Page 67 of (Un)Spoken

Victoria turned and lightly smacked my shoulder. “Stop that. You’re going to be amazing.” She shifted her attention to Eloise. “Hey, I’m Victoria, Cole’s sister.”

“I’m Eloise. I’m Theo’s assistant.” She beamed at the woman in my arms. “I’ve heard a lot about you. And if you’ve had anything to do with Adam’s decision to step back into acting,thank you.” She grimaced. “Theo’s been much easier to deal with lately.”

“Eloise was a god-send,” I said to Victoria. “She’d drop off scripts every single week and passed along my messages to Theo.” I turned to the other woman. “Sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position.”

“It’s fine.” She waved me off. “Theo is…demanding. But I’m learning a lot from him, so it helps. And Calla’s amazing, which makes dealing with her husband worth it.” She snapped her fingers. “Speaking of, she asked me to come over here and ask if Alex had any more of those little candies. Her stomach’s been in knots all day because of the booth, and they’re the only thing she can keep down.”

Victoria turned to Alex, seeing her busy talking to a potential guest about hosting a work retreat in the winter months. She smiled. “I’ll take a look around. I’m sure she has them in one of the bins.” She shuffled through the different containers under the table, scouringthem. When she popped back up, there was a bright smile on her face. “Here you go. Tell her I hope they help.”

“Thanks!” Eloise called out as she headed back to the booth.

But even as she left, the same secretive smile remained on Victoria’s face. I shifted to look down at her. “Something I need to know?”

“Nope,” she smirked, lifting onto her tiptoes to kiss me. “But I have a feeling things are going to change around here pretty soon.”

“I think it’s official,”Cam sighed, leaning into the back seat of my truck. “Batteries power this kid. That’s the only possible explanation for how she has that much energy.”

I had to agree with him. After hours of working the festival and then following Emilia through the entire carnivaltwice, I was dead on my feet. The trek to my truck was far enough, and I couldn’t wait to get back to my cabin. My bed was calling my name, and all I needed was my girl in my arms to make this day complete.

As I hit my blinker to turn off Main Street, Victoria chuckled in the passenger seat. I dropped my hand back into my lap, and she reached over and linked it with hers. “Yeah, that’s the reason, Cam. Not the eight sugary treats you let her pick out.”

“It was a special event, and it made her happy.” He shrugged. “Besides, I had to do something to improve my reputation after this guy blew her mind.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the memory, rememberinghow Emilia’s little eyes filled with happy tears when she saw the “unicorn” waiting just for her. Even after the horn fell off, she kept beaming at me like I had made all her dreams come true.

Earning Victoria’s smile was one of my favorite things in the world, and I was desperate for each and every one. But seeing her daughter look at me with stars in her eyes? That was the kind of feeling I wouldn’t forget for the rest of my life.

As we pulled up to the lodge, I checked the back seat, seeing Emilia’s head on Hadley’s lap. Both slept soundly, exhausted from a long day at the festival. But that wasn't what caught my eye. No, that was the way Cam’s brow furrowed as he looked at them together, as if finally connecting something in his mind. I grinned to myself, bowing my head so no one else would catch on.

But apparently, it wasn’t quick enough, because Victoria turned toward me, searching my expression with her eyes. “What’s that look for?”

“Nothing, trouble,” I said as I leaned in to kiss her. “You gonna come over after Emilia gets settled?”

“Yup,” she said. “Just going to get changed and make sure she’s still out, then I’ll be there.”

“Make it fast, Tor.” I leaned in so only she could hear me. “After all of our hard work, I think we both deserve a little reward.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, tucking her lower lip between her teeth. “Can’t wait.”

Cam’s head popped between our seats, making us jump apart. As he placed his elbows on the tops of our seats, he looked at each of us with a grimace. “Listen, I love you guys together, but could you save the dirty talk for when I’m outof earshot? These child locks are making it impossible to escape.”

Victoria playfully rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the car. I opened the door for Cam, reaching in to grab Emilia as he said good night to Victoria and tried to wake up Hadley. She growled at him as she slowly opened her eyes. “Waking up and the first thing I see is you? I must be having a nightmare.”

“You wish, menace. Get your ass inside.”

I kissed the top of Emilia’s head as I passed her over to her father then reached out and pulled Victoria into my arms. She nuzzled my chest, letting out a content sigh. While Cam, Hadley, and Emilia walked up the front steps, she lifted her chin. “Thank you for today. It was definitely chaotic, but getting to spend the whole day with you was worth it.”

“Same here, trouble.” I grinned as I tucked her hair behind her ear.

“And thank you for the surprise for Emilia. I’m pretty sure her little heart gave out when she saw that unicorn standing there.”

I chuckled, kissing the top of her hair. “No problem at all. Love making my girls smile.”

She leaned back and grinned at me. “Oh, we’re your girls now?”

“Have been for a while, Tori. Cam might have had you first, but I’m claiming you two as well. He’s going to have to get used to sharing.”

She placed her hand on my chest. “You aren’t jealous of Cam, right? You know that stuff with him is long over. We’re just friends.”

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