“You did,” Xavier chuckled. “And rest assured, Tubs is not interested in the cook.”
“Then who is he interested in?” Vic demanded.
“Sara.”
She smacked him on his head. “Stay focused. We aren’t talking about Sara. We are talking about the other woman.”
He smacked her head in return. “He’s not interested in this other woman; he simply loves her, as one loves a best friend. At least I hope to God that’s what he feels, because otherwise, I’ll have a fight to the death on my hands.”
Vic remained confused until he rattled on about fighting to the death. There was only one woman Xavier would risk his life for—her. God, she felt like such a fool, but she was not going to let him win so easily. Therefore, she redirected the conversation.
“Excellent. I’ll clarify my relationship with Tubs to Sara and let Tubs know she loves him. If all goes well, we can have them married within the week.”
Xavier’s forehead crinkled as he rubbed his chin. “For someone who was adamantly against the institution, your plotting a marriage seems odd. Did Cannon scatter your brain?”
“No. A short while ago, I came to the realization that marriage to an honorable, trustworthy man, who does not wish to own his wife like a possession, is by no means repugnant. And in Sara and Tubs’ case, I believe it will enhance their happiness. Both believe they are unfit for marriage and I intend to prove them wrong.”
He stroked her tangled blond hair. “Allow me to handle this?”
“What? You don’t think I can meddle and lecture lying down?”
He laughed heartily. “Then I will leave this matter to you. Instead, I will go wandering about Europe ensuring ladies are properly enjoying their time shopping. ”
Recalling the list of ladies she had unfortunately committed them to track down, she groaned. “I forgot about the damn list. Can it not wait until later?”
“If I do it now, Connors will be here to ensure you are well. If we wait until he leaves, then the list falls to the wayside. I’m not leaving you alone. You are worth far more than a hundred and thirty ladies.”
Her heart filled with joy. God, she loved her often grumpy boss and overly protective new husband. Caressing his cheek, she smiled. “Then go lady hunting and I will hold the fort here.”
“Thank you. But just to be clear, you are not to send Connors away until I return. Do I have your word on that?’
“You do. I promise not to let him leave, for I believe I will need to interrogate him often. I find myself most ignorant when it comes to the care and maintenance of my cannonball.”
“By all means, interrogate the good doctor as much as you like.” He leaned over and kissed her lips. “I will miss you and my growling son a great deal.”
She kissed him back, not with passion, but with pure love. “Hurry back. I already miss you.”
His pained eyes told her he felt the same. The moment he left the room, she had a great desire to call him back, but she couldn’t. One hundred and thirty ladies’ lives depended on Xavier. Instead, she focused on her gurgling, slurping son.
“You are one noisy cannonball,” she lovingly complained as she stroked her son’s giant bald head. Her thoughts turned to Sara and Tubs. They clearly loved one another. All she had to do was clear up this silly misunderstanding. While Tubs did love her, and she loved him, it was not a romantic love. It was the love of two warriors who fought valiantly against evil day after day, each using their formidable skills to capture criminals. Tubs could do that and love Sara.
While it had taken years for her and Xavier to marry, their situation was very different. She was a young man as far as the world was concerned. Marriage never made any sense until a cannonball began to grow inside her.
But Tubs and Sara…this would be her easiest task ever.
***
Vic grew concerned when neither Sara nor Tubs arrived in her room during the next hour.
Dr. Connors arrived at ten to check on her and her son. Vic insisted he check over Cannonball first. “Why is his head so large?” she demanded, sounding petulant even to her own ear, as if she held the doctor responsible.
To all appearances, he ignored her question and examined the boy, extending his arms and legs, listening to his heart.
“Connors,” she growled, refusing to be ignored.
“Sorry, I was focused on my job. Why is his head so large? I don’t believe it’s significantly larger than the norm.” He ran a string around the boy’s head and then laid it out against a ruler. “Fourteen inches. That’s slightly larger, but then you did not starve yourself or crush your chest and stomach with a corset, so it is natural your son would be larger and healthier than most.”
Vic smiled at his words. Cannon was healthy due to her desire to live the superior life of a young gentleman.
“Now let us see how his mother fares. May I?” he asked before lifting her gown.
“It’s your handiwork,” she replied.
“Tell me if I cause you pain.” He lifted the gown and prodded her belly and below.
“You jest, I hope.”
His brow furrowed. “Is the pain more or less than yesterday?”
Vic considered his question. “I honestly don’t know. I no longer remember the pain from yesterday. I do recall I labeled it excruciating.” She tilted her head as she considered the facts. “Since today it just hurts like hell, I presume it is less than yesterday.”
The tension left his face. “I’ll be going into Seville to get you something that should help ease the pain.”
“Morphine?” She recalled the difficulty Xavier had weaning himself off the stuff. “Don’t bother. The pain isn’t that bad.”
Dr. Connors patted her hand. “I am very glad to hear it. The painkiller I am hoping to acquire is not addictive.”
“You swear?”
His forehead crinkled and eyebrows lowered, leaving no doubt she’d offended him. So she explained herself.
“I remember all too well the hell Xavier went through to wean himself off morphine…and the truth is I don’t think I could do it.”
He gripped her hand. “Not many can once the addiction takes hold. I give you my word, acetylsalicylic acid is not addictive, but it does seem to take the edge off of pain.”
She closed her eyes. “Then stop dawdling and go get this ass-whatever-acid. Seriously, couldn’t they have named it better?”
Connors chuckled as he packed his doctor’s bag. “I’ve suggested Gerhardt call it ‘aspirin’ but he’s a stubborn fellow.”
Once Connors left the room, Vic rolled her eyes. “That’s a stupid name, as well. Men are terrible at naming things, don’t you think, Cannonball?”
He stared at her a moment, then closed his eyes, resting upon her right breast.
***
Vic had hoped to sleep, but she worried her son might crawl off the bed. “This is a cliff. If you go over, you could very well break your neck. And I went through a lot of pain to have you, so I expect, nay demand, that you live to a ripe old age and be a man that I’m proud of. Understand?”
The boy wiggled a bit then fell into the sleep she so wanted.
“I can’t believe you just stole my sleep,” she murmured and stared up at the ceiling trying to ignore the pain in her stomach.
She was still trying to ignore the pain when she heard the door softly open and someone very light-footed enter. It could be Sara or Tubs. They were both light-footed, Tubs oddly being the lightest.
As the person came to her side of the bed, she concluded it had to be Sara, since she wouldn’t have heard Tubs at all. Vic waited, like a Venus fly trap, for the nanny to come closer. When the girl tried to remove Cannon, she gripped her arm.
“It’s just me,” Sara said.
Vic opened her eyes and smiled, still holding onto Sara’s wrist. “You ran off before we could discuss this other woman Tubs feels love for.”
Sara’s face bloomed into the color of red roses as she shook
her head.
“You cannot compare the love of friends to a love of the heart.”
The girl tried to pull away, but Vic refused to let her go. She had too much riding on getting these two ready for a wedding. Thus, she ignored the pain she endured to keep Sara trapped to her side.
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Sara asked.
“Actually, I think I hurt myself, but if you’ll stop trying to leave, I expect the pain will stop,” Vic replied, trying to be fair about the matter. Sara was all too quick to take blame upon herself.
Sara sighed heavily and gazed at Vic with her beautiful brown eyes. “I don’t blame Tubs for loving you. You saved us both from our hellish lives.”
Vic smiled, seeing how she was going to win this argument. “So you love me too?”
Sara nodded vigorously
“Excellent! Then you know exactly what Tubs feels. Your love for me is not one of passion and romance; it’s one of gratitude and friendship. Tubs’ feelings are the same.”
The girl tilted her head and frowned, little creases forming between her eyebrows.
“You don’t believe me?”
Now her forehead crinkled. Clearly the girl did not, but was not willing to admit as much.
“Then you need to ask Tubs if his friendship with me precludes his ability to love someone else.”
Her cheeks reddened again. “I could never…”
“Of course, you can. You don’t have to personalize the question. He will never assume you are asking for yourself. Honestly, you will probably have to propose to Tubs once you get this silly misunderstanding out of the way. Just ask him if he can love another. Simple as that. I am quite confident, in fact, certain that he will tell you he can. Listen to the way he responds because that will betray how deep his love for you is. When you finally realize the depth of his feelings, strike while the iron is hot. Ask him to marry you.”
“I could never…”
“Then ask him to ask you,” Vic stated in frustration. “Tubs loves you, but he believes himself unworthy. He will never act on his own. If you truly love him, you must step away from conventions and take charge of your own life and happiness.”
Sara pressed her hands to her chest. “You truly believe he loves me more than he does you?”
Vic paused. “Well, I can’t say that for sure. But I am certain he loves me in a different way than he loves you, and I am confident he loves you greatly. That is why I suggest you ask if his love for me precludes loving someone else.”
Sara smiled. “May I be excused now?”
“By all means.” Vic would finally be able to sleep, knowing her job was done.
***
Vic awoke to the now familiar weight upon her chest missing and soft crying from the far side of the room. Had Cannon escaped the bed? She opened her eyes to see Sara bathing her son at the dresser.
“He gets that from me. I’ve always hated baths.” While she’d never cried through one, she understood Cannon’s displeasure.
The cries ceased, but the occasional sniffle continued until Vic grew worried. “Sara, does Cannon have a fever? As much as I dislike baths, I’ve never actually whined and sniffled over one.”
“No, he’s fine,” she whispered.
Vic stared at the girl, her shoulders sagging, her head down. “Sara, has something happened?”
“No,” she squeaked out before bursting into heart-rending sobs.
“Bloody hell! Did Tubs not admit the truth?” she demanded. “Bring me Cannon before you drown him in tears.”
Sara wrapped a towel around the child and laid him on Vic’s chest. Vic gripped her hand while it still held Cannon, to ensure the girl didn’t escape. “Sit on the edge of the bed and tell me what happened.”
Cannon fell asleep and Vic almost followed before the poor girl stopped the jagged sobs and calmed enough to speak. Evidently thinking Vic had dozed off, Sara tried to escape, but Vic revived at once. “Tell me what happened?”
Her hair, not in a bun today, hid her face from Vic’s view. “He said he did love someone else.”
“Sara, he was talking about you!” Vic yelled in exasperation. For the love of God, could no one read between the lines?
“But he said his duties to you precluded him acting upon the other.”
Vic was so shocked by his answer that she failed to hold Sara prisoner, and the girl escaped.
“Damn it all!” Vic yelled. “Tubs!”
When her protector didn’t arrive at once, she lost her temper. “Tubs, if you don’t get in here at once, then I’m getting up to find you.” She waited and still nothing. “I’m serious. On the count of ten, I’m getting up.”
Tubs entered as she yelled out “ten”. His head hung low as well. “Sorry. I was outside measuring windows and had to take my shoes off in the kitchen before I could go further in the house.”
“That’s the worse excuse I’ve ever heard. Why would you have to take your shoes off? Just admit it, you wished to avoid me because you know I’m upset with you for breaking Sara’s heart…and your own, by the looks of it.”
He breathed in heavily and his gaze met hers. Honestly, she’d never seen him sadder, not even the day they found him sitting beside an almost dead Xavier. Her temper faded against such misery.
“Why would you tell Sara your friendship with me precludes your love for her?” she asked, pointing to the chair.
He sat, his head hung low as he leaned his elbows on his knees.
“Tubs…”
“Can we just drop this?” he asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
His questioned stunned her. Tubs had never challenged her before, and she didn’t like it at all. “First of all, don’t you dare take over Davy’s occupation of questioning everything I do or say. You have been an exemplary employee up to now, and I don’t want that to change.”
“Then leave this be.” His massive hands opened and closed as if every heartbeat caused him pain.
“I don’t leave crimes ‘be’. I root about and put a stop to them. You know that!”
“This isn’t a crime,” he grumbled.
“The hell it isn’t! You two love each other and putting me in between that love is without question a crime to the heart and you will tell me why or…” Or what? While on a daily basis she threatened to replace Davy with a driver who obeyed her orders, she would never threaten to fire Tubs. But she needed leverage. Something he’d believe. “Or I’ll sit in this bed and worry myself sick because I seem to be hurting two people I love and I can’t fix it, because one of them won’t tell me the facts pertinent to solving this crime.” She ended this tirade with a stern glare at Tubs, although why she bothered, she had no idea. He focused on the floor, rather than her.
“Tubs, you have to explain yourself, or nothing will be right between us. Please…help me fix this.”
Finally, he looked up, his eyes glassy with tears. “I gave Mr. Thorn my word that you would be my only priority.”
“He meant at work,” she insisted.
Tubs’ brow furrowed and he shook his head.
“This is absurd! There is no reason to believe you cannot continue to do your job and marry and love Sara as well. One does not preclude the other.”
“He said you were my top priority.”
“There is a big difference between top priority and only priority? And quite frankly I take issue with me being your top priority. That was fine before, but now you’ve found a wonderful woman who wants to marry you. Sara should be your top priority going forth.”
Tubs shook his head. “That’s not the promise I made to Mr. Thorn. It’s not right for me to ask for things to change now, just because of Sara.”
“The hell it isn’t! You’ve every right to experience love. Xavier should have never set such a standard to begin with, and I’m hoping this is just a misunderstanding. Otherwise, I’m going to have to insist upon taking over the management of all our employees, because this is not
reasonable.”
Chapter 5
Vic woke the moment a cool hand touched her forehead. She growled to warn whoever it was of her bad mood. Her chest echoed the growl. A vaguely familiar chuckle caused her eyes to pop open.
Dr. Connors smiled as he lifted her boy off her chest. With one sniff his smile disappeared. He carried the boy to the wash pan on the dresser and dipped him in the water. It was either too hot or cold, or perhaps Cannon just hated baths, but he felt most adamant about something as he bellowed in rage.
No question where he got his temper. Sounded just like Xavier.
Sara burst into the room and ran to Cannon’s rescue. Dr. Connors relinquished the boy with a scold. “For Gods sake! Your job is to care for the child and Vic. Warm some water because Vic requires a sponge bath and then change the linens.”
The girl’s lips trembled as if she were about to burst into tears.
“Now!” Connors snapped.
“Stop yelling at Sara!” Vic warned. “She hasn’t done anything—“
“My point exactly! There you lay, covered in urine and she’s done nothing. And if an infection sets in, it’s on her head.”
The young woman gasped and ran from the room with Cannon still screaming in her arms. A moment later, Tubs entered, out of breath and glared at Connors. “What did you say to Sara?” he growled.
Vic had seen seasoned criminals tremble at the sight of an angry Tubs, and in truth, he was terrifying her a bit, but Connors actually stepped towards the giant. “I told her to do her job.”
Tubs stepped further in the room so he now towered over Connors. “She does her job.”
Instead of retreating and trying to diffuse the situation, Connors pointed in Vic’s direction. “Then why is Vic covered with urine?”
Tubs’ anger dissipated at once as he approached Vic and sniffed her chest. His hands clenched. “I’ll get you warm water so the doctor can clean you up.”
“That’s not my job,” Connors snapped.
Pack of Trouble (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 5) Page 4
