Once they reached the estate, Victoria directed Connor to park in her spot. They walked through the entrance of Blackwood Manor, past the tasting room, which was decked out in holiday finery and packed with customers. As they mounted the stairs to the second floor, Victoria’s heart began pounding wildly. But Connor took her hand and squeezed it, giving her the physical reassurance she needed. If she was going to face a firing squad, she could think of no better person to accompany her than her brother.
Rather than knock, Ginny Blackwood barged into her husband’s office, with Victoria and Connor following close behind.
Brian Blackwood peered up from his paperwork. “Ginny. You’re back already.” He placed his hand on his office phone. “Connor, you need to leave. You, too, Victoria. I’ll give you five minutes before I call security.”
Victoria took a step back, but her mother refused to retreat. “You’ll do no such thing. Victoria works here, and Connor is your son.”
“Victoria quit, so she’s no longer welcome. And Connor’s a traitor.” He waved them away. “Ginny, why don’t you head home? I’m sure you’re tired from the flight. We can talk about this tonight.”
She pursed her lips. “We’ll talk about it now. This is unacceptable. How dare you treat our children this way?”
Victoria stared at her in awe, unable to believe she was finally taking a stand.
Her father blew out an angry breath. “I don’t have time for your hysterics. Thanks to your daughter, I’m still trying to salvage Ben Macalister’s wedding.”
Victoria glared at him. “There’s nothing to salvage. Missy and Ben are using Tres Hermanos. I’m back on the job with June assisting me. The wedding will go on as planned.”
“Are you saying you want your old job back?” he said. “Because that’s not going to happen.”
Typical. Even though he was getting exactly what he wanted, her father wouldn’t be satisfied unless he could call the shots.
“I don’t want it back,” she said. “But I made a commitment, and I’ll see it through. If you dismiss me, then you’ll lose Rafael, and you’ll be hosting a two-hundred-person sit-down dinner catered by whichever fast-food establishment can whip up enough burgers. Got it?”
Behind her, Connor chuckled but was quickly silenced by a scathing glare from their father.
“Fine. You can come back for the wedding,” her father said. “But you’ll still owe me. Trust me, I’ll make you pay it off—every last cent.”
That was the hill he was willing to die on? So be it.
“Brian Blackwood.” Her mother’s voice rang out across the office. “How dare you manipulate our daughter over a matter of a hundred thousand dollars? It’s tawdry and beneath you. That money is inconsequential. If this is your way of controlling Victoria, I won’t stand for it. And I won’t let you bar our children from the house any longer. Both of them will be more than welcome this Christmas—or at anytime they choose to visit.”
“What’s gotten into you?” he said. “One trip to New York, and all of a sudden you’re the boss?”
Ignoring him, Victoria’s mother placed her arm around her shoulder. “You can come home whenever you want. Same with you, Connor. Our door is always open.” She glared at her husband. “As for you—if you can’t bear to be around your own children, then I suggest you go stay with one of your women.”
She was bringing up the women? Victoria hadn’t realized she knew about them. Then again, why wouldn’t she? She wasn’t an idiot. She’d probably found it easier to go along with her husband’s behavior than challenge it. Like Victoria. She’d let her father mistreat her for years because she didn’t have the courage to confront him.
Her father threw up his hands. “I can’t deal with all this drama. Connor, Victoria, if you want to come for Christmas, that’s fine. It’s a ridiculous holiday, anyway.” He rolled his eyes. “And I’ll be there. I live there. I’m the head of the household.”
“That’s what you think,” Victoria whispered under her breath.
The grandfather clock struck four, startling all of them. Victoria turned to her brother. “I need to get ready for the rehearsal. Can you and Mom call a ride-share to get home?”
“I’ll take care of it,” her mother said. “Brian, I’ll take your car. You can catch a ride home with someone else. And Connor…”
“I’ll come home with you, Mom,” he said. “I’d love to catch up.”
“Wonderful.” She beamed. “I can’t wait to hear about your winery. And you have to tell me how things are going with you and Jess. I’m so happy you two are finally together.”
As her mother and Connor left the office, Victoria followed them. She glanced back at her father, but he’d already returned to his paperwork.
I never want to end up like him. Or like Mother.
But she didn’t have to because she was already charting her own path.
Victoria could hardly wait for the evening to be over. Though the rehearsal dinner had gone smoothly, being around Ben had set her nerves on edge. Not only had he been in a sullen mood, but his drinking had escalated steadily as the night went on. She’d had to make sure the servers accommodated his requests right away. At least by focusing on him, she was able to keep her mind off Rafael.
As the guests left the private dining room, she maintained her gracious, event-planner facade, when all she wanted to do was retreat to Connor’s place, change into her pajamas, and make a huge bowl of popcorn. With extra butter. But her evening wasn’t close to being done. An hour ago, Araceli had texted her, asking if they could meet once the rehearsal dinner ended. Apparently, there was a problem with the two biggest gingerbread houses. She wouldn’t divulge what had happened, only that she planned on bringing them to the ballroom so Victoria could assess them.
Please don’t let them be broken.
At this hour, she couldn’t imagine where they could find a replacement for the Coriander+Clove houses, let alone find the time to decorate them.
Only after the waitstaff had left did she lock up the room. As she was leaving, her phone pinged with a text. She tensed as she checked it, hoping Araceli had fixed the houses.
But it was Connor. Not going back to my place tonight because Mom and I had too much wine. I’m crashing here until tomorrow. Good luck with the wedding.
She replied quickly. So glad things are OK with Mom. I’d kill for wine right now.
While she was relieved Connor was welcome back at home, now she was facing the evening alone in his condo with no one to stop her from drowning her sorrows in booze.
Then again, she might be spending all night trying to repair a couple of fancy gingerbread houses. With a deep sense of foreboding, she walked over to the grand ballroom, where she’d told Araceli to meet her. As she entered the room, the powerful scent of pine washed over her. She flicked a couple of switches, and the room was awash in the glow of twinkling white lights. Magical.
She took a deep breath. Even if her heart was aching, even if she was still dealing with last-minute mishaps, she could take pleasure in the setting she’d created.
But she hadn’t done it alone. This huge enterprise wouldn’t have been possible without Rafael and his family. At least they’d still be around on Saturday to cater the wedding, though she cringed to imagine what they must think of her.
At the sound of footsteps, she turned, expecting to see Araceli. Instead, Rafael strode into the room, clad in jeans and a black Henley. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. Could only stare, desperately hoping he wasn’t a figment of her frazzled imagination.
“Victoria?” he said. “Are you all right?”
His soft voice broke through her reserve, leaving her as vulnerable as she’d been when she’d confessed her love to him at Tres Hermanos. She blinked back tears, willing herself not to cry again. Chances were good he was only here on Araceli’s behalf.
“I…I’m fine. But where are the gingerbread houses? Are they in your car?” She gave a painfully fake laugh. “I’m not sure I’m the best person to fix them, given my track record.”
He crossed the room until he was facing her. He gave off the powerful aroma of chilies and garlic, as though he’d just come from the kitchen, but the smell was comfortingly familiar. Even though he’d turned her away earlier, she couldn’t fight the painful longing that consumed her. She wanted to pull him close and feel his arms around her.
“The gingerbread houses are back at Araceli’s apartment,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with them. This ruse was her idea.”
“But…why? I don’t understand.”
“Because I fucked up. I shouldn’t have let you go.”
As the tears welled up in her eyes, she made no move to wipe them away. One trailed down her cheek until she could taste the salty wetness on her tongue. “You had every right to. I behaved terribly.”
“But you apologized and got us our jobs back.” He took her hands and enfolded them in his. “You professed your love for me in front of my whole family. Which is something they’re never going to let me forget.”
Even though his tone was teasing rather than accusatory, a warm flush crept up her cheeks. “Sorry. I was trying for a grand gesture, but it was a stupid idea.”
“It wasn’t stupid. It was gutsy as hell.”
“But now your family thinks I’m an idiot.”
He laughed. “The only idiot in that room was me. Believe me, they called me on it. The minute you left, I realized how wrong I was. I ran after you, but you’d already driven away.”
“A girl can only take so much humiliation.” His words filled her with a swell of hope, but they didn’t explain the past twelve hours of silence. “Why didn’t you call me? Or send a text?”
“I was going to, but…” He gave her a disarming smile. “Certain family members reminded me we didn’t need any distractions. Then Araceli suggested my apology might be more meaningful in person. She’s the one who came up with the gingerbread house idea. If I asked you to meet me outright, I was afraid you’d turn me down, which I fully deserved. I could have waited until after the wedding, but I wanted to see you now.”
Her heart started racing. Please let him feel the way I do.
She could barely control the waver in her voice. “Why now?”
He squeezed her hands. “Because when you’re in love with someone, you don’t want to wait another second to tell them how you feel.”
“You’re in love with me?” Try as she might, the tears just kept coming, until she had to free her hands and brush them away.
He leaned in closer and kissed her forehead. “Yes. And I want to be with you. But not in secret. I want everyone to know about us.”
A giggle bubbled out of her. “Umm…after that scene at the restaurant, it seems like they already do. But I agree. No more secrets.”
“Even though your father might not approve?”
“I don’t care what he thinks. This is my life, not his. That’s one of the reasons I moved out. I’m done letting him control me.” Saying the words lifted a huge weight off her chest. Now that she was free, she could truly be with Rafael.
“You really left?” he asked.
More than ever, she was proud of the stance she’d taken. “I did. I’m staying with Connor, but once the holidays are over, I’ll get a place of my own. Then you can sleep over anytime you like.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “And vice versa. Except you’ll have to be quiet when you’re at my place. I don’t want Ernesto and Dario to get an earful.”
She laughed, relieved at being back on familiar ground. “Have you forgotten who won the Quiet Game?”
“Not at all. But I think we need a rematch.”
He leaned down to kiss her, softly teasing her lips with his. She tasted chilies and cinnamon on his tongue, sweet and spicy, as he deepened the kiss. Smoothing her hair from her face, he placed soft kisses on her eyelids, her cheeks, the curve of her jaw. As he trailed his lips down the hollow of her throat, she moaned and threaded her fingers through his hair. A blaze of longing shot through her, and it was all she could do not to grind up against him.
When they broke apart for air, her heart pounded wildly. She wanted more than kisses. She wanted to be naked in his arms, and she didn’t want to wait until after the wedding. “Come home with me,” she said. “Well, not my home. Connor’s place. I’m staying in his guest room.”
Rafael adjusted his jeans, which now bore a telltale bulge. “You sure he won’t mind?”
“Nope. He’s not even home tonight, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. Fair warning, I’m sleeping on the pull-out futon, and it’s not that comfy. But we can be as loud as we want.”
He stroked her cheek. “That’s a very tempting offer, but I’ll have to get up early. And I need a shower.”
At the thought of showering with him, a rush of desire flooded over her. “I could use a shower as well. Would you care to join me?”
“Would I?” he laughed. “Lead the way.”
She turned off the lights, bathing them in darkness. Tomorrow, she’d need all her energy and strength to get through the wedding.
But tonight? Tonight she could allow herself a sweet reward.