Vaughn sat on a rickety, metal stool and sifted through samples of wood flooring at the warehouse. It helped to be able to see and touch the flooring options. But it was hard to concentrate while he was watching Allie out of his peripheral vision. She was several yards away talking with one of the salesmen. The older man seemed as taken with Allie as Vaughn was.
He couldn’t blame him.
Allie was dressed simply. Minimal makeup. A pair of black skinny jeans. An oversize cream-colored top tucked into the front of her pants but not the back. A knee-length camel duster coat. Matching camel booties. A pair of oversize, tortoiseshell shades. Yet, she looked effortlessly cool and more glamorous than any of the actresses or fellow musicians who’d accompanied him on the red carpet over the course of his career.
Her shiny, shoulder-length, loose, natural curls had smelled like honey and pomegranate when she’d sailed into the store past him with the elegance of an angel floating on a cloud. Vaughn could swear that every pair of eyes within a sightline of that door had focused on Allie. And while he knew he didn’t have the right to, he’d instantly felt a twinge of jealousy.
It was ridiculous. He and Allie weren’t involved; couldn’t get involved. And even if they were, there was no quicker way to lose a woman like Allie Price than by behaving like an insecure simpleton.
He tried to tell himself that he was just being a protective older brother figure to her. But there was no point in lying to himself. Because the truth was that he’d been enamored with Allie since the day he’d returned to town. The more time they’d spent together, the fonder he’d become of her.
Allie was a gifted interior designer. She had a clear vision for the project and impeccable organizational skills. She had a warm, affable personality that drew people in and made them fall over themselves to please her and earn her praise. Yet, she was assertive when she needed to be. And she wasn’t afraid to call out the men she worked with on their bullshit, even if they towered over her in size.
He’d never really considered that he might have a type. But getting to know the all-grown-up version of Allie Price, he was pretty sure that she was everything he ever wanted in one tidy little package wrapped up neatly in a bow.
“Find what you’re looking for?” Allie was staring at him from where she stood, and now so was her companion.
The man didn’t look happy that Allie had interrupted his inept attempt at flirting with her to check on Vaughn.
“I don’t know.” Vaughn dragged his hand through his hair and heaved a sigh. “I’ve seen so many samples at this point. They’re all beginning to look alike.”
The man rolled his eyes and folded his arms.
“I know it’s a lot to take in. That’s why I suggested you allow me to whittle down the choices and bring you a few select samples.” Allie smiled at him sympathetically. “But no worries. I’ll be there in a sec, and we’ll figure it out.”
Vaughn nodded, a sense of relief washing over him. Maybe he was being too hands-on with this project. But the wellness spa needed to be profitable for him, a valuable addition to the town and a space worthy of Hank Carson’s legacy.
“Thanks, Allie.”
Maybe Vaughn was being needy. But at least he’d been mature enough not to flip off the old man, who seemed irritated that Allie was abandoning their conversation to take care of him.
“I need to see about my client, Bill. But if we need anything else, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Allie placed a hand on the man’s arm and offered a warm smile before joining him at the table.
Allie climbed onto the stool beside him and set her large, trapezium-shaped, black leather tote bag on the counter. She slid her shades on top of her head, grabbed one of the sample books and flipped through the various types of wood flooring.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to break up your conversation with your friend over there,” he said, his eyes on the sample book.
“It’s no trouble, Vaughn. That’s why we’re here.” She flipped another page.
“Pretty sure your friend would disagree.” He glanced up at the man. Bill was glaring back at him.
Allie tried her best not to laugh. Who would have thought that her reluctant smirk could be even sexier than her million-watt grin? It honestly should be illegal to possess the ability to render a man speechless with the slightest hint of a smile.
“Bill is the second-generation owner of the flooring warehouse. He’s harmless,” Allie assured him. She turned another page. “And he’ll be fine. There are plenty of other customers for him to chop it up with.”
“But none as beautiful as you,” he noted.
Allie flashed a shy smile that made Vaughn’s heart feel like it might explode in his chest.
“It isn’t like that,” Allie said.
“You sure? ’Cause the guy is staring at me like he’s planning a covert attack.” Vaughn was only half-joking, but he wouldn’t be turning his back on the man any time soon. He flipped a page.
Allie chuckled quietly. “I’m pretty sure he’s trying to figure out where he’s seen you before. Don’t celebs usually leave the house in a baseball cap and dark glasses when they don’t want to be recognized?”
“Never been much for hats,” Vaughn responded. “And I’m having a hard enough time telling the difference in these samples. I don’t think dark shades would help my cause.” He leaned closer to Allie.
Both of them broke into subdued laughter, not wanting to make it obvious to Bill that he was the topic of their conversation.
“Fair.” Allie turned toward him on her stool, and her knee brushed his thigh.
God, she smells amazing.
He turned to face her, too. With Allie seated this close, he was pretty sure that his pulse rate had doubled. He mentally chastised himself for briefly imagining what it would feel like to lean in and get a taste of her shimmering, gloss-covered lips.
Vaughn swallowed hard, then met Allie’s gaze again. A knowing grin spread across her gorgeous face as she raked her hair over one shoulder. Neither of them spoke as she studied him. It was as if she was daring him to lean in and kiss her. Something he wouldn’t put past the bold, audacious woman who’d gotten into her share of misadventures as a girl
“Maybe we should order lunch. Got a feeling we’re going to be here a while,” Vaughn said.
“Actually... I was thinking that we should go with one of these three options.” She arranged three samples of tongue and groove hardwood flooring in front of him: a warm, golden hickory; a khaki-colored oak; and a light gray Canadian Ash.
“They’re all nice.” Vaughn ran his hand over each sample. “But very different.”
“True. It would probably help if you saw the flooring with my ideas for the paint color and the kitchen and bathroom tile. That will require a trip just up the road. If you’re okay with us selecting one of these three options, we can head there now,” she said.
Vaughn studied them. He’d been sitting there for nearly an hour and Allie had floated in and selected three perfect options in a matter of minutes. She not only knew her craft, but she also had a good sense of what he liked.
“It’s between these two for sure.” Vaughn indicated the hickory and oak samples. “I prefer the soothing, warm tones of those to the cooler gray tone.”
“Excellent. We’ll get samples of these two that we can take to the granite yard, and I already have samples of the paint.” Allie hopped down from the stool and beckoned Bill over. She asked him to pull together a list of items.
“Yes, ma’am.” Bill scribbled on a pad he’d produced from his back pocket, along with a pen. He called over a younger man and asked him to pull the order together. Bill cocked his head and folded his arms as he studied Vaughn. “Pretty sure I’ve seen you somewhere before, young fella.”
Young fella? Seriously?
Vaughn scratched at the wiry gray strands in his beard. He hadn’t been called a young fella since he was in his twenties.
“I get that a lot. Got one of those familiar faces, I suppose.” Vaughn shrugged and tried his best to hold back a smile despite Allie’s snicker.
“That you do,” Bill said.
“There was something else I meant to ask you, Bill.” Allie shot Vaughn a pointed look as she grabbed her purse. Then she led the way toward another section of the warehouse. She called to him over her shoulder, “I’ll meet you in the car in a few.”
Vaughn took his cue and disappeared into the parking lot, glad he’d insisted on driving. He slipped into the rental luxury SUV and waited for Allie to emerge. The entire time, his wayward brain obsessed about whether Bill had Allie cornered somewhere in the store or if he was hugging her again, as he had when they’d first arrived and Allie had handed him a container from her trunk, presumably filled with some sort of food.
Finally, Allie appeared with the young store employee in tow, who loaded two boxes into the back of the SUV.
Allie climbed inside and studied him for a moment before shaking her head and smiling.
“What?” Vaughn couldn’t help laughing. There was something about the woman’s smile that instantly put him at ease and brought him a sense of peace.
“‘Got one of those familiar faces, I suppose’?” she said, mimicking the tone and cadence of his voice with a shake of her head as she secured her seat belt. “I thought celebrities lived for being recognized.”
“Not all of us live for the spotlight, Allie,” Vaughn noted. “For most of us, it’s more about doing the thing that we love. Yes, there are definitely some perks to fame and notoriety, but it also comes with a price. Ceding any notion of privacy and anonymity is a part of the cost, but very few of us live for fame or recognition. The folks who do? Those are the ones who either self-destruct or take the biggest emotional dive once the fame comes to an end. And it almost always does,” he added.
Vaughn heaved a quiet sigh, then forced a smile, feeling like he’d brought down the mood. He wasn’t chastising Allie. He was just being honest. Too honest, maybe. Her radiant smile disappeared.
“I never thought about it that way. Sorry if I—”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Al.” Vaughn placed a hand over her forearm, propped on the center console. “Maybe I shouldn’t have responded quite so honestly.”
“I like getting to know the real you,” A smile slid across Allie’s face. “You were a staple at our house. But now I realize that there’s a lot I didn’t know about you. And what I did know... It’s all kind of hazy, being sifted through the rose-colored glasses of a little girl with a huge crush on her older brother’s best friend.”
Allie’s smile deepened as she met his gaze again. “Besides, that was a long time ago. It’s nice getting to know the man you are now as opposed to the enigmatic boy I once knew or the man portrayed in the media.”
“I appreciate that you recognize that there’s a difference,” Vaughn said.
It was common for people to assume they knew exactly who he was based on the media portrayal of him as the “bad boy drummer of Sin & Glory.” It fit a predetermined narrative and was based on mistakes he’d made as a young adult living on his own in LA and navigating a near-meteoric rise to fame before he had the foresight and experience needed to handle it.
“And I feel the same. It’s been great getting to know you too, Allie. The industry can be crazy, so it’s nice...stabilizing even...to have friends outside of the industry. People who are there to remind you that some of the fucked-up shit we’ve come to accept living in this world isn’t exactly healthy,” Vaughn said.
“I’m glad you consider me a friend now, and not just Rey’s little sister.” Allie’s eyes glinted in the midday sunlight.
For a moment, Vaughn felt disoriented, as if he’d fallen into the inky depths of those dark eyes, narrowed by her impish smile.
When she’d been a kid, that smile had put her brothers on alert that she’d had some devious plan or was congratulating herself for playing a practical joke on one of them—hiding their favorite pair of sneakers or worse...filling them with half a can of shaving cream. But that was a million years ago. Now, he couldn’t look into those eyes without his heart racing and his pulse pounding.
No, he definitely didn’t see her as Rey’s kid sister anymore. And while he saw Allie in a completely different light now, he doubted that Rey’s protective stance had much changed. So he needed to act accordingly.
Vaughn removed his hand from Allie’s arm and cleared his throat. “As your friend—” he emphasized the word as a reminder to them that this was a friendship and nothing more, regardless of the tightness in his groin or the zing of electricity that zipped up and down his spine “—I would’ve been happy to carry your things out to the car,” Vaughn told her.
“I would never ask a client—” she emphasized her chosen noun to describe their relationship “—to schlep around stuff for me.” Allie slid her shades back on, then glanced at the time on her phone. “We should get over to the granite yard before it gets too busy.”
“Which way are we headed?”
“About five miles up the road in that direction.” Allie pointed.
Vaughn started the car and they drove for a few minutes in silence before she spoke again.
“You weren’t jealous of Bill, were you?” Allie kept her gaze on the terrain passing by the window.
“Jealous of Bill?” He said it as if it were a preposterous notion despite it being true. “I don’t even know the guy, Al. Besides, it’s not like you’re with him.”
“I’m with you,” Allie was saying simultaneously.
“Right,” Vaughn agreed. “You’re not into him, and you’re not with me. So why would I be jealous?”
“Solid logic.” Allie nodded. “But then, one might wonder why you were glaring at the man and making him uncomfortable?” She cocked her head and hiked an eyebrow before returning her attention to the road ahead. “You’re worse than my dad and brothers. Do I need to leave you in the car when we get to the granite yard?”
“No, of course not,” he said. “And I’m sorry if I was acting—”
“Territorial?” She looked at him again.
“I was thinking overly protective,” Vaughn said. “But okay, we can go with what you said.” He heaved a quiet sigh. “I just wanted to make sure the guy wasn’t being creepy and invading your space. Is that so wrong?”
“You never were a good liar.” Allie shook her head, then laughed at his expression of outrage. She turned toward him again. “I laugh at a few of his jokes and occasionally bring the guy some pastelitos or queso fundido with chorizo and he keeps me in the loop about new products and offers us a great price.” She shrugged. “Everyone goes home happy.”
“Ouch. I thought I was special.” Vaughn placed a hand over his heart.
“You are. That’s for damn sure.” Allie shook her head and laughed. “But if you must know, friend, Bill’s wife died a few years ago after a long and brutal terminal illness. He was so heartbroken. I know a little home cooking and friendly conversation won’t ever replace what he lost. But I like to think that my visits bring a tiny bit of happiness to him and his son.”
“That was his son?” Vaughn groaned, thinking of the emo kid who’d hauled Allie’s stuff out to the car. “Shit. Now I feel like a complete asshole.”
“Good.” Allie scrolled through her phone. “‘Cause you kind of were.”
She wasn’t wrong. And though he should feel insulted by Allie’s direct hit, he didn’t. Because she was right. He loved that she didn’t hold back the truth to boost his ego or spare his feelings. But rather than creating the distance between them that he should, he was even more drawn to her.
Allie almost felt bad about the guilt she’d just laid on Vaughn for behaving like a jealous lover over her chat with Bill. But the last thing she needed was another man who behaved as if he’d been personally assigned as her guard dog.
She already had a family full of alpha males who thought it was their job to protect her from any man who came sniffing around. Particularly since her last long-term relationship had flamed out so spectacularly and very, very publicly. She didn’t need Vaughn joining the crew.
Aside from their working relationship, all she wanted from him was friendship. Because the more time they spent together, the more she’d gotten to know the man Vaughn Reed had become instead of the boy she’d adored or the rocker she’d idolized as a teen. She was getting to know what felt like the real Vaughn.
In many ways, he was much as he ever was. Thoughtful. Kind. More cerebral than her brothers had been at that age. But then again, Vaughn had lived many lives before he’d arrived in Willowvale Springs, hadn’t he?
“Can I ask you something, Vaughn?”
“Of course. Ask me anything.”
Allie resumed walking among the slabs of marble and granite, and Vaughn fell into step beside her. “You were once such a big part of our lives. Yet, I feel like I know everything and nothing about you.”
“What do you mean?” Lines furrowed Vaughn’s forehead as he studied her face.
“You never discuss your life before you came to Willowvale Springs.”
Allie stopped walking when she realized that Vaughn was no longer beside her.
When she turned to look back at him, he stood frozen with a pained look etched on his handsome face. Allie’s heart ached for him, and she immediately regretted having given in to her curious nature which her brothers preferred to call plain old nosy.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve taken the hint.” Allie walked back toward Vaughn, the words tripping over her tongue and her cheeks feeling flushed. “You obviously don’t talk about that time in your life because you don’t want to. Just forget that I—”
“No.” He rubbed his chin and started to move forward again. “We were talking about building a friendship as adults, right? So it’s a fair question.” Vaughn shoved his hands through his chin-length brown hair, which he’d worn loose.
The movement exposed the gray hair at his temples, which gave him a sexy grown-man look that she was particularly drawn to. Then he shoved his hands into the pockets of his rock-star-worthy skinny jeans. Slim enough to qualify as skinny without being tight enough to show everything.
“You’re right. I don’t talk about it because it was a really tough time for me. My birth dad was in the military and died before I really have much of a memory of him.” Vaughn clutched at the jeweled pendant of the sun and moon hanging around his neck. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple working. “My birth mom was...amazing.” A soft smile lifted one corner of his mouth and exposed crinkles around his eyes. “But she and my dad were both only children, and we didn’t have any other family. So when she got really sick with leukemia, the time came when she realized that she didn’t have much longer. She wanted to be sure I’d go to a good home and had me placed in foster care. She didn’t want me to be there for the end with no one to support me. So she did everything she could to ensure I ended up in a good situation.”
“And were you placed in a good situation?” Allie asked, despite being reasonably sure she knew the answer.
Vaughn stopped and his shoulders tightened. He ran a hand down a gorgeous, polished slab of light gray quartz marbled with darker tones of gray. He seemed to need a breather from telling the painful story, so she’d wait until he was ready to continue.
“That’s pretty. It’s a good option for the bathrooms,” Allie said.
Vaughn nodded his agreement, then continued down the row.
“Things aren’t always as they appear,” Vaughn said, finally. “My mother believed she was putting me in a good situation. I’d like to believe that the caseworker did, too. But the couple I was placed with...they weren’t the same when it was just us and them. So no, it wasn’t a particularly good situation.” Vaughn flexed and tightened one fist, then shook it.
There were a million questions Allie wanted to ask, but she wouldn’t push Vaughn or cause him further pain. So rather than asking any of the questions racing through her brain, she pointed out a lovely slab of travertine in a creamy, golden hue punctuated by hints of brown and gray.
Vaughn nodded his approval, indicating that they should add it to the list of possibilities. Allie made note of it in the leather-bound, black traveler’s notebook engraved with her full name, her constant companion on these sorts of exploratory shopping trips with clients.
“I was an angry, sullen kid. I was mad that my mom had dropped me there instead of permitting me to stay with her. I knew she was sick, but I was so fixated on the idea that she would eventually get better. So I didn’t really understand that she’d done what she felt was best for me. It wasn’t until my adoptive mother was sick and we talked about it that I realized what a heart-wrenching choice that must’ve been for my mom. It must’ve been agonizing for her to leave this world knowing she was leaving her only child behind and having no idea if I’d be okay.”
His voice felt distant and his eyes were filled with unshed tears.
Allie swallowed hard, her heart breaking for both Vaughn and his birth parents who had never gotten to discover who he’d become. She regretted putting her shades atop her head again. Fat tears clouded her vision and spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them.
“I’m so sorry, Vaughn.”
When he turned toward her, Allie lunged forward and hugged him tight.
He froze, his muscles stiffening beneath her palms. Then he released a quiet sigh as he rested his chin atop her head and wrapped his arms around her.
“There’s no need to be sorry, baby girl.” Vaughn’s deep voice was reassuring. “In fact, thank you for asking about my parents. For a long time, I buried my memories of my birth parents out of the misguided belief that missing them was being unappreciative of my adoptive parents. Besides, thinking of them just hurt too damn much. So it was easier not to, but then I’d feel guilty about acting as if they’d never existed.”
They stood like that—him comforting her as much as she was trying to comfort him. Finally, she slipped out of his arms and wiped carefully beneath her teary eyes, thankful she’d chosen to wear waterproof mascara.
There were times when he’d looked so pensive as a teen. She’d wondered what had been going on inside that head of his. And now she knew.
“I’m glad you found your way to the Reeds and to Willowvale Springs.” She offered a small but sincere smile. “According to my mom, becoming your parents changed their lives. It was a dream come true for them.”
“A dream come true?” Vaughn huffed as they resumed their walk among the large stabs of expensive stone. “That’s a bit of a stretch.”
“No, it isn’t,” Allie insisted. “I once overheard your mom tell mine how lucky they were to have such an amazing son. She said you were almost too perfect.”
“I definitely wasn’t perfect,” Vaughn said. “Then or now. But I can understand why my mom might’ve felt that way. Especially in comparison to your brothers who were always getting into shit.”
They both laughed because Vaughn wasn’t wrong. The Price brothers were always up to some sort of mischief or other. Especially the older three.
“Compared to Manny, Reynaldo, and Rafael, you were an angel.” She guided him toward a row of travertine slabs with much bolder designs and coloring.”
“Maybe.” Vaughn chuckled. “But it wasn’t because I was some inherently angelic child. Everything I did or didn’t do was a calculated decision. From making my bed in the morning and volunteering to do the dishes or passing on whatever wild scheme your brothers were contemplating... It was all a part of this desperate need I had to be a good kid.”
It felt as if a light bulb had lit up over Allie’s head. She stopped suddenly, and Vaughn stopped, too. She turned to study the handsome face that was now more weathered with age and a life she couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“When I heard your mother singing your praises that day, I remember being jealous that your mom thought you were perfect when mine was always telling me I wasn’t being ladylike enough, that my skirt was wrinkled, my face was dirty, or that I wasn’t crimping the edges of the empanadas correctly,” Allie admitted. “But you weren’t trying to be a Goody Two-shoes. You were trying to be the perfect kid because you were afraid of upsetting your parents. That maybe they wouldn’t want you anymore if you were anything less than perfect.”
Vaughn nodded solemnly. He looked relieved. As if someone had taken a weight off his shoulders.
“The families that you were in before...did they...” Allie swallowed hard, not wanting to say the words aloud.
Did they hurt you if they thought you were being bad?
Vaughn stretched his hand and flexed his fingers—something he’d done earlier when she’d asked about his life in foster care. But this time he gazed down at his hand as he did it. Finally, he looked up at her again.
“At that first foster home, the guy shoved me hard because he said I was being unappreciative. I tumbled down the stairs and broke this arm.” He flexed his hand again. “His wife, who was actually really nice, convinced me to tell the social worker that I’d slipped and fallen down the stairs. I did it because she convinced me that if I told the truth, I could end up somewhere much worse. And that the other kids—who were younger than me—might, too.”
Allie slipped her hand into the one he’d been flexing mindlessly as he spoke. Vaughn stilled.
“You did what you needed to do to survive and to protect the other children there,” Allie said quietly, conscious of the other people wandering around the granite yard. “Don’t feel guilty about it. You were just a kid, and that couple...they were supposed to be protecting you.”
Vaughn lifted the back of her hand to his mouth, pressing a brief kiss there before releasing it.
“In my head, I know that’s true.” Vaughn tapped two fingers to his temple. “But in my heart—” he placed his palm over his chest “—it feels like I should’ve done a lot more.”
Allie couldn’t begin to imagine the mental anguish Vaughn had suffered because of that experience. Just considering it put every childhood complaint she’d ever had into perspective.
“But it’s nice to hear someone else say it.” Vaughn started walking again. “Believe me, I paid my therapist a hell of a lot of money for just that.”
He laughed bitterly, the pain and resentment evident.
“How about this?” Allie pointed to a slab of travertine in a khaki color with bold ribbons of deep browns and slate gray running through it.
“This is the one.” Vaughn ran his large palm over the surface of the stone reverently. “It’s perfect.”
Allie couldn’t help wishing it was her skin Vaughn was fondling so admiringly.
“Excellent choice.” She pushed the thought from her head. “This is the one I had in mind. Glad to know we’re on the same page. I’ll let them know we want this one.”
“Seems you would’ve done just fine on this trip without me,” Vaughn said.
“There are still plenty of chances for me to be completely wrong about what you want.”
Vaughn’s gaze met hers, and for a moment, time seemed to slow and there was no one in the world but the two of them. The heat in his eyes seemed to liquefy her insides and make her legs suddenly feel unsteady. Her pulse sped up and she tried her best to ignore the jolt of electricity that ran down her spine and reminded her just how close she was standing to the man she’d fantasized about regularly as a teenager.
“I definitely know what I want when I see it.” Vaughn’s tone was breathy and full of meaning as his gaze trailed down her body momentarily. He cleared his throat and took a step back. “But you obviously know exactly what I want, too.” He folded his arms over his chest. “So the floor tile is this way?”
Allie nodded blankly, rendered speechless momentarily. Her heart beat like a drum as she met Vaughn’s gaze.
“Great.” Vaughn placed a hand on her low back as he guided her toward the sign that denoted the location of the tile section. “After this, I’m taking you to lunch.”
“You don’t need to—”
“I know...you would never allow a client to pay for lunch,” he said the words before she could finish them. “But as an old friend, I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I insist on treating you. After all, you’re not just my interior decorator, Allie. Seems you were onto something with that whole muse thing.”
It’d been a couple of days since she’d brought Vaughn lunch and he’d played her a few bars of the song he’d been working on.
“Wait...did you finish your song?” she asked excitedly.
“I did.” Vaughn nodded proudly. “It was the first song I’ve finished in months. And I was so inspired that I was able to write a couple more.”
“That’s fantastic, Vaughn. What happens next?”
“Since these songs are for another group, I wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. I called a few of the group members up and played them a little of each of the songs.”
“And?” Allie was wholeheartedly invested in whether the group liked the song she’d somehow inspired Vaughn to write.
“They loved all three songs and gave me the go-ahead.” Vaughn beamed. “So the least I can do is spring for lunch.”
“Wow. Interior decorator. Contractor. Rock muse...”
“Don’t forget badass goddess and empanada fairy.” Vaughn’s eyes danced as his handsome face split with a grin. “You’re going to need a longer business card.”
“Is professional muse even a thing?” Allie asked. “If so, what exactly is the going pay for it these days?”
They both broke into laughter and an older couple gave them a pointed look.
“Another Price trying to get me in trouble,” Vaughn teased.
“You love it.” She elbowed him in the side.
“Damn right I do.” Vaughn’s smile deepened, and there was something in his eyes that made her chest expand.
Vaughn’s phone beeped with a message, and he pulled it from his back pocket and looked at the screen. He chuckled. “Speak of the devil. It’s a text message from Rey.”
“My brother’s ears must’ve been burning.” Allie ran her hand over a marble tile in an elongated hexagon design. “What does he want?”
“He invited me to your parents’ place for dinner.” Vaughn didn’t seem as pleased by the invite as she’d hoped.
“You don’t want to come to dinner?” She tried not to sound too disappointed.
“That’s not it. Tomorrow, I’m headed back to LA for a few days. So I can’t come this Sunday.”
“Oh.” Allie tried not to sound disappointed that Vaughn was heading back to LA. “Then come the following Sunday.”
Vaughn still seemed hesitant.
“Is there something else?” she asked.
“I know your parents are just being polite. They probably still think of me as that twice-orphaned kid they need to look out for.”
“If you think that my parents are just being polite, I should tell you that Mamá is upset that you haven’t been by to visit her yet.” Allie raised a brow. “So I suggest you bring her a big bouquet of flowers. White roses are her favorite.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Vaughn chuckled. He typed out a quick reply to her brother’s text message. The phone quickly dinged again with Reynaldo’s response. Vaughn held up the phone. “He says next Sunday will be fine. So guess who’s coming to dinner?”
Allie couldn’t help laughing thinking of the movie Guess Who, where Zoe Saldana’s character had surprised her parents by bringing home her fiancé portrayed by Ashton Kutcher. A remake in reverse of the brilliant Sidney Poitier movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
Vaughn’s eyes widened and he looked panic-stricken. “Not that I’d be coming as your—”
“Fiancé?” Allie elbowed him. “Relax, Vaughn. I think I’d know if we were engaged,” she stage-whispered behind her open palm. They both laughed, and the tension in Vaughn’s shoulders seemed to ease. “And don’t worry, I have no intention of asking you to marry me again.” She grinned. “But it’ll be nice to have you over to the house for dinner.”
“Hey, you know how much I love your mother’s cooking.” Vaughn rubbed his belly. “I adored my mother and I appreciate everything she ever did for me. But that tuna casserole just didn’t hit quite the same as your mamá’s Sancocho de siete carnes.” Vaughn made the chef’s kiss gesture and seemed to be in heaven just thinking about the seven-meat deluxe Dominican version of the meat and root vegetable stew that was her mother’s specialty. “Takes me back to my roots and reminds me of the delicious meals my birth mother used to make.”
“That’s right. She was from... Argentina, right?”
On Vaughn’s sixteenth birthday, Mamá had gone all out helping Vaughn’s mother prepare a traditional Argentinian asado. The elaborate barbecue was Argentina’s national dish but was more like a social event. They’d invited half the town because his parents had wanted to cheer Vaughn up. He’d been missing his birth parents on the eve of such an important birthday.
“That’s right.” Vaughn grinned, seemingly pleased that Allie remembered. “Anyway, I just didn’t want to be an inconvenience. I know there are a lot more people at your family’s dinner table these days. But if you’re really sure your parents don’t mind, I look forward to dinner.”
Vaughn looked at the time, then shoved the phone into his back pocket. “Speaking of food, let’s pick out some tile so I can take you to lunch.”
He slipped his hand into Allie’s and tugged her toward the tile displays. Holding Vaughn’s hand for the second time that day felt like the most natural thing in the world. Like her hand was made to fit in his.