Can't Buy Your Love (7 page)

I can at least admit that much. I love him.

She returned to her bedroom and shut the door. When her aunt came to tell her Owen was there, she made the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and refused to come out. After a few hours passed, she listened at her door and discovered him gone. Vanity packed her things. The sooner she got on the road, the better.

She found her aunt in the kitchen. “Aunt Ella, I have to leave earlier than expected. I have some work I need to get done. I had a great time, and thanks for having me.”

“Darling,” her aunt exclaimed, rising from the table where she sipped hot cocoa. “You’re leaving so suddenly? Have you talked to Owen?”

“Uh…” She hated lying about leaving in the first place and didn’t care to add to it regarding Owen. “We had fun together, but it was nothing serious. We had an understanding. I have to go.”

“I don’t think—”

“Aunt Ella.”

The older woman offered her a sad smile and drew Vanity into a hug. She kissed Vanity’s cheek and leaned away to pull money from her bra. “Here, take this.”

Vanity cringed. “Aunt Ella, that’s not necessary.”

“Take it!” She pressed the bills into Vanity’s hand and closed her fingers around it. “I always dreamed you would learn to trust others, including me. I think you know I love you, but you don’t lean on that love when you need it most. It breaks my heart because you could have so much more in life, Vanity.”

“I have all I need, Aunt Ella.”

Her aunt waved a finger at her. “You have what money can buy. You don’t have love, not like you deserve it. I know your parents almost broke you with the way they treated you as a child, but you were strong, and you overcame it—the physical part. The heart is a different matter. Stay a little longer, darling. Let me call Owen.”

Vanity gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Somehow she extricated herself from her aunt’s hold and loaded up her car with her bag and the gifts she received. The entire time, tension lined her shoulders because she worried that any second Owen would pull into his driveway. For the moment, she was grateful he wasn’t home. At last, she backed out of her aunt’s drive and headed down the street. Soon, Charlotte, North Carolina would be left behind, and she would get back to her regular life. Owen Chase would slide into a distant memory, and the ache in her chest would heal.

* * * *

The day wore on as Vanity drove north. She checked her phone every other minute it seemed. Owen called, but she let it go to voice mail. Her display said she’d received five messages, and the little bell told her she had text messages, which she refused to read. Instead, she pressed her foot a little harder on the accelerator and sped down the highway.

North Carolina gave way to Virginia, and with it wetter weather. Vanity flipped her windshield wipers on to cut through the falling slow. She bit her lip peering through the window, hoping things wouldn’t turn bad. To check expected conditions, something she should have done before leaving, she turned on the radio. A familiar voice she recognized but couldn’t put her finger on sang out, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose…”

She gripped the steering wheel tighter, and the constriction in her chest grew worse. The world seemed bent on bringing him to mind, reinforcing the memories they made over the last couple of weeks—especially the times when he held her. He and Aunt Ella both told her she needed to trust, and she knew that. In her head, she didn’t deny it, but in the real world, her experience had taught her different.

At her age, she should have woken up to the fact that a person should not let the past dictate who they were in the present. Arguing over the next half hour got her nowhere, and Owen’s face refused to leave her head. The wet streets turned a bit slippery. Her cell phone rang once again, and this time, she pulled into a rest area to answer.

Sucking in a deep breath, she punched the connect button. “Hello?”

“Vanity!” The relief in Owen’s tone startled her.

“Hey, Owen.”

“What do you mean, ‘hey’?” Now the irritation crept in. “I was worried about you. You left without a word and didn’t answer the phone. The weather report isn’t good where you’re headed… We had something good started. Why did you leave?”

Temptation to complain that he didn’t even try to call her for two days kept her silent. She worked to calm down and find reason. “I couldn’t stay forever. I’m due back at work.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying.” Her patience snapped. “Who the hell do you think you are? I didn’t make any promises.”

He said nothing.

“Owen, look, I’m sorry. I—”

“Is this what you want?”

“What?”

“Answer me, Vanity. Is this really what you want? To go back to Baltimore alone, to never see me again? Because I for one am not willing to let you go. That’s why I’m headed up I-85 now when I should have been making plans to fly out to Chicago.”

Hurt stabbed her heart. “You’re on I-85? But why? I don’t understand when you just said you’re moving to Chicago.”

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Why did it even matter since they still lived in two different states? He was running behind Melinda, and anyone with eyes saw the woman had designs on him from the outfit she sported the other night.

“Is that what you think? Damn it, Vanity.” She heard him strike the steering wheel. “Meet me. Where are you?”

Vanity hesitated. She considered jumping back on the interstate and hightailing it home, but if she didn’t take a chance on getting hurt—if she refused to trust him with the risk of it all going to hell—she wasn’t truly living. There would be no chance of love and happiness.

“There’s a diner,” she said, recalling the sign, “five miles back from where I am now.” She gave him the exit with butterflies stirring in her stomach. “Be careful. The weather is getting worse.”

“I’ll be there.”

Vanity made the short trip almost shaking. She pulled into the near deserted parking lot, but the neon sign blinked OPEN, and she stepped out to dart across to the entrance. Once inside, she found a table and ordered a hot cocoa with extra marshmallows. Judging the time for Owen to get there, she waited until she was ready for another cup before ordering him one as well.

Just a few other patrons occupied the narrow restaurant. Red sparkly garland hung over the counter and around each window, along with white twinkling lights. At the end of the counter, someone had decorated a small artificial tree with ornaments way too big for it. Any other time, the setup would appear cheesy to her, but with the snow coming down outside and the prospect starting something new with Owen, the scene stirred excitement in her belly.

Several minutes later, Owen pulled into the lot next to her car, and he unfolded from the interior. Vanity’s heart went into overdrive, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

The bell over the door jingled as he stepped inside, and his blue gaze met hers. He moved with purpose the few strides to her table and swept her onto her feet and into his embrace. His kiss shook her from head to toe, and for a few amazing moments, she forgot every worry.

When he set her on her feet, Vanity teetered, but Owen held a hand at her waist until she sat down. He took the spot across from her, and she tried not to melt under his hot gaze.

“This is for me?” he asked.

She nodded. “Extra marshmallows the way you like it.”

“And the way I got you into.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes in jest. “Not like it’s original.”

They laughed off the tension, and Vanity relaxed a little. She leaned back in her chair but then moved forward to grip her cup. The thoughts flooding her mind did not allow for comfort just yet. “I heard you say you’re moving to Chicago. I understand your reasoning, and I admit it bothered me. I—”

“First of all, I am not moving to Chicago, baby.” The gentle patience in his tone gave her some peace, along with his words. “I am going there to inspect the area and home where Melinda intends for Jamie to live. It pissed me off that she knew all of this and had been planning it for a while and kept it quiet. By rights, I should take her to court.”

Vanity lowered her gaze. “But you won’t.”

“Wrong again.”

She gasped and looked up at him. He reached across to take her hand.

“I’ve sat in fear about whether Jamie is mine or not for too long. I’m going to get a paternity test, and if he’s not, then I will still fight her for rights to see him. If he is, then it’s a weight off my shoulders.”

Vanity laced her fingers with his. “That’s so great. I’m glad. I know it’s scary, but you can do it, and she’s not stupid enough to try to block you from Jamie’s life either way. You’re a great father.”

“Thank you.” He bent forward and raised her fingers to kiss them. “One other thing.”

She shifted in her seat. “Yes?”

“If Jamie turns out to be mine, I’m going to file for full custody of him. I would like to live in Charlotte.”

Vanity sat in silence. A myriad of thoughts paraded through her mind, none she wanted to speak out loud to him. When she didn’t speak, he jostled her hand to capture her attention, and she focused on him again.

“I don’t want to be selfish, Vanity, but a long-distance relationship is a challenge for anyone. We would need to live either in Baltimore or in Charlotte. I am hoping you will consider relocating here, but I won’t push you.”

Her mouth went dry even as elation built deep inside. “Isn’t that a little fast?”

He smiled. “I don’t mean for us to live together just yet. I would help you find a place, or you might choose to stay with Ella until we’re sure about where we’re going. If you can’t relocate because of work, I can rethink my plan with Jamie.”

“Is this why you didn’t call me for two days after Melinda came to your house?” She glanced away so he wouldn’t see the insecurity she felt, but he picked up on it anyway.

“There is nothing, and can never be anything between she and I. As I said, Vanity, I love you. I want to get to know you better. I realize I have baggage, and it’s about to increase with my custody suit. If I win, you would be dating a fulltime single father. That’s another consideration.”

“That is a challenge with a whole new set of fears. You’re asking me to trust when I haven’t done it before. Not only that, but your son comes with the package. I like Jamie a lot. He’s so sweet, but I want to be honest, it terrifies me. I might not be strong enough. Hell I might need therapy to get through all this.” Her laugh seemed hollow and weak, and she pulled her hand from his to bunch together with the other in her lap. Chills raced over her arms. She didn’t know if she’d said the wrong thing or made him want to back out, but she had come this far. “I love you too, Owen. I know I will love Jamie because he’s that kind of sweetheart. I don’t know anything else.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

She gaped at him.

“You’re willing to stand with me in this process?”

She swallowed. “I am, and I shouldn’t have a problem with staying with Aunt Ella until I’m settled down here. I have to find another job, but I’m pretty good at what I do.”

He winked. “There’s my girl. Then let’s go. I have until New Year’s, and I want to spend that time with you in my arms.”

“Yes, let’s go home.”

Epilogue

“Baby, it’s here,” Owen told her on the phone. She heard the tension in his voice and tossed the last load of towels into the wash before switching her cell to the other ear.

“I’ll be right over. Wait for me.”

She’d been at Aunt Ella’s for just over a week. Back in Baltimore, things weren’t settled yet, but she came down to be with Owen for this time. He had waited until she could come back to do the paternity test, and coordinating it so Melinda could be involved took some doing. The woman claimed she was willing to do the test but then made excuses. Owen had paid her way from Chicago to Charlotte just so he could be sure of everything. The private clinic could have done the test without the mother, but Owen insisted, and Vanity didn’t blame him. At least the results hadn’t taken more than a few days to come back. She knew years ago it took weeks. Now he had the result letter in the mail, and they intended to open it together.

“Aunt Ella, I’m going next door,” Vanity called to her aunt and headed outside. She had elected to stay with Aunt Ella for a while, who was thrilled with the prospect, since neither Vanity nor Owen wanted to be far apart. Besides, their struggles were just beginning since Melinda didn’t know yet that Owen intended to return to court. He had wanted to be on solid ground with the paternity thing first.

Owen opened the door when she walked up and took her into his arms. She encircled his waist and pressed her face to his hard chest. Breathing in, she inhaled his masculine scent, both comforting and arousing. He held her tight, stroking her back. She picked up the rustle of the paper in his hand and gave him time.

“I love him.”

She tightened her hold. “I know, baby, and he’s yours. I have no doubt of that. Let’s do this together.”

Owen shifted his shoulders and kissed the top of her head. They sat down on the couch in the living room, and he ripped apart the envelope’s seal. Together, they read the words, and tears filled Vanity’s eyes until she had to shut them.

“99.99 percent chance…” Owen read.

“That he’s your son,” she finished. “Thank God.”

“Yes.”

Owen crushed her to his chest, and she felt the tension leaving him. The letter slipped from his fingers onto the floor, and he drew her onto his lap. He cupped her face and kissed her lips. Vanity leaned into him, shutting her eyes. They rubbed cheeks, just holding on and drawing comfort. After some time, Vanity inched closer to rest her head under his chin. She lay a palm on his chest, his heart beating a rapid tattoo.

“Next is the custody suit,” he said.

“Are you going to tell her?”

“Yes, I don’t want to spring it on her as she did to me.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her once again. Vanity lingered where she was, parting her lips so he could slip his tongue between them. For long moments, they danced with just their mouths, and a wave of sexual desire made Vanity’s body heat to scorching. Owen ran a hand up from her waist to her breast, and when he tweaked her nipple, she cried out in pleasure.