Vince: Book Two of the Perfectly Independent Series

by Amanda Shelley

  Abby laughs as she calls out from the hallway. “That’s what he has Drew for. It’s his turn to cook tonight, so I’ll likely see you tomorrow. Thanks again for the yummy goodness.”

  When Abby returns to the kitchen a few minutes later, she opens the snack cabinet and is relieved to see the cinnamon rolls already packed for her. “You are amazing, Syd. Love you.”

  When there’s a knock at the door, I shoo her out of the kitchen. “Love you, too, Abs. Now get out of here.”

  I laugh as she juggles the containers I’ve packed with her to the door. Leave it to Abby to go nuts for my baking. I’m so glad I met her freshman year. She and Chloe have easily become my best friends, and I’d be lost without them.

  I spend the rest of the morning studying and let’s face it—trying not to daydream about Vince. I manage to finish a paper and catch up on my assigned reading for class. I breeze through my class and decide I need to work off some excess energy this afternoon, or I’ll go crazy waiting to hear from Vince today.

  Sure, I could call him. But I don’t want to seem too eager or desperate. Besides. It’d be best to see if he’s the type of guy who follows through with his word. I’ve had too many I’ve hung my hopes on—to always be the one to make the first move.

  Since I have the afternoon free, instead of going to the gym, I feel the need to run on open road. I rush home, change, and zip out the door before I have the chance to dwell on wondering when Vince may call. Knowing he has work and class nearly every day during the week, I know I shouldn’t expect anything until later this evening.

  Just as I’m about to reach mile three of my run, I see a little girl on training wheels rounding the corner on her bike. Not seeing anyone around her, I turn off my music to check out the situation further. Within seconds, I hear, “Jules. You’re supposed to stop at the corner.”

  She obediently stops and waits for what I assume is her parent.

  Relieved she’s not venturing out on her own, I stop at the corner and jog in place while I wait for the car coming up the road to pass. The girl was never in danger, but it still made me worry. She can’t be more than four years old—the bike is tiny, but she seems to hardly need her training wheels as she corners on only one side of her supporting wheels. From the corner of my eye, I see her dad running up the block to catch up with her.

  “Great job waiting, Jules!” her dad hollers, and I freeze.

  I know that voice.

  Slowly, I turn in the direction of her dad. Sure, I’ve been thinking of Vince all day—so I must be imagining him jogging up the road toward me. When he spots me, his grin widens, and there’s no way I’ve conjured him in this moment. My memories aren’t this crystal clear, and the full force of his grin makes my knees go weak as I’m frozen in place.

  “Hey, Syd. I never expected to see you out here today.”

  I can’t speak. I’m still shocked. I look from Vince to the girl beside us now. Then back again. Her matching eyes stare back at me expectantly. There’s no doubt. This beautiful girl is definitely all Vince. She even smirks as she teases exactly like him. “I told you I’d win. I’m the fastest!” She pumps an adorable fist in the air. “I won! I won!”

  Vince fist bumps her and says, “You win, squirt. Though I think it’s time to get your trainers off. You’re getting way too good at riding to keep these baby wheels on. You’re gonna be riding like a big girl by next week, if I have anything to say about it.”

  When Jules realizes I’m still staring between them, she says, “Hi! I’m Julia. I’m almost four, and I’m gonna ride a big-girl bike.”

  I bend down to her level and wave. “Hi. I’m Sydney.”

  Vince looks to me apologetically. “Sorry, I was gonna call after I took her for a ride. I never expected to meet you here of all places.”

  Standing, I shake my head, then look back to Julia. “It’s fine. Bike rides are way more important. You seem to have your hands full with this speed racer.”

  This makes the cutest giggle fall from Julia’s lips. “Yep. I always beat him. He’s way too slow for me.”

  Seeing the feign look of hurt on Vince’s face as his hands cross his heart, and he pouts, “You wound me, squirt. I thought I was your favorite.”

  She gives him a look that clearly says duh, as she rolls her perfectly matched eyes to him. “Who else will teach me to ride a big-girl bike?”

  I can’t help but snicker at her cuteness, though I do my best to cover it with a cough. She must look a lot like her mom as she has lighter hair and complexion. It’s clear she gets her playful attitude and eyes from Vince. Like him, she’s beautiful.

  Vince gets my attention by reaching out and squeezing my hand. Just like last night, my nerve endings zing to life and react to his presence. “Will you be around later?”

  Not expecting his question, I just stare.

  Julia interrupts by asking, “Can I ride to the next driveway?”

  Vince nods and says, “Be sure to stop,” as I continue staring at their interaction.

  Then he focuses his beautiful eyes on me, and I’m still at a loss for words.

  “Syd? Everything okay?”

  Shaking my head and remembering I need to answer him in words, I say, “Yeah. I’ll be around.”

  He points in the direction of his tiny tot trekking away. “I’d better catch up with her. I’ll give you a call later tonight.”

  He leans in and kisses my cheek before running off in the direction of Julia.

  All I can do is stare in their direction. I watch them until I can’t see them any longer as one thought runs through my mind on repeat.

  Holy shit. Vince is a father.

  8

  Sydney

  “Vince is a father,” I repeat to Chloe for the millionth time as I pace across our living room.

  “So it seems,” Chloe calmly states as if she’s trying to pacify me or talk me off the ledge. I’m still not sure what her true agenda is. Frankly, I don’t care.

  “Holy fucking shit. How could he not tell me he has a kid?”

  “Syd, you’ve been on one date with the guy. Yeah—from what you’ve told me, it was pretty epic. But it wasn’t exactly conducive to spilling his whole life’s story. Besides, a lot of single parents don’t share the fact they have kids on the first date. Most just want you to get to know them before they introduce you to their family. He’s young, and if she’s nearly four, he’s probably not had that much experience finding someone who wouldn’t run screaming in the opposite direction when she found out he had a kid.”

  “Why do you have to make sense?” I whine. But he still could’ve told me. “This is a pretty big bomb he dropped on the street corner. And with her being there, it’s not like I could confront him or anything. Besides, what would I say? So—you have a kid? Okay, Captain Obvious. What the fuck do I do now?”

  “You could hear him out,” Chloe suggests in her annoyingly sensible tone. “He’s likely still getting her dinner and getting her ready for bed, and you’ll hear from him later.”

  Thank God, Chloe had been walking in the door when I got home; I’d be pacing a hole in the carpet or baking myself to death if she hadn’t been here to talk me through this.

  “Speaking of dinner,” she adds. “Do you want to grab something to eat? I’m starving and haven’t eaten since breakfast. Let’s go to that diner on the other side of town that Abby always talks about. We can talk away from the college crowd and hopefully, by the time we’re through eating, he’ll call, or you’ll have a plan of action, so you can get out of your head and go on with your night. I know you, Syd. You’re not gonna let this go—until you get to the bottom of it.”

  “I’d call him. But I know he needs to be with his daughter right now, not dealing with my freak-out over the fact he has a fucking kid.”

  I pace to the other side of the room and turn before returning to where Chloe sits patiently on the couch. “Hell, Chloe, I don’t even know if I like kids.” I had a shit father growing up a
nd haven’t even given any thoughts to having kids. I’ve been so hell bent on getting out of my situation, I’d never thought that far ahead.

  But why am I contemplating having kids? I’ve been on one date with this guy. It’s not like I’m gonna marry him or anything. Hell, at this rate, I doubt we’ll even make it to a second date.

  Chloe interrupts with, “Are you really being fair to him, Syd? It’s not like he planned to meet you and hit off. One date without telling you his entire life’s story—is hardly the epitome of evil. He’s young and from the sounds of it, still a great guy—who happens to have a kid. Maybe he hasn’t found the right girl yet?”

  When I shoot daggers in her direction, she defensively puts her hands up and surrenders. “Hey, all I’m saying is give the guy a chance. In the meantime, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving. I’ll even buy.”

  I’m so rattled, I’m sure I’ll hardly be able to eat, but knowing I’ll go crazy if left on my own, I agree. I quickly change out of my running clothes into a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, throw my hair into a messy bun, and meet her in the living room within minutes.

  When we walk into the diner, the smell of delicious food makes me hungrier than I’d realized. I manage to go through the motions of ordering, but I can’t get my mind off the situation with Vince.

  In an attempt to distract myself, I ask Chloe how her weekend with her family went. Thankfully, this tactic works because she tells me about how her Uncle Marvin, who happens to be her grandma’s older brother wouldn’t stop pouring them wine. I actually find myself laughing.

  “I’m not kidding, Syd. My glass never emptied and the next thing I knew, I had the biggest buzz going. I was dumbfounded and seriously had no idea how it happened. It was the first time I’ve ever been drunk around my family, and I felt guilty. Of course, I pretended as if I wasn’t three sheets to the wind and got philosophical. My cousin got it on video and showed me the next day—then said he felt guilty for not warning me about Marvin’s heavy hand with the bottles of wine. Apparently, it’s a rite of passage, and everyone waits until he has his next unsuspecting youth in front of him to see how far he can take things.”

  Holy shit—remind me to never drink with her family. I don’t even know what to say with that one. Thankfully, I don’t have to respond because she quickly continues, “Can you believe my freaking family actually took bets for the type of things I would do? They’re jackasses—the whole lot of them. Good God!” she says, shaking her head. “At least I have some self-control and cut myself off and was only drinking wine. Can you imagine if it had been margaritas or something like that? You know what tequila does to me.”

  Yes. Yes, I do. I attempt to hide my smile by placing a hand over my mouth, but Chloe sees right through me.

  “It was one time,” she protests. “You know I love old country music, and I was just following lyrics in the music. Tequila does not make my clothes come off…” she practically shouts and draws the attention of the crowd around us.

  As Chloe turns beet red, she sinks further into the booth we’re sitting at then whisper shouts, “Do you think anyone heard me?”

  I take a moment to examine the diner and unfortunately have to nod. “Yeah, I think they did. But don’t worry. It’s not like we frequent here or anything,” I tease—but in reality, maybe it’s only the younger couple next to us.

  Just as I’m certain she’s in the clear, I have the strangest sensation roll through my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Before I can put any thought to it, the door jingles and Julia comes running into the diner.

  I’m frozen in place, and Chloe instantly is on alert. “What? Did I really make that big of a scene?”

  I just stare as Julia prances right up to our waitress and throws herself at her. “Momma, I missed you!”

  Our waitress bends down to scoop her into her arms. “I’ve missed you, too, Jules. How was your day?” She looks around the restaurant, I’m sure looking for Vince—but he has yet to show his face.

  “Holy shit,” I mumble.

  “What?” Chloe cues into the fact that my attention is on the scene playing out in front of me. “What am I missing?”

  “Uh… that’s Julia.” I nod in their direction, trying not to be obvious.

  Thankfully, Chloe has the sense to not make a scene. But before I can process anything further, Vince makes his appearance.

  He walks right up to Julia and her mother and greets our waitress with a huge smile. “How’s it going, Van? You’d better not pick up an extra shift tomorrow because I promised Jules we’d take off her training wheels. You’re not gonna want to miss it.”

  Van’s eyes widen in surprise, but she ruffles her daughter’s hair. “Seriously? Where’s the pause button when you need it?” Then she tickles her daughter who is still in her arms. “You need to stop growing up so quick, little miss.”

  This causes Julia to giggle. “Silly, Momma. I’m a big girl now. I need to ride without baby wheels.”

  “Yeah, Van. She’s a big girl now,” Vince singsongs. “We’ve gotta let her grow up sometime.”

  Watching their family’s interaction rips me to shreds.

  A thousand emotions flood my senses all at once, and it’s all I can do not to bolt from the room. Chloe captures my attention by placing a hand on mine to hold me in place.

  “Things aren’t always what they seem,” she whispers.

  “I… I gotta get out of here. They clearly are a family, and I feel like shit for getting involved with him in the first place. But what’s worse is he’s just the typical ass who’s also a cheater. God, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  “Syd,” Chloe calls after me as I bolt from the booth. Rushing past Vince and his family to the door, I burst through it gasping for fresh air. I haven’t even eaten yet, but I feel like I’m about to lose whatever is left in my stomach.

  Running across the parking lot, I spot bushes that could hide my evidence. I may be having a shit day, but no need to ruin someone else’s evening.

  Thankfully, by the time I get to said bushes, all I need to do is catch my breath. Placing my hands on my knees, I bend over and gulp in air as fast as my body will let me.

  When I hear footsteps behind me, I swat my hand in the air to let Chloe know I’m okay and just need space. “I’m fine, Clo. Just go and enjoy your meal. I’ll come back in a minute. Or better yet, I’ll just walk home. I need some time to think.”

  “What do you need time to think about?” comes from the sexy voice I’ve thought about all day—but didn’t do him justice at all. Even from those few words, I can tell they’re laced with concern.

  Why the fuck is he concerned about me?

  Turning on my heels, I glare at the culprit for all my mixed-up emotions.

  “What are you doing here?” I seethe.

  9

  Vince

  The moment I spot Sydney rushing out of the restaurant like a bat out of hell, I know something’s wrong. Without giving Vanessa any explanation, I quickly mutter, “Can you get Jules settled? I need to go check on something.”

  Of course, my sister’s gonna grill me for all I’m worth when I return, but I’ll deal with that later. Something’s wrong with Sydney, and I need to make sure she’s okay.

  I watch her sprint across the parking lot and stop in front of the hedge along the fence. She’s bending over as if she’s about to be sick, and I know with every fiber of my being that I need to be there for her.

  When she mistakes me as her friend Chloe, I’m almost amused. Clearly, she has no idea I’ve followed her out. Maybe she didn’t even see me in her haste to leave. But when she says she needs time to think, I’m utterly confused.

  Especially when she spins around and glares at me as if I’ve just murdered her favorite puppy.

  Holding my hands up in defense, I do my best to defuse the situation. “Whoa… What’s going on?”

  She’s pissed.

  Her eyes narrow as she takes
in a deep breath.

  Her fists ball up, like they did at my buddy Derek. But this time, I’m fairly certain she’s gonna let me have it.

  Holy shit. What the hell did I do?

  When she points an index finger, she nearly pokes me in the chest as she enunciates each and every word in my direction. “What are you doing out here with me? You should be inside with your family.”

  Without thinking, I blurt out, “Why would I be in there with them when you’re clearly upset?”

  “I’m not that type of girl, Vincent Daniel Larson.”

  Okay… she’s using my full name. I have no fucking clue where her rage is coming from. Clearly, she thinks I’ve wronged her, and I’m getting to the bottom of this.

  “Exactly what kind of girl am I supposed to think you are?”

  “I don’t break up families.” She practically spits in my direction.

  “Uh… I never thought you would,” I clarify.

  “Then what’s going on in there?” She points to the diner where I see her friend getting a front row seat of this spectacle from the window.

  “Van had to work an unexpected shift, so I brought Julia here for dinner?” I ask, trying to see what this fuss is about.

  She takes a long, slow breath as if she’s trying to keep from telling me how she really feels. “So, Van’s still pretty much in the picture then, I take it?”

  “Uh… of course. She’s Julia’s mom. But what does that have to do with you and me?”

  Sydney blanches as if I’ve just slapped her across the face. Which for the record, I’d never do—even if I do think she’s off her rocker at the moment.