Her father gave her a pained look, and Lily could tell he was struggling. Maybe she’d gone too far. She was the glue. The oldest. Everyone had a role to play in the family and she was the one that held it all together. Making waves was not Lily’s roll. She shouldn’t have gone there. “You know what, it’s fine. It’s none of my business, and of course you can come to my wedding. I’ll send you an evite.”
Her father looked at her then and for the first time his eyes hit her with what she could see was anger. It was anger mixed with a certain amount of pain. That part Lily knew well. “You know what, did you ever stop to think that she may have asked me to leave?”
The words stopped Lily cold and she couldn’t help her shocked expression. She wanted to know more, but her father held his mouth firmly shut.
“Of course she didn’t ask you to leave,” Lily said, now dismissing his premise. “As soon as you were gone, in like a minute and a half you had another girlfriend, then another and another.”
Her father shook his head. “Okay, you got me there. But that doesn’t change the fact that she didn’t want me anymore. That she was the one that said go. We fought a lot. She said I brought out the worst in her, and maybe I did. So she told me she didn’t want me there, making her unhappy anymore. I loved your mother. Still do. More than anyone or anything. And the last thing I ever wanted to do was make her unhappy or have her not be her best self because of me.”
Lily was stunned. She didn’t know what to say or do about her father and his backward logic about love. Or maybe it wasn’t so backward after all. Shit, how far was it from the craziness she had going on with Vin?
With a long sigh, she and her father finished eating their sandwiches in silence. Lily’s phone pinged, and she looked down to see a message from Vin.
Dinner tonight? Breakfast tomorrow? V.
Lily smiled. She looked over at her father and didn’t respond to Vin. Maybe after lunch she’d answer him. Right now she needed to just sit and be for a moment.
Chapter 22
By the time Lily got to Canela it was well past dinner, but she knew Vin would still whip her up something to eat. What she didn’t expect was to find Manny serving a group of women still at the bar and Vin in deep conversation with skanky Lacy Colten, who, judging by her leanings, was more into his thighs than the drink in front of her. Lily hadn’t seen Lacy since Sophie and Simon’s wedding, but judging by how cozy she was, it was clear that she was no stranger to Canela.
Lily let out a sigh of capitulation as she took in the scene. Lacy leaning in, showing off her breasts and twisting her long weave. Vin being stoic but still engaged, giving off that tough, hard-to-get thing he does so well. Lily shook her head. And so it begins, Lily thought, as her eyes connected with Vin’s and she gave him a nod before making her way up the back stairs to his apartment to undress and crawl into bed.
* * *
Lily woke to see Vin as he stood naked by the window, his body shadowed in the moonlight. For a moment she thought this time she must surely be dreaming, he was such an awe-inspiring vision. But then he turned to her and his eyes connected with hers, and it was as if her whole world opened up for a moment and she saw infinity.
He reached out his hand to her, and as if floating she rose from the bed and went to him under what felt like a spell. “What time is it?” she asked.
Vin pulled her to him and gently tugged the T-shirt she was wearing over her head. “It’s late, but not too late.”
The sliding doors to the deck were open and the night air was warm. The breeze hitting her now-exposed breasts caused her nipples to pebble immediately, or maybe it was the intense electric heat of his gaze. He reached out a hand, then brought his blunt fingertips from her collarbone down between her breasts to her navel, and then down to the V between her legs. Lily felt a shiver run through her body and liquid pool between her legs.
God, it was just one touch and already she was ready for him. Was that all it took? A touch, a look, and nothing more than that for him to take control? For a moment a shiver of fear went through her, and Vin leaned forward. “Don’t do that, baby. Don’t hold back. Let yourself go. You’re safe with me.”
She looked at him then. In that moment wanting more than anything to believe his words of safety. But was the heart ever really protected? Lily smiled what she knew was a weak smile. “I will if you will.”
He gave her that grin then. The one that was both sweetness and sin. “Love, all you have to do is ask.”
Then he took a nipple into his mouth as he lifted her around his waist to mount him. He leaned her against the sliding door glass. As the surf crashed in her ears he crashed against her soul.
* * *
Lily’s cell rang early the next morning, and she picked it up groggily.
“Are we going shopping, or are you going to make this ditching your grandmother for a hot chef hunk a habit? Let me know now, because I only got so many good years left, and if there’s a will to be amended I need to get on that.”
Lily let out a deep breath. “Of course we’re going shopping, and of course I didn’t ditch you. I’ll be there, my usual time.”
“Great, just make sure you do.”
All Lily got after that was the silence of the disconnected call leaving her shaking her head.
“Who was that?” Vin said from by her side.
“That was Mama Dee. Today is our shopping day. I’m taking her to look for her dress for the wedding this afternoon.”
She thought she may have heard Vin give a grunt, but then he said, “Cool.”
Lily snorted. “You think?”
Vin looked at her. “Yeah, I do.”
Lily suddenly felt awful. He was right, and she loved her outings with Mama Dee. “You’re right. It’s just early and someone tired me out last night.”
Vin brought his hands up from her waist to her breasts. “Well, it is pretty early, so we could technically close our eyes and pretend it’s still night.”
Lily smiled and turned fully into his embrace. “Yes, we could.”
He leaned down and drew her nipple into his mouth, sending a thrilling shockwave throughout her body while she reached down for his hardness. He grinned. “You know, you sure don’t seem like a woman about to get married.”
Lily pushed herself up then and straddled him. “Well, sir, times are changing and everything ain’t what it looks like.”
Vin looked up at her with eyes full of admiration as he stroked her from her collarbone to her waist. “And thank God some things still are.”
* * *
In a postsex haze Lily picked up Mama Dee promptly at eleven. She came out as if she was waiting right behind the door for her to show. Lily kissed the woman’s cool cheek and smiled. Mama Dee looked cute in her purple shorts set with rosettes at the shirt neck. Like everyone’s favorite grandmother. No one would suspect what a spitfire she was under all that sweetness.
“So where to today?” Lily asked. “Galleria or fancy mall?”
Mama Dee snorted. “You know in my day the Galleria was the fancy mall. You kids these days with your high standards.” She let out a sigh, then she straightened herself in the seat. “Well, I’ve had my eye on a dress at Sears, so Galleria is fine by me. Though I don’t know, I may just order one I saw at Penney’s.”
“No worries, we can hit both if you’re up to it.”
Mama Dee grinned. “Up to it? I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Lily reached back for her purse in order to check her phone before they started off, but when she did it wasn’t there. “Crap, I left my phone.”
“At home? I guess you’re lost for the day.”
Lily felt the heat come to her cheeks. She really didn’t want to have the conversation. But then again she really didn’t want to go without her phone. “No, at Vin’s. I was there earlier.”
She didn’t want to face her, but she could feel Mama Dee’s eyes. “Were you, now? Well, his place is not far, I hear. I guess we shou
ld go and pick it up. I’ve been wanting to see that restaurant of his.”
Lily snorted. “And how do you know where his place is?”
But Mama Dee was quick to snort back. “Oh please Lil’ Miss. It will be a frozen day in hell when I don’t know what’s going on in this town, especially when it has something to do with one of my girls.”
Sure, Lily knew she could put on airs about privacy and small towns but really it would just be her flapping her gums in the breeze for nothing. Mama Dee was old school and those women in the cartel knew things the NSA probably had trouble finding out.
Lily heard Mama Dee chuckle and shook her head. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, I was just thinking, isn’t it perfect how things can work out sometimes?”
Lily raised a brow. “Yeah, I don’t know if I’d call it that in this instance.” But the annoyed tone in her voice only served to tickle Mama Dee that much more, and Lily knew she was in for it. The last thing she wanted was Vin and Mama Dee in the same room, but it seemed like that was going to be just what she got. She needed her phone, and that was all there was to it.
As they pulled up in front of Canela, Vin came outside, the loudness of the car announcing her arrival before she even came to a stop. He looked good in his usual tee and jeans. He seemed surprised but not too caught off guard by her pulling up with Mama Dee. He leaned over to the passenger seat to greet her. “It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Perry.”
“It’s Henton, but please, child, call me Mama Dee.”
He smiled. “Mama Dee, then.” He looked over at Lily with a question in his eyes.
“I forgot my phone,” she said. “I’ll just run and get it. I’ll just be a moment. Mama Dee, you wait here.”
Mama Dee made a face then. “Where the hell do you think I’m going, I’d like to know?”
Lily watched as Mama Dee and Vin shared a conspiratorial look.
By the time Lily came back downstairs Mama Dee was in Canela’s dining room looking around and surveying the place just as fine as can be. Lily looked at her with wide eyes. “I thought I told you to stay in the car, and don’t we have some shopping to do?”
Mama Dee cut Lily with a sharp eye, then waved her hand. “I’m going to give you a pass on that one, since you’re in front of your little friend here.”
Lily felt her cheeks heat because, one, she’d been put in her place in front of Vin and, two, there was not a thing on him that could be described as little. She looked over at Vin, who was smiling at the “little” comment.
Mama Dee continued. “The stores ain’t going nowhere, and I wanted to see where your ceremony is going to be.” She turned to Vin. “Your place is lovely. You’ve done a fine job keeping it up from the previous owners, made some fine improvements, but have not strayed too far from the original. I like that. And I bet your food is a lot better than that jar sauce they used to try to pass off as homemade.”
Lily opened her mouth in shock. “Mama Dee!”
“Oh, hush. I’m not saying nothing the whole town don’t know.” She took Vin’s arm then and let him lead her to the patio. She looked out onto the beach, and Lily followed.
“Now, this is glorious.” She turned to Lily. “Did I tell you how your grandfather and I used to love the beach?”
Lily shook her head.
“Well, he did. He loved the water and me. I daresay I won out over the water. He was in the navy, you know, and looked so fine in his suit. Navy, as well as swim. Not that I was a slacker back then, mind you.” Lily thought about Vin and how fine he looked as he surfed.
Mama Dee gave the shoreline a long look and smiled. “Yes we used to have a fine time.” She seemed to laugh to herself. Lily and Vin just looked at her. “We ran two temperatures, he and I—hot and hotter. There was no tepid for us. But I don’t know if you young ones know about that.” She waved her hand and turned to go back inside. “With you all it’s PC this and don’t offend that. No, that wasn’t us. We leaped and looked afterward. You have only one life. Might as well live it while you can.”
“Can I offer you something to eat or drink, Mama Dee?” Vin asked as they made their way back inside.
Mama Dee shook her head. “Not now, sweetheart, but soon. I gather I’ll get to try your skills at Lily’s shindig if not before.”
Vin looked to Lily and then nodded.
Over by the bar Mama Dee paused and looked at the photo of Vin’s mother. “Is that your mother?”
Vin coughed and then nodded. “Was.”
“Mama Dee, I think we’d better go if we’re going to have time to shop.”
But Mama Dee just stared at Vin. She reached up and touched his face. She smiled before getting solemn. “I knew that I knew those eyes of yours. They are so like hers. I’m so sorry for your loss, darling. She was a beautiful spirit. And so proud of you.” Mama Dee smiled to herself, then looked back at Vin. “I loved your little stand on the beach. Your mama could cook. It’s no wonder you got a gift,” she said. “I’m sure she continues to surround you with her love and that beautiful spirit I remember so well.”
Lily saw Vin’s jaw tighten, and he swallowed hard.
Uh oh, Mama Dee was in off-limits territory, but he didn’t try to brush her off and he wasn’t abrasive or stiff. “Thank you for that,” was all he said.
Lily came over and took Mama Dee’s arm. “Come on, I really think we need to go.”
Mama Dee laughed. “All right, but I don’t want you complaining when I try on every dress in the store.”
They got in the car, and Lily couldn’t get away from Canela and to the mall quick enough.
“So what’s the rush?” Mama Dee asked from the passenger seat.
“The rush was getting you out of there. Don’t think I don’t know what you were trying to do with all that talk about you and Granddaddy as if you were the most glorious love story ever.”
“And who says we weren’t, little Miss Know-It-All?”
Lily shook her head and let out a low breath.
Mama Dee did the same before she spoke. “Girl, you know you’re my favorite, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have faults to spare. You need to get up and get out of your own head every once in a while. If not, one day that wall you got built up is going to topple right down on you and bury you.”
“Geez, Mama Dee. And they say I’m dramatic.”
“It’s not dramatics if it’s the truth. You need to look beyond yourself sometimes to see. Love and pain is all around. You don’t have the monopoly on either. Besides, you’ve got a good one there. Not to mention he can cook. I’d think carefully if I were you before casually tossing that man aside.”
Lily just shook her head and kept driving. This was going to be quite the long day.
Chapter 23
Lily didn’t know why she’d agreed that this bachelorette party was a good idea. Not that a night out with gorgeous men is ever a bad idea. But when you added her sisters, Bobbi, her mom, and Mama Dee, who was the mad architect of all of this, well, things got a little dicey.
The wedding was two weeks away. Lily was annoyed that she was more nervous than she really should have been. Was this type of anxiety what all brides went through? If so, then she really should work on her Bride-Side Manner, so to speak, because she had constant twinges and pains in her stomach that alternated between simple butterflies over things going right to out-and-out banging boulders over her making a complete fool of herself.
She and Vin’s truce over the wedding was holding steady, though try as hard as he did to keep thing cool and easy, she could tell it still wasn’t sitting right with him, and though she refused to regret these months with him, she was coming to regret her part in pulling him in on something he clearly didn’t want to be a part of. It was Canela’s day to be closed, and she and Vin had plans to get out on the water early and then lounge in bed for most of the afternoon until it was time for her to head to her mom’s to meet her friends and family for the start of the party. The earl
y surfing didn’t happen, but they were well into the bed portion when Lily’s phone rang. She ignored it, but when a text ping came, she looked away from Vin, who was cleverly doing some magic with his tongue, and over to the nightstand.
“I think I should check that.”
He looked up at her and raised a brow. “Have at it. I’ll be down here. Don’t mind me.”
Lily laughed at his silliness as he made a show of burying his head back under the covers. She was enjoying the moment and never wanting it to end.
She reached for the phone while he tickled at her side. Wiggling she checked the message and jumped up. “Shit!”
Vin’s head popped from under the covers. “It’s my dress. They screwed up at the shop and messed up the order. They need me to come in right away and get measured again if I’m going to get my dress in time. With two weeks to go, how in the hell am I going to get my dress in time?” Lily’s heart began to pound in triple-time. Dammit. That dress was the one wedding day detail she’d felt absolutely certain about. She blinked quickly as tears threatened.
Vin gave her a pat on the side of her naked thigh. “Come on.”
She looked at him wide eyed. “What are you talking about? Didn’t you just hear me? I can’t go anywhere with you. I have to go check on this dress thing.”
He nodded. “I know, love, so let’s go. I’m taking you. You are getting yourself all worked up, and frankly you’re exhausted. You don’t look like you can walk down the stairs let alone drive yourself to the shop. Come on, let me help you get dressed and I’ll take you over.”
Lily swallowed and blinked faster.
Vin shook his head and gave her a stern look. “Don’t you dare, Lil. I’m not having any crying out of you. This is supposed to be a happy time. And besides”—he leaned over, kissed her softly, and ran his hand up between her thighs before pulling back. “I was just about to be well on my way to heaven. If anyone should be crying, it ought to be me.”
To Me I Wed Page 21
