Chapter 15 #3
“That sounds harsh,” I murmur. “Did they just pack up and leave as soon as they could?”
She shakes her head quickly. “No, not at all. They stayed for months after…everything. We saw each other every day. We cried together. They helped with Riley when I could barely stand upright.” Her eyes drift somewhere far away.
“I miss them. But they couldn’t bear to stay in Bluebell Hollows after what happened.
They ran from the heartache. And I stayed because…
this is still home, even with the grief stitched into every corner of it. ”
After everything she’s just talked about, she still finds a way to offer that small curve of warmth. I can’t look away. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how her features soften like that…or how it makes something in my chest pull tight.
Then she chuckles, a soft exhale. “Sorry for the ramble. You asked where I grew up and I basically gave you my life story.”
I nudge her playfully with my shoulder. “Don’t apologize. I could listen to you all day, in fact. Tell me a bit about Riley.”
“It’s actually my turn to ask the question, Cowboy.” She smirks, looking up at me with those whiskey-colored eyes as she rests her elbows on the sticky edge of the booth.
I tilt my head to the side, raising my eyebrow at her. “Come on, Bambi, tell me more.”
She hums for a few seconds, her eyes still scanning mine. “Okay, where should I start?” she asks, the arcade lights flickering gently across her face.
She takes a breath, glancing down at her hands like she’s gathering her thoughts, then meets my gaze again. “From the beginning?” she asks, her lips curving gently.
“From the beginning,” I echo.
“When Riley was born, I didn’t feel ready.
I don’t think anyone really does, no matter what they tell you.
Especially since Trev and I were in our early twenties.
We were scared out of our minds. I was scared I wouldn’t be enough.
And then I held her for the first time…and it was like, okay, this is it. This is who I do everything for now.”
Her voice is steady, but soft. Like this story lives deep in her bones.
“She had colic for the first few months, cried every night like clockwork. There were nights I’d walk laps around the kitchen, bouncing her in my arms while I cried right along with her.
But Trevor…” She trails off, her eyes softening in a way I haven’t seen before.
“He was everything you’d want in a dad and partner.
Patient, gentle, always the one up at two a.m. with her without complaint.
He held my hand through every breakdown like it didn’t break him too.
He was a better father than I ever could’ve imagined. ”
I stay quiet. Listening. Letting her have this.
“Then she started smiling. Laughing. She grew into this tiny and bold force of nature who thinks everything is possible. She makes friends with bugs, talks to horses like they’re people, and she believes the world is still good. I think she teaches me more than I teach her.”
She looks at me, and there’s something in her eyes, something raw but sure.
“She saved me, Miles. When Trevor died, I didn’t know how I was supposed to keep going. But then she’d tug on my hand, ask for pancakes, or curl up next to me without saying a word…and somehow, I did. Somehow, I kept moving.”
My throat tightens. I swallow it down, but it lingers, heavy and sharp.
“It’s still hard,” she adds, her voice fraying at the edges.
“There are days she asks why he can’t come back.
Days we visit his grave, and she tells him what she did at school.
She’s grown so much in almost two years, and it breaks me sometimes…
knowing he’ll never see it. He should be here for all of it. ”
Her eyes shine but she doesn’t cry. She just sits with the ache like she’s learned how to carry it.
“You’re an amazing mom.”
She doesn’t look away. “I try.”
We sit there for a moment, the buzz of arcade machines humming in the background. Neon lights dance across the tabletop between us, but the world feels like it’s gone quiet.
“God, I’ve gone full sappy tonight,” she murmurs with a soft sigh, eyes drifting around the arcade like she’s trying to ground herself in something less vulnerable. She shakes her head, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
I bump my knee against hers, the soft contact pulling a grin from both of us trying to lighten the mood. “Yeah, you’ve absolutely ruined your tough-girl image.”
She lifts a brow, scoffing. “Please. I’m still tougher than you, Cowboy.”
I put my hand in my heart. “In here you definitely are.”
She blinks slowly, caught off guard for a second, like she doesn’t know what to do with that kind of honesty. Instead, she smiles at me, tilting her head to the side a little.
But I’m not done yet, not when she’s got that look in her eye and I’m desperate to hear her laugh again.
I gesture to my arm, dragging a finger slowly along the curve of my bicep. “But all this?” I smirk as her eyes follow the motion, a telltale blush blooming across her cheeks. “Yeah, this still makes me tougher than you, Bambi.”
She lets out a breathy laugh, shaking her head.
I can’t help but laugh, not at the joke but at the way her smile takes over her whole face unguarded, bright. I look at her lips, they look soft, sweet, and tempting.
“You’re unbelievable,” she teases, nudging me.
“Unbelievably sexy? Yeah, I know.”
She throws her head back, laughter spilling out, and damn, it’s the kind of laugh that lodges itself in your chest and refuses to leave. It’s messy and beautiful and real. I find myself laughing with her, though I’m not usually that guy.
Confidence? Sure. Cocky lines? Always worked before. But with her…it’s different. She drags out another version of me I don’t quite recognize.
It’s unnerving. It’s dangerous. And I think I might like it.
Her eyes catch mine and hold for a beat longer than they should.
Then she leans back, grinning. “My turn. Why the nickname?”
That makes me laugh.
“Well,” I say, resting my arm along the back of the booth. “First time I saw you in the bar, you looked like you wanted to murder me.”
She groans, half-laughing. “I did not.”
“You did,” I tease. “But it was kind of cute. Especially those eyes, big, wide, round. All innocent and intense at the same time. Like a deer caught in the headlights. Hence the name Bambi.”
She ducks her head a little, but not before I catch the blush coloring her cheeks.
“And,” I add, leaning in, “you did nearly take me out that night when you spilled your drink. You were slipping around like actual Bambi on ice.”
She covers her face with one hand, laughing. “You were in my way! You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
“Not a chance.” I grin. “It’s one of my favorite memories.”
She rolls her eyes, but the way her smile lingers…yeah, I feel that right in the chest.
“My turn again,” I say, tilting my beer in her direction. “I’ll make it easy, favorite food?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Italian. Pasta, pizza, anything with cheese. Oh, and tacos. Man, I love them,” she says as she sips her beer.
I chuckle. “A woman with taste. Can’t go wrong with carbs.”
She’s thinking now, brows pulled together like she’s trying to come up with a question that’ll throw me. Her eyes flick to mine. “Okay…most embarrassing moment.”
I choke slightly on my drink and swipe my hand across my mouth. “Wow. Straight for the kill.”
“Come on, Cowboy,” she teases. “Spill.”
I lean back against the booth and groan.
“Fine. I was fifteen, riding in my first real competition. Felt like a big shot. I was wearing this new pair of jeans that were a little too tight, wanted to impress this girl who was watching. Got thrown off the bull in five seconds flat and split my jeans straight down the middle in front of the entire crowd.”
Vivian bursts into laughter, nearly spilling her beer. “No.”
“Oh yeah,” I say, shaking my head. “My boxers had flaming skulls on them. Chose the wrong day to wear them”
She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “Please tell me someone filmed it.”
“Oh, it lives on forever. Greg still plays it every Christmas.”
She’s laughing hard. “I need to see it!” she says.
“Maybe one day you’ll get lucky.” I chuckle.
“Okay, my turn,” I shoot back. “Most embarrassing moment, go.”
She groans. “God, I don’t know…okay, fine. I once got up to do karaoke my freshman year in high school with two other girls. I was so confident. Chose Beyoncé. Full-on dance routine and everything. But halfway through, I tripped over the mic cord and face-planted on stage.”
I nearly spit out my beer. “Now that’s something I have to see.”
We’re both laughing now, leaning into the table.
“All right, Bambi,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “What’s something people assume about you that’s totally wrong?”
She thinks about that for a second. Her fingers tap the side of her bottle. “That I’m fragile.”
I sober a little, watching her.
“I know I look soft—single mom, always smiling, always polite, but people think it means I can’t handle things. That I break easy.” She shrugs. “They know what I’ve been through.”
“I see strength when I look at you,” I say before I can stop myself. “Every time.”
Her eyes flick up to mine, and for a second it feels like the whole world stills.
Twenty minutes go by, after another beer each, here we are, laughing and still playing twenty questions.
I grin. “All right, celebrity crush?”
“Oh, easy. Henry Cavill. The Witcher version, specifically. Don’t even talk to me if the hair’s not white.”
I groan. “Unrealistic expectations, Vivian.”
She thinks a little harder. “Okay, Riley Green.”
“See, that’s more realistic and he’s a cowboy, like me.”
She laughs, a little breathless, the alcohol making her more playful. “Calm down, Cowboy,” she teases, swaying slightly, her words slipping a little with the beers we’ve had. “All right, your turn.”
I pause, pretending to deliberate, enjoying the playful tension building between us. “I mean…I was going to say you, but now I feel like I need a backup.”
Her cheeks flush a shade of pink instantly, her finger pointing at me like she’s caught me in some kind of trap.
“I’m not a celebrity, though!” she protests loudly, her finger wobbling just a little as if it has a mind of its own.
I chuckle, the sight of her trying to stay steady only making her more endearing.
“Okay, fine…” I smirk, leaning in slightly, teasing. “Probably Jennifer Aniston in Friends.”
She nods, her finger still pointing at me but now a bit steadier. Her eyes shift down to my chest, and there’s something so cute about how she’s trying to focus on my words but can’t help glancing at me.
“That’s much better, I love her!” she says, her voice soft with a mix of approval and challenge.
I grin, raising an eyebrow, loving the way her attention is completely on me now.
For a second, we just sit there, the banter slipping away as I lock eyes with her. It’s just us now, no distractions. And for a moment, everything else fades away as we slowly lean into each other.
Then, bam, before I can even react, her head bashes against mine.
“Ouch!” she groans, wincing and rubbing her forehead.
I wince too, laughing, rubbing my own forehead. “Ah, see? Bambi on ice,” I tease, the nickname slipping out easily now, the playful grin on my face a little softer than before.
She glares at me, a little dazed, but that smile still fighting to break through. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
I just smile wider. “You’re the clumsy drunk one!”
Then we both start laughing. Head tipped back, eyes shining, laughter pouring out of her like it’s been bottled up for too long.
She catches her breath; the alcohol is clearly hitting us in a good way. “Okay, little miss lightweight, your turn.”
“I’m not a lightweight, I just think you’re that funny,” she says with a hint of sarcasm.
“Obviously lightweight, ’cause you know damn well I’m funny.”
She shrugs and stays silent as she laughs holding her beer close to her chest.
“Okay, okay. I got one, is it true you had…a…” She pauses looking a little shy.
“Come on, don’t be shy,” I tease.
“A threesome…” She’s trying to hold it together.
I choke, literally choke on the sip of beer I was in the middle of taking. I grab a napkin, laughing as I wipe my mouth. “Jesus, Viv,” I cough out. “Going straight for the scandal, huh?”
She’s bright red now, covering her face. “I didn’t mean to—it’s just…town gossip, you know?”
I shake my head, still smiling. “God, no. I mean, yeah, I have a bit of a reputation. But I’ve never been into all that multiple people at once shit. I like focus. One person. One focus. All the attention on her.”
She peeks through her fingers, still half hiding behind them, and I swear I’ve never seen anyone look both so embarrassed and so goddamn cute in the same breath.
“Interesting answer,” she mumbles, trying to play it cool now.
I tilt my head and give her a slow, teasing smile. “You jealous, Bambi?”
Her jaw drops. “You wish.”
“I really do.”
She tosses a crumpled napkin at me, laughing, and I catch it mid-air. The tension eases, but something lingers beneath it—warmth.
And that’s how the rest of the night unfolds, more questions, more laughter, and more of Vivian letting go and just being herself. The version of her that’s light and bright and quick with a comeback. The one that smiles without hesitation.
It just might be the best night I’ve had in longer than I care to admit.