Before I can contemplate her mental stability, she launches another question at me, “So… do you like co-parent with her?”
“I guess you could say that. I transferred schools to help her out, and we do live together, so yeah—we co-parent.”
“Let me get this straight.” Sydney takes a long breath to steady herself as she’s clearly getting worked up. “You. Live. With. Her?” comes out on each breath as if it physically pains her to complete her thought.
Wait—Why would it matter if I live with her?
“Oh.” Oh, shit. No—she couldn’t think that.
But the venom in her voice and the death stare that could kill me on the spot says otherwise.
Oh, fuck. Talk about misconceptions.
I can’t help the smirk that forms as the last piece of this crazy-ass puzzle falls into place. “Do you think I’m dating Vanessa?”
Something I’ve said must give her pause. Because her expression morphs from being irate to complete confusion. “Aren’t you?”
Oh, shit. She thinks Julia’s my daughter. It takes every ounce of effort I have not to let my lips form a smile.
But I can’t let her get off that easy. “No. That would be weird.”
“Weird? I’ve seen it for myself. Julia has your eyes, and she called Vanessa Momma? Are you just co-parenting?”
“Yes—we are co-parenting. But I think there might be another important question you might wanna ask me first?”
Her tone turns defensive as she punches her fists into her hips. “Really? What’s that?”
Damn, this woman when she’s angry. Now that I know I’m not at fault, I appreciate her beauty. Her green eyes are darkened with fury, and her skin is flushed from her frustration. She’d clearly rip off my balls and feed them to me if she thought I’d cheat on her.
“Well—for starters—maybe I’d start with What’s your relationship to Julia?”
I wait for that to sink in.
She loses some of her fight, but I can still see her holding onto the fury she’s worked up about. “But you live with Vanessa? You just told me that.”
“You still haven’t asked the important question,” I point out.
Oh, Sydney, you have no idea how stubborn I can be. Two can play this game.
She huffs out a breath of air, “Fine. What is your relationship to Julia?”
“Finally, we’re getting somewhere. I’m so glad you asked, Sydney. You’ve already met my niece. But if we go back inside,” as I point to the diner where we have quite a crowd watching—well, at least Chloe, Vanessa, and Julia are prying at the window, “I’ll introduce you to my twin sister Vanessa.”
She opens her mouth to speak, then immediately clamps it shut. Then opens it again—but no words come out. Now that I’m removed from the anger and defense, I find it downright comical, and I can’t control the laughter that bubbles from deep inside me.
When I get myself back in control, I pin Sydney on the spot—so there are no more misconceptions. “For the record, I’m not into incest, and I’ve never cheated on anyone. And—the only type of green I enjoy seeing from you is in the form of your beautiful eyes. What do you say, Syd? Can you put your claws away and come meet my sister?”
Staring at the pavement below us, she shakes her head. “I think it might be best if I just walk home now.”
“Now why would you go and do a thing like that?” She lives miles from here, and I’m sure she has a meal waiting on her to finish.
She crosses her arms and kicks a rock from under her feet.
So, I wait.
And wait.
When I realize this stubborn woman is attempting to outwait me, I step closer. I hear her take a deep breath in—but still nothing.
With a finger, I reach out and touch her chin and wait for her eyes to meet mine. Finally, when I have her full attention, I ask, “Why do you feel like you need to walk home?”
Her eyes drift to our audience and then back to mine. “Because I’ve clearly read the situation wrong and made a fool of myself.”
“Naw… you haven’t made a fool of yourself. Sure, you read the situation wrong, but I’m at fault for not taking the time to properly introduce you to Julia this afternoon.”
Eating crow does not look good on Sydney, but she’s already been forgiven. Besides, Vanessa’s going to die when she hears this.
“How can you be so calm and reasonable? I just completely freaked out on you, made assumptions that clearly made me an ass, and accused you of being a cheater.” By the end, her voice is barely above a whisper, and her lower lip is trembling.
Fuck, I can’t handle her being upset like this. Reaching for her hand, I pull her close and wrap my arms around her in a hug. Her head leans against my chest and her messy bun tickles my chin. So, I readjust us and hug her fiercely. “It’s okay, Syd. You have nothing to be embarrassed over.”
“But…” she starts but I cut her off.
“Syd. All this did was prove that even though we’ve only known each other a short time, I somehow matter to you. If you just thought I was some prick, you clearly wouldn’t have given two shits about the fact that I’d potentially been a cheater. I’m sure you would’ve told me off or just never spoke to me again. You also wouldn’t have been this upset over the fact that you ran into me.”
“I didn’t want to like you…” she whispers.
I chuckle. I can’t help it—besides—what can I say to that?
“Well, that’s good to know—but I’m pretty sure you’ve just proven otherwise,” I tease.
Sydney pulls back from our hug, rolling her eyes. “You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?”
“Probably not,” I admit.
Leaving one arm around her, I turn and look toward the diner. “Would you mind having dinner with me and a very entertaining three-year-old? Or, if that’s too much pressure, I can sit awkwardly across the diner and watch you from across the room—wait—that sounds stalkerish. Scratch that. I can just pretend to ignore you from afar.”
“Okay, wise ass.” And the spunk is back. “I think I can handle dinner with a three-year-old. Though fair warning. I’m an only child and know nothing about kids.”
“Just remember—she can sense fear—and most certainly will take advantage,” I tease as we walk to the diner.
When we enter, I see Vanessa’s brows raise into her hairline with a clear message of Everything okay? Even without being her twin, I’m sure anyone who’s watching could make out that thought.
Taking Sydney’s hand, I walk to where Julia and Vanessa are standing. “Hey, Jules, do you mind if we eat at my friend Sydney’s booth tonight?”
She slowly looks Sydney over with care. “Sure, Unks. She’s pretty. She has hair the color of Merida, but her hair isn’t curly. Can I still get mac n’ cheese with bwroccoli?”
Glancing at Sydney, I smile when her eyes widen. But I direct my focus to my sister. “Hey, Van, this is Sydney. Sydney, this is my sister Vanessa.”
Vanessa doesn’t miss a beat. She reaches out her hand to shake Sydney’s. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be right back with place settings for these two if they’re joining you.”
“That would be great.” Sydney smiles and turns her attention to Julia. “My friend Chloe’s sitting right over there. Want to join us?”
Chloe’s waving to Julia, welcoming us all.
Since Sydney’s food is already on the other side of the booth from her, Chloe scoots further into the booth and asks, “Hey, Julia, wanna sit with me. I’d love to have someone draw with me.” Chloe reaches for the cup of crayons near the window and turns over her placemat.
“Can I use blue? It’s my faborite,” she says in the cutest tone ever. Her Vs and Rs are difficult to say, but she tries to sound so grown up. Yeah. I’m biased, I know, but Jules is adorable when she puts on the charm.
As Sydney scoots into the booth, I take a seat beside her, mentally wanting to hug Chloe for taking charge of this situatio
n. “Thanks for letting us crash your evening,” I offer.
“No problem at all,” Chloe says as she draws alongside Julia. “I’m just glad the two of you seemed to sort things out.”
Sydney shakes her head as she fidgets with her hands under the table. To put her at ease, I reach over and grab her hand to hold it on her lap. She squeezes it once to reassure that she’s okay. “It was a big misunderstanding with a lot of assumption on my part. But I think it’s been sorted.”
“Let’s hope so,” I interject before anyone can say anything. “Though when you think about it, it’s kind of funny. Van’s going to get a kick out of it when I tell her later.” Sydney’s eyes dart to me and widen in shock as her cheeks darken, making her freckles stand out. Immediately, I backpedal. “What? Too soon?”
Her grimace is freaking adorable, and I don’t even attempt hiding my smile.
“Maybe for the moment,” she mutters. “Gah… I so jumped to conclusions.”
“It’s over. Let’s move on,” I remind her then turn my attention to Chloe. “You two should eat before your dinner gets cold. I called ahead for our order, so we shouldn’t have to wait much longer.”
“Yeah. Momma works here and always gets our food, fast,” Julia pipes in.
“That must be nice.” Chloe smiles. “Do either of you want some of my fries while we wait?”
I know she’s offered it to both of us, but I’m sure it’s more for Julia’s sake than mine. Julia doesn’t disappoint as she eagerly bobs her head and says, “Yeah.”
“Yes, please?” I remind her.
“Yes, pwease.” She sighs in my direction, then gives a megawatt smile to Chloe. I’m sure it has everything to do with the fry in her hand. I clearly see where Unks rates in this situation with her new best friend.
Moments later, Vanessa brings out my French dip sandwich with fries and Julia’s mac n’ cheese with a heaping side of broccoli. “Anything else I can get you all?”
The girls each mutter a version of I’m good, and I shake my head in my answer. Then I ask, “Are you still getting off soon?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. If you want, I’ll take Jules when she’s finished. I should be done in about fifteen minutes. Then we’ll meet you at home.”
“Have you eaten?” Sydney asks. “You’re welcome to join us.”
“Oh, I ate on my break about an hour ago. But thanks for asking.” Another customer waves down her attention. “It was great meeting you. I’ll be back in a few, Jules. Make sure you eat up and not talk the ears off Unks’ friends.”
“Momma…” Jules rolls her eyes, clearly meaning duh. God help us when she’s a teenager. Van’s gonna have her hands full with this one.
With the four of us digging into our food, there isn’t much time for conversation. Sure, Julia chatters from time to time about random things the way three year olds do, but neither Sydney nor Chloe are bothered by it.
As if she’d been watching from afar, Vanessa shows up to get Julia just as she finishes. “You ready to go, squirt?”
“But I’m having fun with Cw-oie. Can’t we stay a bit longer?” she pleads with Van.
“It’s okay, Julia. I’ve actually got to get going, too. I’ll even walk out with you.” Then she turns to me. “Vince, do you mind taking Sydney home? You have a car, right?”
“Yes, I have a car,” I draw out as I look to take a direction from Sydney.
When she shrugs, I take it as a cue she’s fine with this plan. I’m sure there’s still a few things we should talk about to make sure we’ve cleared the air, but I don’t like the idea of forcing myself on her either.
The minute everyone leaves, Sydney mutters, “Well, that wasn’t planned.”
“Did you want to leave with her?” Shit. Did I read her wrong?
She shakes her head. “I swear they orchestrated this. It just felt too convenient that everyone leaves at once—leaving us alone.” Then she gazes at me to read my expression as she quickly tacks on, “Not that I’m complaining.”
I feel the smile pull up at my lips as I try to remain stoic. “Well, at least we got one thing out of the way tonight.”
She cocks a beautifully shaped eyebrow up at me. “You mean the fact that I no longer think you’re married with a kid?”
“You did not think I was married,” I accuse with a scoff.
“Well… it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. I mean we’ve just met and barely know one another. I also read a lot of romantic suspense—so my imagination can run wild when it wants to.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I deadpan—which earns a giggle from her.
“But seriously, Syd, let’s make a deal. If you have questions—you come to me. You don’t let them rattle around in that beautiful brain of yours and jump to unnecessary conclusions. I’m not one to hide things from people. Though truth be told—there’s a lot more to my backstory that you’re going to need time to shake out. I can’t have all the skeletons coming out of my closet at once. A man’s gotta have some things to reveal later—or what’d be the fun of gettin’ to know one another?”
“I think I can handle that,” Sydney says with a smirk. “Though fair warning—I’ve got plenty of secrets of my own.”
This earns her a deep belly laugh from me.
Damn. It’ll be fun unravelling her. With her sass, I’m sure she’ll keep me on my toes.
“So, does this mean we’re past our first fight?” I ask, leaning closer to her.
She responds with a tinkling laugh. “I guess it does.”
“Good. Then let’s get out of here, so we can go make up.”
“Really?” She smirks. “And what exactly does that entail?”
“I’m fairly new to this—but I’m pretty certain it’ll involve a bit of kissing.”
With that, I stand, drop enough bills to cover our meal, and reach for her hand. “Are you ready to kiss and make up?”
The look on her face is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
10
Sydney
Holy shit. The moment Vince gets me away from the crowded diner and in the privacy of his Jeep, he kisses me for all I’m worth. My toes curl, and my ovaries practically explode from my body with the passion of this kiss alone. He could’ve had a million different responses to my overreacting, but no—he kept me on my toes and handled me better than anyone I know.
Most guys don’t see the ticking time bomb before I ignite, but Vince saw it coming from a mile away and defused the situation by respectfully putting me in my place. Sure, he let me rant and get what I needed off my chest, but he also didn’t make me feel like an ass for being such a total bitch and jumping to conclusions either.
Then he played it off, like he got some satisfaction of wanting to kiss and make up. If this is how he handles things, I might have to provoke him more often.
Not really—but damn, the man can kiss.
When he finally pulls back, the grin on his face is infectious. “FYI—for the future, I’m not so keen on the pissing you off part, but I have no problems with making up.”
He runs his palm down his face and turns to start the engine—while I’m left utterly speechless.
Is he some kind of mind reader, too?
Neither of us say a word as Vince pulls out of the parking lot and heads toward campus. My mind spins a million miles a minute, and I’m having the hardest time latching on to a thought long enough to voice it aloud.
After a few blocks, Vince breaks the silence with, “Do you need to be home right away?”
I shake my head but realize since he’s driving, he needs to hear the words. “No.”
“Mind if we go for a drive? I’m a little amped up and would love a quick trip up the gorge.”
Not wanting our time together to end just yet, I easily agree, “Sure. Sounds good.”
He drives us out of town along the Columbia River to an unknown destination. The road is intermittently lined with trees and every now and then, I catch a beau
tiful glimpse of the river as the sun sets behind us. As Vince expertly maneuvers us through the twists and turns of the road, he must be at a point where he no longer needs to shift, because he reaches over and places a hand on my thigh. Liking the way it feels, I instinctually put my hand over his to keep it in place.
“You know, Syd, I do feel bad that you were upset by something I could’ve easily avoided.”
“Everyone has a past, Vince. I can’t expect to know everything all at once,” I remind him.
“True.” He’s quiet for an unusual amount of time. When he finally breaks the silence, his tone is rougher than I expect and laced with emotion. “So, you won’t get the wrong idea about me, there’s a lot of things that are hard for me to talk about. But please just ask, rather than jump to conclusions, okay?”
“Of course,” I whisper loud enough for him to hear as I squeeze his hand. “Please know I typically don’t fly off the handle. But there are a few non-negotiables for me. Cheating and deadbeat dads are two things I just can’t handle.”
Vince clears his throat as he removes his hand from my leg to downshift around a sharp corner. Once we’re back up to speed, his hand returns to my thigh, and I resume holding it. “Well, those are two things you can be certain I’ll never be. I’ve watched firsthand what’s happened to Vanessa and Julia—in the deadbeat dad scenario—though that’s a story for another day. I also don’t believe in cheating. If you’re contemplating it—there’s no point in staying with that person. Your relationship is already doomed. So, you may as well cut bait.”
“Wow—so women are like fish to you? Do you think they go bad after three dates or something?” I have no idea where that came from once it’s out. My free hand flies to my mouth to keep from saying something more.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Thankfully, my sass only makes Vince fill the cabin with a low chuckle. “I’ve never heard the saying go quite like that… but something tells me after three dates, I likely won’t tire of you.”
Great—now we’re planning our third date. What the hell happened to my dating diet? But the thought of not getting to know Vince better also feels wrong. My stomach literally drops at the thought and suddenly feels as if it’s filled with lead. No—as long as Vince is around, I’m pretty certain I won’t be sticking to that diet.
Vince: Book Two of the Perfectly Independent Series Page 8