Page 87 of Playing Hard to Get

“Doing good,” I told him with a nod. “How about you?”

He let out a quiet laugh as he shot a glance down the aisle to the back of the church. “Never better, never better.”

“Liar,” I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear me. He rolled his eyes at me and went back to fidgeting with his sleeves.

Vinny looked more nervous than I felt. He hadn't stopped moving since we got here this morning. If the show didn’t get on the road soon, he’d probably chew off his lips.

But I knew how he felt. I hadn’t seen Viv in two days, and my fingers tingled in anticipation of touching her again. It was hard to believe I could miss a person as much as I missed her. The last two days had been tough, but they were nothing compared to what we'd been through the past few months.

When Viv was released from the hospital, there was all sorts of rebuilding to do. Rebuilding her trust of strangers. Rebuilding her relationships with her family. She took time off work in order to spend some time on the things she realized were most important.

It was something I’d done, too.

I loved my job in security, I did. But after everything that went down, I decided there were things I needed to think about, too. I needed to work on me.

Viv traveled with me to Seattle in order for me to follow my dream. Though the nightmare that came after it was haunting, hearing Samuel James’ voice begging me in my dream to come see him was something I couldn’t forget. And Lord, how I loved it. Loved seeing that little boy’s eyes dance with joy. Loved seeing the swell of Erika’s tummy as she nestled against her new husband’s side. Loved seeing the love that little piece of my family had for my sweet girl. And more than that, the love she found so quickly for them.

Erika and Viv became fast friends. Viv made this adorable, tiny pink dress for Erika’s babe and began teaching her how to sew. And Erika… damn, she taught my girl how to bake the most amazing apple pie. Felt good to see Vivian let go, lose control. They made a mess of the kitchen, made a pie that was sure to come in last in every beauty contest. And they had fun. Never saw my girl laugh so hard.

When we returned home, Viv convinced me to give up my place at the safe house and move in with her. She stayed beside me on those long nights when the terror of my nightmares haunted me every time I closed my eyes. And she silenced my fears the way only she could. With a kiss, with a touch, with the gentle rock of her body against mine.

I’d been seeing someone, too. Doc Hamilton was helping me work through my guilt of being the one to live. He’d helped me get through it day by day, giving me a place to talk, a place to rebuild. A place to heal.

Vinny turned to me as he tugged at his sleeves again. “So, when you leaving?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

“And where you going again?”

I’d told him a half dozen times, but I indulged him all the same. “We’ll start in Europe. See the sights Viv never gets to see. England, France, and Spain. Then we’ll hop a ship and take a cruise along the Mediterranean, hitting up Italy and Greece.”

“It sounds nice,” Vinny said, his eyes wandering over the crowd. “Didn’t you say you were going somewhere else?”

I wet my lips and rubbed my hands together. “Going to end our trip in Japan.”

“Ah, that’s right.” Vinny ran his hand down the back of his head as he nodded. “How long will you be gone?”

“Couple months at least.” We didn’t have much of an itinerary. Just wanted to travel, see things we’d never seen. Eat good food and drink in the culture, live it up and fall in love all over again.

“You’ll keep in touch though, right?”

I smiled at the worry in his eyes. Wished Vivian could see how much she was loved. “Absolutely. And I’ll take good care of her and bring her home safe.”

Vinny nodded and rubbed his hand across his mouth. Started chewing on his lips again as he tugged on those sleeves. I found myself doing the same thing. Couldn’t wait to see my girl. Couldn’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle with that gorgeous smile on her face. She was my love, my life, my everything.

Beside me, Vinny sucked in a sharp breath. I followed his gaze to the back of the church to the beauty dressed in purple silk. I put my arm around my brother’s shoulders and pulled him close.

“Just go after her, Vin,” I told him.

His lips pressed together in a slight grimace as he shook his head. “I can’t.”

A chuckle tumbled through me and I gave his shoulders a good squeeze before letting him go. “Your sister used to say the same thing,” I told him. “And look how that turned out.”

Vinny looked at me with one eyebrow raised as he chewed that bottom lip. “What’s your secret?”

I glanced to the back of the church as the girl tossed those long, dark curls over her shoulder. “Persistence,” I said with a smile on my face. “For some things, you just can’t give up.”

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