When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) (14 page)

“Listen, woman, you and those other four little bitty women in my life have taken over, and I’m thrilled.” He pressed a button on the remote to turn the volume up. “But I’m telling every last one of you right now, this chair stays.”

“The leather is split; the springs are about to come through, and even the handle on the side is broken.” She hid a giggle.

He pouted, firmly gripping the arms of the recliner. “I don’t care. It’s mine.” He ran his hand along the cracked upholstery. “This recliner and I have traveled around the world together. And we’ve gone through three World Series together.” He jerked his head back, decisively declaring, “And come what may, we’re staying
together
.”

She leaned over him, whispering next to his ear, “What if I want to watch the game with you one day?”

“Anytime you want, you can snuggle up in my lap.”

She straightened and placed her hands back on her hips. “Men…sports…” She shook her head, completely at a loss to explain how someone with millions in not one, but two bank accounts couldn’t—no, correction—wouldn’t purchase something as simple as a new lounger.

The chair had to go. She leaned over him again. Her voice dipped to a sultry tone as she ran her fingers up and down the bulge in his jeans, her tongue circling his ear lobe. “What will it take for you to reconsider?”

A.J. closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, enjoying the feel of her hands rubbing him this way. He wasn’t giving up his chair, though. Breathless, he stuttered, “N-Nothing.”

Vic walked away, flashing a wry smile. She’d show him he wasn’t the only one who could come up with a crazy scheme.

* * *

Vic made one last check on the girls around nine that evening. She went inside their rooms, tucked them securely under the covers, kissed them good night, turned up the volume on the baby monitors, and headed for a shower.

She draped her damp body in a huge towel after a long shower with Baptiste. Standing in front of the dresser, she picked up a bottle of scented lotion.

A.J. walked from the bathroom a few moments later with a towel tucked at his waist. He came up behind her with a box in his hand that he’d retrieved from the top drawer of his nightstand.

“Close your eyes,
mon amour
.”

She followed his instructions, and moments later, felt something being placed around her neck.

“Oh, my God, Baptiste,” she said in awe once she stared into the mirror at the custom-designed, diamond-and-platinum necklace with the letters
ABW
.

A.J. circled his arms around her waist, nuzzling his mouth up and down the side of her neck. “Now whenever you say it, you’ll be telling the truth.”

She chuckled with her head back slightly, looking up at him. “What, that I’m an angry black woman?”

“No,” he answered, chuckling back. “That you’re Alcee Baptiste’s woman.” Removing her towel, he picked up the lotion, poured a generous amount into his hand, and slowly spread the creamy substance on her body.

“
Je t’aime
.” After he finished, he burrowed his nose into the side of her neck.

With her head thrown back, she gasped with pleasure as his lips traveled along the width of her shoulders. “I love you, too.” She looked in the mirror at him. “You know I’m supposed to be living in Atlanta now, right?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he moaned, and lightly bit down on her neck. “Never made it there, did you?”

Vic chuckled. “Nope, and I’m so happy I didn’t.” She stared in the mirror at their reflection for a long time. “Baptiste, we really do need to get married.”

“We do?” he whispered, never removing his mouth from her scented skin.

Vic chuckled at the irony of it all. She’d vowed never to fall in love with him, and now
she
was the one asking him to marry her.

“Yeah, we really do.”

“Why should I marry you,
mon amour
?”

Vic gasped in disbelief until she glanced in the mirror and noticed the wicked grin that made his lips curl upward. “Because we love each other.”

“I don’t know,
mon amour
,” A.J. muttered huskily, cupping her lush breasts together with his hands. With a loving gaze, he looked in the mirror at the woman he loved more than life itself. “You might not be the woman I want to marry,” he murmured. Desire and passion swept across her face when he gently rolled her nipples between his fingers.

“What will it take to convince you?” She breathed softly, her eyelids drifting to half-mast. The feel of his roaming hands made her ache for him to take her nipple inside his mouth.

He turned her around by the shoulders to face him and obliged her telepathic request when he circled her nipple with his tongue, then drew it in and sucked hard.

“This…” A.J. snatched the towel from his waist. “Turn back around,
mon amour,
and hold on to the dresser for me.” With his large hands clamped at her waist, he inclined her forward slightly, nudging her legs apart with his thigh. “Whatever you do, don’t close your eyes. Promise me.”

“’Kay.” Vic clutched the dresser’s edge for balance and a not-so-soft moan escaped her lips when he planted open-mouthed kisses along her backbone. He palmed one hand to her stomach while the other caressed her breast. Her arms trembled and her heart raced from the sheer agony of want. She arched her back and waited.

“Don’t look away,” he rasped, the warmth of his breath searing the area right below her ear. “I need to see you convince me.” Bent at the knees, he slid inside her. The feel of being locked in her warmth caused a moan to work its way from deep in his chest.

She watched with passion-laden eyes as he moved inside her with exquisite slowness, thunderous groans escaping from his throat.

“Baptiste,” she whispered and dropped her head, knowing she was two heartbeats away from climaxing, “I can’t watch anymore.”

She felt his powerful arms tighten about her waist. Her flesh felt as though it was about to rip in two. He was relentless and continued to rock against her, each thrust becoming harder, every stroke going deeper until she shut her eyes and blocked out everything but his soft utterance.

“Convince me, Honey,” he groaned, his voice rough with passion.

That was when all inhibition fled. Removing her hands away from the dresser, she bent forward until her fingertips touched the floor.

“Baptiste…” Her voice rose to a soprano pitch, then dipped to a deep, strangled wail as the slickness of his sweat-drenched belly covered her back. His tone escalated to a mighty roar, and his thrusts became harder, faster, and more urgent until their cries mingled together and finally ebbed on her whispered plea, “Marry me…”

Chapter 14

“Mom,” Vic lifted CeCe over her shoulder, gently patting her on the back as she looked over at her mother. “After she’s had her bottle, you need to burp her like this.”

The expression on Louise’s face indicated she thought Vic’s demonstration was ludicrous. “Oh, you mean the same way I did with the three I had when they were babies, right?”

Vic was oblivious to her mother’s wisecrack. She frantically searched through the diaper bag and raced over to her father after Louise took CeCe from her arms. “Now, Daddy, this is a Pamper,” she noted and held it up. “When you change the babies, use this.”

Chuckling, George Vincent peered over his half-rimmed glasses and accepted the disposable diaper. He inspected it from top to bottom. “Yep, looks similar to the ones I used to put on you years ago.”

A.J. stood off to the side and chuckled. It was Monday morning, and Taylor and Tyler were at school. Louise and George Vincent were going to baby-sit Bébé and CeCe while he and Vic went down to the Oakland police station. It was the first time since the babies’ arrival that Vic had been separated from them. He had never dreamed she’d go through parent withdrawal anxiety this severe. “Honey…”

“Uh?” Vic answered hesitantly, but didn’t move.

“Come on,
mon amour.
” He placed his arm around Vic’s shoulders and guided her toward the front door. “I believe Louise and G.V. know what they’re doing.”

“Yeah,” Louise drawled. “We got this.”

Vic stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “But Mom—”

“Sweetheart, your girls are going to be just fine,” George Vincent said, with Bébé cradled in his arms. “Why don’t you and A.J. go out to dinner and catch a movie since your mother and I are going to pick up T-One and T-Two from school?” He shooed Vic and A.J. forward when Vic nervously glanced up at A.J.

“Mom,” Vic stuttered, “you’ve got our cell phone numbers, right?”

Louise chuckled. “Did they change from twenty minutes ago when you gave them to me for the
third
time?”

Vic shook her head.

Louise smiled. “Then I got ’em. Now please go.”

* * *

A.J. stood along with Zach and another police officer inside a room with a one-way mirror next to the interrogation room Vic was in. He felt as if the walls were closing in on him. He willed his claustrophobia not to rear its ugly head. Although he wasn’t permitted to be with her during the hypnosis session, he’d gladly suffer through this and more if it meant she felt a sense of peace knowing he was nearby.

Zach patted A.J.’s shoulder. “Baby Girl is gonna be just fine.” He adjusted his earpiece the moment he heard a voice transit through. He focused straight ahead.

* * *

“Vic,” a male voice said, extending his hand as he walked into the room. “I’m Officer Arthur McNeil. I’m a police hypnotist with the Oakland Police Department.”

Seated inside one of the interrogation rooms at the police station, Vic stood and rubbed a sweaty palm along the side of her dress before she answered. “H-Hi.” The single word came out cracked despite her best effort to remain calm and steady her nerves.

She glanced first at the video camera in front of her, then to the tape recorder on the table. Both had been turned on before the officer walked in. She sat again as the officer positioned a chair in front of hers. Listening intently, she nodded occasionally as Officer McNeil explained the process, answered her questions, and dispelled the misconceptions about hypnosis.

“Vic, I want you to close your eyes and breathe deeply…relax completely.” the hypnotist said. He paused. “Now I want you to count backwards to ten…slowly.”

“Ten…nine…eight…” Vic counted at a languid pace until she’d reached one.

“Vic, right now I want you to imagine you’re inside a movie theater, watching a film. Tell me about every scene that comes up on the screen and describe it…just like an investigative reporter would do.”

Vic’s eyes remained closed. “Ran out of Caitlyn’s house and got into my car. Drove round and round Lake Merritt for a long time. Then headed home…”

“What route did you take?” the hypnotist asked.

“Grand and Harrison.”

“Were other cars around you?”

Vic shook her head.

“All right, Vic,” the hypnotist said softly. “What’s the next scene you see?”

“Came to a stop light. I missed it twice…no, three times.”

“Why?”

“I was crying.”

“Why were you crying, Vic?”

“Remembered what Ron did to me.”

The hypnotist probed again. “What’s coming up on the screen now, Vic?”

With her eyes still closed, Vic inclined her head slightly. “Heard a screeching sound and bright lights.”

“What did you do, Vic?” the hypnotist asked.

“Tried to move out the way…too late.” Vic paused. “I hit something…then something hit my car.”

“Okay, the next scene.” the hypnotist said.

“Got out of my car…” Silence stretched between Vic and the hypnotist for a moment. “I looked down. It was Baptiste…” Vic heaved. “He was very still. Knelt next to him to help…couldn’t let him die.”

The hypnotist jotted notes on the pad resting on his lap. “Describe the car?”

“Red…two doors.” Vic stopped talking for a moment, then said, “Q…U…E…E…” she broke off and shook her head. “Can’t see anything else…the car is driving off.”

“Vic, I’m going to count from one to ten. When I reach the number ten, you will become alert. You’ll feel refreshed and relaxed and I want you to open your eyes on ten.”

* * *

A.J. smiled at Zach and shook his hand the moment Vic recited the partial license plate number to the hypnotist.

Zach glanced over at the officer standing next to him. “Ya get that number?”

The officer nodded. “Yes, sir, Lieutenant.”

“Run it through the system. The minute something comes in, notify me.”

* * *

After they left the police station, Vic and A.J. stopped by the hospital to check on Valerie and Nicole, then drove back to her condominium. At A.J.’s request, Vic spent the rest of the afternoon convincing him to marry her.

Sated, Vic lay snugly in his arms in the middle of her bed.

A.J. placed a kiss at her temple. “I’m proud of what you did today, Honey.”

Vic looked up at him with all the love a woman can feel for her man. “I’m glad you were there for me, Baptiste. I just hope Zach can track down the car.” She chuckled. “I’ll call the realtor tomorrow and put the condo back on the market since I won’t need it anymore.”

He chuckled back. “Oh, I think we’ll need it,” he said and circled his tongue on her earlobe. “It’s a good hide-away from the girls when we want to get away and be alone and when I need convincing about something.”

She playfully punched his shoulder. “Hush, man.”

He cleared his throat. “We have a choice.”

“What?”

“We can wreck this bed some more—” He broke off to lift his head and look at the clock on the nightstand—“or we can do something really crazy.”

“Baptiste, you and me together is crazy enough.”

“No, I mean something really, really crazy.”

She lifted her brow. “Another one of your outlandish schemes?”

He gave her a roguish grin. “Yes.”

Chapter 15

After a quick shower, A.J. told Vic she was as beautiful dressed in jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes as she was decked out in a designer outfit. It was a little after four in the afternoon as he drove them to the Oakland airport for a flight to Las Vegas.

A couple of hours later, he and Vic walked along the Vegas strip, enjoying the warm desert evening. After losing several rolls of quarters playing slots at one of the casinos on Fremont Street, they viewed a dazzling light show on the five-block strip. Their next stop was the first wedding chapel he found.

“The ring?” the justice of the peace said, smiling.

Vic glanced up at Baptiste before looking back at the gray-haired man. “We don’t have a ring.”

“Oh, I see,” he said.

“Here, woman.” Smiling, A.J. took the diamond stud out of his right ear. “Pull your hair back for me,” he softly instructed, and then placed the stud in her left ear.

Vic touched her earlobe, smiling again. Suddenly her eyes flared, and she gasped. “Baptiste?”

“What’s wrong,
mon amour
?”

“Did you feed Harry and Sally?”

“No.”

“Man, it was your day to feed them.”

“Listen, woman, if I hadn’t had to drag you out of the house earlier when you were giving all those instructions to Louise and G.V., I would have remembered.”

Lifting his brow, the justice of the peace cleared his throat. “Uh, excuse me. Are you two sure you’re making a wise choice?”

“Umm-hmm,” Vic answered with a huge smile.

A.J. beamed. “Absolutely.”

“By the power vested in me by the State of Nevada, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife.” He looked at A.J. “You may kiss your bride.”

Although he’d planned for them to stay in Las Vegas for a couple more days to take in a few of the shows, A.J. grabbed Vic’s hand, rushed out the chapel, and hailed a taxi. When the cab came to a stop, he let Vic climb into the backseat first, and heard her mumbling under her breath something about hoping she didn’t find two dead fish when they got back home.

* * *

“Guess what?” Sunday morning, Vic stood at the kitchen counter and put the finishing touches on a Caesar salad she was preparing.

She and A.J. had invited the Baptiste and Bennett families, along with K-Mart and Alex, over to watch the Oakland A’s baseball game that began at noon. After the game, they planned to tell everyone they’d eloped six days earlier.

Brie, Moni, Aimee, Caitlyn, Louise, and Mama Z were seated around the table and lifted their heads to wait for Vic’s announcement.

“The girls and I got Baptiste a new recliner.”

“What?” they all replied in unison, flabbergasted.

Vic nodded, elated she’d might finally convince Baptiste to give up his worn-out recliner. “It’s beautiful. Just wait until you see it.”

Aimee made the sign of the cross. “Does he know yet?”

Vic shook her head.

Moni gasped. “Oh, my God. He doesn’t?”

“Not yet,” Vic said. “I wanted to surprise Baptiste, so I told him he had to watch the game in the family room.” She beamed. “I think he’s gonna really like it.”

Brie chuckled. “Girl, we’ve tried for years to make him give up that raggedy chair he’s lugged around the world and nothing has worked. You’ll bury him sitting up in it.”

Mama Z slowly shook her head, “That there man ya got is gonna have a heart attack when he finds out.”

Louise was out of her seat the second Bébé started to squirm. Shortly afterward, a loud squall came from CeCe. “Naw, you finish what you’re doing,” she told Vic, who was walking toward the crying infants. “We got this.” Louise nodded at Mama Z. “Z, you get CeCe.” She lifted Bébé from her high chair. “Come on to your nana, baby,” she murmured softly, rubbing the infant’s back. “Your mama has lost her mind, moving your daddy’s chair like that.”

Vic’s mouth fell open and she tried desperately to defend her action. “But the new one we got him is really nice.” She glanced over at a giggling Caitlyn, who was nursing Nicolas. “What’s so funny?”

Caitlyn wiped away tears of mirth. “I just can’t wait to see what kind of stunt A.J.’s going to come up with to get his recliner back.”

* * *

A.J. stared at the huge flat-screen television in the family room and frowned. “You know, I think the picture is much sharper on the one in the living room. Let’s move in there.” He glanced over at the other men. “Grab everything and hurry.”

Marcel, Ray, Alex, Alcee, Harrison, and George Vincent scrambled from their seats.

Ray nudged Alex. “Grab a kid.” He tucked Taylor under his arm sideways and headed for the door.

“Unca Ray…Unca Ray,” Taylor cried out.

Ray halted and looked down at her. “What’s the matter?”

Taylor pointed at the floor.

Ray stooped, picked up Taylor’s Oakland A’s cap, placed it on backward, and rushed toward the living room.

After Alex hoisted Tyler onto his shoulder, she cupped her hand next his ear.

Alex looked at her with his mouth ajar. “Didn’t you just go?”

Tyler shook her head. “That was T-One.”

Alex headed down the hallway toward the bathroom and shouted over his shoulder, “Pit stop. Save me a seat.”

Marcel snatched up a tray nearby and placed everyone’s drinks on it. In his haste, one of the glasses tilted over, spilling most of the contents. “Dammit.”

Harrison frantically scanned the room until he spotted one of Vic’s plants. He quickly grabbed it and sat it over the huge circle of liquid in the center of the table.

Marcel stared at Harrison. “Think Vic will suspect anything?”

Harrison thought for a moment. “If she asks, we’ll tell her one of the babies peed on it.”

“Tell her they peed out beer?” Marcel exclaimed.

Harrison shrugged. “Yeah. Now, let’s go.”

Alcee and George Vincent scooped several bowls of snacks off the table, but one of them crashed to the floor before either could catch it. They glanced down at the crumbs and looked at each other. George Vincent swept everything under an area rug. “You didn’t see that, right?”

Alcee shook his head. “Didn’t see a thing.”

A.J. stopped and answered the door on his way to join the others. K-Mart and Chandler entered, followed by Tara and Lincoln.

“Opening pitch in twenty minutes,” A.J. quickly advised before disappearing with K-Mart and Lincoln, leaving Tara and Chandler standing alone in the middle of the foyer.

“Dang!” Chandler placed her hands on her hips. “How is it they can love you all night long and before the National Anthem is sung, you get tossed to the wind?”

Tara nodded. “I know. Same thing here.” She shook her head. “It’s a sad day when a baseball game can make a man move at the speed of light.”

A.J. entered the living room a few moments later and carefully stepped over Taylor, who sat near the television. With his eyes glued on the huge screen, he walked backward to the area where his recliner was usually located and lowered his body. He landed on the floor.

Vic walked in and stared at her husband in bewilderment. “Man, why are you sitting on the floor?”

“My chair…my chair,” A.J. uttered faintly and stared around him at the empty space. “Honey, it’s gone.”

Vic knelt in front of him. “Baby, the girls and I brought you a brand-new one.” She glanced to the other side of the room and pointed to the plush black leather recliner with a huge bow on top of it. “Don’t you think it’s gorgeous?”

A.J.’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he lay back on the floor.

K-Mart rushed over to A.J.’s side. “Doc’s hyperventilating.”

George Vincent rallied to the defense of a half-conscious A.J. “Sweetheart, you just can’t move a man’s chair up from under him like that. It’s too much of a shock on his system. Look at him.”

“I hear ya now,” Ray shouted from across the room. “It’s a shame. Just a doggone shame.” Looking around at the other men, he added, “See, I told y’all this was gonna happen. A bunch of sistas done come in and took over
mon frère’s
crib.”

Chuckling, Zach sipped his beer. “Yeah, and they running it like the White House, too.” Then he looked over at Vic. “Baby Girl, it takes years to break a chair in. Process like that is delicate. Takes time. Ya just can’t rush it overnight.” He nudged Marcel in the side. “Ain’t that right, brother-in-law?”

Marcel nodded. “That’s right. A man’s home is his castle, and
petit frère’s
throne has been removed.”

A smiling Alcee scooted to the edge of his seat. “Is he still with us?”

Harrison knelt next to K-Mart and placed his finger at A.J.’s wrist. He smiled when A.J. winked at him. “Pulse is faint.”

Vic had seen and heard enough. Baptiste had both outsmarted her and found a way to keep his old chair in front of witnesses. She leaned over him, chuckling. “I’m sorry, your majesty. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” She stood and waved at Chandler and Tara. “Come on, y’all. Let’s hurry and get this man’s chair out of the garage before he really does something crazy.”

About five minutes later, A.J. was resting comfortably in his old recliner. Sitting on his lap, Vic looped her arms around his neck. “Happy now?”

A.J.’s eyes were riveted to the flat screen television. When the pitcher reared back and tossed out the first pitch, he stood to his feet and shouted, “Strike.”

Vic landed on the floor.

* * *

After the game, everyone retreated to the spacious patio area in the backyard where Vic had sat up two huge picnic tables. They feasted on grilled chicken, salad, and all the trimmings.

Moni cleared her throat and pointed to her left earlobe. “Vic, I’ve been here all day and I’m just now noticing it.”

Vic fingered the diamond stud in her ear and smiled.

Brie snorted. “Humph, you going blind here, Sharp-Eye Tate. I didn’t say nothing, but it’s the first thing I noticed when I got here.”

Aimee, who sat next to Vic, leaned over for a closer look. “Looks like the mate to the one A.J. wears.”

Vic glanced at Baptiste, who snickered and tried to concentrate on the baby monitor she’d placed in front of them to listen out for Bébé and CeCe, who were asleep in their nursery.

Still seated, Moni placed her hands on her hips and looked directly at Vic. “All right, lady, we need to know what’s going on around here.”

Zach nudged Moni in the side and beckoned her closer. “Ya got two suspects in this, baby. Bring brother-in-law in for questioning, too.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right.” Moni turned back around and this time she waggled her finger between Vic and A.J. “Well?”

Everyone nodded their approval of Moni’s inquiry and shifted their gaze to Vic and A.J., and waited.

Vic nonchalantly shrugged. “I proposed to Baptiste, that’s all.”

Caitlyn, Moni, Brie, Aimee, and Chandler said in unison, “You did?”

Tara’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, how romantic,” she whispered, sobbing quietly.

Lincoln wrapped his arm around Tara’s quivering shoulders. “My baby just gets a little emotional, that’s all,” he defended when everyone stared at Tara, baffled.

Marcel lifted his glass high in the air in a mock salute. “That’s the way to go,
petit frère
. Make them come and ask you.”

Caitlyn looked at her husband and huffed. “A man is supposed to propose to a woman properly over a candlelight dinner and soft music.” She glanced over at Vic. “Right?”

Vic nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Caitlyn turned back to Marcel with her eyes narrowed. “And just what do you mean by that last comment, Marcel Xavier Baptiste?”

Zach came to Marcel’s aid. “Now hold up, sister-in-law. Y’all women can make a man flat-out tired chasing around after ya.”

Moni whipped her head around and tossed her husband a pointed look. “Now you listen here, Zachary Nathaniel Tate. I was the one,” she reminded him with her finger jabbed at his chest, “who had to chase after you, remember?”

Zach dragged his lips slowly across Moni’s cheek to a spot right below her ear and whispered, “Yeah, but once I did slow down, I made it up to ya. Didn’t I, baby?”

Harrison, Vic’s older brother, threw back his head, laughing hard. “Oh, now they’re sitting over there acting like they’re deaf. Don’t go there, Vic and A.J.”

Lincoln waved his hand in front of him until he got A.J.’s attention. “Man, what did you tell her?”

A.J. took a sip from his bottle of Perrier. “I told her I didn’t know if I wanted to marry her.”

Stunned, everyone looked over at A.J., then at Vic, before they yelled out at the same time, “What?”

A.J.’s eyes lovingly raked over Vic. “I also told her she needed to convince me.”

Alex lifted his brows. “That’s a joke, right?”

K-Mart pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. “What’s Cates’ number? We need to run another CT scan on you, doc.”

Chandler sat next to K-Mart. “That’s right, baby. Tell him to make that two, and schedule Vic’s first.”

“Whatcha mean,
convince
?” Ray shouted loud enough for the neighbors next door to hear him. “Ain’t raising four kids persuasion enough? In a minute, ya gonna need a Hummer to transport everybody.”

Mama Z sat to the right of Louise and whispered, “Must be waiting on blessings from the church.”

Alcee nodded. “That’s right. It takes about six months to get approval for a Catholic wedding, you know.”

George Vincent lifted his brow. “Well, we Baptists got it down to a three-step process.” He gently nudged Louise. “Huh, baby?”

Louise nodded. “That’s right. A license, the preacher, and fifty dollars, and it’s a done deal.”

Zach reached over and grabbed a chicken leg off a platter. “So, Baby Girl, what did brother-in-law tell ya?”

The only thing Vic could do was smile at the memory of how she’d convinced Baptiste to marry her. It was a night she’d never forget. She tossed a sultry wink at him. “Nothing.”

“You couldn’t talk him into marrying you,” Moni gasped, in disbelief.

Vic shook her head. “No, I was able to convince him.”

“How?” Moni asked.

Vic smiled. “We eloped.”

“Eloped?” everyone shouted.

Vic nodded and tugged at her left earlobe.