Van: Vested Interest #5

by Melanie Moreland

  I noticed how Liv’s eyes followed her. The way she sat closer than normal and listened with an intensity born of fear. I cleaned up the kitchen while Liv gave Mouse a bath, taking extra-long with her. They cuddled on the bed as I read to them both, giving Liv the chance to hold Sammy close and stroke her hair.

  “You’re so cuddly today, Mommy,” Sammy observed. “You’re hugging me extra hard.”

  “Because I love you extra much.” Liv’s voice caught.

  “I love you too, Mommy.” Sammy’s eyes met mine. “I love you too, Mr. Van.”

  “Right back at you, Mouse. And I told you last week you can call me Van if you want.”

  She rubbed her nose, looking thoughtful. “You call me Mouse because it’s a special name, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “I like calling you Mr. Van because it’s special too.”

  “Okay.”

  Liv’s lip trembled, and I knew it was hitting her. The whole awful day and the situation that was happening. I stood, shutting the book.

  “I’ll leave you girls to say good night.” I bent down and kissed Sammy. “Sleep good.”

  “I will!”

  I left the room and headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I had a feeling we were going to need it.

  I was on my second cup when Liv appeared. She looked exhausted, her shoulders drooping, and eyes heavy. She paused in the kitchen, shaking her head no at my offer of coffee. She turned and headed back to Sammy’s doorway, leaning on the frame.

  I drained my cup and followed her, standing close and observing Mouse as she nestled under the covers, her doll clutched tight, sleeping dreamlessly.

  I knew she would probably be the only one getting any sleep tonight.

  Liv began to shake. The tremors started slowly and grew. I could feel the rate of her heart picking up as her emotions began to overwhelm her.

  I slid my arm around her waist, pulling her back to my chest.

  “Shh, Liv.”

  “What if he wins? What if he takes her away? How am I going to deal with this, Van?” she whispered, her voice raw.

  “He won’t. I promise.”

  Her breathing became harsh. “You can’t make me promises like that.”

  I tugged her back to the living room, turning her to face me. The pain in her face made my chest ache.

  “We’re going to get all the information we need, and we’re going to fight this, Liv.”

  “I don’t have the resources. He knows that.” Panic began to overtake her. “How can I fight him? He’s right—he has everything on his side!”

  Tears formed in her eyes, her earlier strength now depleted. She was falling apart in her panic, and I realized I needed to let her. She needed to give in to the fear before she could face it.

  I pulled her into my arms. “Let it out, Liv. It’s okay.”

  She began to sob. Her tears bothered me because of the way she cried. Silently, her body shaking so hard from the force of her cries, yet no sound coming out. I knew she was used to handling everything on her own, hiding her fears, and not showing the world anything but a brave face.

  But I wasn’t just anyone. She needed to know that.

  I lowered my face to her ear.

  “I told you earlier I’ve got you. I meant it. You and Mouse are safe with me. Nothing, and no one is going to hurt either of you. Especially not some lowlife from your past who thinks he can waltz in and take what’s mine. Both of you are mine now, and I will protect you with everything in me. Know that, Liv. I have you.” I paused a beat, knowing I had to say it. “I love you.”

  Her body stilled, and she looked up at me. Her cheeks were wet with tears, the pain and worry etched into her eyes. I wiped away the tears. “I love you,” I repeated, hoping my declaration would give her some strength. “And I’ve got you. We’ll figure this out together—you don’t have to handle this alone. You don’t have to handle anything alone ever again, okay?”

  She buried her face in my neck, fresh tears pouring down her face. But this time, I heard her cries—quiet and raw, but loud enough for me to hear. She was allowing me to feel her pain.

  Between her sobs, I heard the words I would hold on to the rest of my life.

  “I love you too, Van.”

  I held her and let her cry herself out. Her body slumped into sleep on my lap, no doubt from the exhaustion and stress of the day. I sat quietly, my head lifting at the sound of light footsteps. Mouse came around the corner, clutching her doll. She stopped when she saw me holding Liv, a frown marring her face. She hurried forward.

  “What’s wrong with Mommy?”

  “Mommy had a bad headache, so I was giving her some snuggles. She fell asleep.”

  “Oh.” She stepped closer, patting Liv’s leg with her little hand. “Grammie gets bad headaches too. Are you going to look after her tonight the way Mommy does with Grammie?”

  “Yep.” Wanting to prepare Mouse for finding me here in the morning because there was no way in hell I was leaving Liv alone tonight, I added, “I’m going to stay the night and make sure she’s okay.”

  She furrowed her little brow. “I sleep in the guest room at Grammie’s, and Mommy sleeps beside me.” She eyed me. “We don’t have a guest room, and I don’t think you’ll fit on my bed.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll sleep on the sofa, Mouse.”

  Her face brightened. “You can sleep beside Mommy. She has a big bed!”

  I nodded. “That’s a good idea, Mouse. Then if Mommy needs me, I’ll be right there.”

  She bobbed her head in agreement. “Okay.” Once again, she looked dubious. “I don’t have any pajamas to lend you. They’re too small and won’t fit you.”

  This kid was going to be the death of me with her caring attitude and the way she fussed—the same as her mother.

  “Probably not. But I can sleep in my clothes, and I’ll go home and change in the morning. We can make breakfast before I go—maybe pancakes.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Mommy loves pancakes. Maybe that will make her feel better?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “Okay, I’ll go back to bed.”

  “Did you need something, Sammy? I can get it for you.”

  “I woke up and thought I heard a noise. I wanted to ask Mommy, but it must have been you humming.”

  “I was humming?”

  “Yes. It was nice. You can keep humming if you want. I liked it.”

  I hadn’t even noticed I was doing so. I knew my mom used to hum to me when I was upset as a kid, and I must have unconsciously done it to help Liv relax.

  “Sure, Mouse. If you like it, I will. Sure you don’t need anything?”

  “No.” She turned to go, pausing before she disappeared down the hall. “I like you here, Mr. Van.”

  “I like being here, Mouse.”

  She bobbed her head. “Good. You can talk to Mommy about living here all the time if you want. Or we can live in your house. I’d be okay with that.”

  I stared after her, her words surprising me, yet somehow not.

  An idea began to form, and studying Liv’s sleeping form, I wondered how hard she would fight me on my plan.

  I decided to find out in the morning.

  Van

  I woke up cramped and stiff. I was across Liv’s bed, Mouse curled around me on one side, Liv on the other.

  Not long after I carried Liv to bed and lay down, holding her close, Mouse had appeared, climbing up beside me.

  “I can’t sleep, Mr. Van.”

  “What’s wrong, kiddo?” I asked quietly, not wanting to wake Liv.

  “I don’t know.” She furrowed her little brow. “Mommy never gets headaches. Only Grammie. Is Mommy sick?”

  “No, Mouse. I promise. Mommy is okay. Sometimes grown-ups have bad days and they get extra tired. That’s all.”

  She mulled over my words and tilted her head. “Like when I spill my juice and can’t find my boots?”

  “Yes.”

  “
Oh. So, tomorrow will be a new day, like Mommy says to me?”

  “Exactly.”

  She huffed out a sigh. “Okay. But I don’t want to go back to bed. Can I stay here?”

  I lifted my arm, and she slid in beside me, burrowing close. She was asleep in less than five minutes, her breathing becoming deep and even. Liv clutched me tightly, even in her sleep, and my mind was full, going over what I needed to do. It was past four when I finally drifted off to sleep, uncomfortable but refusing to move. I held both of my girls. They needed me and I wasn’t letting them down.

  Blinking, I met Liv’s gaze. It was tired but calmer than last night.

  “Hey,” I murmured.

  “Hi.”

  “You okay, baby?”

  “I’m better. I can’t believe you stayed all night. I can’t believe I slept.”

  “You were exhausted.”

  “You must be in agony. Me and Sammy on you all night? Did you get any sleep?”

  “Some.” I smiled at her. “I need to move, if I’m being honest.”

  She slid away and came to the other side of the bed, gathering Mouse in her arms. I stood, stretching and bending my back, trying to ease the aches. As Liv settled Mouse back into her bed, I used the bathroom, then headed to the kitchen. I poured a cup of cold coffee and heated it in the microwave.

  Liv shuffled in, and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close to my chest as I sipped the warm liquid.

  “I can make a fresh pot.”

  “No, this is fine.”

  “I’m sorry about last night.”

  I set down the coffee and cupped her face, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize for that. It was hardly a surprise you broke down after the shit Nolan put you through yesterday. Frankly, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before now.”

  She wrapped her hands around my wrists. “Thank you for being there for me.”

  I brushed my lips over her head. “There is nowhere else I would have been.”

  Her voice was quiet. “Did you mean it, Van?”

  I knew what she was referring to. “Yes, Liv, I meant it.” I held her gaze. “I love you. I’ve loved you for weeks, but I’ve been holding it in. I thought it might help you somehow if you knew.”

  Her sigh was ragged. “It does. I love you too.”

  I kissed her. “That’s a good thing.”

  “What am I going to do?” she whispered.

  “Do you trust me, Liv?”

  “Yes.”

  “Enough to let me do something?”

  “As long as that something doesn’t involve you hitting Nolan.”

  “Not physically. But what I have in mind will deliver a punch, but I need your permission to do it.”

  “You have it.”

  “Okay. We’re going to meet with the BAM boys this morning.”

  Panic filled her eyes. “Why?”

  “They need to know, and they need to hear it from us.” I wasn’t looking forward to telling them. They weren’t going to be happy, and I wished I had confided in them before now.

  “It’s personal.”

  “Not anymore. Working with an ex is one thing. He is threatening your future and your well-being. It is something completely different. We need them on our side.”

  She swallowed, staying quiet as she thought about my words.

  “But it’s Saturday.”

  “I know. I already checked, and they’ve agreed to see us. We need to do this today, Livvy. I don’t want to wait until Monday.”

  “Okay.”

  I squeezed her hand. “Okay. But first, I promised Mouse pancakes.”

  Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox listened to what I had to say. Jordan sat at the other end of the table, a quiet support for us. Liv sat beside me, her hand clasped in mine under the table. I could feel her tremble as I spoke, telling them everything, leaving nothing out. When I finished, I sat back and squeezed her hand.

  For a moment, there was silence. Then Bentley leaned forward, his hands folded on the table. He regarded us for a moment.

  “I’ll start off with this. Your relationship is private. I have no objection to it whatsoever. There’s no company policy about dating within the office, so you’ve broken no rules. To be honest, the two of you work so well together, I’m not surprised it’s carried over into a personal relationship.” He held up his finger. “But to be clear, if this doesn’t work out, I expect you both to act professionally.”

  “Not an issue,” I replied. “Since it’s not going to happen.”

  “Understood. Now the second part is more troublesome.” He ran a hand over his face. “I wish you had told me of your past relationship with Nolan, Liv. I realize it was personal, but a heads-up might have been helpful.”

  Jordan spoke up. “I knew the situation, Bentley. I have been watching it closely. Liv and Van have been completely professional in their dealings toward each other and Nolan. I can’t say the same for his behavior—especially lately.”

  Bentley’s gaze swung his way. “And you chose not to say anything because?”

  Jordan met his eyes directly. “Because Liv and Van both assured me they had it under control. There are many times we work with people we dislike. As I said, I have been watching the whole thing closely. Even Van will admit, Nolan is a complete ass, but he is getting the job done. If he hadn’t pulled this, we wouldn’t be here.”

  “But here we are.”

  “I never expected this to happen, Bentley,” Liv assured him. “Not in a million years. Nolan walked away from us and has never expressed any interest. I thought I could handle myself, work the project, and he would be gone again.”

  Bentley pursed his lips, looking angry.

  “From what Van has said, you have handled yourself, Liv. It sounds as if he’s the one with the issues.” He looked between us. “Toward both of you.”

  Aiden spoke. “What if we pull Liv and Van from the project—assign someone else? Then they don’t have to deal with him on a daily basis. Would it make things easier?”

  Liv and I shook our heads.

  “We aren’t running, Aiden. If we did that, it would show him we’re scared.”

  “Van is right,” Maddox stated. “Nolan is a bully of the worst kind. He wants them to run. He wants the upper hand.”

  For a moment, the room was silent. I knew they were upset over this news, and I hoped they would give me a chance to explain further. Especially Bentley. He trusted me, and I didn’t want his trust to waver. I was grateful when he spoke again, showing he was concentrating on the problem at hand.

  “What do we do?” Bentley asked. “What do you need from us?”

  I leaned forward. “We don’t expect you to do anything. I’m going to get Liv a lawyer, and we’re going to fight this all the way. We needed you to know because it could cause friction between WIN and BAM.”

  The three partners looked at each other, then Aiden addressed us. “If you expect us to do nothing when one of our own is under attack, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  Liv began to protest, and Bentley silenced her. “Samantha is your daughter, Liv. You’ve raised her on your own. Given the new feelings I’ve discovered since becoming a father, I can only imagine the terror and anger you’re feeling at the thought of Nolan being part of her life if he’s the terrible person you describe him as being. If someone were a threat to Addi, I would move heaven and earth to eliminate them.” He leaned forward, tapping the table with his finger. “You aren’t going to lose your daughter, Liv.” He met my gaze, his determined. “I won’t allow it.”

  I sat back, relieved. I needed to hear those words. We needed the clout of BAM behind us, and now we had it.

  Bentley stood, directing his attention to Aiden. “Call John and arrange a meeting today—and tell him Nolan needs to be there as well for part of it. I want all of the cards on the table. If he doesn’t agree to my terms, the contract is being canceled. I don’t care about the ramifications. And get Reid on this. I’ll call
Hal Smithers—he’s a shark in family law. I’ll get him on retainer.”

  Liv rose to her feet, her voice quivering. “Bentley, I…”

  He shook his head, and in an uncharacteristic move, pulled her in for a fast hug. “Not needed, Liv. We’re family, and you know how I feel about family.” His gaze was intense as he stared at us. “Don’t ever keep me out of the loop again, understand?”

  I stood. “It was my call.”

  “We’ll discuss it later. Right now, we're going to focus on solving this issue.”

  He left the room quickly.

  “Shit,” I muttered. “He is pissed.”

  Maddox rubbed his chin. “He is, but he’ll deal with it later. He knows what’s most important now and that’s dealing with this issue.”

  Aiden reached for his phone. “I’m a little pissed too, to be honest. If you had told me, I might be ahead of the game already. I need to make some calls. You okay with Reid being part of this, Liv?”

  “Yes, although I’m not sure why he has to be?” she asked.

  I covered her hand with mine. “Reid will find everything out about Nolan. Everything,” I stressed. “Even things he’s forgotten.”

  “Oh, ah…”

  Maddox looked kindly at her. “He’s completely trustworthy, Liv. You’re safe with him.” He flashed a wide smirk. “I probably can’t say the same for Nolan.”

  I chuckled.

  Liv’s fingers pulled at the seams of her jeans. “I can’t afford the likes of Hal Smithers.”

  “I can,” I said calmly.

  She frowned, and I slid my hand around her neck, rubbing the tense muscles. “Remember the royalties I told you sit in the bank, Liv? There are millions of them. I only use the money for important things. I bought my house, I made my father retire, and I take care of my parents. And now, I’m taking care of you.”

  “I can’t—you can’t,” she sputtered.

  “I can. Don’t argue. You and Mouse are the most important things in the world to me.”

  She stared.

  “Hal’s a friend of Bentley’s,” Aiden drawled. “His office is in one of our buildings. He lives in one of our condo towers. He’ll do right by you, Liv.” He winked. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t break the bank either, Van.”