Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
“Is that all you’re bringing with you?” Vance pointed at my suitcase, which was half full.
“I thought I was only staying for one night?”
He shook his head. “I will not survive another night on your couch. And since you don’t have the kids this week and I want to spend as much time with you as I can, you’ll be staying with me.”
I put my hands on my hips. “What if I like sleeping on my couch?”
I didn’t. I absolutely didn’t. But I did like to make my own decisions.
“Ipo, the springs were digging into my back all night, and my feet were hanging off the end. But if you insist on staying here, then I’m staying too.
But first I’m going to have to buy a topper.
Or three. Or a new foldout couch.” He nodded, pulling his phone out.
“I think I saw one when we went to Denver. I should find out if they do overnight shipping. That could work. Then we’ll spend tonight at my house.
And we’ll stay at yours for the rest of the week. ”
“Do you even have furniture at your house?”
He looked up from his screen. “Everything was delivered and assembled this morning.”
Of course it was. But I did have to admit that the thought of sleeping in a bed sounded heavenly. And since I chose the mattress for his bed, I knew it was better than anything I’d ever slept on. Except Vance.
“How about I pack enough clothes for three days. And then, if you don’t need a break, I’ll get more stuff.”
His response was instant, no hesitation. “I won’t need a break. Pack enough for a week. Or more. You should keep some stuff at mine anyway.”
Okay, I guess we’re moving things along at lightning speed. But I also knew the look on his face that told me he would not be giving in on this. So I turned back to the boxes stacked against the wall that held my clothes and pulled more things out.
I could see how a man of Vance’s size would never be comfortable on my foldout couch.
But since I weighed about half of what he did, the springs didn’t poke me as hard as they did him.
And I’d been sleeping on top of him all night as well, making him sink into the hole in the middle of the mattress even more.
So this was one thing I was happy to give in on.
Two suitcases and all my toiletries later, we were ready to go.
“You mind if we stop at the store on the way?” He gently traced his hand down my arm, goose bumps following the trail. “I don’t have any food in the house yet.”
I loved shopping of any kind, so I didn’t mind at all. “Sounds good. I can make dinner tonight. What do you feel like?”
I was already going through recipes I knew. My recipe books were packed away, since I hadn’t had time to go through all the boxes yet. Not that I had anywhere to put the contents anyway.
“Steak?”
I nodded, pulling out a pen and paper and writing down a few things. I knew if I didn’t do it now when I wasn’t rushed, I’d forget half the ingredients.
Vance took my suitcases, and I stuffed the list into my jeans pocket, then grabbed my jacket and phone before following him. He was already holding my handbag and keys and locked up as soon as I was standing in the hallway.
Having the luxury of wandering the aisles with someone else was a new experience since I usually rushed through.
Vance grabbed a cereal container from the shelf in front of him, reading the back. “What do the girls like for breakfast and for snacks?”
“The girls? But they’re with their dad this week.”
He looked up from his study of the cereal box. “Too much sugar in this one and not enough protein.” Setting it back on the shelf, he grabbed another one. “You’ll be staying over with the girls as well, so I might as well stock up now.” He held up the box in his hand. “This one seems okay.”
And into the already-overflowing shopping cart it went.
“They have a lot of stuff.”
“That’s okay since I have a lot of room. And I got them some stuff, so hopefully they won’t have to bring too much with them.”
I stopped mid-step. “You got them stuff for their rooms?”
He added a loaf of bread and a bag of rolls to the cart.
“Of course I did. I want them to feel comfortable there. They’ve had so many changes that I want to make this as easy as possible for them.
And you picked out the furniture, so hopefully they’ll like it.
” A bag of donuts followed. “And my mom loved picking out all the other stuff.”
“Your mom?”
He paused with a jar of peanut butter in his hand and turned to me. “I didn’t want to get it wrong. And she always buys the best presents for all my nieces and nephews.”
“She knows about me?”
Vance dropped the jar into the cart and turned to me with a frown. “Why wouldn’t she know about you? We’re together.”
I added lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber, since all Vance had selected so far was anything with high protein. I doubted the girls would touch the protein bars. “What if she thinks I’m taking advantage of you?”
“Why would she think that?”
I bugged my eyes at him, not wanting to point out the obvious. Recently divorced. Kids. Broke.
He turned to face me and took both my hands in his. “She’s excited to meet you.”
I dropped my gaze, loving that he always touched me. “You don’t know that.”
He released me and pulled out his phone. “Let’s find out.”
I watched with horror as he pulled out his phone and a few seconds later said, “Hi, Māmā.” Sensing my approaching escape attempt, he pulled me into his side. “Do you have a minute? I want you to meet someone.”
I could hear a muffled response, and then the phone appeared in my field of vision. Vance’s arm around me tightened slightly in a hug. “Take it, ipo.”
With no choice left, I took the phone, locking eyes with his mother. “Hello, Mrs. Moore.”
A gorgeous woman with thick black hair beamed at me. “Hello, keiki. I’m so pleased to finally meet you, even if it’s only over the phone. You’re even prettier than Vance has described you. And please, call me Alani. No ‘Mrs. Moore’ business. We’re family now.”
I gulped down the sudden lump in my throat. “It’s great to meet you too.”
“Vance has told me so much about you and your girls. You must come visit soon so we can meet properly.”
“We’d love to come visit. The girls love the beach.”
Though it might have to be next year (or later) since I was too broke to pay for flights at the moment.
“You’re welcome any time. I’m so happy my baby has found his hoa ?uhane.”
Hoha what?
Her voice broke at the end, and I sent Vance a plea for help. Reading my facial expression correctly, he leaned over my shoulder. “Māmā, don’t scare her away.”
There was a sniffle, but she thankfully had stopped crying. “I’m okay. I’m okay. I should have told you I’m a crier. I didn’t mean to make a bad first impression.”
If anything, it made me like her more. “Not at all. I’m thankful we got a chance to talk.”
And I found that they weren’t empty words. I meant it. Especially since it made me feel a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings that Vance had talked about me and the girls.
“Me too, keiki. Call me when the girls are back so I can meet them as well.”
We made plans to talk on Sunday, and Vance pocketed his phone again.
I grabbed a chocolate bar since I was in desperate need of sugar. It was either indulge or throw something at Vance. “I can’t believe you called your mom.”
He continued pushing the cart down the candy aisle as if he hadn’t introduced me to his mother a few seconds ago. “You had doubts. Now you don’t.”
I followed, putting things he grabbed off the shelves back since, despite all his talk about healthy food, he also put a lot of junk in the cart. And he was right. He’d put my doubts to rest with a simple phone call. Though I wasn’t ready to admit that out loud yet.
He pulled me in front of him so I was between him and the cart, his front pressed against my back, and we continued wandering up and down the aisles.
When we couldn’t fit anything else in the cart, he paid—refusing to let me cover even a portion, much to my annoyance but to the relief of my wallet—then loaded up the car, again refusing to let me help.
Once we were on the way to his house, my hand encased in his and resting on his thigh, I turned slightly in my seat. How can anyone look this good driving a car?
“You have to let me contribute in some way. The scales are already so uneven. Don’t tip them further.”
His hand spasmed around mine, and he glared out the windshield.
“There are no scales,” he growled, his jaw ticking.
“And if there were, they would be tipped to your side. Knowing that there’s someone to come home to at night, that I found the one person meant only for me, is everything.
I have the means to take care of you, so let me.
It’s what I was put on this earth to do. ”
I think I’m having a heart attack. Why is my chest so tight? I knew all the pizza was a bad idea.
“Vance—”
He pulled into his driveway, stopping me before I could make a fool out of myself since I had no words that were adequate to respond to him. “Let’s have this conversation inside.”
He carried the bags inside—in one trip, even though there were at least ten bags—and put them on the massive kitchen island.
I looked around the room, taking in the new barstools, kitchen towels, and empty fruit bowls.
The living room looked amazing with the couch taking up one side, facing the fireplace.
The forest green rug worked perfectly with the dark wood, and the sideboard and coffee table rounded it out nicely.
I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the house.
I grinned at Vance, my hands clasped in front of my chest. “It looks fantastic.”
He kissed my forehead on his way to the fridge. “That’s all thanks to you. You have an eye for color and great taste.”
I grinned at him, pulling the closest shopping bag toward me. “And you have the wallet to support it.”
He gave my waist a gentle squeeze on his way back to the bags. “Put the stuff wherever you want.”