Page 60 of Why Not Forever?

She smiles and rolls her eyes, exactly the way I’d imagined she would. “You’re ridiculous.” She takes it from me. “But this is adorable. Thank you.”

Much later, after an amazing dinner of pork roast with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, and after I make Vic watch a sci-fi action flick I love that she’s apparently seen because Spencer also loves it, I tell her good night and go to my bedroom, unearthing an ancient laptop and booting it up. It starts quickly, since Wyatt made some upgrades to it a couple years ago.

I call him now.

“Hey,” he says. “You’re coming to Mom and Dad’s next weekend for Thanksgiving, right? Mom called me today to ask if Vic wants to go in on our Secret Santa exchange.”

“Why didn’t she call me?”

“I asked her that. She said she didn’t want to bother you while you were at work.”

I open a new document on the laptop. “So she bothered you instead?”

“Well, I work from home, you know.” I can hear the eye roll in his voice as he says it. Wyatt makes almost as much money as I do, but our family doesn’t take him as seriously because he doesn’t go into an office. They have some old school thinking similar to Richard’s. But then, maybe my idea can help with that.

“I’ll ask her. We’re heading to Whistler tomorrow morning, but we’re back on Tuesday, so I’ll let Mom know then. I called for a reason, though. I had an idea today, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”

Chapter 22

Tanner

Asisusuallythecase, I’m awake before Vic the next morning. I’m all packed for our trip, and even dressed, when I head into the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. I decided on jeans and a t-shirt today since I want to be comfortable, but a bit more presentable than my sweats. Of course, when Vic comes out of her bedroom as I’m finishing cooking, she’s dressed in her usual clothes.

Gone are the sweats and messy bun of yesterday. Returned are the slacks and blouse, hair neatly done in a high ponytail. I want to let her hair down, see what she looks like with it soft around her face. I want to see her loosen the rigid control she holds on herself and her world.

“All ready?” she asks.

“Yep.” I set a steaming omelette on the counter at the pass through as she takes her usual seat. I pour a coffee next, doctoring it the way she likes and give that to her as well. The smile she offers me in thanks is worth every second I spent preparing the meal.

“It’s nice to be able to eat solid food,” she says. “I will never take it for granted again.”

I laugh as I turn back to the stove where I put my own omelette on a plate and move to sit next to her.

“You’re feeling better, then?” I ask as we eat.

She nods. “I’m fine, but a little tired. Do you mind driving today?”

“Sure.”

We head out after we’ve eaten and done the dishes. It’s a rare sunny day for the beginning of October, and I take it as a good omen for the trip. The drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway is gorgeous and we talk the whole way. I tell her about what Richard said yesterday, and she shrugs it off.

“I looked at the contract as well, remember? There’s nothing about names. Only that you had to marry me, which you’ve done. All legal and everything. He’s dragging his feet because he doesn’t really want to retire. Give it another few weeks.”

“You don’t think he’ll try to back out?” I ask, surprised at how unconcerned she seems.

She shakes her head. “If he does, there’s nothing we can do about it. Mom has been pressuring him to retire for a while, though. I don’t think hecanback out.”

The conversation turns to what we’ll be doing for the next couple of months with the holidays around the corner. Thanksgiving is coming up next weekend, then a Halloween party at Blue Vista at the end of the month, and Christmas in two and a half months.

I mention my family’s Secret Santa gift exchange. “We started it because there are so many of us. Siblings, in-laws, adult kids. They get gifts as kids until they’re seventeen. When they turn eighteen, they can choose to go in on the gift exchange or not get anything from the wider family.”

“Is it completely secret?” Vic asks.

I glance at her. “It’s supposed to be. Why?”

“I don’t know many of your family members well yet. I might need help picking something out.”

“You mean you’ll do it?”

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