30. Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Vic
T anner didn’t end up coming home until very late last night. He came into bed, snuggling against my back. He’d said he would start really early in the morning so he can try to be finished and at the Blue Vista Halloween party by 10pm tonight.
The party started an hour ago, and everything is going well. People are having a good time, there’s dancing and laughter. The costumes are extravagant and there will be a contest at midnight. Snacks are being brought around on trays and the bar is open.
Now that everything is operating smoothly, I have my first drink and am searching the crowd for one of my friends when someone else makes their way toward me. Someone I hadn’t expected to see at all, let alone at my business.
“Emily?” I say, because I can’t really believe my ex-girlfriend is here.
She gives me a triumphant smile, looking me up and down. “Victoria. It’s so good to see you. What are you supposed to be?”
I raise my eyebrows because I hadn’t thought my costume would be difficult to figure out. I’m wearing a floor-length, fitted black dress with long, fitted sleeves that flare at the wrists. My black hair is loose, straightened for the night instead of being tied up for a change, and I painted my lips bright red.
“Morticia Addams,” I tell her. Everyone else had guessed right away. Derek and Spencer had gone so far as to start calling me Tish instead of Vic. I don’t remark on her sexy devil costume. I’ve seen her wear it before. “What are you doing here?” I ask instead.
“Oh, my girlfriend wanted to come. I figured, since it’s long over between us, you wouldn’t mind. You don’t, do you?”
I shake my head, confused. “Why would I mind? It’s an open event. You bought tickets.” I shrug, because I really don’t care.
Emily looks slightly put out, and I wonder if she wanted me to care. A pretty brunette in an ethereal angel costume approaches and slips her arm through Emily’s. “There you are,” she says, smiling up at her. The brunette is around five feet tall while Emily is the same height as I am. “Sorry I didn’t wait. I saw someone and had to say hi.”
Emily smiles with what looks like genuine affection and kisses the other woman lightly. “That’s all right, sweetheart. While I was looking for you, I also found someone and had to say hi. This is Victoria.” She turns to me. “Victoria, this is my girlfriend, Madeline.”
I hold out my hand to shake Madeline’s. “Vic,” I say. “I prefer Vic.”
Madeline shakes my hand. “Oh. Emily told me about you when I said I wanted to come to this party. She said you ran this place.”
“I’m actually one of the owners.” I tuck some hair behind my ear. I remember now why I hate having it down. It’s always getting in my face. “My three friends and I own this location and now a new one in South Surrey, out at Crescent Beach.”
Madeline’s smile widens. “That’s so exciting. How new is it?”
I’m about to tell her that we opened it a few months ago when Emily cuts in.
“Victoria, are you married?”
I glance down at the rings on my hand. While they had felt a little weird when I’d first started wearing them, they’re almost a part of me now. “Yes, I am.”
“Anyone I know?” she asks accusingly.
“As a matter of fact, yes. You have met him.”
She sneers. “Him. I knew it. You married Spencer, didn’t you?”
I huff a laugh and roll my eyes, shaking my head. “No, Emily. I didn’t marry Spencer. He actually got married last year and has a baby on the way. I married—”
But I don’t finish the statement because there he is, striding toward me as though I’d conjured him with just my thoughts. He’s dressed in a black-and-white pin-stripe suit with a white shirt and a bright red bow tie. He’d shaved his beard off and now just has a mustache. He’d said it would be fine since he keeps his beard short. It won’t take him long to grow it back. And Gomez Addams doesn’t have a beard.
He walks directly to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his lips to mine in a possessive kiss.
“Hello, Mrs. Marcus,” he says. “Sorry I had to be late. How has the party been?”
“Good,” I say, wiping the red lipstick form his lips. “No problems. You’re an hour earlier than you’d thought. How did your work go?”
He grins, his hands sliding along my back. “Excellent. I got everything done so I can focus on you tomorrow for our three-month anniversary.”
He still hasn’t let me go when Emily clears her throat. Tanner shifts, so he’s standing next to me.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m interrupting. I’m Tanner.” He holds out a hand to shake.
“Tanner,” I say, “this is—”
“Wait. We’ve met, haven’t we?” he cuts in as Emily begrudgingly shakes his hand. “At a few of the Sterling family dinners. Emma, isn’t it?”
“Emily,” she replies coolly crossing her arms over her chest.
“Of course. I apologize. That’s a beautiful costume.” He turns his attention to Madeline. “Both of you.”
“This guy, Victoria? Really?” She looks him up and down disdainfully.
“Emily!” Madeline protests. Emily doesn’t pay attention.
“You told me you hated him. How could you possibly like him, let alone marry him? He’s just like your father.”
I turn to Tanner. “Would you mind giving us a minute? Get yourself a drink, maybe try to find Spencer, Derek, or Adalie. I’ll find you in a bit.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, and I know what he’s really saying. My problems are his problems, and if Emily is a problem, he’s happy to stand next to me as I deal with her.
I kiss him lightly on the lips. “Oui, mon cher.”
His lips curl into a smile. “Tish. That’s French.” He kisses me again, then nods and turns to Emily and Madeline. “Ladies. Good night, Emma. It was so nice to see you again.”
I bite my cheek to keep from smiling as he walks away. Then I look at Emily.
“Who I marry has nothing to do with you. We broke up over two years ago. As for what you said, I never hated Tanner. I was angry, and I took that anger out on him when he didn’t deserve it. And for your information, Tanner is nothing like my father. Unlike my father, Tanner says what he means and means what he says. I trust him completely. What’s more, he trusts me . Which is something you never did.”
She glares at me. “I can’t help it if every time you were with Spencer, it was clear how you two were obviously into each other.”
Madeline looks between us, her mouth dropped open and eyes wide. I feel bad because she didn’t ask to get dragged into this mess.
I close my eyes and sigh because I don’t have any interest in having this fight again. When I open them, I say, “Spencer and I have never been interested in each other. As I said to you—over and over—dating him would be like dating my brother.”
She sneers. “How does your new husband feel about it?”
“Tanner has never thought there was anything between me and Spencer. And he’s known me a hell of a lot longer than you have. I’m done here, Emily. We’re not together. We’re both in relationships with other people.” I motion to where Madeline is watching us with concern. “It is none of your business who I’m married to or who I spend time with. You and your friends and girlfriend are welcome at all Blue Vista events if you buy tickets. I hope you have a good night.” I glance at Madeline again. “And I hope you’re happy.”
Then I turn and walk away. I find Tanner with Spencer and Lis, both in skeleton costumes, but with Lis’ including a little baby skeleton over her rounded belly. None of them look exactly happy as they talk.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I reach them. Tanner slides his arm around my waist and kisses my temple, a gesture he’s done a hundred times or more since we officially started dating.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Of course I am. Nothing Emily can say is going to hurt me. Not anymore.”
Lis grins. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“You never did say what finally made you break up with her,” Spencer says, and I meet Lis’ eyes.
I hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about it when it happened, but Lis had come into my office that day and I’d told her everything. She had kept my confidence back then, and I had been grateful for it.
I swallow and turn to Spencer.
“She told me I couldn’t be with her and be friends with you. She said if I loved her, I’d stop spending time with you. I realized then that if someone loved me , they’d never ask me to choose between them and my best friend.”
Tanner’s arm tightens around me and I know he’s angry, but Spencer looks confused more than outraged.
“How did she think that was going to work? We own Blue Vista together. We would have seen each other almost every day, anyway. I was also living with you still. And if you couldn’t see me anymore, what was going to happen if you were hanging out with Derek and Adalie? Did she want you to cut them out as well?”
“I don’t know. She wasn’t ever jealous of them, but now you mention it, you’re right. It never could have worked unless I left Blue Vista and stopped being friends with all of you.”
“Which would have made you resent her, eventually,” Lis says. Then she kisses Spencer’s cheek. “I’m going to check on the kitchen.”
Spencer snorts. “It’s your night off. You’re supposed to be having fun.”
She gives him a bright smile. “Being in the kitchen is fun. You can come with me if you want. Make sure I’m not doing any heavy lifting.”
He laughs and waves to us as he follows his wife.
“That was code for they’re-going-to-fuck, wasn’t it?” Tanner asks.
I turn to him. He hasn’t removed his arm from around my waist. It’s nice to have him holding me. “Almost certainly.”
“You want to go down to your office and have sex on your desk?” he offers.
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling as well. “That’s not necessary. Besides, they’ll probably be in Spencer’s office, which is next to mine, and gross.”
“Come dance with me then.” He’s already tugging me toward the dance floor.
“You know I’m no good at dancing.”
“That’s because you keep trying to lead. Let me lead, and you’ll be fine.”
I can feel a metaphor in that statement, but I don’t remark on it. He turns me on the dance floor, one arm coming around my waist, the other clasping my hand.
“You missed the last dance lesson,” I remind him. “I haven’t had a lot of practice at following.”
We begin to dance, and I realize I’m already better than I used to be. We’ve only done one lesson with Sam, but I’m excited to tell her I’m already improving.
“Confession time,” Tanner says, drawing my attention. “There was a time when I was insanely jealous.”
I sigh, thinking of what Emily has just been saying. “Of Spencer?”
“No. I’ve never been jealous of Spencer. Well. Maybe for about ten seconds the first time I saw you together, but not after that.”
My brows draw down. “Why not after that?”
“You were standing side-by-side, watching something. I can’t remember what. I was kind of focused on you. Anyway, you were standing with this guy who, I can admit, is hot.”
I snort. “I’m telling him you said that.”
Tanner shrugs. “Go ahead. I saw you together and figured I wouldn’t ever have a chance with you. Then he nudged you with his elbow and you folded your arms over your chest and rolled your eyes.”
“And?”
“That’s it. You didn’t look at each other. You didn’t touch in any other way. If you’d been together or if one of you had been into the other, you would have turned toward each other. But the way you were standing, you were a united front, but more like me and Wyatt. I wasn’t jealous after that.”
I blink up at him as I realize just how well he sees me. We dance for a bit longer until something occurs to me.
“If you weren’t jealous of Spencer, who were you jealous of?”
He scowls. “Emily.”
I bite my cheek. “So you do know her name.”
“Yes, I know her name. I hated how she had you when I wanted you.” He looks a bit sheepish now. “I admit, I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. We didn’t go about this relationship in a conventional way, but I’m glad we’re here now, Vic.”
I kiss him as we continue to dance. “Me, too.”