by Vi Keeland
“What? How?”
“It’s a long story, but basically, the real estate agent mentioned a few things that didn’t add up—like meeting my mom a few times when I knew she’d never been to Chicago.” He shrugged. “I followed a trail and wound up face to face with a woman my father had been with for years.”
My forehead wrinkled. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Your parents were the happiest people I knew. They were so in love.”
He nodded and let out a hefty sigh. ‘That’s what I thought, too. But apparently, my father had some sort of midlife crisis—thought he was missing out on something better since he didn’t know what else was out there. He’d been with my mom since high school.”
We fell silent. I needed to let what he’d said sink in. It seemed unimaginable that either of his happy parents had cheated. But I suppose some people would have said the same thing about my marriage.
“Are you sure?”
He shrugged. “She admitted it. It went on for years.”
While the news was mind-blowing, I had to wonder why he hadn’t told me before now. Of course Ryan had been home when Ford returned from his trip, but we’d spent that last night together and had plenty of time to talk.
Then it hit me, the words he’d used. Things started to click into place.
My dad thought he was missing out on something better since he didn’t know what else was out there. They’d been together since high school.
I’d been telling Ford all summer how I needed to experience life because I didn’t know what else was out there. Finding out about his father must’ve made him think the same thing would happen between us if we didn’t separate.
I looked up into his sad eyes. “I didn’t want things to end. I tried to tell you that on our last night together.”
He nodded. “I know. But I thought that was how it had to be. Thought maybe next summer…after you’d had some time.”
“You wanted me to date until next summer?”
He scoffed. “Fuck, no. But I thought that was the way it had to be…what was best for you.”
I shook my head, afraid to ask the question. “And now? Do you still think that’s the way it has to be?”
“It probably should be.” He paused for a long time and then looked so deeply into my eyes, I felt him inside of me. “But I’m so damn in love with you, I just can’t.”
Tears filled my eyes. “You love me?”
“I loved you almost from the beginning. It just took me a while to admit it to myself because you were so sure we shouldn’t be together.”
“I was afraid to get hurt again. I thought if we physically stayed apart, my heart wouldn’t get broken. But being physically separated doesn’t mean your heart can let go.”
Ford took a deep breath in and seemed to brace himself. “Are you and Mark…together?”
I shook my head. “No. Not at all. I went to dinner with him, Allison, and Desiree. He just gave me a ride home.”
“And the guy the other night?”
“What guy?”
“The one Eve posted on Instagram?”
“That’s her weekend manager. It was taken a year or two ago on his birthday, and we’d just sung to him after the restaurant closed. He’s happily married with four daughters. I don’t even know why she posted it the other day. It was so random.”
Ford let out a long whoosh of air and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve been a wreck ever since you reactivated your Match.com profile.”
I furrowed my brow. “I didn’t reactivate my profile.”
“No?”
“I haven’t signed on since before the summer.”
It hit me that I wasn’t the only one with access to that account. Eve had set it up. A reactivated profile, posting a picture of me on Instagram smiling while sitting next to another man…something told me those weren’t a coincidence. I started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You, jealous.”
His brows rose. “You think me going out of my mind is funny?”
“I do. It serves you right for dumping me. I’m thinking I should go out on a few dates and post a pictorial on Instagram just for you.”
Ford’s jaw clenched, but he also had to work to hide a smirk. He leaned forward, bent me over his shoulder, and lifted, flipping me onto my back in some stealth move.
Hovering over me, he pushed a stray hair from my face. “Can we pick up where we left off?”
“You mean sneaking around like teenagers and hiding from my son and your sister?”
He rubbed his nose with mine. “No, I mean falling more in love.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I can, Ford.”
His face dropped, and the pain in his eyes was truly real. I couldn’t hurt him like that, even after what he’d put me through.
Reaching up, I stroked his cheek. “I can’t because I’m not sure it’s possible to fall more in love with you.”
His chin dropped to his chest, and he let out a deep, low chuckle. “You’re going to make me pay for a long time, aren’t you?”
I grinned. “Oh yeah.”
Ford pressed his lips to mine. A warmth that had been missing since the summer immediately spread through my body. God, I’d missed him so much.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have never walked away. I thought if I let you go, if you came back, you would be mine for good.”
“When someone is already inside of you, you can’t just let go of their heart. The only way to disconnect is to break it.”
“Yeah. I know that now. Do you remember when you asked me if it was possible to have the right feelings at the wrong time?”
I nodded. “I was terrified back then.”
“We both were, just at different times. The truth is, you can never have the right feelings at the wrong time, because there is never a wrong time for the right person.”
I looked into his eyes. “Let’s stop running away from each other.”
Ford rested his forehead to mine. “I freaking love you, Valentina. I love how you have no rhythm, but it doesn’t stop you from dancing. I love how you sneeze when you’re nervous and still try to hide that you are. I love the little sound you make when you come, and that you give yourself so completely to me that you don’t even know you make it. I love that you went back to school and want to go after all the things you didn’t get to do. But most of all, I love you because I have to…I can’t not love you. I tried, and it’s physically impossible.”
“God, Ford. I love you, too. And I want the whole world to know it. Including my son.”
“Good. I’ll give you a hand in passing out the message.” He took hold of my waist, and suddenly I was in the air and plopped back down on his lap, straddling him. “I’ll start by telling the guy who dropped you off.”
Chapter 32
* * *
Ford
I tossed my keys on the table and yelled, “Val?”
“I’m upstairs! Getting changed.”
“Our reservations are for eight thirty. Don’t take too long.”
I’d had a late meeting this afternoon, and tonight had been the winter parent-teacher night at her school, so we were going out to eat. It had been one long-ass week, and it wasn’t even Friday yet.
Val had been a nervous wreck about meeting with parents, especially with the few students who weren’t doing so hot in her class. It didn’t help that last weekend, when she’d planned to prepare a little summary of notes on each student, she’d had an unexpected visitor who took up the majority of her free time.
Her son had again surprised her, coming home early for winter recess. Well, he’d surprised both of us, actually. Valentina hadn’t yet told him about us. She’d wanted to tell him in person when he came home on break, instead of over the phone. Her plan had been to talk to him by herself one night and then the three of us would go out to dinner a night or two later. But just like all things between Val and me, it didn’t exactly go
as planned.
Ryan’s flight was due to land at eight in the evening last Saturday night. For the last couple of months, we’d been taking turns staying at each other’s places. With Bella back at school and her son not around, the two of us had grown pretty comfortable with walking around half dressed and occasionally fucking on the kitchen floor, if the mood struck. I was as crazy about her as ever, and the mood struck a lot. So it wasn’t unusual that I’d woken Val by going down on her and then had my junk swinging in the wind while I made two cups of coffee in her kitchen an hour later.
But it was unusual for someone to unlock the front door at nine in the morning and walk in while said junk was on full display.
Ryan’s early flight home surprised both of us, alright. I still had the fading remnants of a black eye to show exactly what a damn surprise it had been. Her son punched first and asked questions later. I couldn’t say I blamed him. Needless to say, the visual had been a lot harder to swallow than the way his mother had planned to tell him she had a boyfriend now—especially since it was me.
I took off my jacket and tossed it over a chair at the kitchen table. The whoosh of air caused a folded piece of mail from the top of a stack to fly off the table and onto the floor. Thinking nothing of it, I bent to pick it up, only the colors of the logo at the top of the letter caught my eye—green, white, and red.
Collocamento internazionale di Roma
My Italian was rusty, but I knew what it was. My heart sank reading the first line.
Dear Ms. Di Giovanni,
Congratulations! We’re excited to inform you that we’ve received your application and one of our consortium member schools has invited you to join their staff for the upcoming school year.
I heard the sound of heels clicking down the stairs, and then Val’s happy voice. “I survived, and I’m ready to celebrate that I didn’t sneeze on any of the parents!”
I turned with the letter still in my hand, and the smile fell from Val’s face. “Oh. Yeah. That came today. The directions said it could take up to twelve weeks to find out if you get a placement. I hadn’t expected it after only two.”
It wasn’t like it was a surprise that she’d applied. I’d been the one to encourage her not to change her plans. But this made it a reality.
I forced a smile. “Congratulations. That’s great.”
She walked to me and took the letter from my hands, pressing a kiss to my lips. “You’re so full of shit.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s good news. I just didn’t expect it today, I guess, so it caught me off guard.”
Val sighed. “I haven’t decided if I’m going yet. I just had to apply by the year-end deadline.”
“You’re going.”
She frowned. “Sounds like you can’t wait to get rid of me.”
I wrapped my hands around her waist and locked them behind her back. “Not a chance. I’m going to be living for school vacations more than I did in high school. I told you, it’s gonna take more than an ocean of distance to separate us.” I squeezed her to me. “This is good. You’re going to have a great time, and I’m gonna be busy while you’re gone, too.”
Val’s eyes widened. “You got the building?”
I nodded. “I did. They accepted my offer. I’ll soon be the proud owner of one rundown pile of steel.”
She smiled. “That you’ll turn into something amazing.”
After I passed on the building in Chicago, I hadn’t really been planning on looking for another project to expand. But one fell right into my lap. I’d picked up Val for lunch at school one day, and we went to a pizza place a few blocks away. After, I’d pulled into a parking lot nearby so I could kiss her and cop a cheap feel before dropping her back off. The parking lot just happened to be attached to an old, rundown warehouse on the outskirts of a nice, up-and-coming area.
I’d kissed my girl until she made that noise I loved so much, and then when I put the car in reverse with a big-ass smile on my face, I looked up and found myself staring at a giant notice of public auction on the building in front of me. I drove back after dropping Val at school, and one thing led to another.
“I hope so. Because right now the place should be condemned.”
Things between Val and me were serious. Probably more serious than they should’ve been after six months. As fucked up as it was, I’d marry her tomorrow and never look back. But I still thought it was important that she have the experiences she’d wanted to have, that she found herself. Teaching in Rome for a year was a big part of that. Did I want her four-thousand miles away? Fuck, no. But I wanted her to be happy more than I hated the thought of her being so far away. She needed to finish off her My Turn list. Well, not all of them—there was no damn way she’d be dating seven different men in seven nights. But I’d been encouraging her to keep up on the important ones—like teaching in Rome and trying anal.
And pushing her to follow her dreams had made me realize it was okay to have my own, too—like expanding the temporary office space business into a new area. It wouldn’t be Chicago, but something on my own terms.
“Since we’re on the subject of real estate and travel…” Val’s face turned gloomy. “…I signed the contract for the sale of the beach house today.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t look happy about that.”
“It’s hard. I’m thrilled they offered full asking price, yet it’s difficult to be happy about selling it, in general. I just have so many memories there of Ryan growing up.”
Val hadn’t wanted to sell the beach house at all, but her asshole ex-husband had forced her hand. According to her divorce settlement, they had to split the cost of all major repairs. She didn’t have the money to fund the major piling replacement that needed to be done, and she also couldn’t get a loan since she didn’t have a steady work history yet. The beach house meant a lot to her, and I’d offered to give her the money or even lend it to her, but she wouldn’t go for it. Which was why…I’d had to buy it under a corporate name and not tell her.
“I know. But if it’s any consolation, I’m sure the new owner will make great memories, too.”
“I guess…”
“I’m sure they’ll fuck all over the house.”
Val cringed. “That’s not exactly making me feel better.”
“Why? The new owner is entitled to make new memories. It shouldn’t taint yours in any way.”
She shrugged. “I guess. It’s just hard to think of someone else inside my house. You know?”
I pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “I know. That’s why I bought the house.”
Valentina’s head pulled back abruptly. “What did you say?”
“I bought the house. For us.”
“What are you talking about? A corporation bought the house.”
“And what’s the name of that corporation?”
“BJ Cummings, Inc.”
I raised a brow. I’d been waiting for her to tell me about the name of the corporation, but she never did. And now I knew why—she’d totally missed the joke.
Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God. You’re kidding me? BJ Cummings? What the hell?”
I laughed. “There was no way I was letting you get rid of that place, not when I have big plans for it.”
Her brows furrowed. “What plans?”
I pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m going to give it to my wife as a wedding gift someday. That’s still a few years away...because she’s stubborn and needs to go slow. But that’s my plan.”
Valentina’s face melted. Her eyes filled with tears. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. But the fact that you wanted to do it is more than enough, Ford. I can’t let you spend that kind of money on a house next door to the one you own. It makes no sense.”
“My sister really loves my parents’ house. And while I enjoyed being out there this summer, it was only because of you. I don’t want their family home. I want to make my own family with you. Besides, you don’t have
any choice but to finish the sale. Money is already in escrow, and we have a binding contract.”
“You’re unbelievable. I want to at least pay you for half of the house, so we own it jointly.”
“BJ Cummings doesn’t accept cash.”
“Oh no?”
I shook my head. “He only takes sex for payment.”
“Is that so?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and she wrapped her arms back around my neck. “Well, then, I’d like to make a down payment right now.”
“We have dinner reservations in fifteen minutes.”
She pushed up on her toes and spoke with her lips against mine. “Fuck dinner.”
Now she was talking. I backed her up to the wall and pinned her against it. Hiding what I’d been up to with her house had been weighing on my shoulders. Secrets had no place in a relationship, and getting it off my chest was a huge relief.
It had only been four days since I’d been inside of her, but it felt like a year. I buried my face in her neck and started to suck along the delicate skin leading up to her ear. “God, I missed you.”
She panted. “I missed you, too. No time to undress. I took off my panties before I came downstairs and slipped them into my purse so I could give them to you during dinner.”
I immediately reached under the hem of her dress and slid my hand up between her legs. Sure enough, she was bare. And wet. I groaned. “You’re soaked for me already.”
Val slipped her hands between us and started to unbuckle my pants. There was no sexier sight in the world than my girl shaking in a frenzy to get to my cock. Later, when it hit her that I’d really bought her house and told her she’d be getting it as a wedding present some day, I’d make love to her when doubt started to creep in. But right now? Right now was all about fucking. Fucking my woman who was going to leave me for months to teach in Rome. And her fucking me because a part of her was scared and angry at what I’d done.
I used my hips to keep her pinned to the wall while I helped push down my pants. Val wrapped her legs around my waist. The minute my throbbing cock felt the hot wetness between her open legs, I was done for. I needed to be inside.