19. Family Games
19
FAMILY GAMES
VIVIAN
After lunch, Rex and Chelsea arrived and stayed with us for the rest of the day. It gave me a chance to slip Chelsea away to the empty waiting room down the hall and share my deepest worries about Miriam’s visit.
“What if Richard and Miriam take my little girl away? Or what if they want her shuttled back and forth to the city constantly? They’ve got more money than I do to fight a custody battle,” I confessed.
“You’re being irrational. Richard wouldn’t do that to you. Rex mentioned that all his brother ever wanted was to follow in their father’s footsteps—business success with a loving family. Please, don’t get so worked up,” she urged.
“But Miriam can be such a force to reckon with.”
“Believe me, I know. I survived an entire year of wedding planning while she kept butting in and giving orders at every opportunity. Once I finally stood up for what mattered to me, we began seeing each other as equals. Rex always has my back.”
“You’re lucky, Chels.”
“Rex loves his mom, but he loves me, too. Since I’m the one he sleeps with every night, he’s learned to side with me and keep me happy when it comes to anything with Miriam.” She smiled mischievously.
“That’s great for you, having Rex trained like that. I’m not so sure about Richard. When the topic of moving and Paris’ school came up, he just pushed it aside to talk about it later—he didn’t really stand up for me or ask what I wanted.”
“Then you need to have a conversation with him. Typically, couples have time to discuss and understand each other’s needs before having kids. You two have jumped a few steps by having a child first. Now, talk it through and figure things out.”
“You’re good at this.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve spent a little more time with the Buchanans than you have.”
“True. Any other advice?” She considered it for a minute.
“Deep down, I think Richard craves to love and be loved more than anything else. Trust that, and lean into it if you’re feeling something for him. Before long, you could have him eating wedding cake out of your hands.” She winked. I automatically pictured him naked, eating a slice of salted caramel cake from my hand. Not an unpleasant view of him at all.
I snorted. “There’s no way I’m ever having a big city wedding like you did. I mean… if Richard and I were even… er, you know.”
She wrapped me in a hug. “Give him a chance, Viv. See where this goes.”
When we returned to the room, we paused just inside the doorway to watch Rex and Richard play a game with Paris. They were acting out various words for her to guess, striking goofy positions, and soon everyone got involved, splitting into teams and laughing until time flew by.
Before dinner, Miriam and Mr. Astor had left, and after dinner, Flora and Sophie stopped by. The fun continued with a stack of classic board games brought in by the nurses.
“Mommy, this is so fun. It’s like we’re one big family on a game night,” Paris squealed. My heart tightened. It had been just the two of us for so long, but did she ever think about what it’d be like to have a full, loving family? A dad who was really present. More siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even grandparents—never being alone and always having all the love and support she could ever need?
How could I be so stubborn, keeping Paris from experiencing the full family life the Buchanans could offer?
Richard squeezed my hand and asked softly, “Everything okay? You need to talk?”
I squeezed back and pressed my lips together. “Later, after she’s asleep.”
When it was time for everyone to go, I couldn’t thank them enough for making the day pass so quickly that I didn’t have time to worry about the operation scheduled for the next day.
Once it was just Richard, Paris, and me, we teamed up to get her ready for bed and calm her down. He read her a story while I braided her hair. In between, there were plenty of snuggles and answers to her random questions about the surgery she’d face the following day, many of them repeats which I simply chalked up to her nerves.
She awed me with how calmly she handled it all. I wished I could trade places with her—to be the one going to sleep, cut open and stitched back up. Or maybe swap with Richard, so that it would be my kidney in her body instead of his. He kept saying how brave she was, thanks to his Buchanan blood, and that it made her stronger.
After lots of hugs and snuggles, I tucked her in with a brief prayer. Richard stood on the other side of the bed, gently smoothing stray hairs from her face.
With one hand on mine and the other on his, her eyes grew heavy as she yawned. “Mommy? Are we a family now with Daddy Richard?”
I choked up, biting back tears.
Richard met my gaze and nodded. “Is that what you want, my little explorer?”
Her answer came as a soft snore as she drifted off to sleep, but I was certain she would have said yes.
Quietly, we left her side and headed to the bathroom, keeping the door slightly open just in case she woke up and called for us. I barely had time to breathe before he pulled me in, his hand resting at the back of my neck, drawing my lips to his like he’d missed me all day.
I welcomed his embrace, craving more, but we still needed to talk. When he finally pulled away, leaving me breathless and speechless, he was the one with so much to say.
“I know you were upset about Miriam today, with all her talk of moving, changing schools, and custody. Ignore her. This is our life, not hers. I have no intention of taking our daughter away or disrupting what she has with you. I can see how much she needs you.”
“Oh, thank God. I thought you were agreeing with her when you said we’d talk later.”
“No. I meant that all decisions regarding Paris are between you and me as her parents. I won’t let my mother interfere. We’ll make our way, okay?”
I sighed, joking half-heartedly. “I thought I’d have to win the lottery to afford to fight you in court over custody.”
He seemed offended by this. “Do you really think so little of me that I’d do that?”
“No. It was a misunderstanding is all. I’m so happy we’re talking things out.”
“Vivian, I want the best for our daughter, and clearly what’s been working so far has made her the adorable and smart girl she is. All I ask is that you make some room for me. Whether it’s one night a week or more. Or if you want a real family, I’m here, ready to jump in.”
”Oh, Richard.” I kissed him again, and the doubts that had burdened my mind all day melted away.“Thank you. This means so much to me we’ve talked.”
“I know. And we’ll have more to figure out, especially once she’s better. Meanwhile, maybe this will help. Rex bought some property in Holly Creek as a wedding gift for Chelsea. They plan to build a house there so they can come up from the city whenever their schedules allow. The property is already divided into a few parcels, and he offered me one. I’m taking it and moving to your town to be closer to you. I run my business and all my investments and interests remotely from my home office now. Doesn’t really matter where that is.”
“You’re really moving?” I asked, grinning through happy tears. It had only been a short week since we’d reconnected, but a lifetime of emotions rushed in.
“Well, it might start as more of a camping setup until I can draw up plans, get permits, build a house—and I suppose even a barn for the horse—but I think Paris would love the outdoor adventure, if you two would join me there now and then.”
I chuckled at how well he knew her so well, so fast. “She’ll love it.”
He drew me close, tucking me under his chin. “Imagine cozy campfires in the summer. The parcel I’m getting is right next to a stream. On nights when Flora is watching her, you and I can make love under the stars.”
I laughed again. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“Vivian, my sweet cupcake, I missed six years of Paris’ life. I will not miss out on the rest of it. If Holly Creek is where you want to raise her, then I’ll be right there—whether you need me a little or a lot. I’ll build a family home and when you’re ready, we can all live in it, if things between us progress.”
“I think we’d like that very much.”
“Oh yeah? Of course, we’ll need to travel to faraway places on her breaks from school. I’ve put a lot of thought into travel plans, too.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Richard Buchanan.” My heart filled with so much appreciation for him, finally letting him in. Falling for him…
We swayed together in each other’s arms in silence for a few minutes until he sighed and let me go. Earlier that morning, I had asked if I could have the night with Paris to myself. He needed a good rest for the operation the next morning, and thankfully, he agreed to stay in the hotel suite.
“I’ll see you in the morning, love,” he said, kissing me one more time. I followed him to the hospital door and pulled him back by his sleeve for another quick kiss.
“Richard, in case I forget, thank you for giving our daughter your kidney tomorrow.”
“Don’t you know by now that I’d give you two everything I have?” With one more kiss, he left.
How could anyone expect me to sleep on the eve of the major operations? I stifled a yawn in the quiet hospital room, the only other sound the soft, rhythmic snores of Paris.
Early yet, I didn’t expect anyone here for some time. And everyone we knew planned to be here today waiting and praying that the operations would be successful.
I rubbed my arms for warmth and ambled over to the window, watching the day begin. The morning clouds lifted, the sky cleared, and the sun shone as if a promise of good things to come. I took it as a sign that all might be okay today.
From behind, I heard the gentle tread of someone entering the room, careful not to disturb my sleeping beauty.
“It’s me,” Richard whispered as he made his way over, clutching a coffee cup from a nearby cafe we’d discovered. “Got your favorite.”
“How did you know I needed this?” I replied, accepting the cup gratefully, happy to sip this liquid gold.
“Did she sleep well? And you?” he asked quietly.
“She did. But I couldn’t sleep at all,” I answered, taking another sip before setting my cup on the window ledge. I reached for his arm and nestled under it to lean against him, but in doing so, a stack of papers tumbled to the floor. “Oops. I didn’t see those there. What are they?”
“I’ve been thinking,” he began softly as he bent down to pick them up, his tone low and measured. “Just in case something happens to me?—”
“No,” I blurted out before I could stop it, hazarding a guess as to what it was.
He looked straight into my eyes, calm even as a storm churned inside me. “Vivian, listen to me.” He held the folder between us like it was something sacred. “These papers guarantee that you and Paris will never be left wanting for anything.”
“I don’t care about the money,” I snapped, louder than intended. My words felt brittle, like an unyielding bone. Meanwhile, Paris continued to sleep.
“I know,” he murmured. “That’s why you deserve it.”
I snorted. “Is this just another one of your tests?”
“No. You passed every single one of them. This is serious.”
I regarded the papers with several brightly colored tabs. He explained that he’d changed his will, and set up trusts. His businesses. The properties. The accounts. His entire Buchanan legacy. My name was on them. Paris’s name, too. Legal lingo sat in tight rows that blurred in my vision.
“You are serious,” I whispered.
He nodded. “In case something happens… I want to know you’re both provided for.”
I shook my head, tears threatening to spill. “Don’t say that. Please, don’t even go there.”
“You know it’s a risk on that operating table,” he replied. “Even if the odds are low.”
My hand hovered over the papers. “But you are going to be fine.”
“Yes, but I’ll feel better knowing you’ll be taken care of for a lifetime,” he whispered.
“I can’t…” I choked, pressing a palm to his chest. “You can’t expect me to prepare for losing you. I need positivity right now. I need to believe that you and Paris will wake up from your surgeries, recover well, and that life will continue. Please.”
I leaned my forehead against his chest, inhaling the clean scent of soap—no designer cologne allowed before the operation. His arms wrapped around me, holding me secure and steady.
“I don’t want your money, Richard. I don’t want your buildings or your businesses.”
“What do you want then?” he asked quietly.
“You.” My voice cracked. “I just want you.”