chapter twenty-three

 

As she pulls her cherry red Audi into the driveway of a gorgeous home in Westlake Village just a half hour from Mark’s place in Malibu, nerves rattle around in my chest.

My parents loved her. Loved her. I remember when my mom met Kendra, she was less than hospitable toward her, but she obviously sees something in Vivian that tells her I’m going to be okay.

Maybe it’s the little looks we share, or just the number of times we caught one another smiling for no apparent reason, or the way we seem to always be on the same wavelength. I just hope her parents see it in me, too.

My nerves multiply at her words as she cuts the engine just before we get out of the car.

“I need to tell you something.” She stares straight ahead at her parents’ brown garage door. I study her profile, and she looks terrified.

“What?” I ask softly.

“Trent, my ex?” She says it like a question, and I nod for her to continue. She pulls in a deep breath. “My parents love him. My dad in particular. My dad is a surgeon in Thousand Oaks. That’s where Trent works, too. My dad actually set me up with him about ten years ago.”

My eyes widen. “Holy shit, Viv. And you just decided to withhold this information until right now?”

“I couldn’t find a good time to bring it up.” Her voice is small and she sounds nervous.

I can’t help as that same nervousness darts through my chest. “So why now, as we’re sitting outside your parents’ house and I’m getting ready to meet them for the first time?”

She clears her throat. “See that black Range Rover over there?” she asks, gesturing with her head in the direction of the car.

I nod.

“It’s Trent’s.”

My chest tightens and I heave out a frustrated breath. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

She shakes her head. “His parents are here, too. That silver Jaguar is theirs. His dad and my dad own their practice together.”

“I’m a rabbit walking into a lion’s den.” It’s the only thing I can think of to say.

“Well, I have good news and bad news, then. Which do you want first?”

“There’s more bad?” I ask, my eyes nearly popping out of my head.

She giggles, and I can’t tell if it’s because she’s nervous or if something else is at play. “The good news is that’s not really Trent’s car.”

I look at her in horror. “Why the fuck would you do that to me?”

“Prank! Maybe we’re finally even from when you ditched me at that AceStar Gala.” She giggles. “Man, you should see your face.”

My jaw drops. “You just pranked me with something this serious?”

“I owed you for the sweater yesterday.”

I shake my head. “That was funny. This? This was just mean!”

“I thought it would soften the blow of the actual truth. My dad and Trent’s dad really do own a practice together, and my dad really did set me up with him. The Rover is my sister’s and the Jag is my dad’s.”

“So Trent and his parents aren’t here?” I ask. I hold my chest with an open palm.

She shakes her head.

“Okay. I can deal with the other shit. I’ll just make them see how much happier you are with me.”

“For the record, I am. In the last three days, you’ve made me happier than Trent even attempted to in ten years.”

My heart is still racing, but it’s starting to slow down back to a normal rate. “I swear to God, if you ever do that to me again...”

“What? What’ll you do?” she challenges.

“Oh, you’ll pay.” I give her my worst glare, and she just laughs at me.

“See? This.” She motions between the two of us. “Laughter. Smiles. Fun. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I mutter, because even though she just gave me a heart attack and it was all a damn joke, I can’t help the surge of love I feel for her. But I’ll still make her pay, that’s for damn sure.

We walk up to the intimidating front door, and I remind myself who the hell I am. I’m Brian Fucking Fox. I’m the brother of a rock star. I’m used to being around money even if it doesn’t belong to me, and I won’t be daunted by a goddamn door.

When it opens, a woman who looks surprisingly like an older version of Vivian smiles at us. She’s wearing a dark red dress, modest and demure but fitting for the season. Her dark hair is pulled back into a simple bun and her eyes are the exact shade of her daughter’s. Small webs of wrinkles grow deeper when she smiles warmly at the two of us.

She hugs her daughter and then turns to me. “You must be Brian.”

I nod and hand her the small Christmassy bouquet I picked up this morning. I realize I don’t know what to call her. Vivian hasn’t told me her parents’ names, and I don’t even know if Davenport is her married name or her maiden name. It makes me realize that even though I know the most essential information, most importantly how I feel about her, I don’t really know everything about her. “Lovely to meet you, ma’am.”

“Ma’am,” she says with a chuckle. “Call me Sonia. And thank you for the lovely flowers.” She leans in to hug me. “Mm.” She looks over at her daughter with a twinkle in her eye. “He smells good.”

Viv laughs. “See? I told you my mom would be easy.”

Sonia pats her daughter’s arm. “Dad will be a harder sell, but when he sees the way you’re smiling like you haven’t done in years...well, I’ll help him see it.”

I feel like I’m missing part of the conversation, like Vivian and her mom have already had a lot of serious chats about the two of us, and I suddenly feel like everything’s going to be okay.

“Where is he?” Vivian asks.

“Living room with the grandbabies. Val and Greg are baking cookies in the kitchen.”

She turns toward me. “Ready to meet my dad and my nephews?”

I press my lips together and nod. I’m ready as I’ll ever be.

We walk through the expansive foyer and right into a living room. It’s fancy and has obviously been child-proofed, and it currently looks like a toy store vomited all over the entire room. A huge Christmas tree decorated with twinkling lights sits in one corner, and what must be hundreds of wrapped presents sits beneath it. Three little boys run around their grandfather, who sits in the middle of the room laughing, each of them holding toy cars as they chase each other. It’s a warm and inviting scene, but I still feel like I’m walking into the lion’s den.

“Ray, Vivian is here,” Sonia announces. Viv’s dad turns to look at us, and his smile fades a little as his dark eyes edge over to me. His gray hair and closely clipped graying beard make him seem friendly, but the hardness in his eyes when they meet mine makes him seem a little hostile.

The boys don’t stop running around their grandfather, and he doesn’t do anything to stop them, either.

I shuffle awkwardly from one foot to the other while I await the full reaction.

“Boys, can you give me a minute?” he says. The oldest one who can’t be more than six leads the two younger ones over to a couch, where they all proceed to drive their little toy cars along the creamy fabric.

Creamy fabric and three little boys can’t possibly mix well together.

I’m not sure why that’s the thought in mind as Vivian’s dad stands and saunters over to us. He ignores me as he pulls his daughter into a tight hug.

“Dad, this is Brian. Brian, this is my dad, Ray.”

He finally turns to me. I stick my hand out to shake his, but he just studies me indifferently.

“You can call me Dr. Davenport,” he says, and I force myself to stand tall instead of cowering instinctually like a naughty boy in front of someone who has authority over me.

I’m not sure what’ll happen if this guy doesn’t approve of me.

I leave my hand out as I say, “Nice to meet you, Dr. Davenport.”

He still doesn’t shake my hand.

“Dad, stop it,” Vivian says. She touches his arm, and it’s only then that he finally shakes my hand.

“You have a wonderful daughter,” I say. “She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

He softens just the most infinitesimal amount he possibly can as he lets go of my hand. “She’s sharp as a tack.”

I nod. “Agreed.”

“What is it you do, Brian?”

“I’m a businessman. I’m currently working for a record label in web analytics.”

“Didn’t the two of you meet when she was hired to fix your company?” he asks.

I want the ground to open up and take me in. There’s no way to handle his questions without looking like a royal douchebag who can’t handle his own company. I continue to stand tall, though, even as my mind races and I silently beg Vivian to step in to help me.  “Yes, sir. And she did a wonderful job with it.”

“Why aren’t you working there anymore?” he asks.

“Oh my God, Dad. Stop giving him a hard time,” Vivian finally says. She looks at me. “He already knows everything.”

“And what I got from the story my daughter told me is that you’re a liar, a manipulator, and a homewrecker.”

Vivian sighs. “We’ve been through this. My marriage was over long before I met Brian.”

“But you might’ve stayed married if you hadn’t met him.” Her dad jerks his thumb at me.

“Yes, Father,” she says, and I shift nervously as she admits she might’ve stayed married to Trent if she’d never met me, which sounds like everything her dad ever wanted. She can’t be serious, can she? “I might have stayed in an unhappy marriage because I didn’t know how it felt to have real love, mutual respect, and butterflies in your stomach every time the other person walked into the room,” she continues. “I might’ve stayed with someone I didn’t even like anymore because I didn’t know things could be different. I might’ve stayed married to someone simply because my dad willed it to be so, not because I wanted to be there and certainly not because I was happy there.”

She laces her arm around my waist and I instinctively wrap my arm around her shoulders. I’m holding her in close to me, protecting her from her own father’s reaction to her words.

“Brian does all that for me, Dad. You don’t have to be happy about it, but I’d appreciate it if you could treat him a little nicer, because whether you like it or not, he’s my future.”

I press a kiss to her temple, and Sonia swoons a little as her dad finally softens. He purses his lips then says, “Fine.”

“Dr. Davenport, I’d love a moment of your time to talk with you privately,” I say.

I feel Vivian’s arm tighten on my waist as she digs a finger into my ribs as if to tell me that’s a bad idea.

Her dad narrows his eyes at me. “Follow me to my office.”

I haven’t had the full tour of the house yet, haven’t even met her sister yet, and I’m leaving Vivian behind me as I follow her dad into his office as my heart pounds. Degrees from universities, family photos, and pictures of various images of the human skeleton and other images of bodies decorate the walls, and I feel like I’m in a doctor’s office. I am, I suppose.

“Have a seat,” he says, and I slide into the chair facing his desk while he walks behind it to sit in the executive chair. It’s a total power move, one I’ve used myself on many occasions—even on his own daughter, if I’m being honest—but I have something I need to say to him.

“What’s this about?”

“I love your daughter. We haven’t been together long, but I’ve known her for many months now, and I’ve loved her every day I’ve known her, even if I didn’t recognize it for what it was at first.”

“And she feels the same?”

“I believe so.”

He nods and raises his brows as if he’s impressed by that answer, so I take that as the encouragement I need to move forward. “She’s not just the smartest woman I’ve ever met. She’s savvy. She’s passionate. She’s funny. She’s beautiful. And I want to be her partner for the rest of my life.”

“Are you asking for my blessing?” he asks, cutting to the chase.

“I am. I want to marry her someday. Someday when it’s right for both of us.”

“You think she wants to marry you?

I lift a shoulder. “I’d certainly be honored if she did, but that’s something you’ll have to ask her.”

“Look, Brian. You have to understand my position. I was thrilled when she married the son of my partner, a well-respected doctor. I knew Trent could provide a stable and secure future, and that’s all I ever wanted for her.”

I open my mouth to protest, to tell him that’s not the most important thing, that love is, but he forges on before I can get a word in.

“When I heard she was unhappy, of course that was cause for concern. But when I heard she wanted to get together with some guy who couldn’t even hold onto his own company, well, surely you must see the position that puts me in. She’ll be supporting you. She’ll be providing a stable and secure future for you when it’s your job to do it for her.”

“With all due respect, sir, I do have my own secure future.” I force the defensiveness out of my tone despite his sexist comment. “I have a solid job. I sold my house in Las Vegas and invested the profits.”

The hardness in his face never wanes. “Because your brother has money. Because he set you up for success. And he did that before with your company, but you blew it.”

How do you know all that? I want to ask, but instead, my gums flap a bit as I feel like a lost little fish.

“I’ve done my research, Mr. Fox. I’ve always kept on top of the companies my daughter has been hired to fix, and FDB was no different.”

“I know it looks bad, and there’s nothing I can say to defend what happened. We’ve all made mistakes in life, haven’t we?” I ask.

He glances over at one of the family portraits hanging in the center of the wall. My eyes follow his, and I see a family of five. Two happy parents and three younger children, all under the age of ten or so. There’s a boy there in the photo, the brother Vivian said was tragically killed when they were kids. I recognize Vivian right away, with her long, dark hair, bright blue eyes, and crooked front teeth that were obviously straightened with braces sometime along the way. I wonder idly for a second if our kids will get her teeth or mine.

“Yeah. We all have,” he says, the regret strong in his voice.

“I love her, sir, and I don’t want to waste another second apart from her. I want to make her laugh and I want to hold her hand and I want to experience life with her. Life’s just too damn short to be unhappy or to stew over things we can’t control, and I can’t control how much I love her. I will do everything in my power to make her happy while providing her with security and stability and love for the rest of our lives together. For whatever it’s worth, you have my word on that.”

He sits back and folds his arms over his chest, and I find myself holding my breath as I await his response.

He stares at me for a few beats. Studies me. I have no idea what he’s thinking, and my heart pounds so hard I’m afraid he can see it through my festive green shirt.

He finally presses his lips together before he exhales a long breath. “If it’s something she wants, I won’t try to stop her.”

“Thank you, Dr. Davenport. I promise not to let you—or her—down.”

“I’ll hold you to that. And call me Ray.”

I finally release the breath I’d been holding through basically our entire talk as I grin. “Merry Christmas, Ray.”

He cracks the smallest smile I’ve ever seen. “Merry Christmas, Brian.”