Chapter 17
seventeen
. . .
Vicky
I’d been sitting in my parked car outside of Miles’ house for twenty minutes, having gone to grab the handle to open the door about a dozen times only to chicken out.
Me: Ren, I'm stuck
Ren: ???? Are you okay?
Me: Yeah, sitting in front of his house
Ren: Girl, you had me worried. What’s the problem? Can’t talk. In a late meeting but can text
Me: Her car is still here
Ren: Doesn’t mean she spent the night
Blowing out loudly, I leaned my head on the headrest. No, it didn’t mean that gorgeous, successful Katy Lane had spent the night. In Miles’ house. Yes, Ren and I had looked her up when I called her early this morning. Her IG account had about 30,000 followers, and her newest single was trending.
Me: I hate country music
I typed with a scowl. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I could enjoy some of it, though it wasn’t a favorite, and even I had to admit that her music was fun and engaging.
Ren: Me too. Solidarity, queen
I chuckled despite my breakfast churning in my stomach.
Ren: Ur not there for a visit, amica. Anna will wonder why u didn’t show up to finish the job. You’re a boss babe. Gotten more clients in the month you’ve been there than your peers have in six.
Yeah, I had. Nodding decisively, I told myself, “You are a boss babe. No blonde country singer is going to make me back down and not do my job.”
As if she heard my words, Ren replied.
Ren: And go claim your man
“Pfft, he’s not mine.”
Ren: He’s not hers either
She was starting to scare me. This was it. I was getting out of the car.
Me: Going in. Say a prayer
Ren: Got u covered
I pushed out of the driver’s side door, my shoulders tense and tight. Opening the trunk, I carefully slid out the large frame wrapped in simple brown paper.
Hurrying past the rental car with a scowl, I stood in front of the house with a new determination.
When I pressed the doorbell, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Just as I was about to press it again a few minutes later, it was wrenched open by a sleepy-eyed Katy. Her irritated expression frazzled my nerves as I took in her state of dress.
A slow, wide smile grew as she watched me take her all in, much as she’d done me the night before. In tiny silk pajama shorts and a tight tank top that barely covered her top half, she leaned against the door.
“Good morning. Vicky was it?” she asked, her accent thick and husky. She yawned dramatically, covering her mouth before saying, “Sorry, we had a really late night and slept in.” Her wink nearly made me choke.
The “we” filtered through my ears, and I had to force down its impact with a tight smile.
“Did you forget something?” she asked, obviously not wanting to let me inside. She eyed the large package I held, but still didn’t move.
“No, actually. I came to finish up in MJ’s room. They were expecting me. Sorry, I’m a few minutes late.” I set the frame down, its weight getting heavier as I stood there.
“Miles didn’t tell me anything about you coming this morning.” She leaned her head on the door and added, “But then again, there wasn’t much talking going on.”
Don’t cry, don’t give her the satisfaction.
Summoning all the confidence I could, I answered, “Hmm, when I’m with Miles, we laugh and talk constantly.”
Katy flinched, but her fake smile held.
“Guess that’s the difference between you and me, huh, Vicky?”
Her words landed like they had every time someone alluded to my weight. I swallowed hard, my breathing increasing. I picked up the frame and turned to walk back to my car when I heard her chuckle.
Willing my tears to wait until I pulled away, I heard the door shut with a thud. My shaking hands were making it difficult to open the door. Fumbling again with the key fob, it dropped onto the grass, still wet from the morning dew.
“Shoot,” I whispered.
Get it together, Vicky. You can do this. Get out of here.
When I bent down, a familiar hand reached down and grabbed it before I could. I startled and turned, nearly falling.
“M-Miles, what are you doing out here?” I gasped. He reached for my arm, keeping me upright.
His sweet smile melted my defenses. “Why are you leaving me?”
Those words ricocheted through my bruised heart, thick with double meaning.
“I, I wasn’t sure it was a good time to be here,” I stuttered.
His head tilted as he looked deep into my eyes. “It’s always a good time for you to be here. I thought you understood that.”
We were so close. Our breaths mingled as I stared up at him.
He was so handsome I wanted to cry. Handsome, sweet, kind.
Possibly getting back with his ex.
I guess I didn’t hide my pain as he spoke again. “Did she say something to you?” That brought me back to reality quickly.
Taking a step back, I answered, “No. She just made it clear this wasn’t a good time.”
His eyes darkened. “She doesn’t live here. Doesn’t have a say in that. What did she say, Vicky? Don’t lie to me.”
I scoffed and looked away. “She said…she said you’d both been up late. Had slept in. When you didn’t answer the door, I figured it was true. Was going to call you later after you’d rested.” I spit the last word out like poison, unable to hide my anger any longer.
I had no claim on this man or on MJ, but I couldn’t help the disappointment and deep hurt I felt. His sweet words had distracted me, but I wasn’t going to stand here and have some kind of battle over his attention.
“Rest? The only reason I slept in was because I couldn’t sleep waiting for you to call me back.”
My head snapped back up, searching his eyes for the truth. He’d never lied to me that I knew of, but it took a moment for his words to register.
“You. Waiting for me?”
Brows furrowed, he answered, “Yeah. We said we’d talk, but you didn’t answer my calls or messages. I was worried and really upset, honestly. What did you think…” He looked at the front door, then back to me, and breathed a huff through his nose.
“Please tell me what she said to you.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Don’t make me.”
“I need to know how to handle Katy. She’s acting strangely. I have to know what she’s doing and saying when I’m not around, especially if it will hurt MJ.”
He took the frame from my hand when he realized I was still carrying it, and leaned it against my car.
“Tell me.”
“She said you two had.” Looking away, the anger rose again. “She made it clear that she’d spent the night.” After a few moments, I added, “With you.”
He closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
“Look at me.” He gently tugged my chin until I was facing him again. “After MJ went to bed, Katy said things she’d never said before. That she wanted to see what it would be like to try again with me.”
I bit my bottom lip, wanting to pull away, knowing I’d never have the strength to have him tell me that’s what he wanted too.
With a shaky voice, I said, “Then you should do that, Miles. For MJ’s sake.” His brows just about met with the frown he gave me.
“First of all, nothing happened last night.”
“That’s none of my business,” I said quickly.
Ignoring my comment, he said, “And nothing ever will. She and I are over. There’s nothing there except for her being MJ’s mother.”
We stood like we’d done so many times before, just gazing at each other.
I’d heard Mama and Papa get into some heated fights over the years. Luckily, they always ended up making up, sometimes unashamedly in front of Enzo and me. He’d yell for them to get a room, and Papa would yell back, “This is my house. All the rooms are mine.” We laughed about that for years.
But Miles and I had a peace about us. Something that felt safe and warm. I loved that we seemed to communicate as much in our silence as we did with our words.
I must’ve taken too long to answer, because he asked, “She said something else, didn’t she?”
Shaking my head, I said quietly, “Nothing I haven’t heard before.” That made him scowl worse than I’d ever seen before.
“Tell. Me. What. She. Said.” His voice wasn’t raised, but his anger at her was obvious.
I groaned and answered, “It’s embarrassing and partly my fault.
I said something smart when she kept on with her insinuations about having had quite the night with you, that there was no talking that had gone on.
Like an idiot, I said that you and I talk and laugh all the time.
” The words hurried out of my mouth as my face blazed red with embarrassment.
He tilted his head up and laughed loudly, his hands sliding up my arms and holding on tighter.
“You’re incredible, you know that? Who knew you could be so sassy, my Little Fairy?” he teased.
“Mi-les,” I complained, elongating his name. His new nickname was making my heart palpitate. “It was such a juvenile thing to do. Although the way she looked at me made me less repentant.”
His eyes squinted, his mouth set in a thin line. “Wait, what do you mean?” he asked, the last word coming out in a hiss.
“Like I said. Nothing I haven’t experienced before. I don’t care what Katy thinks of me, Miles,” I answered, making sure he knew how I felt about her insinuation that they’d slept together.
“You shouldn’t let her jealous words hurt you. She’s the one being petty and childish. I’ll speak to her and make sure it never happens again,” he said seriously.
I held up my hand in front of me, causing one of his hands to free my arm with the movement.
“Absolutely not. I can fight my own battles. That has nothing to do with you.”
“She said she wants to be more present in MJ’s life, so you’ll have to be around her in the future too. I will not stand by and let her…”
“In the future?” I asked, trying to take in what he was saying.
Nodding, he said, “Well, yes. I wanted to talk to you last night. Say things that need to be said. Talk about us. I’d really like to talk tonight.”
As I pulled away completely, he looked at me with hurt in his eyes. “Yes, I know we need to talk, but, like you said, she’s MJ’s mother. Someone MJ has missed and wants to be a part of her life. Don’t you owe it to her to at least try with Katy?”