Chapter 4
Serenity
Iplace Summer’s favorite storybook on the bedside table and pull up the comforter, tucking her into the queen bed we’re sharing at Sully’s house. I kiss her forehead, lingering for an extra second—more for myself after everything that has happened.
Normally my lack of trust in men would extend to a man later in life like Sully, but he proved himself to me when he went to my sister’s rescue with Elias and Victor.
Even just thinking that man’s name has me grinding my molars.
Victor was the reason Harmony was in trouble, so his help wasn’t out of a selfless act like the others.
I can’t believe he showed up to Harmony’s birthday party like they’re actually friends.
My sister befriends anyone she deems abandoned, and even though she’d never admit it, I’m sure her offer of friendship was out of pity.
I sigh, unable to lie to myself. Even though I can’t stand him, I have to admit Harmony’s friendship with him is probably pure.
I shove him away from my mind—he’d never been in a situation like this since he has more money than any one person needs—and glance down at Summer.
She’s my whole heart. My entire reason for breathing. And yet, I still wish she’d sleep in one of the other three extra bedrooms so my ribs don’t ache every morning after she goes all karate kid on me while asleep. Does that make me a bad mom?
“I love you.” I press my lips to her forehead for a second time. “Forever and ever.”
“I love you too, Mommy,” Summer says through a yawn. She snuggles into her favorite stuffed animal, Bluey, from the television show. “When can we go home?”
“Soon,” I say, and my stomach twists at the lie that slips easily off my tongue. I can’t break it to her that it’s unsafe. “Don’t worry. Grandpa Sully is so happy we’re here.”
Sully is Harmony’s father, not mine, but Summer uttered the name the first time she met him, and it stuck. And I’ve never seen the retired soldier smile so big.
“Do you think he’ll make pancakes for breakfast again?”
I ruffle my fingers through her wild, red ringlets. “If you ask politely.”
I stand and head to the door. Turning off the light, I whisper a goodnight before finding my way downstairs. My chest tightens as I enter the living room. I stand still, staring at the black TV screen.
I scratch at my suddenly itchy arms. It almost feels like a hundred ants are crawling all over my skin.
I can move and run away like a chicken, but I can’t take her out of her daycare or else I’ll lose my job and only source of income. Paul’s parents retired in Florida, so they can’t watch Summer. And Sully is already doing enough by letting us move in, I can’t ask him.
Or can I? If her life is really in danger, he would watch her. I’m certain. His insistence on helping annoyed me at first, but now, it will help loosen the vice grip on my chest.
“Is everything okay?” Sully asks, and I jump back.
My heart pounds wildly as I glance over at him.
The resemblance between him and Harmony is uncanny.
I never put two and two together until my mother told me right before her death that he’s my sister’s father.
They share the same light brown hair and copper eyes, except now his hair has gray sprinkled in.
“Yes, sorry, I was just thinking.”
He nods as he walks over to the leather couch and sits down.
He picks up the remote but doesn’t turn on the television.
“I understand you’re scared right now, but you don’t have to worry.
I was in the military for fifteen years and then made my living protecting people.
I may be retired, but you two are safe here. ”
I don’t want to correct him, so I bite my tongue. “Thank you.” Maybe now is the time to bring up the daycare situation. Before I can lose my nerve, I spit out the question. “Can you watch Summer for me while everything is going on?”
I’ll lose the money I already paid the daycare, but it’s worth it for her safety.
Sully’s eyes narrow in on me. “Yes. I thought that was going to happen. Summer is going nowhere near any of the places those people took pictures of her.”
A fifty-pound weight lifts off my chest. “Thank you,” I breathe out.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and every muscle in my body locks up. The loan sharks haven’t called or sent any text messages. No, they’re a lot more effective than that. But there’s always a first time for everything.
When I pull my phone out, I inhale a sharp breath.
Fuck. Why is he calling me?
Sully says something, but his words don’t penetrate my brain.
Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll leave me alone. My phone stops ringing only to start up again two seconds later. I don’t need another trust fund baby sniffing around me. Paul blew through his so quickly—and before he met me—I’m not sure where he even spent it.
Sully pushes to his feet, pulling my attention back to him. His still-in-shape body is rigid, ready to move if I say the word. “Who is it? Do I need to investigate something?”
I wave him off. “No, it’s okay. It’s just someone I wish would forget I existed.”
He chuckles and sits back down. This time, he turns on the TV and puts on the news. I head into the kitchen and, against my better judgment, hit answer.
I don’t bother with a greeting or niceties. He should know me well enough by now to know I’d rather have a root canal than talk to him. “What do you want?”
“After everything we went through together, this is how you greet me?” Victor’s deep voice rumbles through the speaker.
I clench my jaw when his voice does something funny to my belly. Even back when I first met him, his obnoxious and easy smiles made me question my sanity.
He’s sexy, yes, but he’s full of himself. Calm down.
“My sister never would’ve been in danger if she didn’t almost marry you.”
And I’ll never trust another rich boy again, I tack on inside my head.
The line is silent for a moment. I check my phone, but it shows the call is still in progress, so I press it to my ear again.
There’s a slight rustling sound that I can only assume is a sigh. “You’re right.”
My eyebrows draw together. “Did we just enter an alternate dimension where you say things like you’re right?”
He chuckles in his annoying “I’m always happy” way. It must be easy when you have billions of dollars at your disposal. “What else am I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know.” I click my tongue, letting silence fall on the line. A small flutter inside my chest starts to make me nauseated. A man like Victor Barlowe never gives me flutters. “So, why are you calling me?”
“Well, I’m sitting outside your house right now, but you aren’t answering your door.”
My heart leaps at his words. Stupid, traitorous organ.
“Can you let me in?”
“I’m not home.” I try to keep my voice even, praying the loan sharks aren’t around to find Victor. “What are you doing in Granite Falls? Did you like it so much that you can’t stay away?”
My stomach growls in protest. I press the speaker button before beelining straight to the refrigerator.
“This town is definitely charming in its own way.” Leave it to Victor to make a compliment sound like an insult. “I came to speak to you about something. Can you meet me at Frank’s Restaurant?”
“You and I live in two different realities.” I roll my eyes. “I can’t go somewhere last minute this late. Summer is asleep.”
I swear this man thinks only about himself. But I suppose that’s how all men are. Paul made sure to enlighten me after his death. He was too much of a coward to tell me to my face.
“I can watch her,” Sully says as he enters the kitchen. He raises his hands in front of him when he notices my glare. “Sorry, I was coming to grab a soda and heard you.”
“Who is that?”
Am I imagining things, or did Victor’s voice sharpen?
“No, it’s okay,” I say to Sully. Then I grab some cut pineapple and move out of the way so he can get his drink.
Sully nods once and heads back to the living room.
Turning my attention back to Victor, I say, “It’s only Sully.”
“So, you don’t have a boyfriend?”
“Not that I find it any of your business, but no, I don’t have time for dating.”
The line is quiet for a whole minute. And yes, my eyes didn’t stray from the ticking clock decorating the wall next to the refrigerator.
“Can I come see you then?” Victor asks.
“No.”
Sitting at the kitchen table, I plop a piece of pineapple into my mouth, chewing on the tartness as loudly as I can, hoping it annoys him. Is that a little immature? Yes. But it still gives me some satisfaction.
“There’s something I really need to talk to you about,” Victor says after a minute of silence. I’ve never heard his voice like this. It almost sounds sad.
Even I’m not cruel enough to turn him away if something is truly wrong. “Fine. I’ll send you the address.”
***
Victor’s silver Lexus pulls down the gravel driveway fifteen minutes later. During the entire time I waited, I gave myself a pep talk. Whatever he has to say, just tell him no. Then kick him out. You’re a strong woman, and you can say no.
But the moment he exits his car and struts toward me with an effortless sexiness, I avert my gaze. This attraction is nothing other than lust during a four-year dry spell. It’s natural. And it has nothing to do with the man himself.
After Harmony was accepted onto Everlasting Love, I looked him up. He’s not a playboy and is rarely in magazines except for five years ago when he was named the year’s Sexiest Man.
Cue eye roll.
Considering I haven’t drooled over a man since I was a teenager, the title might be a tiny bit correct.
Stay strong, girl, and don’t, I repeat, do not look at his perfectly sculpted ass.
I push out onto Sully’s wraparound porch in my favorite hoodie and sweatpants. He strides over in his perfectly tailored suit. It’s his deadliest combination, navy blue jacket and pants with a light blue tie and vest—making his eyes pop. When he spots me, he raises a hand in a wave.
I won’t fall for his nice guy act, so I level a glare at him.
“It’s nice to see you, too,” he says as he nears the front porch. He raises an eyebrow as he takes in my ensemble. “Already in your pajamas?”
“I told you it’s late, but you insisted on coming.” I shrug, and my heart rate kicks up a notch as he climbs the stairs. “What is so important that you have to interrupt my bedtime?”
Victor checks his watch. “You go to bed at seven thirty?”
“I have to get up at five so I can get Summer ready for daycare and then be at work by seven.” At this point, I’m not sure why I’m defending myself, but his judgmental stare gives me an insane urge to slap him. Instead, I shrug and say, “Single mom problems.”
A late spring evening breeze snakes inside my hoodie, and I shiver.
Victor’s gaze narrows in on the movement.
He shrugs off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders.
My heart thrashes against my ribs, and I suck in a deep breath.
He keeps his arms around me, and I almost lean into him.
His scent—musky with a hint of pine—wafts into my nose, and I have to resist the urge to take another whiff of him.
His gesture is innocent, but my lack of sex causes liquid heat to shoot through my veins.
Pulling away, I shrug off his arms. “Thanks, but I don’t need you to coddle me. If you tell me what you want, I can go back inside the house and climb into my warm bed.”
Victor’s eyes flare at the mention of my bed, but I hold his gaze. I won’t shy away. He expects me to back down because he’s rich and always gets his way. Instead, I stare straight into his eyes, but when he doesn’t break eye contact first, I gulp.
“This conversation might take a while.” He motions to his car, his eyes still on mine. “I’m assuming you don’t want me to come inside, so how about we go to my car for some privacy?”
I gesture to the porch swing. “I prefer to stay here.”
“I’d like the privacy. It won’t kill you to be in a confined space with me for ten minutes.”
“It might,” I grumble as he finally breaks eye contact. “But I must insist on staying here on the porch.”
He moves toward the swing and stands beside it. His gaze burns into the side of my head as I stride past him, and I’m concentrating on him so much, I trip over my feet. I scream as my legs fly out from under me, but his strong arms immediately envelop me, and he pulls me flush against him.
Our chests heave against each other. Images of us somewhere, sweaty and naked, flash through my mind. His lips on my neck, nibbling down until … Victor’s eyes pierce straight into me as if he can see into my mind. Where did those thoughts suddenly come from?
No one can ever know—especially not him.
The front door opens, and Sully pokes his head out. His eyebrows raise a fraction before ducking back inside.
Sighing, I shove Victor away and stumble back a step until we have much needed space between us. “If you came to get handsy, you can get in your car and go back to New York.”
A beat passes. And another. Then he finally says, “No, I came here to ask if you’d marry me.”