Page 23 of Vanishing Point
“But I don’t even know these people,” Vi continued.
“Good. Then you won’t leave my side and I can have an excuse not to play one of those horrible baby shower games.”
“Thomas.”
He didn’t quite know why she’d not want to come, except maybe she thought it was a cop thing. “Cam and Hilly aren’t cops. Zach was FBI, but he just does security now. Laurel will be there, but I think that’s about it on the cop front. Cam’s her brother, so she’ll be too sappy to bring up any shop talk.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
He studied her then. The frustrated look on her face, which poked at his temper when it shouldn’t.
Itshouldn’t.
“Then what is?”
She looked up at him, but she didn’t answer his question. “I just don’t think I should go.”
He supposed the fact she wouldn’t give him a real answer made him say what he shouldn’t. “They’re my friends, Vi. Andyou’re my…for lack of a more adult word, girlfriend. I love you. Why wouldn’t you want to be part of my life?” And he should not be laying that at her feet after the day she’d had. Before she could say anything, he kept right on, hoping to dig himself out of the hole.
“Look, today’s been a lot. It’s not the day to have this conversation. Let’s have some dinner.” He tried to shake his frustration, and holding on to Magnolia helped. “I don’t have much. Soup?”
Vi was still standing by the door when he looked back at her, but she’d closed it. She didn’t say anything for the longest time. When she finally did, it wasn’t at all what he expected.
“You know Daisy Delaney.”
“Yeah.” She was letting it go. So he smiled at her. “Did I not mention it?”
She scowled at him. “No, you did not.”
“I’ve got all sorts of surprises up my sleeve, Vi.”
She grunted, then came over to him. “I’ll handle dinner since you’ve handled just about everything else.”
He would have argued, but it seemed like she needed it. And he understood. The desire todosomething when feeling helpless. He entertained Mags while Vi made them dinner. Then they sat down and ate together.
Which wasn’t the first time. They’d been doing this a lot. But out at the ranch. Out inherspace, withherfamily. This washishome and it made it feel like…
Theywere a family. Which was too soon, he knew. Vi had a lot to work through, and he could be patient.
But it still wound through him like pain, how much he wanted this to be his life. They bathed Mags, put her to bed. Since Magnolia’s crib was set up in his bedroom, they made out on the couch in the living room watching a movie like they were teenagers again. There was something kind of fun about that.About forgetting the ugliness she’d been through and just being their old selves for a tiny sliver of time.
When they went to bed, Vi snuggled in next to him like she belonged there. In this life he’d built for himself over the past fifteen years. He wanted that to be the only thing he thought about.
He watched her sleep for a while, trying to see this—the beautiful woman she was, who loved him enough and trusted him enough to let him protect her.
But instead, all he dreamed about were those pictures.
VI WOKE UPin a foreign bed, late morning sunlight streaming through the curtains. She sat bolt upright in bed,Thomas’sbed. The crib in the corner was empty, and she looked at the clock.
“Ten?” she screeched. She practically raced out of the bedroom, then skidded to a halt at the sight that greeted her.
Thomas was in the kitchen. He had his work khakis on, but no shirt. One of his county polos was draped over the back of a chair.
He had Magnolia on his hip, bouncing her while she smiled and babbled. The highchair was a mess, so Mags had clearly eaten.
“I did not learn my lesson,” he offered to her over his shoulder. “My shirt got peach smushed. Coffee’s up.”
It was like…all those things she’d imagined married life would be. It was all those things she’d wanted, so much so she’d ignored her intuition over and over again when it came to Eric.
