standing there, staring after him.
My dad took that moment to come out of the house. “What’s going on?”
My cheeks burned.
A round of laughter erupted.
“Your daughter just got kissed in front of all of us,” Mom explained, patting her husband’s chest.
“Kissed?” Dad raised an eyebrow. “It better have been by Vince and no one else.”
My jaw dropped.
Mom grinned, coming up to me. “I think he likes your boyfriend.”
“We…he’s not…we haven’t…” I chewed my bottom lip.
The patio door opened. Vince popped his head out, looking squarely at me. “I like the sound of that.”
“What?” I squeaked, unable to believe that we were doing this. In front of everyone and in front of my dad no less.
“What do you say, Queenie?” Vince asked, still standing at the door. “Want to make it official?”
I could feel all eyes burning into me. “Okay,” I finally said. “Boyfriend.”
Vince grinned, winking and stepping back into the house.
A breath left me on a whoosh.
“I really have no idea what’s going on or maybe I’m just super emotional, but that kiss was hot as hell,” my sister said, fanning herself.
Shade chuckled, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Ignoring her and the stares from everyone else, I headed into the house. “Vince?” I called out.
“Fuck you, man.”
My back stiffened.
Vince was coming down the hall with Piper’s dad following behind him.
“What’s going on?” I asked Vince.
He spun on Dale. “Just because you were a pussy who had to screw a bunch of whores to learn how to use the thing between your legs, doesn’t mean shit. Not all of us need to be coddled and trained by a woman to know how to be a real man. Don’t come at me with that shit ever again.”
I gasped, never hearing him talk like that to anyone before. Especially not to the father of one of our friends.
Vince stomped toward me, cupped my face, and kissed me hard.
“What was that about?” I asked, staring up at Vince.
“He was giving me a hard time about kissing you in front of everyone.” Vince kissed me one last time before heading into the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Stone asked, entering the house.
“Your son gave me shit.” Dale scowled. “Looks like he’s more of a man than I ever was at his age.”
“I am so proud of my son right now.” Stone stood up taller.
“Vince,” I called out, heading in the direction he had gone.
He came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of veggies. “What’s up?”
“What was that?” My stomach fluttered at the sight of him.
“What was what?” He came up to me and placed a soft peck on my forehead. “Do you not want to be my girlfriend?”
“It’s not that. I’m just surprised you would ask in front of everyone. Especially my father.”
Vince tilted his head. “You should know by now that I’m not scared of him, babe.” He kissed my cheek. “Save me a seat, girlfriend.”
I shivered, watching him head out into the backyard.
“Stop staring at my ass,” he called out.
I laughed, shaking my head.
“Gigi.�
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I jumped, spinning around as Ryder came up beside me. “Hey.”
“What was that show about?” He nodded toward the way that Vince went. “Do I need to threaten him?”
“Hardly.” I rolled my eyes, patting my brother’s arm. “So, how was your date?”
Ryder grinned, gave me a wink, and headed to the patio doors.
“Ryder, you gotta tell me something.” I rushed after him. “Did she like her surprise?”
“Oh yeah.” Ryder chuckled and went out into the backyard.
He had called Meadow and I the day before, asking for our help when it came to a date he was going on. Apparently, our brother was rusty. I wished I could have seen Clara Blanco’s face when Ryder opened up the bed of his truck and revealed the picnic basket, feather mattress, and twinkling lights. I sighed. So romantic.
As much as I wanted to know more, I was stopped short by Vince’s deep laugh. It did something funny to my belly and reminded me that it had been quite some time since we’d had sex. He had been a gentleman and left me alone since the miscarriage. He never even hinted. He often asked me how I was doing. He would flirt just the same but never pushed.
Vince chuckled again, his gaze locking with mine that time. He looked down, a sly grin spreading on his face.
My phone vibrated.
Fishing it out of my pocket, my eyes widened when I saw the text staring up at me.
Vince: You’re more addictive than any drug. I’m craving your pussy more than anything. The more I get it, the more I want it. Who needs cocaine when there’s you?
I looked up.
Vince was no longer looking at me but at Ashton who was now sitting beside him.
Me: I miss you and I’m ready.
I hit send and joined Vince and everyone else at the large table.
When I sat down at the empty seat beside him, he leaned over. “I miss you too, baby.”
“I meant what I said in the text,” I murmured low enough for only him to hear.
