Chapter 1 #3
Victor was under no illusions that his sister wasn’t a hell of a lot smarter and stronger than him. He’d spent most of his life in awe of just what a powerhouse she was.
So, she was going on this trip, goddammit, because she’d put her career—her life—on hold for long enough.
To offset the funding for her research, Vivian had accepted an advance to write a book about her findings at the dig prior to Phil’s death, and time had run out on producing the work.
Now, she was off to Africa for three months to finalize her research and finish the book she’d started years earlier.
And because Vivian was a workaholic, she also hoped to write a journal article about her findings.
Three months was as long as Vivian could stand the thought of being away from Pip, so she’d set herself a tough deadline, determined to follow through. God knew if anyone could do what she was attempting, it was Vivian.
Even so, his sister had gone back and forth about whether she should go so many times that, even though he’d miss her terribly, Victor was ready for her to leave already, just so she’d stop stressing out about it.
Once he arrived home, Victor hit the garage door opener and pulled his car inside, grateful he’d bought this car a few years earlier rather than the big-ass pickup he’d had his eye on. It was a safer vehicle for Pip.
He closed the garage door, entering his house through the door that led to a mudroom just off the kitchen. He’d played for Baltimore for three years before making the decision to sell his condo in the city and buy a proper house. He’d hated sharing walls with neighbors and not having his own yard.
He and Vivian were originally from Connecticut, growing up in the small town of North Branford.
As such, Victor had felt like a fish out of water in Baltimore, the walls of his condo eventually closing in on him until all he’d wanted was to be outside and breathing in fresh air.
There was nothing he loved more than mowing his yard on a sunny day, swimming in his private pool, and sitting by the firepit on chilly autumn evenings.
With the exception of the rink, the place he was most comfortable was outdoors.
And living within the city limits of Baltimore with so many people around had chafed.
Still…if life hadn’t kicked him in the nuts, he might be in that stupid condo even now.
But the bottom fell out on his world when he was twenty-four.
That was when his parents had been killed by a drunk driver.
Vivian had just graduated from high school, planning to attend Cornell University that fall.
With their parents gone and the family house sold, he realized Vivian would be coming to Baltimore on summer breaks and holidays, instead of Connecticut.
So he’d bought himself a proper house outside the city in Perry Hall.
It meant a longer commute to work, but it was worth it, because he had a five-thousand-square-foot home with five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and half an acre to himself.
Vivian had said he was crazy to buy such a large house, considering he was a single man with no kids, but he’d been determined to give her somewhere to call home.
Even though she hadn’t lived in the house since she was twenty-three, she still had a bedroom there, decorated to her tastes.
And when she was born, Pip got her own room as well, one that had evolved from a nursery to the garishly purple, fit-for-a-princess, little girl’s room it was currently.
Pip typically spent a couple nights with him each month, and even more than that in the off-season, so she was no stranger to his home. However, this would be her longest visit by far, and the first time Belle stayed in his house.
His cleaning lady, Maria, had freshened up the rarely used guest room closest to Pip’s for Belle.
Walking upstairs, Victor entered the room—and grimaced when he realized Maria had taken some liberties with his request that she make it “nice enough for someone to live in for a few months.” Maria had left new, fluffy towels, decorative soaps, and a scented candle on the sink in the bathroom, and there was a bouquet of brightly colored flowers in a vase on the dresser.
Jesus. At this point, his bedroom was the only one in the house that was the slightest bit masculine, the others all “girlie’d up.”
He crossed the hallway to peer into Pip’s room.
He’d added a few new stuffies to the mountain Pip already had at his house.
He had a problem when it came to his niece; whenever he was out of town and had time, he made it a point to buy her something—be it a stuffed animal, doll, book, or toy.
These newest stuffed animals, much like the sweets in his kitchen, were another of his attempts at ensuring Pip’s happiness while Vivian was away.
Glancing down the hall, he sighed. Less than fifteen feet separated Belle’s room from his own.
If he was smart, he would have put her in the large guest suite on the bottom floor of the house.
It would have allowed Belle more privacy, and him some distance from her constant humming and singing.
But he’d ultimately decided against that, fully aware that Belle would want to be close to Pip.
“Hello?” Vivian called from downstairs. His sister had a key to his place, and since it had been her home after their parents’ deaths, she didn’t need to knock. “Vic?”
Victor called out as he headed toward the stairs. “I’m coming.”
Vivian was waiting for him when he reached the bottom. “There you are.”
He reached out, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
She pointed to the two suitcases next to her. “These are Pip’s. There are still a couple more of hers in the car, as well as Belle’s, but there’s no rush on grabbing stuff right now. Belle said she’ll get everything once I’m gone.”
“I’ll get the damn bags,” he countered. That was another thing about Belle. The woman never asked for help, always insisting she could do everything on her own. Speaking of… He glanced around the foyer. “Aren’t you missing a couple people?” Victor asked, wondering where Belle and Pip were.
His sister smiled, then tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen. “Pip decided she was absolutely ‘starving to death’ the second we pulled into your driveway, and she insisted she needed a snack immediately. I suspect what she really wanted to do was check out the pantry.”
He grinned evilly, the look purely for his sister’s benefit. “Got a grocery delivery last night. She’ll be pleased.”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to even think about how spoiled my daughter is going to be by the time I get back.”
“It’ll take you years to undo all the damage,” he said, only half joking.
She shook her head. “No, it won’t. I’ve got an ace up my sleeve. Belle will keep you in check.”
He smirked. “I wish her luck trying.”
Vivian sighed. “You will be nice to Belle, right?”
“What the fuck is wrong with everybody? When have I ever been mean to the goddamn nanny?”
Vivian tilted her head. “I’m not sure what part of that to address first. While I’m curious to know who everybody is, it’s hard for me to bite my tongue on the second part.
Probably because you still refer to her as ‘the nanny’ rather than use her name, and you always manage to say the title like it tastes bad in your mouth. ”
He didn’t realize it until she said it, but now that Vivian had pointed it out, he realized that he did have a tendency to refer to Belle as the nanny more often than not.
“I’ll be fucking nice to Belle.” He exaggerated her name, prompting Vivian to roll her eyes yet again.
“Which is exactly what I said to Rook and Coulton,” he added, answering her “everybody” question.
She patted his forearm. “I love your teammates.”
Victor growled, not bothering to point out that they loved Vivian too. Hell, most of his buddies probably preferred his sister to him, but he didn’t bother to say that aloud, either. Because they both already knew it.
“We better go make sure Pip hasn’t already eaten you out of house and home,” Vivian said, as the two of them turned toward the kitchen. Victor heard Pip giggling when they got closer, and despite his preference for a quiet house, he liked hearing his niece’s laughter even more.
When they walked into his large kitchen, he spotted Belle and Pip sitting next to each other on the high stools at the island. Pip was wearing more of the chocolate pudding than she’d eaten, her lips and the area around her mouth smeared with the gooey stuff.
Pip and Belle both looked up as they entered, and he was struck by how at home Belle already looked, sitting in his kitchen.
Probably because she was no stranger to the place.
In addition to the Stingrays Christmas Day celebrations, she’d also been there for occasional cookouts or firepit nights with Vivian and Pip.
Belle had pinned up her long, light brown hair in one of those messy ponytails she seemed to favor, though he wasn’t sure if that was a style choice or one of practicality.
He suspected the latter, because it was easier to chase the Energizer Bunny that was Pip around, without her hair hanging in her face.
Belle was wearing denim bib overalls and a bright yellow T-shirt, and the only makeup he could detect was the shiny gloss on her full pink lips.
Stop looking at her lips.
“Uncle Vic!” Pip called out loudly, clamoring to climb down the stool. Belle offered a helping hand to steady her.
Once on the ground, Pip launched herself at him, smearing his clean white T-shirt with the chocolate pudding. “You got pudding! And ice pops! And Goldfish!”
He cast a sideways glance at his sister, who sighed dramatically.
“So much junk food,” Belle said, though unlike his sister, she looked pleased by his efforts on Pip’s behalf. She stood, nodding at him. “Hello, Victor.”
“Belle.”