Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Sunday afternoon, I blew out a breath when Sam pulled up in front of my foster parents’ house. He and Dane had picked me up on the way to the barbecue. A few cars were parked nearby, including Simon’s, Ashley’s, and—ugh—Heather’s.

I’d offered to give my dad a ride to the barbecue, but he’d wanted to get there early to help Wyatt set everything up. The two men got along seriously well, and I loved that. Loved that neither felt threatened by my relationship with the other.

I looked at Dane, whose thumbs were tapping away on his phone. I’d never seen him in jeans before. He didn’t look any less appealing. Or any less smart, for that matter. That was mainly due to his crisp, white shirt that was open at the collar and flashing a patch of lick-able golden skin. No one should possess that much natural raw masculinity. No one.

He seemed utterly relaxed. But then, of course he was. He wouldn’t be feeling the standard “meeting the parents” pressure. It wouldn’t matter to him if my family liked him or not. He didn’t need it to matter. He only needed them to buy that we were a happy couple.

“We’re here,” I told him.

He briefly looked up, but his thumbs didn’t still. “So I see.” A few moments later, he finally pocketed his phone. “You ready?”

“Yes. Are you? Because they’re going to quiz you and study you and watch every move you make. And considering you plan to marry me in a few days”—cue stomach roll— “you’re going to need to convince these people that you care for me so that the elopement isn’t too much of a shock for them.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. Now come on, let’s go.”

“Wait, one more thing. You should know that Melinda and Wyatt’s daughter, Heather, is going to flirt with you. Like a lot.”

He frowned. “Why, when she believes I’m with you?”

“Being a bitch is kind of her thing. She loves to provoke me; gets off on it. No one’s going to tell her to stop flirting, because they’ll want to see how you react, so just be aware that your response to her will be watched closely. If you show the slightest bit of interest in her, they’ll write you off as no good for me.”

“Understood.”

We both exited the car. By the time he’d joined me on my side of the vehicle, his demeanor had changed. Gone was the cool, curt, indifferent male I worked for. In his place was a guy who looked open and easygoing, and I was confident that he’d fool every person waiting to meet him. And that made me feel like utter shit.

I was going to let him play these people—most of whom I cared for. Hell, I would be playing them as well. Although I didn’t regret that I’d let him take care of the sextortion extravaganza, I often wished he’d called in a different kind of favor.

“Did you ever take acting classes?” I asked him quietly.

He threw me a slight frown. “No.”

Slipping into another person’s skin apparently just came naturally to him, then.

Having used the front door key that Melinda had long ago given me, I led Dane through the house and out into the backyard. Music played, but it wasn’t too loud to override the sounds of chatter, laughter, and the grill spluttering. The warm air was laced with the scents of smoke, beer, charred meat, and the various foods on the patio table.

Simon, Wyatt, and Tucker stood near the grill, deep in conversation. Junior was playing tug of war with Ranger—both were gripping an old frisbee tight. Soaking up a drink spill on the table with a clump of napkins, Melinda talked with her elderly neighbor, Nancy—who often invited herself to her neighbor’s get-togethers. Ashley lounged on a chair, sipping soda, nodding along to whatever Melinda was saying. Heather stood off to one side with her friend, Jana, who was just as much of a bitch as Heather. Well, like often called to like.

Melinda spotted us first. Beaming, she dropped the soggy napkins on the table. “There you two are.” She crossed to us, pulled me into a hug, and then eyed Dane with a smile. “You’re taller than I expected. And just as hot as Ashley told me you were.”

I sighed. “Dane, this is Melinda. She’ll remember her manners in a few minutes.”

Dane’s mouth curved. “I’d like to say Vienna talks about you all the time, but it’s more like I have to sneakily coax stories out of her.”

Melinda nodded. “Our Vienna’s not one to entertain people with life stories, but I have plentyabout her that I think you’ll find fascinating.”

I groaned. “You promised me you wouldn’t do this.”

Melinda’s brow puckered. “I did?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Damn.” She looked at Dane. “Well, that’s okay. My husband, Wyatt, didn’t make that promise, so I’ll just tell him to spill it all.”

Wonderful.

Wyatt and Simon appeared then. After giving me a hug, my father greeted Dane warmly, more upbeat than he’d been a few nights ago. Wyatt probably would have been a little more reserved if Dane wasn’t carrying a large crate of beers—he’d insisted on bringing them along.

Taking the crate, Wyatt smiled at me. “I’m going to like this guy, Vienna, I can tell.”

So easily bought. I almost snorted.

Ranger came over and sniffed at Dane hesitantly.

“This is Ranger,” I said as Dane held out his hand for the dog to smell him. “Don’t be bothered by his size. He’s a big softie.”

Dane scratched him behind his ear, making Ranger’s eyelids droop in pleasure. Well, he’d won over the dog fast enough.

Once we each had a beer bottle in hand, I introduced Dane to Nancy, who declared him a pretty thing and wanted to know if he’d be open to running off with her.

Ashley pushed out of her chair and gave me an air kiss before then greeting Dane. Tucker joined us to say his hellos, his usual polite self. Then goddamn Heather and Jana strolled over, their hips swaying. I had to grit my teeth.

Heather pushed her sunglasses up to her head and flashed him a smile that was all sex. “I’m Heather, Melinda and Wyatt’s daughter.”

Dane only inclined his head, though he didn’t come across as rude.

I was kind of impressed that he’d kept his eyes from dropping, considering she’d dressed in a top that was at least two sizes too small, so her boobs were practically spilling out of it. Her skirt was indecently short and super tight.

I wished I could say she looked skanky. She didn’t. She pulled the look off well. Which was annoying, because she’d only dressed that way to get Dane’s attention. God, the woman was a boil on my ass.

“And I’m Jana,” added her sidekick. “Heather’s friend.”

Again, Dane inclined his head. He also slid closer to me and draped his arm over my shoulders, keeping the side of my body flush to his. It felt both possessive and protective. It also made a silent statement that he wasn’t interested in anyone but me. Not that that would stop Heather from throwing herself at him just to wind me up.

His eyes darted to Junior, who was hiding behind Melinda. “And who might you be?”

“Oh, this is my son, Junior.” Heather hauled him to her side as if hugging him, but the move was a little too rough. “Say hi to the nice man, Junior.”

“Hello,” the kid said shyly.

“Ah, Vienna mentioned you,” Dane told him. “She said you’re her favorite nephew.”

Junior’s mouth twitched. “I’m her only nephew.”

“It still counts.”

I didn’t fail to notice the way Heather frowned at Junior when he referred to himself as my nephew. She often made a point of stating that we weren’t truly related.

She looked at Dane and seemed about to say more, but he turned to Simon, effectively dismissing her. I had to bite back a grin. She’d soon realize that Dane wasn’t the easy mark she’d thought he’d be. My boss was used to having women throw themselves at him—he knew how to handle it.

Conversation picked up, and it honestly lightened my heart to see him and Simon get along so well. Wyatt, Simon, and Melinda quizzed Dane under the guise of polite conversation. They asked about o-Verve, his academic background, and where he lived. He expertly dodged some questions but answered others.

I could see they were surprised to hear that he didn’t reside in a swanky apartment like many unmarried businessmen his age. Hell, I’d been equally surprised when I first learned he owned a huge house and a large plot of land. My foster parents exchanged a look, both no doubt assuming he’d bought such a home because he had plans to marry and have children. Not exactly, but I wouldn’t disabuse them of that theory.

“You’re leaving for another business trip tomorrow, right?” Simon asked me.

I nodded. “Yup.”

Dane gently fisted the top of my ponytail. “You all packed?”

“Yes, all done. You?”

“Mostly,” he replied, lowering his hand and letting my hair slide out of his fist.

Ashley sipped her drink. “Where are you both going?”

“Las Vegas,” I told her, smiling when Junior ran around my legs chasing Ranger.

“Vegas, huh?” Her eyes twinkling, Melinda looked from me to Dane. “How long has this trip been in the works?”

Whoa, did she think it was actually a secret elopement rather than a business trip? If so, she was half-right. I pursed my lips. “About six months.”

She gave a slow nod. “Ah. Well, try to have some fun while you’re there. Don’t be all work, work, work. And bring me back a magnet.”

“Will do.” She was just as bad as me for collecting them. The breeze fluttered over my arms and ruffled my bangs, and I almost shivered.

Dane settled my bangs back into place and asked, “You hungry?”

“Famished,” I said.

“Good, because the hot dogs are ready,” declared Tucker.

People pretty much descended on the grill before then crossing to the table where the condiments lay.

When I finally bit into the soft bun, tasting the hot dog, onions, and ketchup I’d tucked inside it, I groaned. Heaven.

Dane’s mouth hitched up. “Good?”

I gestured at his own hot dog. “Find out for yourself.”

He took a bite and nodded. “Yeah, it is.” He thumbed a drop of ketchup away from the corner of my mouth. “Having fun?”

Heather let out a little squeal as Ed Sheeran’s The Shape of You began to play. “God, I love this song.” And so she started to dance. And I mean dance. She put her whole body into it.

She also watched Dane pretty much the entire time.

The only reason I didn’t ream her up first one side and then the other was that he wasn’t paying her a blind bit of attention. As such, all she was doing was embarrassing herself. I saw no need to put a stop to that.

While we ate, Wyatt decided to tell some of my embarrassing childhood tales—all were light and funny, and none hinted at the fact that my life in this house hadn’t always gone swimmingly well. That was good. Because Dane was too sharp not to pick up on any such hints.

My dad chipped in, the traitor, and relayed a few tales of his own about me. No matter how much humor twinkled in Dane’s eyes, he never once chuckled. It was almost as though laughter simply wasn’t in him, which was far too sad.

Needing to pee, I tugged on his sleeve and leaned into him. “I’m just nipping to the bathroom.”

He let his arm slip away from my back. “All right. Want me to get you another beer?”

“Nah, I’m good, thanks.” I looked at my father. “Perhaps you could stop with the cringe-worthy stories now.”

“I could,” said Simon, smiling.

I just sighed and headed into the house. When I exited the bathroom after doing my business, Ashley was waiting for me.

She glanced around to make sure we were alone. “I’ve decided that Hanna could be right about Dane being a psychopath.”

I rolled my eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“Just hear me out. I’ve been watching him work this crowd and wow he’s good. He just slotted in there like a space was already made for him. Psychopaths are good at that. Blending, I mean. They’re social chameleons.”

I rubbed at my forehead. “Uh-huh.”

“He’s got this knack for making people talk about themselves—it’s impressive. And, my God, the charm. It’s not a salesman-type charm. He’s not talking non-stop, he’s listening. He focuses so intensely on whoever’s talking to him. Makes them feel so interesting.”

He did in fact do that.

“And didn’t you once tell me that he always seems to pick up on what you’re thinking? Well, psychopaths are masters at noticing micro-expressions. You know, the lightning-fast changes in our facial muscles?”

I folded my arms across my chest. “How is it you know so much about psychopaths?”

“I looked them up so I could study him for you. He ticks a lot of the boxes.”

I let out a heavy breath. “Ashley, he’s not a psychopath.”

“Why be in denial about it? It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Not all psychopaths kill. Some are very productive members of society.”

“Heather’s not a productive member.”

“She’s not a psychopath. She’s just a fucking nutjob. I tell ya, I’m surprised her skin hasn’t turned a deep shade of green. She’s bitter with envy. This makes me very happy.”

Just then, my father sidled up to us. “What makes you very happy?” he asked, his voice light and lilting. As I took in the warmth and softness in his expression and the effeminate air he now carried, I knew I wasn’t looking at my father.

I smiled. “Hi, Maggie. Enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, I’m enjoying watching you and your new man,” said Maggie. “I was hoping that my saying hello would throw him for a loop, but he didn’t bat an eyelid. He was very polite and respectful. I like that. And I like how he is with you. He looks at you like you’re the only thing worth his attention.”

Ashley nodded. “He is totally into you, Vienna. It’s the only reason I’m not panicking for you.”

Maggie’s brow creased. “Why would you panic for her? Oh, you mean because he’s a psychopath?”

I felt a growl bubble up my throat. “Come on, seriously?” They had to have gotten together beforehand and decided to tease me with this crap for their own entertainment.

Maggie shrugged. “What? You don’t think we’re right? Deacon is convinced of it. But he still likes Dane; likes that you have someone who can protect you. We all do. Even Freddie. He’s not ready to meet Dane yet, though. He needs a little time.”

“He can have as much time as he needs—there’s no rush,” I said.

“That’s what I told him. Now you go on back to Dane, Vienna. You can’t invite someone to a get-together and then leave them on their own for too long—it’s rude.”

Trust Maggie to care about that sort of thing. I headed out to the backyard … just in time to watch Heather try to pinch Dane’s ass.

Nancy swatted her hand. “Have a little pride, Heather. It’s so sad when a young lady shows no self-respect.”

Anger flickered to life in the pit of my stomach. It was one thing for Heather to flirt like an idiot. It was another for her to try to touch him. But I knew why she’d stepped up her game—she hadn’t gotten the reaction from me that she’d hoped for. She wanted to piss me off, ruin the day, and force me to make a spectacle of myself in front of my boyfriend by getting into an argument with her.

Not willing to give her what she wanted, I ignored her as I swiped a bowl of chips from the table and crossed to Dane and Wyatt.

Dane’s lips kicked up. “You’re back. And you’re bearing gifts.” He took a chip, stuffed it in his mouth, and then splayed his hand on my lower back; it felt like a claim. “I thought you’d gotten lost.”

“Ashley and Maggie were feeling chatty.” I tossed a chip into my mouth. “What are we talking about?”

“Fishing,” replied Wyatt.

Well, then I would not have much to contribute to the conversation. I mostly stayed silent as the two men talked, happy to simply listen and munch on the chips. At one point, Dane loosely curved his arm around my neck and gently tugged me closer. I leaned into him, hoping I looked as content and at ease as I needed to.

When Wyatt walked away to take a call, Dane and I found ourselves alone. Which was nice, because it gave me a short rest from acting. So I almost snarled when Heather came over.

“You’ll never guess who I saw a few days ago,” she said to me. “Owen. He was coming out of his aunt’s house. I would have gone over to say hi, but he left in a bit of a hurry.”

Owen wouldn’t have given her a second of his time. He loathed Heather with a passion.

“I spoke with his aunt a little,” Heather went on. “She said he’s getting divorced. Apparently, it was amicable at first, but then his soon-to-be-ex-wife turned all bitter. She and their daughter have gone to stay with her parents in Washington for a while. I’ll bet all this makes you feel better about him breaking off your engagement to go marry someone else. It didn’t work out so well for him, did it?” She gasped. “Oh, shit, you have already told Dane about Owen, haven’t you?”

I sensed she thought the answer was a resounding “no.” It wasn’t surprising that Heather had assumed I wouldn’t be forthcoming about my past. She judged people by her own standards, and she wasn’t exactly the most honest person when it came to relationships; she wouldn’t hesitate to hold back any detail that wouldn’t give her the advantage. “Yes, I have,” I told her, almost smiling when her act faltered for just a moment.

She faked a sigh of relief. “Oh, good—I was worried I might have said too much.” She looked at Dane. “It was such a terrible time for her. And to think he dumped her over the phone.”

“Yes, I heard.” Dane turned to fully face me and pulled me flush against him, drawing us into our own private cocoon to make her feel shut out. “But I’m glad he was dumb enough to let you go, or you wouldn’t now be mine.” He lifted one of my salt-covered fingers and sucked it into his mouth, licking away the salt; warmth bloomed low in my stomach. “Actually, that’s not entirely true,” he added. “I would have lured you away from him somehow.”

“I’m not so easily lured,” I said.

“But I would have managed it,” he assured me, pitching his voice low. “Because what do I always get?”

“What you want.”

“Exactly, baby girl.” He gently tapped the tip of my nose. “Never forget it,” he whispered.

Later on, when the temperature cooled and the sun began to set, people started making moves to leave. Nancy left first, swiftly followed by Ashley and Tucker. Simon left soon after.

Not wanting Melinda to have to tackle the clean-up job alone, I crossed to the patio table. “I’ll help you trash the left-over food and—” Something crashed into my back, sending me stumbling into the table. The wrought-iron edge dug painfully into my waist.

Worse, my weight made the table sharply tip up like a goddamn seesaw. Bowls and plates flipped and tipped over, and I found my front splattered with sauces, pasta, casserole, potato salad, spicy dips, and chocolate frosting.

For a moment, I just stood there, my lips parted in stunned surprise. Then I heard snickering behind me. I slowly turned to see Heather and Jana giggling like a pair of schoolgirls.

“Oops, I’m so sorry,” said Heather, her eyes sparkling with devilish delight. “I didn’t mean to bump into you like that. Really, are you okay?”

My cheeks burned. Not with embarrassment. With anger. God, I wanted to punch the piss out of her. Wanted to slap that damn smirk off her face, and maybe even stab her with a fork like she’d once done to me.

There’s a child a few feet away, there’s a child a few feet away, I chanted to myself. Junior was currently napping in his little tent, but it wouldn’t be hard to wake him. I wouldn’t frighten him by brawling with his mother.

Dane and Melinda stood on either side of me, checking that I was fine and trying to flick away the food that had stuck to my blouse. I only had eyes for Heather, who was still fucking giggling.

There was once a time I’d been afraid of her. Bitterly afraid. But that time had passed. Because when you looked beyond the surface of a bully, you saw them for what they were—a goddamn twisted coward who needed to slap down others just to feel good, and that was plain pathetic.

I lifted my chin a notch and gave her an indulgent smile. “Feel better now?”

Heather’s giggle died off. “Excuse me?”

“Well, you’ve put some major effort into annoying me over the past few hours. Clearly this makes you happy or is good therapy for you or something.”

She let out a little huff. “Just because you’re embarrassed doesn’t mean you need to take it out on me.”

“Why? You take your shit out on me. Like all the time. Especially if, God forbid, I’m happy. I guess old habits really do die hard, because I can always count on you to make a fool out of yourself.”

Her spine snapped straight. “I’m the fool? I’m not the one who crashed into a table and got food all over me.”

“And I’m not the one who spent the afternoon flirting with a guy in a way that was plainly cringe-worthy. I honestly felt embarrassed for you.”

“You little bi—”

“Heather, no,” Melinda cut in. “Now, girls, we’ve all had a really nice day; let’s leave this here.”

I didn’t blame her for not jumping in to defend me—taking sides would only cause things to escalate. I knew that from past experience. And then Heather would punish Melinda by not letting her see Junior for a little while.

Wyatt nodded, but his eyes were hard on his daughter. “Heather, you should take Jana home.”

Heather, her face blazing, ignored her parents. “Think you’re so much better than me, don’t you, Vienna?”

“You make it hard for me not to.” More like impossible, actually.

Her nostrils flaring, she tipped her chin at Dane and scoffed. “You think you’ll keep him? That he’ll seriously stay with you when he has actresses and models and heiresses throwing themselves at him all the time? He’ll drop you like a bad habit when he’s done with you, just like Owen did.”

“No, I won’t,” clipped Dane, his voice cold and sharp as a scalpel. “And if you thought your behavior here today was going to achieve anything other than make you look immature and pathetic, you were wrong.”

“Heather, take Jana home,” Wyatt ordered. “Now.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll be back in ten minutes for Junior.” She shot me one last glower and then stormed out.

Dane squeezed one of my shoulders. “Wyatt, Melinda—thank you both for having me. I hope to see you again soon. Right now, Vienna and I need to leave.”

Yes, we really did.

Distraught, Melinda gave me one of her tees to change into and insisted on keeping hold of my blouse so she could wash out the stains. Wyatt apologized to both me and Dane on behalf of Heather. I assured him, just like I had a gazillion times before, that he didn’t need to apologize for her. He’d no doubt always do it, though.

Stepping out of the house, I wasn’t surprised to see Sam waiting. Dane had probably summoned him by text or something.

When we were finally in the car heading to my complex, I closed my eyes and let my head tip back. I really needed a hot, relaxing bath.

“Does Heather do that often?” asked Dane.

I didn’t open my eyes. “Cause scenes? Yep. She’s fun, right?”

“She’s jealous of you. She resents that Melinda and Wyatt are proud of you. Did you two ever get along?”

It took an effort not to snort. “No.”

“Not even when you two were kids?”

Especially not when we were kids, but I didn’t want to get into all that. The memories weren’t worth revisiting, so I only said, “Not even then.”

Silence fell between us, which suited me fine. I was too exhausted to hold a conversation. I let myself drift, listening to the sounds of the car engine purring and the tapping of Dane’s thumbs on what was no doubt the screen of his cell phone.

A gentle touch to my arm woke me a short time later.

“You’re home,” said Dane.

Lifting my head, I sighed. “Well, I’d say we accomplished what we needed to. My father, foster parents, and friends all think you’re serious about me.” It was a shame that Heather had felt the need to spoil what had otherwise been a perfectly good day. “They also like you.”

“Good. I like them. But I don’t like that your foster parents don’t have a better handle on their daughter. She has the emotional maturity of a fourteen-year-old.”

Her pettiness was going to get her into serious trouble one day—especially if she continued pursuing married men. I reached for the door handle, thinking that she’d sooner or later target a man who, like Dane, dealt with his enemies fast and effectively. Someone who wouldn’t let her bullshit go unpunished. Someone who …

My thoughts trailed off as something occurred to me. I released the door handle and looked at him. “Dane, you’re not going to do anything to Heather, are you?”

He just stared at me, unblinking.

“Tell me you’ll let it go.”

His brow creased. “I’ve told you before, I’d never tolerate a verbal attack on someone who belonged to me. It would be seen as out of character for me to let it go, as you put it.”

My stomach sank. “She’s Melinda and Wyatt’s daughter.”

“I’m aware of that.” And he clearly didn’t give a hot shit.

“Anything that hurt her would hurt them. What she did today … it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

His dark eyes flared. “She insulted you. She provoked you. She tried to humiliate you.”

She’d done worse in the past. “And all she did was humiliate herself. Dane, you have to let it go. If you do something to punish her in some way, she won’t be upset, she’ll be thrilled. Because it means she can run straight to her parents with news that will turn them against you, hoping it will also turn them against me.”

“They’d never turn on you.”

“Probably not. But they’d be pissed if I didn’t care that my boyfriend had retaliated against their daughter, and she’d love that they were pissed at me. All she’s ever wanted is to get me out of the picture. Please don’t give her the ammunition to do it.”

I held my breath as he stared at me, his gaze inscrutable.

Long moments later, he said, “I’ll let it go. This one time. If she does anything else, I will deal with it. Nothing you say will sway me from that.”

Swallowing, I nodded, knowing it was the best deal I’d get. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

And then we’d go to Vegas and get married. Wasn’t that ultra-special.