This was a horrible idea. Every aspect of this situation was just plain dumb, yet here she was, being a dumbass.
He took her hand and said, “I should have told you, but I honestly had no idea how much you dislike my father.” The mere reference to Mac Ellis brought her slamming back to reality, and she backed away to gain some mental and physical distance from him.
“I despise him,” she said matter-of-factly, as if it weren’t his parent she was talking about.
“I know that now. I mean I was sure, given what happened with him and Kate and Nick, that he was not your favorite person in the world. But believe me, if I’d had any idea…”
“Why did that hotel manager call you Fiore?”
“What?” Daniel blinked and his mind ticked back to whatever moment the three of them might have even been in the same room.
“The day I nearly drowned, the hotel manager called you Doctor Fiore.” Vivienne folded her arms across her chest to defend against the sexy mojo Daniel was unconsciously sending her way. She also fought the urge to offer him a chair to sit. He did look so exhausted.
Something clicked in Daniel’s mind. “Oh, right, some folks still know me by that name down there.”
Viv frowned, “Whose name is it?”
“Let’s sit down, if you don’t mind. I’ve been on my feet for days, and I am really starting to feel it.”
She kicked herself mentally for not offering first as Daniel sat down on her couch. She followed his lead, keeping a safe distance between them. Though since they were alone in her apartment, the “safe” ship had pretty much sailed already.
“It’s my mother’s maiden name.” Daniel leaned back on the sofa, the light hitting his face directly. Viv finally saw clearly the extent of his exhaustion, the lines of strain on his face. He’d lost weight, too. Yet here he was, trying to make it right with her.
“When I was first in med school, it’s the name I used. I needed to distance myself from my father in any way I could. I resented him. Actually, no, that’s not true. I hated him for a long time. I felt like everything that went wrong in my family was his fault. He’d come home some weekends and we’d try to be a family, but we never were. Then I’d read about him and some hot girlfriend, or whatever he was doing with his job. It was all about Mac Ellis, the god of publishing, and I couldn’t stand being related to him.”
“So what changed?” she asked, folding her legs under her and leaning further into the couch. Knowing Daniel hated him, too, or at least had, was starting to make her feel better—if only just a little bit.
“I had a talk with my mom one day, and she told me how it was. I mean, how it truly was, not whatever I’d made up in my head. The loss of baby Isabella had rocked them both, but my mother had, naturally, taken it especially hard and retreated into herself because it was the only way she knew to survive.
“She said Dad tried to save their marriage. I had no memory of that, but Mom reminded me he did. Quite often as it turns out, and for years, and then I guess he finally gave up. They never hated each other, which is so odd for a couple in their situation. I think my mother was hurt by the big life my father led without her, but she never blamed him, not one time. Then Mom got sick, and if it hadn’t been for my father she would have died.”
Daniel paused and studied her face for a moment. “So I mended fences with him, but it hasn’t been easy.”
“I could never do that. Mend fences, I mean, with your father. He did a horrible thing to Kate, and he split up her and my brother.”
Daniel raised a hand. “Whoa, wait a minute, Vivienne. Look, I get that you’d like to blame my father for everything that’s wrong with the world, but he didn’t cause Kate and Nick’s breakup. As I recall, Kate did that all on her own.”
Vivienne could feel her anger swell. She knew he was right, but there was too much ugly that had passed between the two families.
“I think you should go.” She stood up.
“Vivienne, no. Look, I’m sorry I said anything.” Daniel got up and took her hand. He could feel her try to pull away, and he tightened his grip a little more. “I’m sorry this isn’t ideal. I get it, but I can’t let it go. I can’t let you go.”
“You should,” she said in little more than a whisper. “We both should. Because this will be a recurring discussion throughout any relationship we might have. Dating is difficult enough without having so much baggage to work through.”
“Vivy, listen to me. From the moment I carried you out of the ocean, I’ve had this feeling that both terrifies and excites me.” He held on for a beat and then said, “And it’s that you’re the woman I’m destined to be with for the rest of my life.”
She yanked her hand away. “Daniel, please. Don’t.” Her eyes were burning again. She was turning into one of those women who burst into tears at the least little thing, and she hated it.
“No. I’m not giving up. I won’t. I can’t,” his voice sounded brittle, hoarse. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his breath coming hard, and he looked at her in a way that no man had before. He walked over to her, all fire and electricity, and scooped her into his arms.
“I’ve fallen in love with you,” he whispered before he kissed her, and she melted into him, her arms finding their way around his neck. God, it felt so good to kiss him again and to feel him pressing against her. It was like a part of her had been lost and was back in its proper place.
His tongue was inside her mouth, exploring, as were his hands. The scrape of his cheek, the heat of his hands, the way they fit together, made her shake.
“No,” she managed rather breathlessly and she could tell, entirely unconvincingly. “Not now, I need…time,” she said, trying to catch her breath while pushing him away.
Daniel stumbled back.
“Time,” he repeated, his lips moving silently.
She nodded, but all the while her lips burned from his kiss, and her body screamed for him. She took another step back.
Distance was her friend.
“Just, I need to think.”
“Look, I know you’re afraid. Hell, I’m afraid, too. Love is a scary thing.”
“I never said that I was in l—”
“But if we’re in this together, we can overcome whatever issues get thrown at us. Together.”
Vivienne cocked her head. What he just said seemed to have jarred loose something—a thought, a feeling. “How can you say we can overcome whatever when you had no examples of that growing up?”
Daniel narrowed his eyes. “Vivienne, maybe the real reason you’re pulling back isn’t because you hate my father, though I’m sure you do. Are you worried that I’m just like him?”
Was she? That hadn’t even occurred to her. Or had it? Maybe in some deep, subconscious way she was worried about how far the apple had fallen from the tree?
“I am not my father,” Daniel stated flatly. “But I do have aspects of him, I like to think the good ones. But I’m far from perfect. Yes, I should have told you everything before we slept together. I’m sure you would have sent me home, and we’d never be here having this discussion. But then we would have also missed the most incredible experience.” Daniel’s voice drifted off, and a memory nudged into her mind: Being with Daniel, making love with him. Her mind wandered, and she didn’t even notice when Daniel headed toward the door.
“I’ll go for now, Vivienne, to give you the space you need. But I can’t change my family, and I can’t change their actions. All I can do is be there for you and love you. And, Vivienne I do love you. As crazy as that sounds, I love you.”
Wait, he was leaving? But she wasn’t done talking. Hadn’t she told him to leave? Of course she had. And now she was being as bipolar as one of the characters in her first book.
“Daniel, I…”
His hand was on the doorknob when he turned to her and nodded.
“Don’t wait too long, Vivienne.” And then he was gone.
She paused for a moment, fighting off the urge to run after h
im. Yes, she did have more she needed to say. She raced to the door, throwing it open, just as the elevator doors slid shut and he was gone.
Then Viv leaned against her door and cried.
20
Nick had been gone for only two days, but Kate missed him every minute. It was a funny, wonderful thing that their relationship grew stronger every day. Strong enough, she knew, to weather anything, even having Mac back in their lives should the tide turn that way.
Nick had texted her from the airport, so she knew he was on his way home.
Baby Gregory played in the tub while she sat and simply enjoyed watching him play. The water was blue/green, thanks to the colorful fizzle tablets his Aunt Vivy had gotten for him. And her baby boy did love his colors and bubbles. In fact, her son loved his bath time so much, it was almost impossible to get him out of the tub, even when the water started to chill.
“Come on, big guy, we need to get you changed. Daddy will be home soon.” Kate glanced at her watch. If traffic was its usual sluggish self, Nick should be walking through the door in less than twenty minutes. Her heart kicked up at the thought.
Nick: The love of her life, father of her son, and all-around wonderful guy. His one and only flaw (and who could blame him, actually?) was that he had an intense dislike, bordering on hatred, for Mac Ellis.
She lifted her darling son out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel, and walked him to his room. He giggled while she dried him off. “Gregory, how about if you wear the blue shirt your daddy got you?” The toddler smiled and nodded his still-damp head.
Kate had just begun dressing him when she heard the door open.
“Daddy!”
She grinned at her son, scooped him into her arms, and rushed to the living room. Nick stood in the doorway, looking slightly tan. No doubt he’d found a little time to fit in some surfing. He dropped his bag and walked over to them.
“I’ve missed you guys,” he whispered, and kissed his wife, his arms wrapped about both of them. The toddler giggled. “Dada,” he said, and Nick’s jaw dropped.
It was the first time Gregory had said anything that sounded even remotely like a word.
Nick’s eyes were wide when he looked at her. “Kate! When did he start speaking?”
Her eyes sparkled while handed him his son. “Just yesterday, and we’ve been practicing ever since.”
Nick beamed.
The baby put his chubby hands on Nick’s face, “Dada, Dada,” he said. Nick threw his head back and laughed.
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard in forever,” he said, bending down to kiss his wife again.
“And he’s fine? I mean, the doc said he was going to be fine?” Nick asked, referring to a trip Kate took to the NYU ER when Gregory’s fever wouldn’t break. She’d called him after, instead of before, not wanting to worry him needlessly.
“He’s good, and the doc said he’ll be fine,” Kate said while gazing at her two men.
Gregory looked more and more like his dad every day. Kate’s heart melted seeing them together. How she loved her little family.
And speaking of family.
“Have you talked to Vivy lately?” she asked gently.
“You mean since that night?” Nick said that night with a certain emphasis, as though it was one he’d rather forget as soon as he could.
Oh, what the hell? She might as well just spit it out. Regardless of how she phrased it, Nick wouldn’t be thrilled.
“Nick,” Kate began pouring him a glass of wine while he pulled up a barstool still holding the baby. “The doctor Gregory saw the night I took him to the ER was Daniel. He looks terrible. I think he truly loves her, honey.”
She continued in spite of Nick’s frown. “Vivy came into the office yesterday, and she didn’t look great, either. I mean she didn’t say anything, but you could just tell. Nick, she’s miserable.”
Nick shook his head. “I would imagine she is. I’d feel pretty jacked up if I’d found out I was dating one of Mac’s offspring.”
“She loves him,” Kate said, checking on dinner. It would be another thirty minutes at least, so she grabbed her wine and sat down beside her husband.
“Kate, this is such a bad idea. Just let it be and she’ll get over it.”
“Nicholas Allan Lavigne, stop being so selfish.”
Nick blinked and jerked back his head. “Whoa. What? It’s for her own good.”
“You don’t know that. You can’t possibly know what could happen between them.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “I know Daniel is Mac’s son, and I know that means the likelihood of him cheating on my sister is probably quite high.”
“Nick, this isn’t like freckles or red hair. People don’t inherit those tendencies.”
Nick shrugged. “He might. Besides, do any of us want to have to deal with Mac on a regular basis?”
Kate threw back her wine. This conversation was starting to irritate her. “Why is everyone so convinced that just because she dates his son we’ll all end up communing together and see Mac on a daily basis? Come on, Nick.”
Gregory started squirming in his arms, and Nick set his son down. “Look, Kate, I have one word for you: Thanksgiving.”
Kate shook her head, “It’s one day, Nick.”
Nick sipped his wine. “Whatever. That’s not the point. The point is, this is simply an unholy alliance, and she’s better off just finding someone else.”
“She needs your approval,” Kate said, ignoring his rebuttal and just forging ahead.
Nick whirled around and said: “My what?”
“Your approval. She needs to hear it from you, that you’re okay with it.”
“But I’m not.”
“Nick, she loves him and he loves her. Why can’t we all just step aside and let them figure out what this is without our interference?”
Nick took another sip of his wine and put his hand over hers. “Katie, I’m sorry. I know I sound like an ass, but—”
“You’re worried for her,” she said softly.
Nick nodded. “Look, I know she’s not a kid, but she still feels like a kid to me. She still feels like that skinny, scared little girl I took care of. I know I overreact to everything, but there’s part of me that just…I don’t know, wants to protect her the way I know my parents would have wanted me to.”
“Love is a crapshoot. You and I both learned that the hard way. Anyone could hurt her, or cheat on her, or break her heart.”
Nick was silent for a moment and then asked, “Was he a good kid?”
“When Mac and I were together, I got to know Daniel pretty well. He’s a solid guy—much more like his mother than Mac, actually.” Kate sipped her wine. “He never dated much. He was all about learning and becoming a doctor, so I never had a chance to see this side of him. But he seems so sad. They both do.”
Nick leaned over and kissed his wife, “You’re such a romantic, Kate.”
“I just want to see her happy,” she said, and then added, “Like we are.”
“So you want me to talk to her? Tell her it’s okay to date him?”
Kate kissed him on the cheek. “Just talk to her and see where the conversation goes.”
21
It was three days later and Viv still hadn’t contacted him, or anyone else for that matter. With the exception of one meeting at Kate’s office, she sat holed up in her apartment working on her next book—if you could call pounding out a few sentences on her keyboard and staring aimlessly out the window “working.” She considered calling Kate and asking for more time, but she was determined to dig through whatever muck she was feeling.
Except it wasn’t muck.
It was love.
She knew that as well as she knew her own name. She’d fallen hard and fast for Daniel.
Vivienne had never believed in love at first sight, although as an author she knew the appeal of it for her readers. People loved to believe you could spot someone across a crowded room, and bam! You were inevitably and i
rresistibly attracted to each other, never to be separated again.
She’d always known it only happened in books.
At least up until now.
Part of why she hadn’t immediately gone after Daniel was that she was hoping whatever she was feeling would subside so her rational mind could start functioning again.
But the time apart only made it worse. Her feelings grew stronger and her mind wandered to him as soon as she let go of the rigid control of her thoughts, wondering how he was and fighting off the urge to call him.
Then why didn’t she? It was silly to sit here and suffer, right? As Viv picked up her phone to call, there was a knock at the door.
Daniel!
Vivienne steeled herself and checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, though the doorman wouldn’t have buzzed up someone she didn’t know. Still, as she approached the door and gripped the handle to open it, her heart leapt into her chest. Hopeful.
She swung the door open.
It was her brother, carrying a to-go tray with two cups and a bag of something.
“Hey, sis, are you okay? Were you expecting someone else?”
Daniel.
Viv shook her head, hoping it would dislodge his name so it could roll to the back of her mind.
“No, not at all. Come in.” She opened the door wider, and Nick leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek on his way by.
“How are you doing, Vivy?”
She followed her brother into the kitchen where Nick set the tray down and handed her one of the coffees.
“I’m good,” she lied. “Really good. Great, in fact.” Well, that was one huge, heaping mess of untruth.
“A latte, just the way you like it, and a scone from the corner bakery. I always miss this stuff when I’m in California.”
Nick beamed, handing her a bag, and she accepted it with what she was sure was a weak smile. She was remembering when she passed that bakery a few days before, and Daniel had been there waiting to talk to her.
“Viv, are you sure you’re okay?” Nick asked, hoping his prodding would eventually get her to open up.
Loving Vivienne: The Publicist, Book Six Page 9