Chapter 29

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

I looked up from the engagement photos for Leighton and Barrett I'd been editing, working magic to make Barrett's wooden smile and Leighton's sneer look normal, to make them appear to be a happy couple despite the strain between them that was clearly evident in every one of the pictures I'd taken. I'd been in this business long enough to know when a couple was going to have a long, happy marriage and when they weren't going to last more than a handful of months. My guess was that Barrett and Leighton would fall into the latter category. That was, if they made it down the aisle at all.

He"d chosen her because she was the shiny new thing he had to have, and she went after him simply for the sport of it. That much was obvious now. But I couldn't find it in me to feel pity for either one of them. They'd eventually reap what they'd sown, and I'd be too busy living my life to care.

"Look like what?" I asked Ryan, rocking back in my chair as she came into my office and sat down across from me.

She smiled knowingly. "Like you're so blissfully in love that, at any moment, a bunch of cartoon squirrels and birds are going to flitter in here to braid flowers into your hair."

My jaw dropped open. "I'm not—that's not—" The denial dried up on my tongue before I could get it out, the lie refusing to pass my lips. It was a reality I'd been fighting from the very start. A truth I'd been determined to ignore even as it niggled in the back of my mind constantly. I thought if I could make myself forget, it wouldn't hurt as badly, but there was no use denying it anymore. "Oh my God." I covered my face with my hands. "You're right. I do. I love Vaughn."

She let out a little laugh. "I know. Looks like you're the only one who hasn't already realized the obvious."

"I tried so damn hard not to fall for him." But he'd made it impossible. That grumpy jerk had worked his way into my heart, etching out a permanent spot for him, and there was no chance I'd ever be able to get him out. He'd seen to that.

"What? Why?"

"Because! He was supposed to be my fake boyfriend. He doesn't even live here full-time. He said from the very beginning that staying here was temporary. What the hell am I going to do when he does back to Denver?" I lifted my hand to rub at the ache that had formed in my chest at the thought of Vaughn leaving. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was that damn incurable romantic in me. She'd gone and fallen for another man who was destined to break her heart. Only this time it was going to be so much worse. The feelings I had for Barrett weren't even a fraction of what I felt for Vaughn. When he left, it was going to crush me.

The backs of my eyes began to burn as a painful lump formed in my throat. The sympathy on my best friend's face only made the pain in my chest that much worse. "Maybe before you convince yourself this is hopeless and settle into another heartbreak, you should talk to him about it. For what it's worth, you aren't the only one I've noticed acting differently. Haven't you seen the way that man looks at you?"

I fought back the tears that wanted to fall and sniffled, giving my head a shake. "How does he look at me?"

"Like you're the reason the sun shines, Jo. That man looks at you like you create the very air he needs to survive. Instead of preparing for the end, why don't you try talking to him? You might be surprised by what he has to say."

It was impossible not to hope, but it was also hope that could destroy me if I wasn't careful. "And if he still decides to leave? Then what?"

"Well..." Ryan pushed to her feet, brushing her hands down the front of her skirt. "We'll do what needs to be done. Tarryn and I will be right here to hold you up when you don't feel strong enough to do it yourself. We'll have your back, just like always, and stay right by your side while you heal." She lifted her shoulder in a casual shrug. "It's what we do for each other."

Truer words had never been spoken. "You know I love you, right? Just in case I haven't said it enough lately."

"Love you right back, babe. No matter what happens, we've got this. The three of us can weather anything together."

With that, she turned and walked out of my office, her parting words giving me the strength I needed to do what needed to be done. I'd spent a year trying to safeguard my heart after Barrett hurt me. I'd spent so long trying to protect myself from falling I hadn't stopped to realize I'd never taken the leap. Maybe it was time to jump and hope for the best.

By the timeI pulled into Vaughn's driveway later that day, my heart was lodged firmly in my throat. I'd gone over what I wanted to say a million times but it all flew right out of my head like a bird let out of a cage the instant I parked and climbed out of my car.

"You can do this, Jo. Just be honest and real. He cares about you. He's said so himself. This is all going to work out."

Closing my eyes, I sent up a little prayer and lifted my hand to knock.

The moment it opened I launched right in. "Vaughn, I love yo—oh..." I started at the sight of the woman standing across the threshold. "You're not Vaughn," I stated lamely, my tongue suddenly feeling thick as I took in the woman whose features closely resembled Vaughn's. She appeared to be around my parents' age, her expression was cold and flat, and her emotionless eyes sent a shiver down my spine. I knew without having to ask, this had to be his mother. "I'm so sorry. I was expecting someone else."

"Yes, I'm aware," she said in a frigid monotone.

My stomach sank down to my feet at the judgmental once-over she gave me, crossing her arms as she stood in the middle of the doorway like she was trying to bar my access. "Let me try that again. I'm Jolie." I held my hand out to her. "You must be Vaughn's mother."

"And you must be the reason my son has recently started throwing away his life and everything he's worked for."

My chin jerked back in shock at her callous words and the ugly tone she used to say them. "I-I'm sorry?"

She huffed out a breath like she was frustrated at having to deal with someone like me. "Might as well come in. I think the two of us should have a talk."

I disagreed wholeheartedly, but the manners my mother instilled in me kicked in, making my feet carry me into the house without any input from my brain.

The click of the front door latching into place echoed through the house like a shotgun blast, giving me a jolt. I followed the ice queen into Vaughn's living room, and I couldn't shake the sense that I'd just walked into a situation I was absolutely not prepared for. At that very moment, I would have given every dime in my bank account to be anywhere else. "Um, is... is Vaughn here?"

Estelle took a seat at the end of the sofa facing the front of the house. She waved an elegant hand for me to take a seat on the love seat across from her. She was perched on the very edge, giving off an air that she ruled whatever house she stepped into, including this one. She clasped her hands together and rested them in her lap, crossing her ankles demurely, but there wasn't a single demure thing about this woman. I could sense it, feel it in the air. She was a viper, waiting for her moment to strike.

"He isn't. My son is currently off on some errand he thought was more important than being here and running the company he built."

My brain worked overtime to try and remember what Vaughn told me he had to do today. Then it hit me. My mouth fell open on a sputter and I let out a bewildered laugh. "I'm sorry, did you just refer to Hershel's final round of chemotherapy as some errand?" The nerves I'd been experiencing since the moment this woman opened Vaughn's front door quickly dried up in the wake of her unbelievable heartlessness.

Suddenly I could understand why Vaughn was the way he was, and it broke my heart for him that he'd had to grow up with such a vile, insensitive woman.

"My son was raised to keep his priorities straight. Something I see he's slacked off on since returning to this retched place. I'm here to remind him of what's important."

I was right when I told Vaughn I didn't like his mother. And that had been without meeting her. Now that I had, however, I could finally say there was a person on this planet that I hate. And she was sitting right in front of me.

"I think your son has done a fine job at prioritizing what's important and what isn't."

"Of course you would," she said with a scoff, rolling her eyes like I was being ridiculous. "You strike me as the type of woman who'd get her hooks into someone as successful as my son and dig in deep. I read that on you the moment I opened the door. Well I've got news for you, I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. As soon as Vaughn is finished with this little rebellion of his, he'll have no use for you. He's better than this nothing town full of a bunch of people who couldn't manage to find anything better. Your time with my son is coming to an end. I'll see to that; I know what's best for him."

"Wow," I breathed, the anger inside me churning like a pasta pot full of boiling water. "You're a terrible person."

"Excuse me?" she said in affront.

"You heard me." I pushed to my feet, my indignation making it impossible to remain sitting. "You are a terrible person. And you're an even worse mother. You don't have the first clue what's best for him, and you don't care enough to try and find out. The only thing you care about is turning him into a carbon copy of you. A miserable, lonely, insensitive robot who doesn't care about anything but yourself."

Estelle rose to her feet as well, taking what she probably thought was a menacing step toward me, but I was too pissed to be cowed. This woman had insulted me, my town, and Vaughn, and I wasn't going to tolerate it. "And you're nothing more than small-town trash my son is using to fill his time while he's stuck in this backwater hole of a town. He'll see you for what you really are and return to where he belongs."

Her words might have been a direct hit to the uncertainty I'd been battling, but I would be damned if I let her see she had any effect on me. This woman wanted a fight? I was here for it, and I would go toe-to-toe with her without blinking.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe what we have won't last, and he'll end up going back to Denver, but at least I'll be able to tell myself that everything I did was for him. Vaughn is so much more than you give him credit for. He's more than his money or his job or whatever clout he's able to provide for you. He's the best man I've ever known. He thinks he's this cold, emotionless asshole, but that's only because it's what you've drilled into his head all these years. The Vaughn I got to know has the biggest heart. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for the people he cares about, and that includes uprooting his entire life to come here and take care of his father. That part of him managed to survive in spite of having you as a mother. Whether or not I get to be with him for the long run, I'll be happy knowing I made sure he knows he's a good man who deserves happiness. Because that's what you do when you love someone."

"What the hell is going on here?"

I whipped around at the snap of Vaughn's hard, gravelly voice, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest when I saw him just outside the living room. I'd been so lost in my anger at his mother I hadn't heard him come in. And by the flare in Estelle's eyes, I could tell he'd caught her off guard as well.

"Vaughn, I?—"

His mother cut in before I could finish. "I was just telling your little plaything here that she's been wasting her time, trying to sink her claws into you. Honestly, Vaughn. Who in the world have you been associating with while you've been shacking up here? It's time for you to come home where you belong."

"That's enough," Vaughn said on a growl so vicious it made me shiver.

He took two steps in our direction, the energy pouring off him filling the room and making the air thick. His rage vibrated, making the atmosphere feel static. Whatever Estelle saw in her son must not have been something she was used to, because she quickly snapped her mouth shut.

"It's time for you to leave."

My heart sank down into the pit of my stomach as his mother's expression turned smug. "You heard him. You need to go."

I lifted my chin and squared my shoulders, fighting back the burn behind my eyes. I refused to cry in front of her. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. But before I could so much as take a step, Vaughn spoke again.

"Not her. You."

Estelle rocked back on one foot. "Excuse me?"

"I want you out. I heard everything that was said and you are no longer welcome here." Vaughn's gorgeous eyes moved to me, locking on and growing soft in a way that untangled all the knots twisted up inside me. One look and he eased all my anxieties, because the emotion shining in those deep, beautiful pools was so clear I couldn't believe I hadn't recognized it right away. It was love. Pure and unfiltered.

Estelle's harsh voice was like the crack of a whip. "You can't possibly mean that."

"Oh, I mean it. I won't tolerate anyone coming in here and insulting her."

"But—that's—" She sputtered indignantly.

When Vaughn looked back at her, that icy version I recognized from when we first met had taken control. "You can either leave of your own accord, or I'll have you removed for trespassing. Make no mistake, Mother, I'm done being your puppet. Unless you decide you want to change every aspect of your personality and suddenly become a mother who puts the wellbeing of her child above her own, I have no desire to ever see or speak to you again."

She visibly shook off her son's words, pasting that unaffected mask of hers back into place. "You're confused. We'll speak again when you return to the city. And I'll be expecting an apology."

"I'm not going back. My home is here. With her."

His mother let out a huff of outrage. "You're going to regret this. You'll see."

"The only thing I regret is allowing myself to stay under your thumb for so long. But that's a mistake I'm rectifying right now."

I vaguely heard the angry click of her kitten heels on the floor as she stomped off, but I was too consumed with Vaughn to register his witch of a mother had left, slamming the door behind her. At his declaration, all the air had rushed from my lungs on a giant gushing exhale. My heart skipped a beat before starting back up even faster than before. "Do you really mean that?" I whispered, my words drowning in hope. "You're staying?"

He moved closer, reaching up and taking my face in his large, strong hands. Every lingering worry, every dull pain that had been coursing through me eased the moment he touched me. "More than I've ever meant anything in my life. You are my home. I love you, Calamity. How could I possibly leave when you're here?"

My eyes welled as a smile stretched across my face so wide it made my cheeks ache. "I-I love you too." A bubble of excited laughter slid up my throat. "So much."

His hands traveled down the sides of my neck, his thumbs tracing my jaw as he brought his forehead to rest against mine. "So you're saying you're mine?" he asked against my lips.

"I'm yours. And you're mine. Even when you're a grumpy jerk that drives me crazy."

He graced me with that smile that made my heart flip. "Even when you're being a giant pain in my ass who keeps spilling coffee all over me."

"That's who we are. And I wouldn't have it any other way."