Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Turned out, work wasn’t what I should have been anxious about but rather what it would mean to bring Addy and Elana to Vance’s house.
Work had been as expected, but after a tense conversation with Keely and Malena, I felt much better.
Malena reached out to Addy’s birth mom, and we were meeting her the next day at a diner off the interstate.
I didn’t have time to get nervous, because the real problems started when we loaded the girls into Vance’s car and they got their first look at the house as we drove up the long driveway.
Elana had her face pressed so tightly to the window her nose was squished. “Is that a castle?”
Addy took it all in with big eyes. “You have a pool?”
The awe in her voice was hard to miss. She loved swimming.
Something else she hadn’t been able to do since we’d moved.
Because neither did we have access to a pool nor could I afford swimming lessons.
I’d taken them to the public pool twice in the time we’d lived at the apartment, but it wasn’t enough.
The pool was a little off to the left behind the house, the edge visible from the driveway. It had a slide, and it was not only heated, but also long enough to swim laps.
Vance chuckled. “You can use it any time.”
Addy looked dejected and glanced at her bag. “I forgot my swimsuit.”
Elana peeled her face from the window. “I have mine.”
I turned in my seat. “You brought your swimsuit?”
“Of course.”
Taking off my seat belt, I turned to face Addy. “I can go back and get it so you can both jump in today.” The weather had been holding up, and since the water was warm anyway, I didn’t mind them going for a swim. “But how about we have a look at your rooms first?”
Vance turned the car off. “There are swimsuits in your rooms.”
Addy cheered, and the girls rushed to get out of the car. I followed, watching them race up to the front door. I helped Orange out of the back, and Vance took Winston’s cat carrier. My little demon hissed at him and tried to take a bite out of his hand but thankfully couldn’t reach.
Once we’d made it to the front door, Vance typed in a code to open it.
He put Winston down on the kitchen counter, and Orange walked off to explore. I knew he wouldn’t chew anything or pee anywhere. That required too much effort. Instead, he’d find the softest surface and go to sleep.
Vance called out to the girls as they were racing inside. “Addy, your room is the one with the panda on the door. Elana, yours is the one with the cat. Both are on the second floor.”
That hadn’t been on the doors when I was here last. I whipped my head around, almost giving me whiplash. “You know their favorite animals?”
It wasn’t easy to do since they changed weekly. But he’d picked this week’s favorites.
“I do.” He tugged me along with him, and we followed the girls upstairs at a more sedate pace.
“Is that a princess bed?” Elana screeched, then raced out of the room, nearly taking us out.
Addy came out of her doorway, holding three stuffies in her arms. “Are these for me?”
Vance brushed his hand over her head. “They sure are. Everything that’s in the room is yours. If you don’t want anything, let me know and we’ll change it.”
She raced back to her room. “I love it all.” Her voice had a slightly manic quality to it.
Knocking on the door, I peeked inside Addy’s room. “You good, ladybug?”
She was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by beads.
The carpet was a deep purple and glittery, and the furniture was made out of a reddish-brown wood.
The four-poster bed sat along the back wall.
Her wardrobe was filled with clothes, and the window looked out over the backyard and the pool.
Her smile was bright when she looked up. “There are glitter pearls. And glow-in-the-dark ones.”
She’d wanted them for ages but had to make do with the regular pearls.
She went back to stringing a necklace together, and I stepped out. Vance was waiting for me in the hallway, shifting from left to right. Was he nervous?
Needing to feel him, I put my hands on his shoulders and went up onto my toes. He got the hint and leaned down enough so I could kiss him. When we separated, he was back to the confident Vance I knew. “I hope it’s not too much.”
“You made their day. Or their week, most likely. You do know they’ll never want to leave now, right?”
He kissed my nose. “That was the plan.”
I pressed one last kiss to his lips. “Let’s check on Elana before she pulls out every single item in her room.”
We made it barely in time, as she was busy unloading one of her desk drawers that was filled with crafting materials. She didn’t turn to face us when we walked in, too busy emptying everything out.
“Pumpkin pants, why don’t you choose what you want to play with first before taking it out?”
She didn’t stop pulling stuff out. “But I don’t know all the things that are here.”
“You have plenty of time to find out what’s in the drawers. And I expect you to clean it all up again.”
She cast a glance around the room, groaning. “But there’s so much.”
There were indeed a lot of toys, clothes, and stationery on the floor. And she’d only been in the room for a few minutes. Vance had not only provided them with fully furnished rooms, but every box, drawer, and shelf was full to bursting.
I tried not to think about how much it would have cost him.
“You want to go for a swim after you’ve explored your room?”
She nodded, already absorbed in putting a dress on a pink teddy bear.
Vance pulled me out of the room and down the stairs. I loved the dark oak banisters and wooden floors. There was no marble in sight, another reason why I’d loved the house as soon as I’d walked inside.
The light gray couches looked fantastic against the dark wooden floors, and the colorful throw pillows I’d added meant it didn’t look bland.
As predicted, Orange was on the huge couch, paws in the air, snoring.
Leaving him to his nap, I checked on Winston.
Vance, having had the same idea, had already put the cage on the floor and opened it.
I ran up to him, praying my cat wouldn’t come out with a ninja jump and attach himself to Vance’s face. It was too pretty to be scratched up.
Yelling, I waved my hands in the air as if I was directing traffic. “Close the door.”
But it was too late, because two black paws emerged, followed by a large body. He needed to go on a diet. Just like Orange.
But instead of coming out in full attack mode—something he’d been doing since he was a grumpy kitten—he strutted out and rubbed himself against Vance’s leg. Vance, still squatting, lifted his hand and patted the little demon.
And then nothing. No biting. No swatting. No missing eye or fingers. Winston simply circled Vance once, then turned to face the living room.
I’d stopped in front of them, watching the little psycho show me his butt before he flounced off to explore.
Taking a deep inhale, I willed my racing heart to slow down. I wasn’t sure if it was from the ten-second run or the shock of what had just happened. “You must have a death wish.”
Vance stood up, laughing. “Winston and I have come to an agreement.”
“You might sing a different tune tomorrow when he tries to chew your nose off.”
“He’s fine to explore and go outside as well. The gate doesn’t have any gaps, and there’s a wall around the property that would be impossible for him to scale.”
With the animals and kids busy, I closed the last few feet between us, sliding my arms around his body. “Thank you so much for this.”
“You know I’d do anything to make you happy.”
The feelings I had for him were impossible to keep inside, and I knew I’d fallen for him. “I love you.” I tipped my head back and his mouth met mine, taking my content state to blissful.
“Mommy, can we go swimming?”
Addy sounded much too close, and Vance straightened up, whispering against my lips, “I love you too.”
Elana was the first to race into the room, waving a swimsuit over her head. “I’m ready.”
Addy followed shortly after. “Can we go? Please, please, please.”
Vance took my hand, getting my attention. “I’m happy to go in with them.”
That was good, because my swimsuit was still at the apartment. “Are you sure? They can get quite wild. And you’ll have to watch Elana constantly. She thinks she can swim but really can’t.”
“I have one of those foam thingies she can put around her middle. And a swim vest if you prefer.”
Elana jumped up and down, and we all leaned back to dodge the bathing suit whipping in a circle around her. “Say we can, say we can, say we can. I know how to swim. I’ll show you.”
Knowing defeat when I saw it, I gave in. “Okay, why not. Go get changed, and I’ll grab some towels.”
I looked at Vance, since I had no idea where the towels were, and he grinned at me. “They’re in the pool house.”
Of course. How could I forget about the pool house?
The girls were back in record time dressed in their swimsuits, and we all went outside.
Vance spent hours in the pool with them, only interrupted by a short break when I made them all eat and drink something.
And the whole time, I sat on a lounge chair, relaxing and watching Vance play with Addy and Elana.
There was no worry about what Cockalorum might do.
No thoughts of all the things I should have done but didn’t.
The only things that existed were the girls’ giggles and Vance’s deep chuckles.
His attention was on them, but he still regularly checked to make sure I was okay.
And for once, I didn’t have to fake being okay. Because in that moment, I truly was.
Dinner was quick, and the girls nearly fell asleep in their stew. Vance apparently had a housekeeper as of this morning, and there was a selection of healthy meals in his fridge that only needed to be heated up. Heaven.
Elana insisted on Vance putting her to bed, something he didn’t seem to mind doing.
He picked her up and carried her to her room right after she’d asked.
I was sure Addy would have protested and insisted he do the same for her if she hadn’t been so tired.
She barely lasted three pages of her book before she was breathing softly, her eyes closed.
When I checked on Elana, she was fast asleep. It hadn’t taken her long to move around, already lying sideways in her bed. I covered her up again before I went to find Vance.
He was on the couch in the living room, the demon cat curled up next to him. He looked up from his phone when I joined him, his face soft, his eyes warm. He lifted his arm and I curled up against him, making sure no part of me was anywhere near Winston.
Vance kissed the top of my head. “They both asleep?”
I yawned, then snuggled closer. “They are. Thanks for carrying Elana to bed.”
His arm tightened around me. “Any time.” He took my hand in his, and thankfully Winston stayed asleep so nobody had to fear for their lives. “Now that you’ve seen the house, have you thought about my proposition?”
“Vance. Don’t you think we should see where this goes first?
I come with two little girls.” At least I hoped I would.
But that wasn’t a thought for tonight. “If we don’t work out, they’d be devastated.
And after everything they’ve already gone through, another heartbreak is the last thing I want for them. ”
And me. Because I had a feeling losing Vance would hurt. A lot.
“I trust my gut. It’s rarely ever steered me wrong. And it’s never been as insistent that I pursue anything as it is about you. But I can give you time to get used to the idea that I’m here to stay.”
“But what you’re saying is that it has steered you wrong before.”
I wasn’t sure why I was still trying to convince him that we might not work out. I loved him. I wanted to be with him.
“I see I need stronger arguments to convince you.” He turned us so I was on my back and he was on his side, grinning down at me.
“You should know I have a great memory. Which means I remember every sound you make when I touch you. So I know you love it when I do this.” He trailed kisses along my jawline, making me shudder, then placed a too-brief kiss on my lips.
“And this.” His mouth traveled along my throat, and I arched up to give him better access.
He also remembered all the other things I liked. And by the time he was done, I was happy he could carry me, because he picked me up off the couch and took me upstairs, where we showered and collapsed into bed—or maybe that was just me.
All I remembered was Vance pulling me on top of him and hearing his heartbeat against my ear as I fell asleep.