Chapter Twenty-One #2
"Vance doesn't have a girlfriend," Holden said.
"He has a string of girls who think they're his friends.
With benefits. Magnolia is his long-suffering assistant.
She's way too good for him, and I have no idea why she puts up with him.
We've all tried to hire her away, but for some reason, she's loyal to the charming bastard. "
Vance must have known his way around Jacob's kitchen, because he pulled the oversized spaghetti pot out from the cabinet and set it in the sink to fill.
I expected a snappy comeback to Holden's taunts, but instead, his shoulders looked tight and his jaw was set. Interesting.
That was when Jacob's door swung open and the angry older man stormed out, ignoring the rest of us in his rush to leave. As the door slammed behind him, Jacob left his office and headed straight for me, his silver eyes sharp with concern as he scanned the room, taking in the mood.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him as he turned and headed out of the kitchen, past another man who could only be the mysterious brother, Aiden.
"Jacob, the sauce," I said, looking over my shoulder at the pot of meat sauce simmering on the stove.
"Holden will get it," he said.
Holden was already moving to the stove when we disappeared down the hall to the bedrooms. Jacob crowded me into his room and shut the door behind us with a slam.
"Are you okay?" he asked, cupping my face in his hands and tilting my chin up so he could meet my eyes.
My throat tight, I nodded, unable to lie to him when he was looking at me so closely. Instead, I said, "Your family is very nice."
"They are," he said, dropping his hands from my face and pulling me into his arms. "But don't listen to a thing Vance says. He's charming, but he's an asshole. I'm a much better bet."
I giggled, a silly, light sound that surprised me.
"Jacob," I started. He squeezed me in his arms.
"You heard what William said?"
I nodded against his chest.
"Some of it," I admitted. "Enough."
"Forget about it," he ordered. "He's old school, and he thinks if we all have pristine reputations, we can erase the past and restore the Winters name to glory. It's bullshit. The only person who cares about that is William."
"But I don't want to be the reason people are talking about you. This was supposed to be a secret. I didn't want to taint you with—"
"Don't fucking say that word." Jacob's arms tightened until I could barely breathe.
His head dropped until his breath washed hot over my ear.
"Don't ever refer to yourself as tainted.
Ever. You are perfect. Nothing will ever change that.
Do you understand? Tell me you understand, or so help me, I will beat the ever living shit out of William Davis. I don't care if he is an old man."
This time, I wanted to giggle, but I couldn't quite find it in me. My emotions swung from shame to wonder to confusion.
I settled for letting out a sigh and melting into Jacob's steely embrace. He rubbed his hands soothingly up and down my spine.
"I don't want you on your feet, cooking this crowd dinner," he said.
"It's too late," I said. "I already invited them."
"Then they can finish cooking. You can sit at the counter and supervise with a mug of tea."
"Bossy," I said into his shirt.
"Damn straight. I'm always going to be bossy. You should just get used to it and prepare to let me have my way."
"Not likely," I mumbled under my breath.
"I heard that, sweetheart."
His arms loosened from around me, and he leaned back to kiss me, first on one cheekbone, then the other, butterfly kisses, before dropping his lips to mine for a kiss that was as ardent and possessive as the first two had been sweet.
My knees were weak with more than fatigue when he pulled away.
"Let's go eat," Jacob said, his hand clasping mine. "Did Tate and Holden bring their new girlfriends?"
"They did," I said. "They seem very nice."
"I think they are," he said, "which makes me wonder what they're doing with Holden and Tate."
He spoke loudly enough for the occupants of the kitchen to hear him, and I said under my breath, "Jacob!"
Both Emily and Jo had clearly overheard and were grinning at Jacob.
Holden said, "I thought you'd be less of an asshole once you got your own girl."
To my surprise, Jacob pulled me into his side and dropped a kiss on the top of my head before he said, "Now that I have a woman as amazing as Abigail, I'll probably be more of an asshole."
"Smug," Vance said.
"Absolutely," agreed Jacob.
Jacob sat me at the counter and, true to his promise, made me a mug of tea and wouldn't let me do more than supervise the preparation of the meal.
He took a stool on one side and Vance the stool on the other, as if standing guard. The guys all ribbed each other, and in between, I managed to get to know both Jo and Emily.
They were younger than me, graduate students at Georgia Tech. Both were also brilliant, which was a little intimidating, but they were too nice to rub it in.
They invited me out for drinks, and I started to demur, when Jacob said, "Not until this situation is resolved, sweetheart."
"I know," I said, elbowing him in the side in annoyance. To Jo and Emily, I said, "I'm having some problems with my former father-in-law, and I can't really go out until they're resolved. But once they are, I'd love to get a drink with you."
Holden cut in to say, "Not without us. Not unless you go to Manna. I don't think my heart can take the stress of the three of you let loose on Atlanta."
Jo slapped his chest with a potholder and said, "I think it's cute the way you think we're in constant danger of men hitting on us."
Tate crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head at both Jo and Emily. "We don't think it's cute the way you two are completely clueless. If you had any idea what men are thinking when they're talking to you—"
"He's right," Vance cut in. "If either of you ever left the lab, you'd know. Those geek boys you work with have their heads too buried in their projects to know what to do with a woman. If I'd run into one of you before these two clowns—"
He ducked to the side, dodging the apple Holden lobbed at his head, catching it easily out of the air and taking a bite, an amused grin stretching across his handsome face.
"You need your own woman," Holden muttered, "so you can stop flirting with ours."
"He should just go out with Magnolia," Tate said. "She's the only woman who can put up with him for more than a night."
"Magnolia is too good for him," Holden said. "And anyway, she's engaged."
"Whatever," Tate said. "Maggie's been engaged for two years, and there's no ring and no wedding."
Vance mumbled something into his apple, catching Jacob's attention. He straightened and pinned his cousin with his silver eyes, demanding, "What did you say?"
Vance swallowed the bite of apple and let out a sigh. "They broke up. Don't tell her I told you, because she feels like shit. But the fucking bastard broke up with her."
"I thought you didn't like him," Jacob asked evenly.
Vance braced his elbows on the counter and shook his head, all the charm drained from his expression, his eyes dark and serious.
"I didn't. He was a tool and a user, proven by the fact that not only did he never get her a ring or set a date, but he lived with her without covering a single one of the bills, and the second he finished his residency and got accepted into a good practice, he dumped her for the daughter of the lead surgeon in his new office. "
"That's a mistake," a deep voice said.
Aiden had been so quiet that I'd almost forgotten he was there.
He stood off to the side of the kitchen, leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest, drinking a beer and observing his family in silence.
I'd felt his eyes on me, steady and curious, more than once, but he hadn't spoken until now.
He went on, "Magnolia Henry is a catch. She's wasted on Vance, professionally speaking. But he'd be a moron if he didn't take advantage now that she's available."
"None of your business, Aiden," Vance said between gritted teeth.
Aiden flashed him a surprisingly lighthearted grin and shot back, "Vance, you should know better. Everything is my business."
His eyes settled on me as he said the last, neither accusing nor approving. So, the jury was still out on me. That was fine. I understood.
Despite Jacob's words of comfort in his bedroom, I knew I didn't belong there. Maybe once, I would have. Before my life went to hell. Before my father died and I'd made so many foolish decisions.
Not now, not as John Jordan's widow.
Jacob could reassure me that they didn't care about gossip, but that wasn't the world we'd been raised in.
Society was built on gossip, innuendo, and reputation. As ugly as his words had been, William was right.
I was tainted.
And Jacob was a Winters. Whatever we had between us, it couldn't last.
Dinner was finally ready, and we sat at the long dining room table, everyone passing plates and serving themselves, talking over one another and laughing while Aiden watched us all in silence.
I watched him back, too tired by then to jump into the lively conversation. His face bore the Winters stamp, but there was something austere about his features. He watched his family like a guard dog, ready to jump at any threat.
I wondered what would happen when he decided I was a threat.
I'd deal with it later. By the time Jacob brought out a container of cookies I'd made before I got sick, my eyes were drooping. I didn't resist when Jacob plucked me out of my chair and settled me in his lap, tucking my head under his chin.
I heard him say, "This is the first time she's been up and around in days. She had the flu so badly, I almost took her to the ER."
I struggled to open my eyes, but the combination of so many hours out of bed and a stomach full of pasta was too much.
Time passed before I was aware of Jacob carrying me to bed, stripping me of my dress, and removing the pins from my hair with a gentle efficiency.
He had my hair in a loose braid and another of his T-shirts over my head before I knew it and was pushing me down to the pillow, tucking me in moments before sleep pulled me under.