by Mia Carson
“I want to get to know you—the real you, not a woman constrained by what’s expected.”
“But you also need to win this election,” she reminded him on a sigh. “I have a feeling you’re not letting me see the real Vincent Cunningham either.”
“Someday soon, we’ll have to change that.” He drew her to his body and slipped an arm around her waist. Natalie’s breath caught as he leaned in close for a kiss, but instead of following through, he waited. “Forgive me for being an ass?”
Her lips curled as she nodded. “If you forgive me for neglecting to tell you about my head injury.”
He closed the distance between them, answering her with a gentle kiss. Her hands slid up his chest, his hard, muscled chest she longed to see without a shirt, and the kiss grew hotter as his tongue licked her lip. She responded by gliding hers along his, exploring the depths of his mouth as his hands fisted in her blouse. He pressed her against the railing, hugging her close while the water gurgled beneath them. She smirked, imagining falling over that railing and into the water. The distance wasn’t that far, and there were no rocks she could see. At most, they might wind up with bruised asses. Reaching back to her impulsive days before the accident, the adventurous side of her poking its head up out of the sand after so long, she turned them both and they fell over the railing and into the water. They came up sputtering, but she shrieked with laughter as Vincent stared at her in surprise, sitting in the middle of the shallow brook, soaked from head to toe. She was just as wet but couldn’t have cared less.
“Really?” he asked, and at first, she thought she’d misread him until a boyish grin stretched across his face and he splashed her, soaking her even more.
She clambered to her feet, shrieking with glee as she splashed him back, and they fell back into the water again as she tackled him. Yells reached them from the hotel and several faces stared down at them from the bridge and the edge of the brook.
“Ah, Billy,” Vincent called out as he helped Natalie to her feet.
“What are you two doing?” he asked as he leaned down and took Vincent’s arm. “Please tell me you’re drunk.”
“Sorry, not even close. The Mrs. fell in, and what type of husband would I be if I didn’t go in and fetch my bride?” The older couples smiled and leaned into each other as they observed the hopeful Congressman and his wife step out of the brook, unable to control their laughter. “Don’t worry, folks. Thankfully, we both know how to swim.”
More laughter met their words, and a hotel employee rushed towels to them from the nearby pool area. Vincent took one and draped it around Natalie’s shoulders.
“Thanks,” she whispered, and he leaned in, kissing her deeply before he drew back, letting her catch her breath.
He took a second towel and wrapped it over his shoulders before drawing her into a warm embrace. She rested her cheek against his chest, and the past week of awkwardness and annoyance seemed like a distant memory. They followed everyone into the hotel, and once they were no longer dripping wet, Vincent offered her his hand and motioned to the dance floor.
“So we can dry off faster,” he suggested.
Natalie ditched her towel and her heels and followed him willingly to the dance floor. The band played lively music for the rest of the evening, and lights burst around them as pictures were snapped of the happy newlyweds. This was how she pictured a wedding reception. Others joined them on the dance floor, but all too soon, the reception came to an end. Vincent and she wished everyone a good night before leaving the hall themselves and walking to the waiting car. She stopped dead, peering into the back seat.
“You’ll be fine,” Vincent promised in her ear. “I’m right here with you.”
She nodded and climbed into the car. The engine started and she flinched, but Vincent tucked her head gently against his shoulder.
“Just close your eyes and before you know it, we’ll be home.”
“Home,” she repeated.
“It probably doesn’t feel like it because of my shitty attitude.” He sighed and kissed the top of her head sweetly. The chill from the water and the air-conditioned hall disappeared and Natalie snuggled closer instinctively. “I’ll make it up to you.”
She yawned and nodded at the same time. “I like the sound of that.” The fingers on her left hand closed around the ring she was growing used to, but she sat up so fast, she nearly smacked her head into Vincent’s chin. “Shit! My ring—it must’ve fallen off in the water. Damn it!” Frantically, she looked around the car, hoping it fell somewhere in there, but Vincent grabbed her hands and chuckled. “I don’t find this funny. That thing probably cost a fortune and I screwed something else up.”
“It’s just a ring, Natalie. Besides, I was going to take you shopping for a new one.”
“You were?” she asked, wrinkling her brow. “Why?”
“It’s hard to pick out a ring for a woman I’m still getting to know,” he whispered and brushed the pad of this thumb over her lips. “We’ll go shopping for one soon.”
Not sure why she did it, but she bit down gently on his thumb. His eyes darkened as he grunted. A mischievousness filled her, but before they could do anything else, they were at the house and the moment was gone. Once inside, Vincent walked her upstairs to her bedroom and stopped, leaning against the doorframe.
“Tonight went well, I think,” she told him, tossing her heels behind her.
“Thanks to you.”
“Eh, I just knocked some sense into your stubborn head.”
“Exactly what I need,” he murmured and let his body hang forward, held up by his hands on the doorframe. “A good night kiss for your husband?”
“How can I say no?” Her lips barely caressed his. She pulled back and reached for the doorknob. “Night, Vincent.”
His shoulders sagged but he stepped back with a nod of his head. “Night, Natalie.”
She closed the door and rested her back against it, her heart racing and palms sweaty. “Holy shit, girl, talk about a rollercoaster of a ride.” She fell into bed grinning and dreamt of falling into Vincent’s arms and drifting away on a raft in the middle of the sea.
6
Since the night of the reception when Natalie put him in his place and he realized how much of an ass he’d been, the awkwardness between them faded. They grew steadily closer, talking more when he was home from the office and working towards building a more solid relationship. The kiss they shared that night on the bridge, before she made them fall into the water, was the last one they’d had so far, and he was anxious for another one.
“Are you listening to me at all?” Billy said, tapping Vincent’s desk with his pen.
“Sorry. I’m distracted.”
“I can tell. She’s really gotten under your skin, hasn’t she?”
Vincent smiled, folding his arms over his stomach as he leaned back in his chair. “Isn’t that what most wives should do to their husbands?”
Billy frowned, but then a smirk broke out across his face. “It is nice to see you so happy,” he whispered.
“I’m sorry, what was that?’
“You heard me, you asshole. Don’t push it.”
“Only because you wanted me to divorce her,” he added.
“Yeah, well, we didn’t know who she was.”
“Speaking of which,” Vincent asked as he sat back up, “did you get the background check? I assumed there was nothing bad, which is why you neglected to tell me.”
Billy nodded as he reached into his briefcase on the floor and drew out a few papers. “Nothing, really. She has no record, never been in trouble. The only thing mentioned on Natalie Jenkins at all are her commendations for graduating Texas A&M with honors and the car accident before that.”
“This is the accident?” Vincent’s hand hesitated before he flipped open the file folder. A few times, he’d tried to get her to open up about it, but she must be used to that from other people. She was a master at avoiding his questions and changing the subject
before he even realized what had happened. “Did you read it?”
“Regrettably,” he muttered. “You might want a glass of whiskey when you read it.” He checked his watch and tucked the rest of his papers away. “I have to get downtown and set up for your talk tonight. You’re still good to go?”
“Yeah. I told Natalie she could sit this one out.”
“You sure? She’s been a hit so far, by the way. I’m not sure if you saw the paper the day after your reception. That shot of you two in the water is all over social media. People love her,” Billy announced loudly, throwing his arms up in the air. “If she wasn’t your wife, I’d have to kiss her for saving your sorry butt that night.”
Vincent bobbed his head in agreement. “See you tonight, man.”
Billy left the office, and Vincent was left with all the information the man had gathered on Natalie Jenkins. In all the times they spoke, she never mentioned her time in school or what she taught as a professor, and he was too caught up with all this election campaign crap to think of asking. He opened the folder and skimmed the first page of her background report. There was nothing of concern on her, so he set that page aside and turned to the next. Billy had made a note of her two degrees, a Bachelors and Masters, but didn’t say what they were for. After that was the accident report, news articles, and pictures from the paper, and Vincent nearly lost it. His mouth fell open as he found the image of her car after it rolled six times down the hill and landed at the bottom in a creek. The next article reported what happened and the injuries suffered by the victim, by his Natalie.
The injury to her head was severe, but it was what he read after that nearly made him throw the folder aside and rush home to see her. The car caught fire while she was still inside, and the rescuers struggled to get her out. Her entire back, the upper part of her buttocks, the backs of her arms to her elbows, and part of her neck suffered severe burns. She was in the hospital for a very, very long time. It was a miracle she managed to graduate with honors for her masters, albeit a semester behind.
“Now that is not the look I like to see on my son’s face.” Doris walked into his office and rested her hand on his cheek. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“It’s nothing,” Vincent muttered and tried to close the folder, but Doris was too fast and turned it to face her. “Mother, don’t. It’s not pleasant.”
She shushed him, and he watched her eyes widen as she skimmed through the words. “My, this happened to Natalie? That sweet girl? Good Lord, no wonder she has that look of defeat in her eyes sometimes.”
“What do you mean?” He thought she’d been happy since the reception.
“Every now and then, there’s a glimmer, but I think being around you is helping her as much as you being around her is returning my happy son to me. Now, when are you two coming over for dinner?”
“I was going to call you,” Vincent said as he tucked the folder away. His gut twisted and his hands itched to hold Natalie close to assure himself she was safe and sound. The burn scars…he thought about their time together and realized he’d never seen her back, and she never wore shirts that didn’t cover her arms to her elbows.
“Call me about what?” Doris walked around his office and picked up a mint from the bowl on the corner of his desk. “Vinnie?”
“Huh? Sorry, right. I was going to call you to invite you over for dinner. Natalie is one hell of a cook. She said she wouldn’t mind having more people to cook for,” he explained.
“Do I get to bring a date?” she asked with a wink.
“If you must. I’m sure Natalie won’t mind.”
Doris crossed her legs and leaned on the front of her son’s desk. “So you and the website wife are getting along then? Nothing I need to be worried about?”
“If you’re trying to ask if we’ve had sex yet, the answer is no,” Vincent grumbled. “And please, for all the love you have for me, do not mention grandkids at dinner. We’re taking this slow, remember? We only met two weeks ago, after all.”
“Eh, if it’s meant to be it’ll happen.”
Vincent checked the clock on his desk. Four more hours before he would leave for the day and then another two before he would actually get home and see Natalie. She’d offered to come tonight, but she had gone to the last few functions and meet and greets with him. The actual events weren’t the problem, it was the car trips that were getting to her. For two years, she said she was maybe in the car once a month. Her sister was able to get groceries for her, and most other things, she ordered online. He wanted her by his side, but pushing her to the point of tearing down what stability she had was not his intention. His mind rushed back to the accident report and he stood up from his desk.
“Where are you going?” Doris asked.
“I am taking a half day because I feel like it,” Vincent told her. “Dinner tomorrow night?”
“I think that will be perfect. We’ll see you at seven.” Doris winked at her son as she left his office first, humming happily under her breath.
“Whatever you’re thinking, Mother, just stop it.”
“I’m thinking about that night with you two on the bridge and the whiskey bottle they found floating through the garden later,” she mused. “I’m curious is all. Very curious.”
Vincent’s cheeks heated, but it was the growing want in his lower belly for a woman who cared about him and his career as much as he was beginning to care for her. Today, things would change. He wanted to know more about her and would take the time to do it the right way. After he told his assistant he was leaving early, he drove to the local flower shop and sought the help of the young florist there.
“Good afternoon, sir, what can I help you with today?” the woman asked cheerfully.
“Yes, I’m hoping to put together a bouquet for my wife…something different.”
“I think I can help with that. What type of woman is she?”
Vincent froze, licking his lips nervously as he tried to think of how to describe Natalie. “Well, she’s beautiful, even though she doesn’t know it,” he started, and the woman nodded, moving slowly through the shop with him following. “She’s strong—stronger than me—and she makes me…I’m sorry, that’s probably inappropriate.”
The woman laughed as she drew a few long-stemmed orange snapdragons from a bucket of water. “Not at all. These will do for those inappropriate thoughts,” she added with a wink. “And I think hydrangeas for your heartfelt actions today on behalf of your wife, then some gladiolus for strength. Finally, tulips. Yes, you have to have tulips.”
“Tulips? What are tulips for?” Vincent asked, fascinated listening to the woman talk about each flower and what they symbolized.
The women picked out some orange tulips to go with the snapdragons and offset the white hydrangeas and vibrant gladiolus. “Tulips stand for only one thing. Love—the love I can see in your eyes right now as you talk about her.”
“Love? Well, of course,” Vincent said hurriedly when the woman eyed him funny.
Love. She saw love in his eyes for Natalie? The florist arranged the bouquet in a beautiful arrangement and wrapped it in paper, finishing it off with an orange ribbon. He handed over his card as she rang it up, while Vincent thought this woman—a stranger—was right. In the short amount of time he’d been with Natalie, he thought of her constantly and ached to feel her touch, even if it was only a brush of his hand against hers. His drive to get through the day was to get home to see her smiling face and hear her laughter as they talked and joked about Billy’s freak outs over the campaign, or her catching him up on what her identical twin was doing with her own wedding plans. Vincent hadn’t met her yet, but Natalie told her he could when she stopped thinking he hated her for what the sisters did to him.
“Here you are, sir,” the florist said. “I hope she likes them.”
“I’m sure she will. Thank you for your help.”
He took the bouquet gently in his hands and walked to the truck p
arked outside. When he reached the house and parked, he heard music blaring inside before he even opened the door. Grinning, he poked his head inside and paused to watch as Natalie swept her way around the kitchen, using the handle as a mic, though her lips only moved to the words. She shimmied in those damn short shorts she wore constantly and the sweatshirt he had declared her favorite. His smile faltered as he realized now why she wore such conservative tops and wished she was more comfortable with herself to show those scars.
Natalie spun around and staggered to a stop, laughing hysterically when she spotted him. She drew the remote from her back pocket and shut off the speakers. “You were not supposed to be home yet,” she pointed out.
“I thought I would surprise you.” He beamed as he revealed the bouquet to her.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she did every time something excited her. Last night, it was when she found a Star Trek marathon on TV and forced him to sit down and watch. After the first two episodes, he was laughing so hard his sides hurt. She recited nearly every line perfectly.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispered, taking the bouquet from him. She reached around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you. What are they for?”
“Just because,” he said, his chest swelling with the love he knew he couldn’t deny any longer.
She found a vase in one of the cabinets and rested the bouquet in it, setting it in the center of the kitchen table. The sight of flowers he bought for his wife on his kitchen table did something to Vincent he hadn’t expected. The loneliness that had occupied his mind for so many years vanished in a flash, and he imagined the two of them sitting at that table every night for dinner. He pictured a child, maybe more, surrounding them, and friends and family. He saw their potential lives together pass right in front of his eyes and there wasn’t a chance in hell he would let this opportunity slip from his grasp. He needed to know everything about this woman, and he was more than willing to take a lifetime learning from her.