“So, the two times you nearly ripped my head off didn’t qualify as sticking your nose in other people’s business?”
At least she had the decency to look embarrassed. “Okay, you got me there, and I did say usually. But, I’m making an exception in this case. I can’t stand to see my best friend hurting this way.”
“She brought it on herself.”
Mariah sighed in exasperation. “Look, I know she probably should have told you some things long before now. But, sometimes things aren’t always the way they seem. I hope you two are able to work out your differences because I truly believe you and Viv belong together. See you around.” She entered the hotel and left him to stare at her retreating back.
What the hell does that mean? Devin dismissed the question as quickly as it came. He didn’t care one way or the other.
All three men were waiting when Devin arrived at the basketball court. They played two games then had a late lunch at the bar and grill.
“So, how’s married life so far?” Devin asked Tony while they sipped beers and waited for their food to arrive.
“Great,” Tony answered with a broad smile. “Three uninterrupted days and nights with Samantha, personal butler service, meals on the balcony overlooking the ocean or in bed…life couldn’t be better.”
“You do have to go home in few days,” Marcel said. “Back to real life—work, responsibilities, family—constant interruptions.”
“True. But you and Toya seem to be doing just fine.”
Marcel tilted his bottle toward Tony. “That’s because we work at it. We don’t let anything get in the way of our time, especially family. And you know my mom finds every reason to call, needing one thing or another, like Pops isn’t sitting next to her. Your mom is the same way, with them being sisters. I learned early on how to say no or flip it around to fit my schedule. Set the rules early, cuz. That way you’ll have no drama.”
Tony touched his bottle to Marcel’s. “Duly noted.”
All four men broke out in laughter. Marcel continued to share stories and dispense marriage wisdom while they ate.
When they finished, Tony asked, “So what did I miss? Any hookups, Jason and Devin?”
A slow smile spread across Jason’s lips. “As a matter of fact, I met an intriguing woman who wants nothing more than a good time.” He rose to his feet. “So, I’m going to see how much fun I can get into. Ask Devin what he’s been up to. Marcel and I had a bet on which one of you were having more fun.”
Devin shot a glare at Jason, who chuckled.
Marcel smiled. “As much as I’d like to stay around to find out who won, I told Toya we’d go to one of the resorts sister sites for dinner. She’s been looking forward to it.” He pushed to his feet. “See you guys later.”
As soon as both men were gone, Tony fixed his gaze on Devin. “Sounds like I wasn’t the only one getting some action, huh? Somebody new or a reunion party?”
“Vivian.”
“You two back together now or what?”
“More like ‘or what’.”
“Did she finally tell you why she kicked you to the curb?”
He eyed Tony, not liking the reference, then toyed with the neck of his beer bottle. “Yeah. Apparently, her brother was responsible for breaking into my house.”
Tony’s eyes widened and he slowly leaned back in his chair. “Her brother? You never mentioned her having a brother.”
“That’s because I didn’t know.” Devin shared what Vivian had told him about her father and brother’s lifestyles. “The worst part is she’s known about since the day she ended our relationship.”
“Why did she wait so long to tell you?”
“Said she didn’t know how to tell me.”
Tony shook his head. “Wow. I don’t know what to say. I never figured she’d be part of a robbery scheme. Did she have anything else to say for herself?”
He shrugged. “Outside of saying she didn’t have anything to do with it, no. But I didn’t really give her a chance. There wasn’t anything left to say. I was so angry I just wanted her gone.”
“Look, I know you’re pissed at Vivian right now, but I just can’t see her doing something like this. I’m not a fan of the way she’s handled this and I’m not taking her side, but I know she was in love with you, Dev. Still is by the way she was staring at you on the boat. And you love her, too.”
Devin opened his mouth to refute Tony and Tony held up a hand.
“Hear me out. Don’t try to tell me you’re not in love with her. I can see it. Even with all the anger and pain, it’s there.” Tony leaned forward and braced his forearms on the table. “Don’t you want to know the reason she waited so long to tell you after the fact…the real reason? I sure as hell would. What if she was telling the truth about not knowing what her brother had done?”
“She knew,” Devin countered.
“After the fact,” Tony reiterated. “How did she find out?”
Devin frowned. He hadn’t let her get that far. And, yeah, how did she find out? Had she been ready to explain when he all but dismissed her? “I don’t know.”
“But you want to know. A word of advice.”
“A lot of that going around,” he grumbled.
Tony laughed. “Seriously, Dev. Listen to what Vivian has to say. I mean really listen. You’re going to need that skill when you get married. Trust me.”
His jaw dropped. “What? I’m not…”
Tony slid the chair back and stood. “I’ve been away from my beautiful wife for too long. Let me know if I need to get my tux ready. Better yet, we’ll be here until Saturday.” He gestured around the resort. “You can’t beat a destination wedding, especially since you’re already here.” He clapped Devin on the shoulder. “I’ll be happy to stand in as your best man. You have my room number. Keep my posted. Later, bro.”
Devin stared at Tony’s retreating back with a deep scowl on his face. But the wheels in his brain were turning and all the emotions in his heart stirred to life. Tony knew exactly what to say to make Devin face his dilemma. Damn him!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After returning from the tour, Vivian left Mariah on the beach and retreated to her room and the sanctuary of her balcony. Her insides were in knots trying to decide how to proceed with Devin. Part of her agreed with Mariah—Vivian should find a way to ensure Devin learned the whole truth. But the other part of her, a much larger part, didn’t want to risk another confrontation. She couldn’t bear to see the contempt in his eyes again. Each encounter fractured her heart a little more. In her mind, it would be best for both of them if she stayed out of his way.
Maybe she’d send him a letter once she got home. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed up the to the idea. With a letter, Vivian wouldn’t have to endure seeing the pain on his face when he read it. If he read it. Whether Devin chose to read her letter or not would be up to him. In either case, she would have done her part to set the record straight. She sighed in frustration. Again, no matter how many times she played out the scenario in her mind, the outcome remained the same—she’d lose Devin and he’d hate her. Nothing had changed.
Vivian picked up the mystery novel she had brought and had yet to pick up. The phone rang as soon as she opened the book. Closing it again, she rose and went to answer the call.
“Hello.”
“Ms. Michaels?” a female Caribbean accented voiced asked.
“Yes.”
“This is Alana at the front desk. You have a message here.”
“Oh. Okay.” Who would leave a message? Vivian realized the woman was still waiting on the line. “I’m sorry. I’ll be down to pick it up. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Taking a quick peek at the clock she debated whether to leave now or wait until dinner. She and Mariah had made reservations at one of the more formal restaurants for six-thirty. “I’ll wait,” she mumbled and went back to her book. Five minutes later, curiosity got the best of Vivian
and she changed her mind.
The desk clerk handed her a sealed envelope with her name scrawled on the front. She thanked the woman and turned to leave, but colorful decorations outside caught her attention. She pushed through the doors and saw that they were setting up for one of the themed nights. Vivian watched the transformation for a few minutes then ventured out to the beach area. She inhaled deeply, marveling at the island’s beauty. By staying in her room, she was missing all of this. Starting tomorrow, she planned to change that. She might not make it back to Jamaica for a long while and was determined to enjoy the time she had left. Admiring the scenery a moment longer, she saw a lone figure standing further down on the beach with his hands in his pockets. Devin. She’d recognize him anywhere.
Before she could chicken out, Vivian started in his direction. Either he didn’t hear her approach or he was ignoring her because he made no attempt to turn around when she came up behind him.
“Devin.” He shifted slightly to glance at her, and then turned back to the water. She fully expected him to leave, but he surprised her by staying. She stood silently beside him for several minutes. “Three weeks after your house was broken into, I went over to my mom’s house for something—I don’t remember what. But I walked in on my brother and some other guy in their garage and saw all kinds of things I knew didn’t belong to my parents—TV’s, stereo equipment, computers, laptops and vases. Then I noticed the African mask you had that I loved so much.”
Devin visibly stiffened, but didn’t say anything.
“I asked him where he got it from. Asked him if he stole it from you. He laughed and I realized he had. I was so furious I wanted to kill him. I told him I was going to call the police and…” Her speech faltered. “And he said that if he went down, so would I.” She felt the tears gathering. “They had robbed people I knew and he said he would point the finger at me as an accomplice if I turned him in. That’s why he had targeted my high school prom date…and you. I couldn’t say a word. He found out about that trip on Monte’s private plane and tried pressuring me into giving up more information on you, him, your family. But I wouldn’t do it. I told him you broke up with me.” The tears flowed in earnest now. “I did everything I could to distance myself from him and my father, to get away from my mother—she didn’t care about the wrong they were doing. To separate myself from all the craziness that was my life. I figured if I did well in school, I could move away and have a good life. I worked two jobs to put myself through college and, finally, my dream was in reach. But just like that, it was gone. I couldn’t go to jail. I couldn’t be like them. It was my biggest fear and, now, my biggest regret. I love you, Devin, and I’m so sorry.” Vivian swiped at her eyes and waited for some reaction from him. She could feel the anger radiating from his body, but other than his bowed head, he said nothing. “Now, you know,” she finished softly. Not knowing what else to say, she turned and went back the way she came.
She managed to keep her emotions under control until she reached the room. Vivian brought her hands up and became aware that she still held the envelope. She tore it open and read the letter from Dawn:
Vivian, I don’t quite know how to begin, except to say how sorry I am for my behavior. I would like to offer some excuse, but the truth is I don’t have one. I’ve lost not one, but two sisters and I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that. I don’t want to cause you any more pain, so I found another hotel for the night and I’ll be leaving in the morning. I only hope you will be able to forgive me one day. Please offer my sincere apologies to Devin. Dawn
“This just keeps getting worse and worse.” She and Mariah wondered where Dawn had gone. When Mariah moved back into her room earlier, all Dawns things were gone. Vivian dropped down on the side of the bed. Devin. Dawn. Emotionally, she was hanging on by a thread. A thread that steadily unraveled by the minute.
Devin listened to every word Vivian said. He knew he should have made some response and not let her walk away, but the rage that burned inside him made it impossible for him to say anything. He was angry with himself for not listening the first time. But the greater part of his wrath was reserved for Vivian’s brother. For the first time since ninth grade, Devin wanted to take apart someone, piece by piece. It had taken him years to learn how to keep his temper under control. The one time he lost it, Devin’s opponent ended up with a black eye, a busted lip and two broken bones. It had taken both his brothers and Tony to pull Devin off the boy who had tried to bully Janae. The only other time he came close to losing control was when one of Janae’s ex-boyfriends physically threatened her. But, tonight, he was experiencing a new degree of anger. In a way, he was glad to be in another country. Had Devin been home, Greg Michaels would either be hospitalized or dead. He couldn’t imagine the trauma his threats had caused Vivian—holding possible jail time over her head, knowing he stole from her friends and not being able to say anything.
Devin wanted to call his brother, Erik, to vent but he heard his mother’s voice admonishing him to think before acting. He groaned. He still planned to call Erik when he calmed down. However, if he called now, his brother would hear the anger in Devin’s voice and exact his own brand of revenge, regardless of what Devin said. Erik took the term badass to a new level, and as a former military operative, he had the means to do so. He shoved the phone back into his pocket. For now, he needed to find a way to apologize to Vivian and pray she forgave him. After Devin’s conversation with Tony, he had planned to talk to her anyway because he loved her and wanted her in his life. And now that he knew all, he was even more driven to make sure no one ever hurt her again.
Devin thought it best that he wait until his anger subsided before going to Vivian’s room so she wouldn’t assume it was directed at her. He lowered himself to the sand and folded his legs. It had been almost twenty years since a counselor suggested deep breathing exercises to control his anger and, at the time, he thought them stupid. However, over the years, the exercises had been instrumental in helping him achieve the relaxed demeanor he presented to the world. Devin closed his eyes, placed one hand on his abs, drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He repeated the process several times until he regained his balance. Usually, he needed only ten or fifteen minutes to feel a sense of peace. This time it took almost half an hour.
Once he left the beach, Devin debated whether to go directly to Vivian’s room or wait until later. He opted for the former and hid his disappointment when she didn’t answer. Then it occurred to him that she might be having dinner. His first thought was to search the restaurants, but nixed the idea quickly. Although he wanted nothing more than to talk to her now, he felt it best if they had the conversation in the confines of her room.
Devin went back downstairs where the beach party was in full swing. He stood off to one side observing the festivities while thinking about what Tony said. Beneath all the anger and hurt Devin did love Vivian. Had never stopped. He should have let her finish the first time, instead of cutting her off and spewing all those hurtful words. He’d said she didn’t know anything about love, but she’d made the ultimate sacrifice to protect him. If she accepted his apology and forgave him, Devin would never doubt her again.
An hour later, he knocked on her door again. His heart hammered in his chest when he heard the knob turning.
“Girl, I told you…” Vivian trailed off when she saw him. “Devin. Oh. What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk. May I come in?”
She hesitated for what seemed like forever in his mind then, stepped back. Vivian closed the door behind him. “If you came here to tell me how untrustworthy I am, and that I don’t know anything about love again, save your breath.”
Hearing the words he had said hurled back at him cut Devin to the core and caused a searing pain in his heart. He felt lower than dirt at this moment.
“I think you’ve said it all and I don’t—”
He closed the distance between them and cut her off with a tender kiss. He rested
his forehead against hers, brought both her hands up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back. “I didn’t come for any of that. I came to ask you, to beg you to forgive me for being a fool. You’re none of those things I accused you of,” he said emotionally. “I was angry and hurt and I spoke without thinking. I didn’t mean any of the things I said.”
“Wh… what? You didn’t? But you said them.”
“I’m so sorry, baby, I didn’t know what I was saying. Give me another chance to make things right, Viv. I’ll do whatever it takes.” Devin never considered himself a begging man, but if it kept this woman in his life, he would do that and more.
“But, on the beach, you were angry. I could feel your anger.”
“My anger isn’t directed toward you, but your brother. I couldn’t say anything because I was afraid I’d lose it, and I didn’t want you to see me that way.”
“So, you’re not angry with me,” she said, searching his face.
“No. Even before you came to me on the beach I had planned to apologize. I didn’t know the whole story.” He framed her face with his hands. “I was wrong. Please forgive me, Princess.”
“Only if you forgive me, too. I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you enough to tell you sooner.”
Devin silenced her with a finger to her lips. “All is forgiven.”
“Devin,” Vivian whispered.
He captured her mouth, infusing all the love in his heart into this one kiss. Her hands found their way under his shirt and burned a path across his abs and chest. As always, her touch aroused him in a way that he couldn’t explain and one that drove him out of his mind. It was the one time he didn’t mind losing control. Without breaking the seal of their mouths, he swept her into his arms and carried her over to the bed. Devin stripped them both and made love to her slowly, sensually until they both exploded in pleasure. He rolled over on his back and cradled Vivian near his rapidly beating heart.
At length, Vivian asked, “Did you get the mask, your grandmother’s ring and bracelet, and Janae’s painting back?”
Made to Love You Page 11
