She wondered if she should just tell Mia the truth. It was such a difficult decision to make and one she wouldn’t make without Lochlan’s permission. It was her career and she should have a say in who Vanessa told. She had told Chris, but he was vastly different. He would keep the secret no matter what, but Mia tended to be looser lipped. For now, it was what it was and she decided that once she saw Lochlan this weekend they would discuss together what would happen with Mia.
Her plane touched down in Nashville at nine p.m., where Spencer met her. She wondered if Spencer suspected what was going on. If she did, she didn’t give any indication. “Hey, there, stranger.” Spencer smiled as she took Vanessa’s bags. “How was the flight?”
“It was good. The hour-and-a-half flights are never bad.”
“No, they aren’t.” Spencer walked out of the airport to an awaiting car just like they had in Indy. Once again, a man stepped out and took her bags, loading them in the trunk and chauffeuring them to a county just outside of Nashville. He stopped at the gated community and was waved through by the gentleman at the gate. Vanessa took in all the large houses. This was definitely not like the attractive, but modest, house in Los Angeles. These houses were mansions.
“The neighborhood was built about ten years ago,” Spencer said. “Several artists live within these gates. There are a couple of hockey players, one football player, and two record executives. They all pretty much stay out of each other’s way, but they feel safer here gated, I guess.”
“I guess.” Vanessa was still looking at the houses.
“Ms. Paige is good friends with one of the hockey players’ wives. They do a lot of charity stuff together. She’s one of the committee members for tomorrow night’s benefit.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah, a lot of local athletes only live here during the season. Some of them go back to wherever they hail from during the off-season. So, it’s pretty quiet around Nashville then, but all of the people in this community are year-round residents.”
The houses were quite a distance apart to be in such a large neighborhood. There seemed to be a few acres between each of them. Vanessa assumed Spencer was right—safety in numbers. The car pulled into a large home that was covered in mountain stone. It was a beautiful home with neutral colors on the outside and a pebbled driveway.
“Okay, this is where I leave you,” Spencer said. The man opened the door and Spencer motioned for Vanessa to step outside. “He will help you with your bags and Ms. Paige will meet you at the front door.”
“Thank you, Spencer. It was so nice seeing you again.”
“You too. Hope you girls have a wonderful time at the benefit tomorrow night.”
“Thank you. I’m sure that we will.” After offering a good night, Vanessa closed the door and followed the man to the front porch where Lochlan opened the door just as they approached it.
He smiled. “Good evening, Ms. Paige.”
“Harold, it’s good to see you as always.”
He bid them good night again and returned to the car. Vanessa pulled her bag behind her and followed Lochlan in the door. Just as the door closed, Lochlan grabbed her wrist, stopping her forward motion. The move caused Vanessa to turn, and just as she did, she met Lochlan’s lips.
“God, I have missed you,” Lochlan murmured.
“Me too,” Vanessa responded against her lips.
Pulling back just enough to speak, Lochlan asked, “Flight okay?”
“It was.”
“Good.” She kissed her again. “You look tired.”
“It’s been a long day, yeah.”
“Well then, let’s get you to bed so you can rest.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know that you finished up with school and took all your things to your parents. You’ve had a busy day.”
“Thanks for understanding.” Vanessa smiled in appreciation of understanding her situation.
“I assume you told Chris where you were going, but what do your parents think?”
“They think I’m with my friends this weekend.”
“Speaking of Mia and Ty, how are they?”
Vanessa stiffened, causing Lochlan to stop. “Ty is fine. Mia, I don’t have a clue. I know I haven’t mentioned it, but I haven’t spoken to her since I got back from LA.”
“What? Why? Why haven’t you said anything?”
“She’s angry with me that I didn’t see her my birthday weekend, and I can’t give her a good enough reason as to why not.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“No. I told you that I would protect you, and I am. It’s not that I don’t want to tell her, but I just don’t know if I can. She would never do anything to hurt me, or you, intentionally.”
“Do you trust her?”
“You ask me that a lot, but this isn’t about me or Mia, it’s about you.”
“If you think she can keep it quiet until we decide how we want to handle all of this, then I’m okay with it. You told your brother a month ago and everything is fine.”
“Chris is different, Loc. That man will take things to his grave. Mia will try, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”
“And Ty?”
“If Ty knows, Mia will know.”
“So, you’re keeping this from your best friends?”
“I am.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
Lochlan led them to the bedroom. “When you’re ready to tell Mia and Ty, you can. We’ll deal with the rest, but I don’t want to come between you all.” They reached the room. “Now, I am gonna need you in that bed.”
“That,” she kissed Lochlan chastely, “I can do.”
Chapter Nine
Lochlan woke the next morning wrapped in Vanessa’s arms. She smiled as she looked at Vanessa, who slept with a glow and seemed so peaceful. That ended abruptly with the sound of the doorbell.
“Shit,” Lochlan whispered as she tried to untangle from Vanessa without waking her. She walked to the door as she was tying her robe. She didn’t need to ask; she knew who was on the other side of that door. When she fully opened the door, Jamie smiled back.
“Morning,” Jamie said, extending a fresh latte.
“What are you doing here?”
“Don’t seem so excited to see me, Loc. I come bearing lattes.”
“Can you come back in half an hour?”
“What?”
“I just need a minute to put some clothes on.” And preferably wash off Vanessa, who I’m wearing from head to toe.
“Damn it, Loc, I’ve seen you in a robe before.” Jamie raised the two coffees, clearly losing patience.
“Just—I need a second. Okay?”
Jamie looked her in the eyes, realization dawning. “You aren’t alone, are you?”
“Hang on.” Lochlan closed the door and took a deep breath. She heard Vanessa behind her.
“How’s she going to take this?” Vanessa asked.
Lochlan shrugged. “I can only assume, not well.” She opened the door and stood back as Jamie walked in.
Jamie looked at Vanessa in her yoga pants, a tank top, and disheveled hair. “Vanessa,” Jamie said, the poorly hidden chill to her voice unmistakable.
“Morning, Jamie.”
“I didn’t know that you would be here.” Jamie glanced sharply at Lochlan.
“I finished up the school semester yesterday, so I flew in last night.”
“That’s nice,” Jamie said.
“Jamie—” Lochlan got her attention off Vanessa. “She’s going to the benefit tonight.”
“Oh, she is, is she?” Jamie’s voice held a mixture of anger and confusion.
“She is.”
Arms crossed, Jamie asked, “And how did you arrange this? Seeing as I’m the only one who handles these things, I would assume that I would have remembered getting her a ticket.”
“I had it handled. I didn’t want to bother you with it.”
“Bothe
r me with it? Is that what you just said?” Jamie laughed sarcastically. “That you didn’t want to bother me?” The laugh from Jamie sent a shiver down Lochlan’s spine.
“Jamie—”
“You mean that you had Spencer handle it, right? Spencer, who has essentially become Vanessa’s assistant, handled it. Spencer, who doesn’t know enough about what’s going on to be concerned for your career…” Jamie turned to Vanessa. “Or for you.”
“Jamie—” Lochlan tried to interrupt again.
Jamie waved her hand, cutting Loc off as she headed back to the door. “You need to be there at five, Loc. You have press to do and need to arrive alone. I get you think you can handle this, but this is what I do for a living, and you’ve never doubted me—not for a moment. I wouldn’t recommend starting with something of this magnitude. Be there at five—alone, Loc.” She looked at Vanessa. “A car will be here for you at six. She needs to handle what she needs to handle first, Vanessa. Make sure that she does.”
Vanessa nodded as Jamie left the house. Lochlan walked over to Vanessa. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“She’s just looking out for you, which I have to appreciate.”
“She is, but I just wish that she’d gone about it differently. I keep hoping that she’ll come to understand my point of view here.”
Vanessa pulled Lochlan to her. “Do we have to talk about Jamie for the rest of the morning? Because I can think of other things we could be doing.”
Lochlan was still standing there looking in the direction Jamie had taken. “She knows that I’ve never put my career in jeopardy like this.”
“Right now, it’s just me and you, Loc. No fans, no job, and no worrying. It’s just me and you. Just two people who want this.” Vanessa placed her hand on the side of Lochlan’s face. “You will always be safe with me.”
Somehow Lochlan knew that was true without any reservations and allowed herself to be brought into Vanessa’s kiss. There was a hitch in the pit of Lochlan’s stomach as she stepped fully into Vanessa’s space and wrapped her arms around her waist. Then fear set in, and her lips just seemed to stop.
“Are you okay?” Vanessa started to step back.
Lochlan grabbed her hand. “Don’t pull away.” She cleared her throat and couldn’t help but be embarrassed by the confession that she was about to make. “I’ve sold out stadiums and arenas for years. Do you know how many people are screaming out my name? That want to have sex with me? I’ve never been this drawn to anyone, and I think that’s what’s scaring Jamie. And me, too, if I’m honest.”
“What about Mac?”
“Mac is the only one I’ve been with other than you. Before her, I didn’t trust anyone else with this.”
“Wow, so back when you finally did branch out, you really went for the top of the scale.” Vanessa laughed.
“You’re impressed, aren’t you?” Lochlan smiled.
“Over MacKenzie Daveys? Very!”
“Other than Mac, no one ever came along who I trusted. Not with my career.”
“But you trust me?” Vanessa smiled.
“Do you remember that night we met? How you seemed to shield me from the people in that café?”
“I would have hated if I had brought you there and those people were all over you.”
“See? That. That is why I trust you. Even before I meant anything to you, you protected me. No one has ever done that for me before. Everyone just wants what they can get from me. I have never trusted anyone with what isn’t just the Lochlan Paige brand.”
“If you trust me with your career, trust me with all of you.” She kissed Lochlan soundly. “You’re safe with me.” She ran her tongue across Lochlan’s lips.
Lochlan couldn’t help but laugh. “Dear God, you bookworms are hot.”
They made love all morning and most of the afternoon. Once it was time for Lochlan to get ready for the event, they forced themselves out of bed. Lochlan wore a gold mermaid style dress. “When are you not stunning?”
“I was just about to ask the same about you. However, you in that little black dress is going to make my night very hard.”
“I’m glad that you like it. It’s not often I get to wear a cocktail dress.”
“I’m not going to make it through this evening.”
“We’ll manage somehow,” Vanessa said, smiling as she moved toward Lochlan. As she reached her, Vanessa wrapped her arms around Lochlan’s waist. “We’ll get through the next couple of hours, and then we’ll come back here, and you are all mine for the next week.”
Lochlan kissed her softly. “I love the sound of that.” As the doorbell rang, Lochlan pulled away slightly. “That would be for me.”
“I will see you shortly.” She placed one last soft kiss on her lips, then backed out of her arms. “You’d better go.”
Lochlan went toward the door but turned and looked back again as she was walking. “I am not going to make it.”
Vanessa laughed. “I have all the faith in the world in you.”
Lochlan groaned as the door closed.
✥ ✥ ✥
After Vanessa arrived at the event, she and Lochlan mingled about the room separately. Even so, every time that she looked across the room, she would most likely find Lochlan looking back at her. They would smile before returning to the conversations they were having. Vanessa talked to several of the doctors and researchers in the oncology department. She met the president of the university as well. Lochlan had been right, it was a night that had given Vanessa even more passion for her desire to help children.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see an elderly doctor. The look in his eyes was one that she remembered well. She hadn’t seen the sorrow in those eyes for many years. Tears filled her eyes. “Yes?”
“I’m Dr. Kadrick.”
Vanessa tried to smile and took the hand that was extended. “I recognized you, yes. How are you?”
Her brother’s doctor had kept up with her parents through phone calls and emails. He placed his hand over hers. “I’m good. Your parents told me that you were looking to join us one day.”
“I would like that, yes.”
“You’re doing your brother proud.”
“Thank you.” Vanessa wiped the tear that started to run down her face. “I hope that someday I can have the impact that you had on your patients. I remember you and the way you stayed with us until Mike took his final breath. The way that you have kept in contact with them, and that you honored Mike with a donation to the pediatric unit, has meant so much to me and my family.”
“Michael was an amazing child. He didn’t allow you to forget him.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“I look forward to working with you someday. If you need anything, please contact me.”
“Thank you.” Vanessa smiled and looked for a moment around the room to find Lochlan looking at her with a worried expression. She softly smiled to convey that she was fine, and returned her attention to Dr. Kadrick. “I may hold you to that.”
“Please do.” He smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know that you’ll make an excellent doctor.”
“I will have the best of mentors. I can only hope that someday I will be standing in front of someone whose life I helped change.”
“I believe that you will. I was just heading over to get myself a drink. Would you like anything?”
“No, thank you.” She waited a moment. “Could you do something for me?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“When you talk to my parents again, would you not tell them that you’ve seen me?” He looked at her questioningly. “They don’t know that I’m here, nor do they know that I’m thinking about leaving NC State early.” His puzzled expression turned perceptive. “I’d like for them not to know that just yet.”
He smiled. “I’m sure they will be proud of you either way, but I’ll keep this secret.”
“Thank you.”
“Like I said, whenever that
day comes that you’re ready to make the move, let me know.”
“I will.” She smiled at him just before he went toward the bar. She took a steadying breath and quickly smiled at Lochlan, who was walking toward her.
“Are you okay?” Lochlan seemed immensely concerned.
“I’m fine.” She tried to hide her unease.
“You’re crying. That doesn’t look fine to me.”
“He was Michael’s doctor.” Her eyes filled again.
“I’m so sorry.” Lochlan looked over at the man. “I can’t believe that he remembered you.”
“He has always kept in touch with Mom and Dad. I knew that they had told him what specialty I was entering. He was just offering his help and telling me that Michael would be proud.” Vanessa huffed as she felt her lips quiver.
“God, I wish I could just hug you right now.”
Vanessa chuckled. “Me too. That would be really nice. I never dreamed that I’d see him. Never even entered my mind.”
Lochlan opened her mouth as if to speak when they heard a familiar voice. “Loc?” Lochlan turned to Jamie. “We need to mingle a bit more before the people feel neglected.”
“I just walked over here.”
“Loc.” Jamie spoke in her “don’t fight with me on this” tone. “I’ve seen at least seven people taking photos of the two of you. Some of these people are your major fans. Hell, they probably know when you last took a shit. You two look like you are having a very serious conversation.”
“Because we are.” It came out much harsher than Lochlan intended. “Now they can add you to the conversation and the photos.” Lochlan breathed deeply. “Vanessa’s brother was a patient here when he was seven and lost his battle to cancer. That gentleman who was talking to her was Michael’s doctor. I saw that she was upset, and I came to check on her.”
Jamie turned to Vanessa with a fleeting look of remorse on her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that this event was so close to you.”
“I knew that it would be difficult, but for Mike’s doctor to walk up to me after all these years telling me how proud my brother would be—” Vanessa looked away from them. “I just wasn’t prepared for that.”
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