Two

RULE WASN'T SURE WHAT had suddenly changed.

Or why.

All he knew was that he was done waiting and playing it safe.

He had known Vixen for over two months now. That might not mean much to others, but it was the longest period of time Rule had spent with a woman he wasn't dating. Even his own wife was no exception, and the only reason he had ended up marrying her was because of how she had deliberately lied about taking birth control pills.

Vixen, however...wasn't only different from all the other women.

Vixen had also managed to change him without even trying. And while he knew this should have scared him off, he found himself wanting more of it instead.

"I don't know what to say..."

Her indecision stung, but Rule told himself this was exactly what he needed, to keep his ego in check.

"But if you were to ask me if I was attracted to you..."

Rule's gaze snapped back to Vixen, and the way her eyes were sparkling with mischief made him realize she had only been teasing him.

"You can't be that surprised, surely?"

A grimace crossed his lips. "I know there's something between us. I know you know this, too. But I've always had this feeling there's also something else..."

"There is," she admitted ruefully.

Rule stiffened.

"But it's not you, it's me."

Did she just say—-

His gaze bored into her, and Vixen burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I've always wanted to use that line."

Rule shook his head. "You have the strangest bucket list."

"But..." She looked at him mischievously. "You like me anyway."

"Yes. I do."

His words, combined with his resigned tone, had her laughing again, but when she looked at him again...

"Do you know how you're looking at me right now?"

Vixen slowly shook her head.

"It's the same way I've been looking at you since the start."

Her lips parted in surprise, and Rule's chest tightened at the sight.

This right here...

This was another thng that made Vixen different. If any of the other women he had dated in the past would have looked at him in this manner, his response would have been immediate and carnal in nature.

But with Vixen, it wasn't just that.

He desired her, yes.

But he also wanted more.

With Vixen, he always wanted more, and that was why—-

"Tell me what I need to do, Vixen." Rule was completely serious about wanting her to be a part of his life. "What would make you date me?"

Vixen's uncertainty was evident in the way she bit her lip. "I know you thought I was joking earlier, but I wasn't. And I don't think you're ready—-"

"Try me," Rule challenged.

"I made a promise to God."

How very...Vixen-like.

"And I've never told anyone about it."

"Until now."

"Uh huh."

'And the promise you made—-"

"—-is that I'll only date the man He wants me to marry."

He stared at her, and her expression turned rueful. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You're not joking, are you?"

Vixen shook her head.

Unbelievable .

"I've never met anyone like you," he said broodingly.

"That's a good thing...I think?"

It was.

And it wasn't.

"Can I have that drink now?" he asked abruptly. "Because this conversation has me—-" Rule caught himself in time. "Sorry."

"I won't expire if the occasional bomb drops, but thank you. I appreciate your effort not to swear."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to watch my language around you—-"

"And everyone else hopefully?"

A reluctant smile unfolded over his lips. "There's really no middleground with you, is there?"

"I'm afraid not, sorry."

Her cheeky tone was a delight, and Rule was no longer surprised at the way his chest tightened anew at the sound. He was beginning to accept that everything about Vixen would fascinate him...just like it was no longer a surprise when she excused herself to make him a drink, and he found himself immediatelyt missing her presence as soon as she was gone.

Vixen came back with sandwiches and a pitcher of ice-cold mint tea, and unlike before, Rule already knew what to expect. He watched her close her eyes as she prayed, and as he listened to her thank their Father in Heaven for all of life's blessings...

He found himself thinking... was it true?

Was he allowed to think that her Father in Heaven was also Rule's?

Vixen's eyes opened when she finished praying, and something about his thoughts must have shown on his face when he saw her expression turn to one of concern. "What is it?"

"Do you know when was the last time I prayed?"

"I guess...it's been a while?"

"64 days to be exact."

"Sixty-four..."

Rule saw the moment the truth dawned on her.

Sixty-four days ago, Jorge Cumerford had barged into her cafe and held Vixen at gunpoint. It had been the most terrifying moment of his life, and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt more desperate or hopeless.

That day had made it clear how much Vixen meant to him.

To the point that he had found himself praying, which was something he hadn't done for decades.

She was the reason Rule had remembered God existed, and since Vixen was also the reason Rule had started thinking that God was not as indifferent and hard-hearted as he once thought...

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier."

He was no longer surprised at how Vixen was once again challenging his beliefs about God.

"You called him our 'father' in heaven."

And just like before, Rule also wanted to know if he had been wrong all this time.

"I hear people call him that over and over, but it never felt real to me. They were always just words."

"Oh, Rule, of course it's real! He is our Father in Heaven—-" Vixen suddenly paused as if something new had just occurred to her. "But are you saying you never felt this was true?"

Rule shrugged, and her face softened.

"Is it because you don't think you've ever felt He cares for you?"

Rule's jaw clenched. That was it exactly, but he hadn't known that was the answer to her question until he had heard her say it.

"I've been wanting to show you something," Vixen suddenly confessed, "but I also knew I had to wait for the right timing...or you'd end up misunderstanding."

"What is it?"

Vixen got up in response, and Rule frowned as he watched her head to the counter before coming back with one of her business cards.

"Here..."

Rule glanced down at her business card. What exactly was he supposed to do with this? He flipped it over absently...and ended up sucking his breath in when he saw what was embossed on the back of the card.

Jeremiah 29:11

"In case you're wondering," he heard Vixen say, "I don't have any other business card. That's what I've been using since I opened the cafe."

He looked at Vixen, and she was biting her lip again.

"You don't think this is just a coincidence?" Rule asked.

"I did, actually."

It was only when she answered in the affirmative that he realized he had expected her to say the opposite. And the fact that she didn't...surprisingly stung . A lot.

"That's why I felt so torn. I wanted to show it to you, just to get it out of the way. But I was also worried that if I did show you this, you might think I was implying this was destiny or something."

"But you're showing me this now because..."

"Because now I'm sure," she answered simply. "It's not a coincidence that I have this on my card. It's not a coincidence that your first name is Jeremiah. And it's not a coincidence that all this time, you never felt that God cared for you." Her expression turned earnest. "But He does, Rule. And that 's proof of it."

That... being the verse she had written on her card?

"I don't know any Bible verses."

"In case you haven't noticed, our shelves are packed with Bibles."

"Or you could just tell me what Jeremiah 29:11 is."

"I could," she agreed. "But don't you think it's going to be more meaningful if you were to look them up yourself?"

Rule didn't answer right away, and Vixen looked at him searchingly. "What is it?"

"I know this is going to make me sound like a jerk..."

Vixen's eyes widened.

"But I'm used to being the smartest person in the room wherever I go."

"Oh."

"And yet somehow, every time I'm with you, I end up feeling the opposite."

She looked at him helplessly. "I don't know what to say."

" A sign of human weakness, finally , " he said mockingly.

"Oh, stop," Vixen protested with a laugh.

"It's reassuring to know you haven't everything figured out yet."

Vixen shook her head. "I have a lot of unanswered questions myself—-"

"Such as?"

"Why is it so hard for my mom to see what I see?"

Ah.

"Is it selfish that I want to have a cat when I already have Salt and Light?"

None of her questions was something he could have anticipated, and he should probably have expected that—-

"And is what we have between us worth pursuing?"

—-since Vixen had always been completely unpredictable....and terrifyingly good at catching him unaware, just like what she was doing now.

Mischief sparkled in her eyes, which he knew now to be a mesmerizing shade of green.

"Uh oh. Did I just take your breath away?"

"You know you did."

Her smile faded at the brooding tone of his words. "I was just teasing—-"

"There's something I've also wanted to tell you for sometime now," Rule said tautly. "And how you'll take it is likely the answer—-"

"Are you married?" Vixen blurted out.

"No."

Vixen was visibly relieved. "Then—-"

"But I do have a daughter." His jaw clenched at the way he saw Vixen pale, but he forced himself to continue, knowing that there was no going back after this. "She's just turned seventeen. Her mother and I tried to make it work for years, but we eventually separated. We were never married—-"

Rule's body turned rigid with tension when Vixen suddenly jerked.

Was this it then?

Was she going to tell him there was no way she would date a single dad—-

"Can I just ask..."

Ask what?

For him to leave and never to darken her doorstep again?

Because if she did, then she might as well tell him to lose all hope—-

"—-if your daughter's name happens to be Riley?"