“You’re such a charmer.” I giggle.
“And don’t you just know it?” He laughs, kissing my forehead. “Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
I kick my flip-flops off and sit down. Vaughn sits beside me, opens the basket, and gets the sandwiches out that we made earlier—turkey and mayo.
Yum.
Then, he pulls out a bottle of wine and a plastic glass from the side of the basket.
“When did you sneak that in?” I ask.
“I put it in when you were in the bathroom. I just forgot to tell you. Thought you might like a drink.”
“Aren’t you having one?”
“I’m driving.” He gives me a duh look.
“I know you’re driving, smart-ass, but you can have a glass, can’t you?”
“I only brought the one glass.”
“Then, I’ll share mine with you.”
He pours the wine out, and I take a sip and then hand it to him.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” I say before taking a bite of my sandwich. “It really is beautiful. And kind of romantic if you think about it.”
“I’m a romantic kind of guy.” He grins.
“Can you ever be serious for just a minute?” I nudge his thigh with my foot.
He stares right into my eyes. “Like I told you, I’m serious about you.”
Butterflies swoop into my stomach, going nuts. “I’m kind of serious about you, too, West.”
We eat and drink—well, I do most of the drinking—and we talk about everything and laugh. I laugh so much when I’m with him.
I think humor is such an attractive quality in a man, and Vaughn has it in spades. That, and a gorgeous face and smoking-hot body.
I’m a lucky, lucky girl.
I’m just nibbling on a strawberry when I remember something that I’ve always wanted to ask him. “West, can I ask you something?”
“Is it dirty or kinky?”
“No.” I giggle.
“Sounds boring to me, but go on then. I’m listening.”
I shake my head at him, my lips curved into a smile. “Why didn’t you have me fired when I stabbed you?”
He furrows his brow. “Why would I have?”
“Because you had Millie fired for incompetency. I stabbed you in one of your balls. Seems kind of worse than being incompetent. Even though she is incompetent.”
“Who’s Millie?”
“The girl who did the job before me.” I put the rest of the strawberry in my mouth and chew.
“Oh, her. I had her fired because she kept hitting on me.”
“Oh.” I swallow it down. “Well, it makes sense. She always did seem to like the men I did.” Even if she did see Vaughn first, it doesn’t count because I don’t like her.
“Do I smell a history there between you two?”
“I just don’t like her. She’s crap at her job. And she slept with my ex after I dumped him.”
“Ah. Well, Pins, I wouldn’t have fired you for an accident even if it hurt like a motherfucker. And you intrigued me. I liked your fire. And you made me a cock warmer, so…”
“Oh my God! It wasn’t a cock warmer! It was—”
He cuts my words off with a soft kiss.
His lips part from mine, his thumb brushing gently over my mouth. My eyes flutter open to his warm stare on mine.
“It wasn’t a cock warmer,” I utter softly.
“Sure it wasn’t, Pins.” He winks.
“Kind of ironic that you fired her for hitting on you, and then you ended up sleeping with me.”
“It’s different.”
“How?”
“Because, first off, she was seriously inappropriate. You never behaved that way with me.”
“True.”
“And, secondly, I wanted to fuck you the moment I laid eyes on you.”
I hold back a smile. “You were quite standoffish when I first met you.”
“Because I wanted to fuck you, and I knew I couldn’t, hence the hard-on when you stabbed me.”
“I knew you had an erection!” I exclaim. “And you were all, ‘I didn’t have a boner. You’re not my type,’” I say, mimicking his voice.
“What was I supposed to say? Oh, yeah, I got a boner while you were on your knees in front of me because I couldn’t stop imagining you sucking my cock. I’m sure that would have gone down really well.”
I laugh. “You said I wasn’t your type.”
“I lied. You’re more than my type.”
“You seemed very convincing.”
“I’m an actor, Pins. I’m paid to be convincing.”
“So, how will I actually know when you’re telling me the truth or lying?” I’m teasing, but his face instantly turns serious, surprising me.
“Because I would never lie to you. You’re far too important to me for me to ever do anything to fuck this up.”
My own secret thumps me hard in the chest. I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. “I know,” I whisper. “I was just teasing.”
“Sorry.” He grabs ahold of my hand and tugs on it. “I just…after what happened with Cain…I just…I would never do that to you.”
“I know you wouldn’t. And I would never cheat on you. You know that, right?”
He looks at me for a long moment. “I know, babe. I trust you.”
I take a sip of wine.
Vaughn gets a strawberry and puts it in his mouth, biting into it. Some of the juice runs down his lip. He catches it with his tongue. “So, tell me about this ex-boyfriend.”
“Huh?”
“The ex who Millie slept with.”
“Oh, Michael.”
“Sounds like a prick.”
I laugh. “He is. A prick who was a drug dealer, which I found out about after six months of dating him. The second I found out, I dumped his sorry ass.”
“How did you find out that he was dealing?”
“I was working on a show, and an actor told me to thank Michael for the coke and that it was good shit, that’d he be telling all his buddies about him.”
“Sounds like a charmer.”
“Oh, yeah, a real charmer.”
“You’ve really gone up in the world with me, Pins.”
I glance at him, and he’s grinning.
“I know, right? But then there wasn’t exactly anywhere for me to go but up after Michael.”
His brow furrows. “I don’t know if that was actually a compliment or not.”
“It was. Well…a backhanded compliment—argh!”
I squeal as he dives on me. Taking me to my back, he pins my hands over my head.
“Your smart mouth is going to get you in trouble one of these days, Charlotte Michaels. Hey, do you realize you’ve got the same surname as your douche ex’s first name?”
“Of course I realized.” I laugh.
“If you’d married him, you could’ve made him change his surname to yours, so he’d have been called Michael Michaels.”
“You’re a fucking comedian, West. And why exactly are you talking about me marrying another man? My ex, to be precise.”
“I have no clue.” He frowns. “The thought actually makes me want to punch a hole in that tree over there.”
“You’d have to be pretty strong to punch a hole in a tree. Like Hulk strong.”
“You’re killing the romantic in my words.”
“Sorry.” I bite the smile on my lips, but I can’t stop the laugh that comes out.
“You suck.” He frowns, climbing off me, sitting down.
I sit up next to him. “I do suck. Very well, according to you.”
He slides a grin at me. “You do have a mouth like a vacuum.”
“Was that another one of your romantic statements?”
“Yep.”
“Uh, well, thanks.”
He laughs. “You’re welcome.”
We’re quiet for a moment as we stare out over the view. Vaughn brings his knees up and links his arms around them.
“Can I ask you some
thing?” I say.
He turns his head, resting his chin on his shoulder. “Shoot.”
“Does it, um, bother you that I dated someone who was a drug dealer?” I’m asking to test the water now that he knows. I want to know what he’s willing to tolerate. “I mean, if we went public and the press were to find out, would it bother you?”
“Not at all.”
“What about my past? My father murdering my mom. My father being in prison. If the press found out, they would have a field day.”
“The only thing I would be worried about is you.” He drops his arms and turns around to face me, putting his legs on either side of me. He cups my cheek, turning my face to him. “Is that why you want to still keep us a secret?”
I glance away, looking down.
Maybe. Partly. Not really.
Tell him the truth, Charly.
He slides his fingers under my chin, lifting, forcing my eyes up. “Pins, what happened…you had no control over. You were a kid. I don’t care what the press has to say about it. Nothing about you could ever embarrass me. You’re amazing. I’m crazy about you.”
I stare back at him, my heart beating with love and fear and everything else that I feel for him.
I lean forward and press my lips to his. He moans a sound that hits me straight between my legs. His hand moves from my face to cup the nape of my neck. He shifts in closer, deepening the kiss, taking control.
And, as it always does with Vaughn and me, things get heated fast, and I’m straddling his lap, pressing myself up against him.
And I tell myself that I don’t need to tell him now, that there’s no rush. And Sasha’s wedding is tomorrow. I don’t want to do anything to spoil it for him. He might be okay with what I have to tell him, but just to be sure, I’ll wait.
I’ll tell him when we get back to Vegas.
Chapter 33
Vaughn
“You having fun?” I ask Charly.
“So much fun. Thank you for bringing me with you.”
“Yeah, well, it was between you and Doris, who cleans my trailer, but Doris was busy today, so you lucked out.”
“You jerk.” She chuckles, and I grin.
“I’m glad I asked you, too, Pins,” I say in a lower voice.
I kiss the tip of her nose as we dance to an acoustic version of Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” being played by the band my sister hired for her wedding.
The day has been awesome. My mom and sister did an amazing job with putting the whole thing together. The ceremony went off without a hitch. They got married under the willow tree by my parents’ house. The tree had lights hanging from it. An altar was just beneath it, covered in white flowers. It looked really cool.
Sasha looks beautiful. Greg even cried when he saw her walking up the aisle, which he is going to get so much shit for but not today. Today, I’ll let it slide. I’ll just mock him tomorrow. And for the rest of his life.
We’ve done the sit-down, had our meal in the tent, and laughed at my dad’s bad jokes during his speech. And, now, we’re partying until the night is over.
But, for me, the best part of today has been Charly. She looks totally fuckable in her dress—a long, floaty dark gray number that is fitted over her breasts, making them look magnificent. Her hair is down and curled, and I desperately want to get my hands all tangled up in it. And her lips are tease-me red. It’s been killing me all day because all I’ve wanted to do is kiss that lipstick right off her mouth and then carry her back to my house and fuck her all night long.
She’s been glowing all day. Like she’s lit up from the inside out. And, the moment when my sister thanked her in her speech for saving the day by fixing her dress…I honestly thought she was going to cry.
Being here with her has been amazing. Being free to be with her, I never want it to end. I don’t want to go back to Vegas tomorrow and go back to pretending that we’re not together in front of people.
I just don’t know how to ask her again. I don’t want to push. But I want it. I want her.
I feel a tug on my pants and look down to see Nora.
“Hey.” I smile at her.
“Uncle Vaughn, will you dance with me? My brothers won’t dance with me.”
“Course I will, beauty. You don’t mind, do you, Charly?”
“No, of course not. I need to use the little girls’ room anyway.”
I pick up Nora in my arms and start to dance with her as Charly makes her way through the dance floor that is filled with my family and friends whom I’ve known all my life.
That’s another thing. She fits in so effortlessly with my family. They all love her. She couldn’t be more perfect for me.
The more I think about this, the more determined I become about wanting to go public. I just need to figure out how to get her on board.
“You look so serious, Uncle Vaughn.” Nora’s chubby little hands press to my face. And they’re sticky. I’m pretty sure with cake.
“I was just thinking.”
“About Charly?”
Kid is smart for a three-year-old.
“I like her, Uncle Vaughn. She’s really pretty and funny.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“I think you should marry her. But don’t wait as long as Mommy and Daddy did.”
I laugh. “Because you want to be a bridesmaid again?”
“Course.” She smiles. “I love being a bridesmaid. Look how pretty my dress is.”
“You look beautiful, Nora.”
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
I turn to my sister, and her eyes are on Nora.
“You feeling tired yet? ’Cause Nanny Porter said she’d put you to bed in Gran and Granddad’s house, and she’d sit with you.”
“No, I don’t wanna go to bed.” Nora pouts, arms wrapping around my neck, clinging to me.
“Okay, baby.” Sasha laughs. “You don’t have to go to bed yet. Wanna come and dance with me and Daddy?”
Nora looks at me and then her mom. “Okay,” she says, letting me go.
I hand her over to Sasha.
“Where’s Charly?” Sasha asks.
“Bathroom.”
“Have you met Ed yet?”
“No.” My eyes narrow. “When did he get here?”
Apparently, he couldn’t make it to the ceremony because it was his granddaughter’s sixteenth birthday, and they were having a party for her. Sounds suspicious if you ask me.
“A few hours ago,” Sasha tells me.
“Where is he?” I scan the dance floor.
“In the tent with Gran. They were chatting with Dad.”
“Right.” I kiss Sasha’s cheek and then Nora’s. “See you in a few. Oh, and if you see Charly, will you tell her I’m in the tent?”
“Will do,” Sasha answers.
I head off the dance floor and in the direction of the tent.
I spot Gran and Ed. They’re not with Dad anymore. They’re sitting at a table not too far from the bar.
I make my way over, staring at Ed. He’s got a lot of hair for a seventy-year-old guy. Probably a wig.
“Hey, Gran,” I say as I approach the table. I lean over and kiss her cheek, giving Ed the evil eye as I do.
“Vaughn, this is Ed. Ed, this is my grandson, Vaughn.”
“Nice to meet you.” He gets to his feet and shakes my hand.
Weak handshake.
I sit on the chair by my grandma.
“So, your grandmother told me that you’re an actor.”
I glance at my gran, and she’s just smiling at Ed.
I look back to Ed. “Yeah, I’m an actor.”
“What kind of actor? Theater? I used to do a little amateur theater when I was younger.”
Is he taking the piss?
“Ed doesn’t watch movies,” Gran tells me.
“Not unless they’ve got Frank Sinatra in ’em.” Ed chuckles.
Ah, okay. He doesn’t know who I am, and my gran clearly hasn’t enlighte
ned him. I love her a little bit more in this moment. I relax a little toward him.
“So, you do movies then?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Interesting.” He nods and then looks off across the room.
And that’s the end of that conversation for Ed.
“So, how did you two meet?” I ask him.
“On Tinder,” my Gran says.
“Tinder.”
“Yeah, you know, the dating app that you swipe left or right on. Well, let’s just say Ed didn’t get swiped left.” She winks at him.
And I want to vomit.
Aside from the fact that my gran just winked, she’s on Tinder. I have no clue what swiping left or right has to do with anything, and I’m not sure I want to know.
But my gran is on a dating site.
What the fucking fuck?
“Gran, I know what Tinder is. But what I mean is…” I scratch my head. “Why were you on there?”
“Gosh, Vaughn, you do ask some silly questions sometimes. I was trying to find a man, of course.” She gives me a knowing look. “So, I downloaded the app onto my phone. Your mom helped me set it up. And that’s how I met Ed.”
Mom helped her set up a dating app on her phone. What planet am I on right now?
“Hey.”
The sound of Charly’s voice from behind me is a welcome reprieve. I get to my feet.
“Ed, this is Charly, my grandson’s girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you, Ed.” Charly gives him a smile.
“You, too,” he says.
“Drink,” I say. “We’re going to the bar. You want anything?” I ask them both.
They shake their heads.
I steer Charly over to the bar.
“Ed seems nice,” Charly comments.
“He’s on Tinder,” I say.
“What?”
I turn to face her. “My gran met him on Tinder. And my mom helped her set up her profile.”
She smiles wide. “Go, Grandma! Tinder, eh?”
“You know how it works?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Because my gran said something about swiping left, and then she winked, and—actually, forget it. I don’t want to know. Bartender, whiskey. Now.”
Chapter 34
Vaughn
“I still can’t believe Gran is on Tinder,” I grumble as I pull my tie off, tossing it to my bedroom floor.
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