Page 66 of Entwined
"Smells good," he remarked, leaning against the doorframe. His gaze slid over me, but there was a distance in it, as if he knew better than to push.
I stirred the pot, glancing at him over my shoulder. "It's beef stew again. We have leftovers. I’m sure you’re used to something fancier.”
He shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. "I’ll take what I can get."
There was tension in his voice, something softer than before. He wasn’t trying to bulldoze me today, and that only made me more cautious. Vaughn didn’t do anything without a reason.
“Are you planning on camping out here indefinitely?” I asked, my tone light but laced with an edge. I ladled some stew into a bowl and set it on the table, avoiding his gaze.
He crossed the room, pulling out a chair. “You haven’t thrown me out yet.”
“I could.” I sat across from him, arms folded. “You’ve taken over my office. What exactly is the plan here, Vaughn? You show up, rake some leaves, act all domestic, and then what?”
He paused, his spoon hovering over the bowl as he met my eyes. “I’m not here to act. I’m here because this is where I want to be.”
I scoffed, pushing back from the table, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “You think you can just show up and expect everything to be fine? You can’t undo the past with a few good deeds.”
His jaw tightened, the tension between us building, but he remained calm. “I don’t expect everything to be fine. But I’m trying. That’s more than I’ve done before.”
I shook my head, stepping away from the table, my hand instinctively resting on my belly. “Trying isn’t enough, Vaughn. You hurt me, and that doesn’t just disappear because you decide you’re ready to be a part of this.”
He stood, slowly, watching me with those piercing eyes of his. "I know I’ve made mistakes, Joey. I’ve spent every damn day thinking about them. But I’m here now, and I’m not walking away."
I pressed my lips together, feeling the familiar ache in my chest. “You always had an out before. I don’t trust that you won’t take it again.”
His expression softened, and he took a step closer, though he didn’t touch me. “You’re right. I’ve taken the easy way out too many times. But this—" he gestured to my belly, “—this is different. I’m not running from my son. Or from you.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. I wanted to believe him. But the scars from the past weren’t so easily erased.
Before I could say anything, his phone buzzed from the counter, breaking the tension. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the screen, then turned back to me. “I have to take this. It’s work.”
I nodded, grateful for the interruption. He picked up his phone and left the kitchen, his voice growing distant as he stepped into the other room.
I stood there, staring at the empty space where he’d been, my thoughts a tangled mess. I had spent so long imagining what it would feel like to have Vaughn back in my life. And now that he was here, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it.
Not when everything was so complicated.
The tabloids were relentless. The headlines screamed at me from every corner —Ashworth Widow’s Love Nest?Pictures of Vaughn stepping out of his Mercedes in my driveway, unloading groceries like any other normal day, splashed across the internet and plastered on the front pages of gossip rags at every newsstand. Speculation was wild, and the vultures camped outside, snapping photos from across the street in the park, their lenses trained on my every move.
I peeked through the curtains, my fingers gripping the fabric tightly. The reporters were waiting, parked on public property where I had no power to chase them away. Their cameras glinted in the afternoon sun, ready to capture whatever scandaloustidbit they could exploit. My pulse quickened as I watched, the weight of their intrusion pressing down on me.
With a huff, I turned away from the window and stormed into Vaughn’s makeshift office, my phone already open to the offending photos. He sat behind my desk, typing away as if nothing in the world could bother him.
“Have you seen these?” I thrust the phone in front of him, my voice sharp with frustration.
Vaughn glanced at the screen, pausing for only a second before continuing his work, unfazed. “Joey, why does it bother you so much?” His tone was maddeningly calm, like none of this chaos even mattered.
My jaw clenched. “Because it does!” I snapped, pacing in front of him. “We’re not together, Vaughn, and it’s only a matter of time before they figure out I’m pregnant. I’m not sure I can hide it much longer. Right now they think I gained weight.”
His hands stilled on the keyboard, and he finally looked up, eyes meeting mine. “Then don’t hide it. Marry me.” He said it so casually, as though proposing marriage was the simplest solution to all our problems. “We can elope, make it official.”
I blinked, stunned by his nonchalance. “I... we’re not even close to doing that. We’re not together.”
Vaughn leaned back in his chair, a slow smirk curling at his lips. “But we could be.” His gaze was unrelenting, and he lowered his voice. “You don’t need to keep using your toy. I can help you.”
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “Oh, Joey... I’m not deaf. I hear the buzzing... your soft cries late at night.”
