He didn’t know what he was waiting for, but when Julian said nothing, he took that as his answer and started up the steps.
“Wait.”
He heard the rustle and turned to see Julian standing. Then a light flicked on, filling the room with brightness, showing how tired and disheveled his guy looked.
“It’s not that easy, Luc,” Julian said. “I just had the rug yanked out from under me. Your family supports you. I saw it at your brother’s. I didn’t expect this. Travis had a hand in me losing everything today, my business, this house. He’s trying to squeeze me into submission. I never would have believed it. Ann, I spoke with her. She’s still trying to digest it. She didn’t know I was gay. Apparently I hid it so well. But, plain and simple, Lubbock may not be an option anymore when people are forced to pick sides. My family’s roots are deep here, but mine aren’t, apparently.”
He wasn’t sure what Julian was saying. “So do I go?” he asked, his heart squeezing. For a second, he didn’t want to know the answer. Again, his world was crashing around him.
“Unfortunately, we’re both going to have to go. I could fight this…” He stopped, and Luc still wondered what bomb was about to drop. He was tired of feeling this way and not being able to put his heart out there in entirety. This cat and mouse game of being safe and then not.
“What is it that you want to do?” Luc said. “This is your place, your home. You wanted to come back here, and you know why, but do you want to stay here? Do you want me to go? Tell me what you want from me, because I’m not going to sit here and wait for you to decide whether you feel it’s safe to have a relationship with me. I need you to be honest enough with me. I deserve that much. You want me to go, I’ll go, but figure it out.” He started to turn away again.
“I think we need to come up with a plan B,” Julian said. “Honestly, I did consider for a second what would happen if I caved in to my brother’s demands, but the first thing I thought of was Rose.” He sounded so sad. “I asked myself as I was sitting here what she’d do, but I already knew. She hid. She ran away to save herself, and now she has a great guy, and she’s happy. We need to go, to move. We can’t stay here, so the only thing we need to decide is where to go to start again.”
Chapter 16
“Your brother is on the phone,” said Natalie, Vic’s plump assistant, as she poked her head into his office.
He looked up from the reports he was finally getting to, the permits that still hadn’t come through, and some of the problem areas pointed out by the building inspector. “Which one?” he asked. Chase, it had to be. He was the one checking in all the time.
“The fighter,” she said as if he should know.
He picked up the phone as the door closed. “Aaron, how’re things?” he said, trying to remember where he was now, back home in Alabama or getting ready for another fight.
“Sitting in a hotel room in Seattle with an icepack on my face,” Aaron said. He sounded off, and Vic wondered for a second, by the nasal sound of his voice, whether he’d broken his nose this time.
“I missed the Seattle fight,” Vic said. “Sorry.” He could have gone. He needed to keep track better. Chase was usually the one calling the brothers, each of them, to remind them to show up at Aaron’s fights in their parts of the country.
“Chase was here,” Aaron said. “He brought Rose. She stayed at the hotel, though, with Billy Jo….”
Vic heard him saying something to someone in the background. “Chase there?” he asked, wondering whether his brother was now hounding Aaron.
“No, that was Brittany, bringing me more ice. Listen, I called because I wanted to tell you before Chase does that Brittany and I are getting married. We’re thinking Vegas next week, between fights.”
There was silence as Vic felt his brother’s joy shining through the phone. “I’m so happy for you, for Brittany,” he said. “Just tell me where and I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it. You did call to invite me, right?”
He heard a sharp laugh and then a groan. “Okay, don’t make me laugh. My ribs hurt. Took a pounding last night. Yeah, would be nice if you showed. Oh, and was wondering too whether you’ve talked to Luc?”
Now what? was all he could think. “Ah, not other than a few days ago when he was at my place before he moved off to Lubbock with that guy.” What was his name? Julian, right. The connection to Rose was something he should talk about with Chase more just to make sure nothing could come out of the woodwork to hurt her.
“Yeah, didn’t think he’d call you,” Aaron said.
Oh no, had something gone wrong? He’d thought they were past this distance. Maybe Luc would never believe Vic truly accepted him. “What happened?”
“Lubbock isn’t going to work. He’s leaving—or rather, they’re leaving.”
Both his feet dug into the carpet beneath his feet as he stood up, walked over to the window, and looked out down at the people on the street below. “So it didn’t work out with Julian,” he said. He’d worried Luc was jumping into things way too fast.
“It’s not that, Vic. It’s more that the family, or the brother, Travis, is the problem. Luc didn’t say much, just that they’re both leaving and something about sending his things out to me. So I’m calling you.”
He could hear Aaron talking to who he thought was Brittany again in the background. He was hurt that Luc still felt he couldn’t call him. Why wouldn’t he? But Aaron and Luc had always been close, and it was probably more instinct than anything that when something happened, Aaron was Luc’s go-to brother.
“I told Luc he can crash at my place, him and Julian,” Aaron said. “I understand it’s a time-sensitive issue.”
“In what way?” Vic was looking around his office, feeling so out of a family he’d at one time kept at arm’s length.
“They’re leaving tonight, kind of like a midnight move, but Greensboro may not be exactly the most accepting place for them. I didn’t say that to Luc because they’ve got to go, and it’s more about landing somewhere and then getting their ducks in a row, but wouldn’t it be better if Luc and Julian were to go to Oregon instead, where you are? Come on, Vic. Call Luc. You did it once.” Aaron was to the point, but then, he never beat around the bush when he had something to say.
“I did, and I offered him a job, too, which he didn’t want.” In fact, Luc had turned him down flat, so what was he supposed to do, make him? As if.
“I’m talking about Julian,” Aaron said. “Luc is more about having a family. He’s not a career guy like Julian, who had his ad agency, marketing, promotion. Everything dried up for him because he came out, or so Luc mentioned. Couldn’t you help with something there?”
He could, but would Luc resent him? And Julian…he didn’t really know him well. “Yeah, I’ll call him,” Vic said. “How come Chase isn’t all over this? You said he was there at your fight.”
“Past tense. Gone this morning. His legal services are needed back at home. He has a new client, he said, and they left. Was going to call him, but didn’t you say you wanted to help?” Aaron was direct, and Vic was sensing something else, too.
“And? Come on, Aaron. I know you. What else is it that has you calling me to handle Luc when he called you, not me?” It was just one of his rules: He never interfered unless someone came to him for help. Interfering was Chase’s thing.
“You know Luc wants a family, kids. He’s talking about adoption, but out here, not everyone is accepting of who he is, and he’d be fighting just one more closed minded community that could be the deciding factor in whether he and Julian get a kid. Alabama is the wrong place. He has strong ties to family in Oregon, but even California and Washington would be way better options. Just saying it doesn’t hurt to give him a nudge.”
Long after Aaron had hung up, Vic held the phone and stayed at the window, looking down, trying to figure out how to reach out to the one brother he’d have sworn would always be at a distance no matter what he did.
Chapter 17
/> “I need you to slow down for a bit,” Vic told Fiona. “Quitting would be an even better option.”
He knew as soon as he’d said the words that she’d taken them the wrong way. She took on that stubborn look that let him know she wouldn’t consider discussing the topic. She was an independent woman, one he couldn’t manage. At times, he found navigating their conversations worse than wading through a minefield.
“No.” She rested her hand on his as he slid it over the small swell of her belly. That was his baby, whose heartbeat he’d heard just that morning. It had shaken him and had him wanting to carry her upstairs and tuck her into bed, which was something she’d never allow. “You worry too much, Vic. I’m fine. The baby’s fine. We’ve been through this. Go fuss over your brother.”
Fiona had her head back on the sofa. Today she was wearing cut-offs, revealing her slender, sexy long legs, and a teal tank top that showed how her breasts had swelled. There wasn’t a part of her he hadn’t tasted and loved, and he was tempted now to scoop her up and take her upstairs so he could convince her while buried inside her how it would be in her best interest to listen to him. It was underhanded, but he’d stooped to such depths when he couldn’t reason with her, like now.
Her smile was intoxicating, her lips inviting, as her dark eyes lit up with humor. He kissed her hand as she reached over and touched his face. He could hear the scratch of whiskers. “Luc’s fine,” he said. “He doesn’t need me fussing over him. You do. Besides, let him and Julian settle in upstairs. I’m just glad he came when I called, glad he was open to moving here until he and Julian can find their footing—but you, you’ve been far too tired for my liking. You’re my first responsibility. You don’t need to work. We’ve been through this.” It was going nowhere. Damn, she could be so stubborn.
“It’s not about having to work. You know that. I love what I do. I love my shop. It fills me with purpose. I’m not stopping, so you can quit with all this cajoling and then sex when you don’t get your way. Not that I mind the sex. It’s fantastic,” she added, her smile deepening as she took a breath. “But I’m not quitting. I told you that. I won’t close up shop or hand it over for someone to run for me, so you can also knock it off with shutting off my alarm clock so I miss opening up. This morning, that was so uncool, and yes, I saw that you went behind my back and asked my manager to take care of things for me. You scare her.” She tapped his shoulder.
What could he say? He’d known she’d be upset, but he’d seen how tired she was, and him pawing at her every night in bed and moving inside her, connecting with her, was something he couldn’t stop. It was as if his body, his mind, his soul were making up for all the years he’d been without her. He needed her, and she was so much inside him now that he couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her, to the baby. But he couldn’t say it.
“I could say I’m sorry, but I won’t,” he said. “And your employees should be scared of me. I have a mind to stop in and make sure they know making anything difficult for you could be a disaster for them. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the dark circles under your eyes. How about a compromise?” He couldn’t believe he was suggesting it, and he knew no one would have believed it, since Vic McCabe didn’t compromise with anyone—except Fiona.
“A compromise? This sounds a lot like you finding another way of getting me to sit here with my feet up all day, doing nothing. Not happening, Vic. I’m not about to be waited on.”
She was on a roll, so he slid his hand over her mouth, running his thumb over the lips he could have spent hours kissing, just to get her to stop talking, to hear reason. “Just listen and hear me out before you shut me down. Come on, Fiona.”
She slid her hand over his, linking their fingers. “But you don’t play fair.” She sounded worried.
“I love you, so I guess you’re right: I won’t play fair. I’ll pull out every stop if I believe it’s necessary, and right now you and the baby are more important. You working so hard has to stop. You heard the doctor today. Your blood pressure was higher than he liked.”
She rolled her eyes. He couldn’t believe she’d done that! “It’s not the first time, and he said it was nothing alarming.”
“It is cause for concern. I need you to take this seriously. Look, just don’t get up early, sleep in, and take every other day off to rest…”
“What?” She moved forward, dropping her feet to the ground, then grabbed her side. “Oh!”
“Fiona! What’s wrong?”
She hissed and pulled in a breath. “Oh, that hurt. Just a cramp. Wow!” She leaned back, and sweat popped up on her brow.
“I’m calling the doctor.” Vic was on his feet, reaching around her, grabbing the phone.
Fiona grabbed his arm. “No, don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure—” She hissed again, the pain written on her face.
“What’s going on?” Luc asked as he strode in, Julian behind him.
Vic dropped the phone as he scooped Fiona up. “I’m taking Fiona to the hospital,” he said. It was a split-second decision, scooping her up and thinking the worst as he carried her outside to his Charger. Luc held open the door as Vic settled her in the passenger seat. “John…” he started to say.
Luc shook his head, his hand gripping Vic’s shoulder. “I’ve got John. You just go. We’ll be behind you.”
He was around the front of his car, behind the wheel, and driving. “Come on, baby. Hold on. I’ve got you,” he said to his girl as she gripped his hand, holding back a cry even though he could tell she was hurting more than she’d ever let on.
Chapter 18
Hospitals sucked. It was the smell, the way the sterile environment clashed with the reality that the place was a petri dish of bacteria. If you weren’t sick, your chances of getting sick increased greatly the moment you stepped through the door. That was all Julian had said as he, Luc, and John had walked into the emergency room. The desk nurse had told them nothing other than to have a seat, as Vic and Fiona were in with the doctor.
John was quiet and sat with his phone in hand, playing with some app. He’d said nothing since Luc had yanked him from his room, where he’d been lying on his bed, earbuds in, reading a book. “Do you think we should ask again about Mom?” he finally said as he tucked his cell phone in his back pocket, then rubbed his hands together.
“Yeah, I will in a moment. Just give it some time. Let the doctor finish.”
Julian was sitting on the other side of John, his hands folded in front of him. He gestured toward the hall with his chin. “Luc.”
Luc looked over to see Vic at the nurses’ station. He was across the room quickly, but John bolted in front of him.
“Dad, how’s Mom? What happened?”
Vic had his arm around John and hugged him. This was the first glimpse Luc had of his brother’s face, seeing how shaken he was.
“How’s the baby?” Luc asked when Vic said nothing.
“Fiona’s resting. I don’t know anything yet. They’re running some tests. They got the cramping to stop. She could lose the baby,” he added, and the emotion sucker punched him.
Luc hardly knew Fiona, but he knew so much about his brother and what made him tick that he knew this would be another scar he’d hide away from everyone. Luc wanted this so much for Vic, maybe because he wanted it for himself. “Could, but maybe not?”
Vic shrugged and kissed the top of John’s head. He was a tall kid, just topping Vic’s shoulder, and it wouldn’t be long until he was as tall as him. “You can’t see your mom right now. She’s resting and needs to stay calm. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.”
Julian gestured to John and had his hand on his shoulder, talking to him as they walked back to the waiting area.
“You think she’s going to lose the baby?” Luc asked his brother, who was shaking his head.
“I’m doing everything I can to make sure she doesn’t. I’ve asked for another specialist, who’s on his way in. Fiona is early still, and her doctor
said it was fifty fifty, odds I’m not liking.”
A gurney went racing past, emergency staff pushing, and they were forced to step back. The emergency room was busy, phones were ringing, and even Luc felt his senses on overload. “I should call Chase, Aaron, let them know.”
Vic was still shaking his head, stubborn.
“Hey, they’re family, remember? Just like you calling me. What did you say? ‘Don’t go to Aaron’s. Come here, because going to Alabama is just going from one part of the country to another that could pose the same set of challenges.’ This could be a new start for me and Julian, and you told me we were better off close by, here in Oregon, where you can step in and fix all my problems.”
The look Vic gave him shocked him. “I never said that.”
He shrugged. That was the effect he wanted, and the fact that Vic was reaching out way past his comfort zone let Luc know he was listening. “Almost. You didn’t come right out and say it, but I knew it was what you were thinking.”
Vic nodded and glanced over his shoulder as a doctor stepped out of the curtained-off emergency area as if looking for him. “I’ve got to go.” He rested his hand on Luc’s shoulder. “Call them, but seriously, tell them not to worry.”
Then he was gone, speaking with the doctor.
It was then Luc noticed a patrol officer with a little boy, maybe two or three, in her arms. He listened as she spoke with the nurse about how he’d been found in a drug house. His dad was the dealer, his mom was a hooker, and one of the johns had overdosed. That had been when they’d found the little boy in a corner bedroom with a dirty plate, a peanut butter sandwich, and a small TV on the floor.
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