Page 67 of Entwined
I wanted to disappear. “Vaughn, stop. I don’t want to discuss this with you.”
“But you do.” He stood, stepping closer, the heat of his body radiating toward me. His eyes darkened with intent. “I’m a much better alternative than silicone.”
Memories of our past together—his hands on my skin, the way he knew every inch of my body—flashed in my mind, tempting me in ways I hated to admit. But I couldn’t go there again, not with him. Not after everything.
“You might be,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, “but I can’t go there again.”
Vaughn’s expression softened, but his eyes never lost that determined glint. “Yet.”
I frowned, crossing my arms defensively. “Excuse me?”
“Yet,” he repeated, a hint of amusement in his tone. He leaned against the edge of the desk, watching me closely. “My plans haven’t changed.”
I stepped back, the tension thick in the air. “Vaughn, need I remind you that you tried to steal my house out from under me? You took me to that... sex club to humiliate me, to get me removed from Ashworth. Did you forget that?”
He let out a low laugh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “And you got me back for that one, didn’t you? Canceling the deed filing. Damn, Joey, did you have your attorney on speed dial?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the tension. “Xander gave me his personal cell. It’s nice to have people who actually care.”
Vaughn’s expression shifted, something more vulnerable flickering across his features. “I care. I was just so angry... angry that my father would give you what I thought was mine.”
My voice softened, and I stepped closer. “And now?”
He exhaled, his shoulders sagging slightly. “You can have it all. Take the job, keep the house... just give me you and our son.”
I stared at him, heart twisting. He said it with such sincerity, but I knew better. “You wouldn’t be happy without your position, Vaughn. You’ve spent your whole life chasing power and control. But I understand wanting to give it up if you think that’s what will bring us back together.”
He straightened, eyes locked on mine. “And it won’t?”
I shook my head, the words catching in my throat. “No. It won’t.”
For a moment, the room was silent, the weight of our past pressing down on us. Vaughn watched me with a mixture of frustration and longing, but he didn’t argue. He didn’t fight. And that, more than anything, made me feel like I had already won a battle I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight anymore.
We settled into a slightly uneasy existence. After months of being alone, I couldn’t bear to throw Vaughn out of my home. He rarely left, only flying to the city if he had a meeting he needed to conduct in person and he was back by evening.
He showed me consideration and that he was thinking of me by picking up a cheesecake from Junior’s or pastries from Little Italy. I craved sweets now that I was in the final trimester. Unlike my first pregnancy, things were going great. The baby was growing and healthy.
But I was always on alert for any changes. Our son loved to kick in late afternoon and mid evening. I was happy he was quiet later in the evening when I wanted to sleep. But it all came crashing down when I was almost eight months pregnant.
I woke to a horrible pain in my stomach. I rose from the bed and walked around, holding my stomach but the pain increased. I had no choice but to wake Vaughn and I was happy he was here. I pushed into his room without knocking. He was asleep on his side and when I softly called his name, he bolted up.
“Joey, what’s wrong.”
“The baby. Something isn’t right. It hurts.”
He jumped out of bed, naked. It had been months since I saw him in this state, but he was still as God like as I remembered. He hurried around, pulling on clothing, then hustled me down the stairs and into my coat. Vaughn drove like a man possessed.
“Hold on, Joey,” he said, squeezing my hand.
I was trying not to panic but I was bordering on hysterical. I couldn’t lose another child. If I did, it would break me.
“Please, Vaughn,” I whimpered.
He knew what I was thinking as he pressed the accelerator to go faster.
“You’re not losing our son. Don’t think that way.”
He slammed on the horn as he pulled up to the emergency room, jumping out of the car to grab one of the wheelchairs in the vestibule. A nurse came out to assist and while Vaughn parked the car, they quickly took my information. He was back beside me as they took me upstairs.
