“That’s wonderful!” his mother said. “Landon told me about the singer he hired. I can’t wait to come by again soon. It’s been too long since we had a night out at the club.”
Reading the room, or rather Vivi’s mood, Landon decided he should take her home. Although he hadn’t expected his parents to come home, once they had, he’d hoped they could get to know her. Now clearly wasn’t the time.
“We were just about to leave,” he said and his mother’s expression fell.
“I was hoping that since you were here, you could stay for dinner.” She looked at him hopefully.
Vivi shook her head. “I’m so sorry but I need to be at a rehearsal.” She glanced away, not meeting his mother’s gaze.
“There will be another time,” his dad said. “Right?”
“Right.” Landon would make sure of it.
Goodbyes said, with promises that Landon would let them know a good night to come to the club to see Vivi perform, they made their way to the SUV.
The initial ride to the city was silent, Vivi curled close to the door, not speaking. He reached out and put his hand on her thigh. “Hey.”
She turned her head and he realized her eyes were red. She’d been trying not to cry.
Unable to help himself, he eased over on the side of the road at the nearest safe spot he could find and cut the engine. He reached over, unbuckled her seat belt, and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as much as he could.
To his utter shock, she broke down, full on crying, shaking in his arms. “I hate him,” she said into his now wet shirt. “I hate how evil he is. I hate how much he impacts my life even though I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He smoothed his hand down her back. “Hey, you didn’t do anything. That’s what you need to remember.”
She pushed away from him, blinking back tears. “I can’t face your parents. I can’t do this. Be with you. It’s wrong. You should hate me for being related to him.”
“But I don’t hate you. And if you hadn’t given me a very distinct signal, I would have told my parents who you were.” He paused. “I’m not ashamed to be with you.”
She swiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand. “Well, maybe you should be.” She pushed herself back into her seat. “Your parents don’t need a constant reminder.”
“Vivi…” He swallowed hard, wondering how to explain this to her without making things worse. “We don’t need a reminder because Levi is always with us. We don’t forget. We always remember. We just go forward and live our lives the way he’d want us to.” He grasped her hand and pulled it into his lap. “And right now, I want to live it with you.”
When she didn’t respond right away, he knew she needed time to process, so he put the car in drive and headed back to the club. He walked her to her door and kissed her before watching her go inside. As she shut the door behind him, he had the sense she thought she was shutting him out. Too bad she didn’t know the lengths to which he’d go to get what he wanted. And he really wanted Vivi to be a part of his life.
Unfortunatley it was impossible to bring someone into his life who didn’t want to be there. Or maybe she wanted to be with him but didn’t think she deserved the chance because of who she was related to. The end result was the same, which meant he had to figure out a way to step up his game.
* * *
Tanner called Landon to meet him at the gym. The place had been in existence forever, the inside old, but the owner was a good guy and Tanner liked to support him. Plus he’d made friends and had sparring partners here.
Landon arrived to find Jason already there and Tanner pulling on his boxing gloves.
“Hey.” He joined the men outside the ring. “Everything okay?” Because they usually met up at the club unless something was on Tanner’s mind that he needed to work out on the mat.
Jason shot Landon a glance. “Not for me to tell,” he said, his gaze falling on Tanner.
“Scarlett’s pregnant.” He dropped the news as if it were a bomb going off.
“That’s great news!” He glanced at his friend’s concerned expression. “Isn’t it?”
Tanner examined the laces on his gloves. “If I’m a good father, it is. But what do I know about being a decent parent? My own dad kicked the shit out of me and verbally treated me like dirt.”
Landon and Jason exchanged glances. “I think you just answered your own concern,” Landon told him, placing a hand on his shoulder for support. He knew Tanner had a shitty upbringing and understood his concern, but Tanner was one of the best men he knew. “You would never do that to your kid.”