Page 78 of Succeeding Love
He sighed, shaking his head, but walked off to do what I told him to do. My son picked up on everything and would still be suspicious, but I couldn’t tell him about what his father did today. That wouldn’t go over well.
As I was checking the meatballs, Kevin went nuts in the front room. I thought nothing of it, thinking maybe a cat was maybe too close to the front yard, but then the doorbell rang.
I closed my eyes as I sighed, willing for it to not be Nick again. I couldn’t be held responsible for what I did if he was back, and I really didn’t want to do anything in front of the kids.
“I got it!” Jessie yelled, beating me to the door.
I slowed my pace and listened, growing more suspicious.
“Hey, Jessie!” I heard a much more welcome voice than the one I had expected. “How are you? Did you have a good rest of your weekend?”
“Hi Mr. Vin. I did! I got to pick out a new bed and ate pizza twice.”
“That sounds fun,” he chuckled. My anxious mood lifted just hearing his deep laugh. “Is your mom here?”
“Right here,” I emerged around the corner where I had been hiding and listening in.
Vin had a gentle expression on his face as he took me in. His smile was infectious. I had just seen him several hours ago,but I realized how much I missed him in that short amount of time.
“Hey beautiful,” he said, making my insides melt.
Jessie giggled, then turned to skip up the stairs. “I gotta get the washer before Preston fills it with his stinky baseball stuff.”
“Oh, no,” Vin’s smile spread across his handsome face. “Not stinky baseball gear.”
“She got one of his jock straps tangled with her leotards during football season, and it scarred her for life.”
“Poor girl,” he pulled me in for a hug now that Jessie was out of sight.
“I know. I’m starting to save for her future therapy now.”
He laughed, brushed his fingers against my face as he gently cupped it in his hands. I closed my eyes as his lips met mine, chasing away so much of the tension I’d been carrying in my body all afternoon.
“Hi,” he whispered in a deep raspy voice, resting his head on mine.
“Hi,” I giggled. “Long time no see.”
“I know. It felt like a lifetime,” he teased, still holding my face in his hands.
It was crazy how decompressed I felt now, just standing there in my doorway with him. I had spent the better part of the afternoon in this awkward state of depression and anger. The thing with Nick happened right before lunch, so I had little time to process before then. Then, seeing Vin’s colleague, it justmagnified my irritation with my ex. It felt like Nick was ruining everything that had to do with Vin for me.
But he couldn’t ruin this. This moment with Vin now, where the entire world and the problems in it faded away. So all that was left was the man before me, holding onto me and making me feel like I was someone special.
“How was work?” I leaned into his touch, focusing on the now and not the past.
“It was good.” he slid his arms down to wrap around my waist. “Lunch was my favorite part of the day.”
I laughed softly, feeling the same way. “Mine too.”
He sighed, then asked what I knew was coming. “So, you wanna talk about it?”
He didn’t need to explain what “it” he was referring to. I knew he would be curious. If I was in his shoes, I would be too.
“There’s really not much to talk about. Nick showed up before I left, saying all kinds of nonsense. I told him the truth and left.”
“The truth?” Vin raised his eyebrows.
I softly let out a weary sigh, then told him, “He told me he wanted me back. I guess he and Arlene broke things off. He was adamant about me hearing him out, but I told him to kick rocks and leave.” I stared up at Vin through my eyelashes, catching the tightness around his eyes. “It’s been irritating me all day, though. I wanted to kick him.”