Page 59 of Twisted Fate

“Yes,” I interrupted, attempting to put him out of his misery. “I’d love to,” I added with a grateful smile.

“Okay,” he replied, stunned by my agreement. “We’re headed that way now if you want to meet us there.”

I nodded, and he turned to walk away, but not before I caught sight of the grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Butterflies took flight in my belly as I continued walking to my car.

On the drive over, I almost chickened out and turned my car around no less than three times. I was so nervous, I didn’t think I’d be able to eat anything when I got there. My stomach did a somersault when I knocked on the door, and Vance opened it, greeting me with an elated smile.

“Come in,” he offered, stepping aside to let me through. Entering the foyer, I was inundated with a flood of emotions. My eyes instantly found the spot where I stood the moment Vance broke my heart, and I averted my gaze, blinking away the memory. “Everyone’s in the kitchen,” Vance announced, pulling me from my thoughts. I followed him into the kitchen where Darla, Jim, Emily and Charlie sat around the table. Charlie jumped from her seat, skipped over to me, and grabbed my hand.

“Sit by me!” she insisted, dragging me to the chair next to hers. There were only two spots left. Vance slid into the seat next to me, and my pulse skyrocketed. His arm brushed against mine as he reached for the platter with the pot roast and scooped a portion onto his plate. My skin tingled, and my body hummed at the contact. His clean, masculine scent enveloped me, and I fought the urge to lean into him.

“Do you want some?” he asked, and my eyes lifted to his. I nodded, unable to form words as I stared up at him. He added a helping of tender meat, potatoes, and carrots to my plate. He turned into me, his legs pressing into the side of mine as he filled Charlie’s plate as well. He was so close, I could have easily kissed him. Suddenly it was all I could think about. Being this close to him again, with his body touching mine, I was a bundle of nervous energy and suppressed need. I hadn’t been with anyone since him, and my body chose that moment to remember that little factoid. I tried to go on a couple dates in the months following our breakup, but it was useless. The only man I wanted was sitting next me at this table.

Tentatively, I lifted a bite of food to my mouth and chewed. The knots in my stomach slowly unfurled as I ate. “This is delicious,” I said as I speared a tender carrot onto my fork. “I’ll have to get the recipe from you.” I looked to my aunt, assuming she’d been the one to prepare the meal, but she didn’t acknowledge me.

To my surprise, Vance was the one to reply. “Thank you. I found it online. I’ll send you the link.”

The shock must’ve shown on my face because he chuckled and turned to me. “I finally learned how to cook. I never realized how easy slow cookers were to use.” Pride swelled in my chest at the man who lived off frozen pizza and protein shakes learning to prepare a balanced meal. He’d come a long way in the last several months. I wondered what else had changed.

After dinner, Darla brought out a cake that had “Congrats Charlie!” written in bubble gum pink icing and helped Charlie cut the first piece. We were all stuffed by the time the table was cleared, and Charlie was bouncing off the walls.

“Delilah,” she chirped excitedly, grabbing my hand, “I have to show you something! Come to my room.” I hesitated, unsure if Vance would want me up there. Even though I’d been exonerated of the crime he’d once accused me of, it had been so long since I was here, I no longer felt welcome to roam freely in his home.

I glanced up to find him watching us, a small smile playing on his lips. My eyes met his, asking for permission, and his smile fell as a pained look flashed across his face. He nodded and went back to drying the dish in his hand. He’d seen the hesitation in my eyes where once I wouldn’t have thought twice about doing as Charlie asked.

With a heaviness in my chest, I followed her upstairs to her room. She went straight to a small wooden wardrobe that sat opposite her bed. On one side hung frilly, brightly colored dresses. The other half housed shelves with plastic heels and costume jewelry. There was a mirror on the outside where she could admire herself in the outfits. It was the perfect dress-up station for any little girl.

“Look at my pretty dresses!” She beamed as she pulled a hanger from the rod and held it up to her body.

“I love them,” I crooned.

She spent the next half hour trying on all her dresses then walking down the stairs like they were the Paris runway to show everybody. We clapped excitedly, and she struck a pose every time she reached the bottom. Of course, she deemed me her assistant, so I had to run back and forth to help her change.

When her fashion show was over, I helped her hang up all the dresses and organize her shoes. She slipped on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, and I tamed her wild curls into a ponytail.

“Will you read me a bedtime story?” she asked, yawning. I looked at my watch and realized it was almost her bedtime. I’d been here longer than expected. Vance hadn’t come up to check on us once, and I wasn’t sure why that surprised me. It must’ve been because the last time I was here, his distrust of me sent me home in tears. I shook away those thoughts, unwilling to dwell on the past.

“Which book do you want?” I asked, sinking down on the edge of her bed.

“Madeline,” she replied, a huge grin splitting her face.

“My favorite,” I praised, pulling the book from the shelf.

“Mine too.”

50

Vance

I walked Darla,Jim, and Emily to the door and bid them goodbye. The fashion show had been over for nearly twenty minutes, but Charlie and Delilah were still upstairs. I didn’t want to interrupt their time together, so I waited patiently in the living room for Delilah to come downstairs.

At the bottom of the staircase, she glanced around at the empty house. “Where is everyone?”

“They left a little bit ago.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I hadn’t planned to stay so late, but Charlie wanted—”

“It’s okay,” I assured her. “She was really excited to have you here.”So was I, I thought but kept it to myself. I didn’t want to scare her off.

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