He leaned his chin on her shoulder and inhaled her warm scent. I’m going to fix things, he silently promised. One way or another, she’s going to be mine.
* * *
Vivi sat a car hired by Owen on her way to his office, Ellie by her side. Not only was Ellie her assistant, she was her rock and the only person she wanted with her when Owen laid out her options. Not the only person, a little voice in her head told her, but Vivi ruthlessly pushed it aside. She’d worked hard for this moment and she had to focus on her career, the one sure thing in her life.
Although Landon had made promises in her mother’s kitchen, he’d been strangely quiet in the two days since. Oh, she’d received flowers after returning home, treats from Faith’s, a new bodyguard suddenly appeared, and Landon had watched her approvingly during rehearsals, a warm glint in his eye.
But he hadn’t approached her about having spoken to his parents, and she could only assume either he’d decided not to burden them or they’d stood their ground and he couldn’t hurt the couple again by walking out of their lives. Not that she’d want him to do that to them anyway. Screwed up, as she’d always thought.
“We’re here!” Ellie’s voice broke into Vivi’s unpleasant thoughts.
They exited the car. She drew a deep breath and pulled herself together. Don’t accept immediately. Say you’ll think about it. Review the contract before signing. Her mother’s wise advice echoed in her head.
Squeezing Ellie’s hand once for luck before releasing her friend, Vivi pulled back her shoulders and walked into Owen’s office, not surprised to see Axel there along with her agent.
He was wearing a tapered European suit in a bold blue color, which made his white-blond hair even more striking. “Vivi!” He stepped forward and embraced her, causing her to stiffen, but before she could back away, Axel released her. “Business only. I’ve been warned.”
A glance over his shoulder showed her Owen grinning. He’d learned from Landon … a name she refused to focus on now.
“Vivi, Ellie, Let’s sit. Axel has exciting news,” Owen said, a gleam in his eye.
Her palms began to sweat as she prepared herself for all sorts of possibilities. Opening for acts on the road or for Vegas residencies. Touring as backup in Europe as many singers did. Any of those things would be a windfall to a starting artist.
“So we’d like to offer you your own tour…” Axel said, and Vivi realized he’d begun speaking. Shit. She was so nervous, thank God she had Ellie here as a second set of ears.
“Vivienne, are you listening? Axel just offered you your own tour!”
“Vivi!” Ellie exclaimed.
“Wait, what? You mean opening for someone, right? Who is it?” She rattled off a list of current pop names, certain she hadn’t heard him say she was headlining.
“Vivi, I said your own tour.” Axel was grinning from ear to ear.
“But … why me?” This wasn’t how new singers typically started.
“Clearly you haven’t been listening or you’re seriously underestimating your sudden rise to fame this summer,” Axel said. “One million Instagram followers, Vivi. Add to that your YouTube views and the scalping going on for tickets at Club TEN29? You’re a star, baby. Now let me launch you into the stratosphere.”
She blinked in utter shock while Ellie’s fingernails dug into her arm in excitement. Her friend knew better than to squeal the way she wanted to. The way Vivi wanted to.
“Vivienne?” Owen looked at her with a worried expression.
She ran her tongue over her dry lips and tried to speak past the lack of saliva in her mouth. No matter how excited she was, and she did want to jump up and dance and scream, she understood this was a business deal and she would only have one first opportunity to get it right.
“Draw up the contracts and send them over.” She pulled in deep breaths. “I’ll be hiring an entertainment lawyer to look things over.” Catching Owen about to argue, she shook her head. “I want, I need a second look.”
“Fine, fine. Do you want me to recommend someone?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll handle it.” She needed someone who had her best interests in mind, not her agent’s.
She could barely process what was happening around her as Axel rose to his feet. “We’re going to do right by you. The music you’re recording now will find a home with the perfect label. Your tour will break records, I just know it, and my gut is never wrong.”
Everything she’d ever hoped for and dreamed of was coming true, all because she’d taken a trip to a bar one night, needing to sing. Her best friend was by her side. Her mother would be thrilled. So why was there an emptiness in her chest she couldn’t relieve?
She rose to her feet and shook Axel’s hand, then Owen grasped her palm. “I believed in you from day one, Vivienne. This is just the beginning.”
She managed a nod and a smile because she was still in shock.
The next thing she knew, she and Ellie were back on the street, and her best friend shrieked and pulled her into a hug. “Vivi Z. You are going to be a star!” Another scream came after that, and Vivi laughed, finally letting herself feel the energy and excitement that came with accepting this was real. “But why am I sensing sadness, too?” Ellie asked.
“Because you know me well.” Vivi sighed. “Landon came to see me at my mother’s house the other day.”
Ellie’s eyes opened wide. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because despite the fact that he apologized, key things haven’t changed. His parents don’t approve, and though normally I’d say fuck it, he’s a grown man, we both know why their opinion matters. Imagine them losing another son because of me? Vic’s sister?” She shook her head.
A car honked in the street, and another driver got angry and honked longer and louder.
She waited until the pissing contest ended and then started talking again. “I won’t be responsible for destroying that family. They’ve been through enough. So I need to get over Landon Bennett.” The words hurt to say and even worse to feel. “Besides, I’m leaving and I’ll be traveling all over the world. Even if we worked things out, when would I see him?”
“The family part I understand. The travel? Pfft.” Ellie waved a hand through the air. “That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it. You’re just scared.”
She drew in a breath of steamy summer air. “I am not… Yes, I am. I’m petrified,” she admitted out loud for the first time. “That man holds my heart in his hands, and if I keep saying it can’t work, that it never could work, I’m protecting myself.”
“Except you’re not. Because you’re hurting anyway.”
“I am.” She looked up into the bright sun and blinked, letting the tears fall. “I love him, Ellie. And I am so scared of losing him I’m not giving him a chance.”
Ellie squeezed her hand. “Listen to me. You fell for the one guy that isn’t easy. You’re both going to have to work at it to have a relationship. The question is, is it worth fighting for?”
Vivi didn’t hesitate, nodding immediately. “God, yes. None of this feels as exciting as it could if he was in my life.” And he wanted to be there. She was the one pushing him away.
Suddenly she knew what she had to do. The very thought made her want to vomit, but like Ellie said, she had to fight for the life she desired. “I have to go somewhere. Can you catch a cab or an Uber back home?”
Ellie nodded. “Go get your man.”
That wasn’t exactly what Vivi had in mind. There was something else she needed to handle first.
* * *
Landon sat on his parents’ back patio, the sun beating down overhead, both his mom and dad staring at him from the double porch swing while Landon sat on a chair across from them. Silence sounded as loud as any band could have considering the bomb he’d dropped not long after arriving.
“Mom, Dad, I love you both. I know you lost Levi, and I don’t want to cause you any more pain, but I love Vivi and I’m going to be wi
th her. If you want me to be part of your lives, holidays, birthdays, Sunday dinners, you’re going to have to come to terms with our relationship.”
His mother blinked back tears, but Landon saw the understanding in her expression. His father? Not so much.
“Do you realize that she’s grieving?” Landon asked them. “She didn’t like her brother. She didn’t have a relationship with him as adults, but she lost a sibling just like I did. And guess what? I left her alone after it happened. I didn’t even take her to the car to go see her mother. I just stood there while she walked out.”
“Landon!” His mother sounded horrified.
Good. Because he hadn’t forgiven himself for that yet. “Don’t you see? She’s not her brother. I want you to get to know her and judge her for who she is. Not who she’s related to.”
His mother nodded slowly. “I … I can do that. Because I love you, Landon, and I just want you to be happy. And part of my life.” She turned to her husband. “Samuel?”
His father, who had always been a kind, understanding man, rose and folded his arms across his chest, the years of pain, of loss etched in the lines on his face.
Suddenly the doorbell rang, the chimes sounding outside, where they’d installed them so they’d hear if someone came by when they were out by the pool.
“Are you expecting anyone?” his father asked.
His mother shook her head.
“I’ll get it,” he muttered, taking the excuse to walk out without answering or dealing with the question at hand.
With a sigh, she looked at Landon. “He’ll come around. You just have to understand how difficult this all is.”
“I do, Mom. Trust me. And so does Vivi. She’s the one who doesn’t want us to be together because it hurts both of you. She’s a good person.”
When his father didn’t return right away, Landon glanced inside. “Who could it be? If it was a delivery, he’d have been back out here by now.”
“Come. Let’s go inside and see. I’ll talk to him for you, honey.”
He wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. Love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Together they headed inside only to find Landon’s father standing with Vivi in the entryway of the house. Landon’s heart slammed inside his chest as he took in his father’s hard expression and Vivi’s pale face.
“Vivi?” Landon strode over and met her gaze. “What are you doing here?”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “I thought it would be a good idea if I talked to your parents.” She bit down on her lower lip, obviously nervous.
Too bad that little gesture had him wanting to nibble on the fleshy pout, too.
“Hello, Vivi. I think new introductions are in order, yes? I’m Carrie and you’re welcome in my home.” His mother put out a hand and touched Vivi’s.
Landon let out a relieved sigh but he wasn’t truly breathing. Not until his father came around.
“Samuel?” Carrie nudged him with her elbow but Vivi shook her head.
“Please don’t force him. I just came today to tell you that I’m very sorry for what my brother did to your son.” She drew a heavy sigh. “Vic was a very disturbed boy and man. I didn’t have a relationship with him. Neither did my mother. He was just too far gone to help, and my mother couldn’t live with the things he’d done.”
Vivi’s trembling voice put a stranglehold on Landon’s heart.
“I realize that I’m a reminder of everything,” she went on. “But I want you to know…” Her gaze fell on Landon. “I love your son. I love him enough to walk away so you don’t lose another child by forcing him to give you an ultimatum.”
Her words shocked Landon, taking him completely off guard. But her soft gaze never left his as she spoke.
Before he could walk over and pull her into his arms, his father said, “If you’re so willing to walk away to give us peace, why are you even here? Why not just let Landon go?” Samuel asked. He sounded genuinely curious, not angry.
Carrie gasped at the question and Landon took a step toward his father, no plan in mind, but Vivi grabbed his arm.
“I came because I wanted to tell you I was sorry. And to explain that I really do love Landon. Whatever you decide, I understand. But if you can find it in your heart to accept me, I’ll do everything I can to make him happy.” She turned and walked out, leaving them all stunned.
Landon had every intention of following her out, his father’s feelings be damned, but he paused to glare at the parent who’d raised him to be a better man. “How could you–”
Samuel shook his head. “Go after her, son,” he said in an understanding voice. “I’ll be here when you come back. With Vivi. I just wanted to know where her head was. I want the best for you.”
With a half nod, Landon turned and ran for the front door, wanting to get to Vivi before a car arrived to take her back to the city.
* * *
Seven minutes until the Uber showed up. Dammit. Vivi glanced at the house and turned away, not wanting anyone to see the tears streaming down her face.
She’d done what she came to do. She’d faced Landon’s parents and apologized for her brother and admitted her feelings, although she hadn’t anticipated Landon being there when she did. Talk about mortifying. But tomorrow, she’d be able to look in the mirror and know she’d done what she could to salvage a relationship that meant everything to her.
“Vivi!” The door to the house slammed open and Landon strode out, a determined look on his face.
She wrapped her arms around herself and turned to him. “I hope I didn’t make things worse with your family. Your father especially.”
He shook his head, cupping his hands around her cheeks. “You’re one brave woman, Vivi Zane. And I love you, too.”
She blinked, forcing the tears to continue to fall. “I’m sorry your father can’t accept me but I do understand. I just needed to come and explain my side. I wanted them to see me.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You did what I couldn’t. I gave them an ultimatum, though my mother didn’t need one. My father was going to stand his ground, and I was ready to walk away. To come to you regardless of what they wanted. And then you showed up and you softened him.” Reaching up, he threaded his fingers through her hair. “I love you, Vivi.”
Her heart swelled with love for this man who was willing to choose her. “Really?”
He nodded. “Definitely,” he said with a grin. “You know, when I lost my twin, I lost a part of myself. I never thought I’d find anyone who’d complete me. I watched Jason then Tanner pair off, and still, it didn’t feel possible for me. Even knowing my parents had a solid thirty-year marriage, I thought I’d be alone. And then I met you and something about you called to me.”
She slid her hands around his waist. “I felt it, too. At first I chalked it up to just attraction, but there was a deeper pull. I’ve never been in love before either. But I love you. Enough to put your family’s happiness above my own.”
“Listen to me, Vivienne Zane. You are my happiness. And we’re stronger together. So from now on, we’re a team.”
“A long-distance team?” she asked.
He narrowed his gaze. “Did you get news from Owen?”
She held her breath before telling him, knowing this meant they’d be pulled apart just when they’d gotten together. Would he share in her excitement and joy? Or would the reality make him sorry he’d chosen her?
“Vivi? Tell me.” His hands slid from her cheeks to her forearms.
“Axel – who was on his best behavior thanks to you talking to Owen – offered me my own world tour.”
A few silent beats passed while he processed the news. “Holy shit, Vivi.”
She nodded. “My thoughts exactly.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth.
Before she could ask him his feelings, he picked her up and swung her around. “That’s my girl! You’re going places and I�
�m so fucking proud of you!”
He spun her twice until she was dizzy and laughing out loud. “Put me down!” Although he complied, he held on to her, his hands around her waist as he pulled her against him.
“I can’t wait to see you conquer the world,” he said, warmth and honest pride in his eyes.
God, this man. He was so special and good to her. Good for her. “What about us?”
“I’m not going anywhere. We’ll make it work.” And with that pronouncement, he bent his head and captured her lips with his.
Once his mouth met hers, all the longing and desire she’d kept tucked away came roaring back with a vengeance. His tongue curled around hers as he kissed her in front of the entire neighborhood and she didn’t care.
Not when the man she loved had her in his arms. She still didn’t know how they’d handle a long-distance future, but she was going to do everything she could to make sure they stayed together.
Forever.
Epilogue
Vivi ended her last song at Club TEN29, though she’d already been informed she had an open invitation to return any time. She performed an encore, a new song she’d been working on recording in the studio. The experience felt so different now, knowing she’d be performing her music across the world.
The good news was the album would come first, no travel until she completed her music, so she and Landon had more time together in New York and she’d have more time with her mom, who was still grieving Vic’s death. She was about to walk offstage to the audience clapping when Landon unexpectedly joined her.
“How about another round of applause for our summer star!” he said, raising their now joined hands in the air.
She took her bows and met Landon’s gaze, shocked by the emotion she saw in his expression and the love gleaming from his eyes. Not that she didn’t know how he felt—he showed her every night—but this was a public expression of his feelings.
He held on to her hand, turning it over so her palm faced down. She sensed the moment the audience felt the change in him … in them, and a hush fell over the club as he slipped his free hand into his pants pocket.
Better than Sexy Page 14
