In Sickness & in Health (Vegas Vow) Read online

  “I’ll think about it,” she assures me as I pull up outside her house. “Thank you.” She reaches over the center console and places a kiss against my cheek. Her lips are soft but wet, she’s crying.

  “Do you want me to get Rhea for you?”

  “Do you mind if I get the car seat from you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll bring it by tomorrow before work? Does that work for you?”

  She smiles brightly, “Yes, thank you.”

  She exits the car and gets Rhea; the little girl didn’t even stir as Vi lifted her from the car seat.

  “You’re a good man, Drew,” she whispers before closing the door and walking back to her house.

  I sit in shock, she doesn’t hate me.

  Maybe, just maybe, there’s hope that I could finally have the woman I love in my arms where she belongs.

  5

  Violet

  I’m reading through the contract for the umpteenth time since Drew brought Rhea and I home. Something changed between us tonight, and I’m not sure what or how I feel about it. It’s nice not having to have my walls up all the time around him. There was a time that I loved him, and I hid it behind snarky comments and insults because he was Cam’s best friend and I believed he only viewed me as Cam’s annoying little sister. Until that night when I gave him everything I had and honestly thought every single dream I ever had was coming true. Then it was shattered. I held onto the hatred for a long time and tonight, I was finally able to let go.

  Do I trust Drew? No, he explained things to me and while I think he was stupid, I don’t hate him. Hell beyond stupid, I sort of understand why he did it but ultimately his actions led to him hurting me more than anything. I’m still hurt, but Cam was right, I should get over it and give Drew a break.

  My front door opens and I glance toward it, not in the least bit surprised to find Cam walking in with a bag in his hands. “Things go that bad?” I ask as he throws the bag to the floor and collapses on the chair.

  He nods, “It was awful. God, she can screech.” He winces and I inwardly shudder, too many times I’ve had to listen to that woman screech at me if she’s not happy with the plans that Cam and I have.

  “Do you want a drink?” I ask him as I put the contract down onto the coffee table.

  He leans his head back against the chair, “Yes, a large whiskey.”

  I move toward the kitchen, my heart hurting for him. As much as I dislike Sadie, Cam really loves her. I reach for the whiskey that I keep in the back of the cupboard.

  “Vi, do you mind if I crash here?”

  I roll my eyes, is he for real? As if I’d ever say no. “The spare bedroom is already made up.” Sometimes Mom stays overnight, she gets lonely sometimes when Dad’s working the nightshift. I had thought she may stay with me this evening.

  I pass him the glass and retake my seat on the sofa. “What happened?”

  He downs the whiskey in one swallow. “God, when did she become so…” He shakes his head in disgust.

  “Bitchy?” I supply and instantly clamp my lips closed. Damn, I hadn’t meant to say anything.

  His eyes widen a fraction before he sighs, “What’s she done?”

  I shake my head. No way. I’m not saying anything. “I was just saying that what she said at dinner was bitchy.”

  “You’re full of shit, Vi. She’s obviously said shit to you. I want to know what.” His tone is filled with anger.

  “Cam…” I whisper, pleading with him not to make me say anything about her. “What happened tonight?”

  He gets to his feet and goes to the kitchen, within seconds he’s back with the bottle of whiskey in his hands. “She lost it, gave me an ultimatum. Either I use the money for a deposit on a house or she was done.”

  My heart sinks, I never wanted this to happen to him. It’s why I rejected the offer from him in the first place. I knew what Sadie would think and I didn’t want the argument that would ensue if Cam said it, which he ultimately did.

  “Take tonight and sleep,” I tell him. “Then go talk to her tomorrow. You two have been together for a long time.”

  He runs his hands over his face. “The thing is, Vi, she wants marriage and kids.”

  I frown. “You don’t?” I always thought he wanted children. He’s so amazing with Rhea.

  “With her, no,” he tells me honestly. “I didn’t think we’d be together this long. I like her, hell at one point I thought I loved her, but honestly, she’s too fucking tiring. The woman has to have everything her way and it pisses me off half the time, the other half? I don’t even give a shit.”

  “Why the hell did you stay with her?” If he wasn’t happy, why subject himself to more misery?

  He shrugs, “It was easy. Convenient.”

  “So it’s over?” I can’t help but feel a little happy at that thought, and that makes me a shitty person.

  He nods, “Yeah, it’s over and I’m fucking relieved. She said some pretty shitty things and I’m fucking glad that it’s over. She was a bitch tonight; I finally saw the real side of her. I called Mom on the way over here.”

  I wince. Mom isn’t exactly Sadie’s biggest fan, much like me, we just want Cam to be happy.

  “Yeah, that’s exactly my reaction when she told me how Sadie behaved toward not only you and Rhea but Mom also. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I curl my feet up beneath my legs, “What should I have said? That your girlfriend didn’t like it when you spent time with me or my daughter. That she hated it whenever you spoke about me or Rhea? Would you have really believed me?”

  He’s quiet for a moment and I know that he realizes I’m right. Whether he would have believed me or not, Sadie would have twisted everything to make it seem as though I was jealous.

  “What’s changed, Cam?” I ask softly, not really sure I can wrap my head around the sudden break up. “You two were set on getting a house together. One fight couldn’t change that, could it?”

  He shakes his head, his hair falling into his eyes and he brushes it away, “No, it hasn’t just changed that quickly. We’d been talking about our future and I said I wanted to buy a house. I never said with her.”

  I gasp, I’ve never heard him be so callous before.

  He shrugs, “I know, I’m an ass. There were times when I thought that maybe being with her wouldn’t be that bad. She was great in bed and she could be real sweet. But when she jumped on buying a house, I thought that if we went down that route, things would change.”

  I suppose I can understand that. Loving someone is hard and it’s a joint effort in any relationship to make it work. But it’s hard to wrap my head around it. “You both seemed so in love.”

  He shakes his head once again, “The more I think about it, the more I believe that I was in love with being in love, you know? Having someone in my life that I could love and care for, but Sadie isn’t that woman and I learned that lesson very well tonight.”

  Dread settles into my stomach, “What happened?”

  He pours himself yet another shot of whiskey and downs it. “Besides the ultimatum? She let me know just what she thought of my family. How she hated Mom and Dad and when we were married that she’d put a stop to visiting them. That she despised you and Rhea, and how stupid you were to get pregnant out of wedlock.”

  I take a deep breath, resisting the urge to hunt her down and bitch slap her. Seems as though her views aren’t far off her parent’s. “I’m not sorry that I have Rhea,” I say slightly defensively. “Some people should really step into the twenty-first century.”

  He grins, “Pretty much what I said, but my words weren’t as nice.”

  “So what happens now?” I have no doubt that she’ll do whatever she can to get him back.

  He smirks, “Now I live my life. The lease to the house is up at the end of the month, I’ll call Derek tomorrow, that way he’ll be able to have the house back on the market to lease for the month after.” Derek Carter is his landlord, he’s also a friend of Drew’s.
>
  “What about Sadie?” I ask completely shocked at how quickly he’s making these decisions.

  “She’ll have the month to find somewhere else to live.” He doesn’t seem affected by this at all. “Can I stay here?”

  I roll my eyes, why the hell is he even asking? “Of course. You know that you’re welcome here for as long as you like.”

  He gives me a grateful smile. “Good, then you’ll take the money?”

  “No,” I tell him as I once again glance at the contract that Drew gave me this evening.

  “Vi…” he begins, the disappointment in his voice makes my chest ache.

  “I know, you want to do everything to help Rhea and I. And you have. You spoke to Drew, he’s offered me a job, one that’ll pay for Rhea’s medical expenses. I’m going to take him up on the offer. It’ll mean that I’ll be able to spend more time with her too.” Relief washes through me at my words. It’s as though a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

  Cam blinks before a smile forms on his face. “Good. I didn’t know what he was planning, but I’m glad he’s helping.”

  “I have you to thank for that.” He waves me off, not wanting to take the praise. “You’ll stay here with Rhea and I as you look for a house. You said so yourself, you want to buy a house, so that’s what you’ll do. Somewhere you’ll love. And there’s no rush in you moving out.” I rise to my feet and grab the contract. “The room’s all set for you. Good night, Cam, I love you.”

  He gives me a short nod, “Night, Vi. Love you too. I’m proud of you.”

  My heart soars at his words. Damn him, trying to make me cry. “And I am of you. What you did tonight took a lot of guts. Tomorrow, we both look forward to the future.”

  He lifts his now filled glass and points it toward me. “Damn straight. Things are looking up for the both of us.”

  All I want is for Rhea to be happy and healthy. Tomorrow will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done and yet the easiest. Working for Drew will be havoc on my heart. But for Rhea, I’d walk through hell and back. I just hope that things between Drew and I can stay civil.

  One thing I learned tonight was that my feelings for Drew hadn’t vanished, in fact, they’re just as strong as ever. But I’ll not act on them.

  No way.

  Not ever.

  6

  Drew

  “Mr. Jacobs…” Vi says walking into my office, her skirt tight against her thighs and showcasing her perfect body. “Mr. Theroux is here, he says it’s important.”

  I frown, usually, Jameson will call if he needs something. Must be serious to just turn up unannounced. “Send him in,” I tell her and look back to my computer. It’s been two weeks since she started working here and she’s been a great asset to my company. She’s efficient and makes my clients at ease as soon as they walk into my office.

  “Drew, sorry to drop by, but I need a favor,” Jameson says coming to take the seat in front of me.

  I nod to him as my gaze is directed at Vi’s ass as she closes my office door behind her, “What’s up?”

  “Yellow Corner Enterprise,” he says as if that’s supposed to make sense to me. “He’s fucked up and now he’s going to find out what happens when you mess with a friend of mine.”

  I raise a brow, “What’s Edward done?”

  The man never knows when to quit. He’s always trying to find the next best deal and he’d even sell his grandmother to make his next buck. He’s an asshole and someone I’d never do business with. But now he’s pissed Jameson off and God knows who else.

  Jameson reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, he taps the screen a few times and then hands me the phone. I read the email, my anger pulsing through me with each line that I read.

  Gentlemen,

  You may think that you are the big boys, that you are the elite. But I know differently.

  I am the elite. The one and only King.

  From now on, things are going to change.

  Starting with Theroux, followed by Jacobs, and then Harlan.

  When I’m done with you three, I’ll move on to Gold, Schofield, and Stephens.

  You think I’m joking? I’m going to ruin you.

  Attached is something that will make you a little more agreeable.

  Don’t mess with me, gentleman, I’ll not only ruin you, I’ll ruin your women and children.

  Wendy, Violet and Rhea, and Marcus.

  You have ten days to contact me otherwise the world is going to know how the ‘elite’ businessmen really do business.

  Edward Yellow.

  I look at the attached file he’s sent and it’s a very detailed document on Jameson’s, Christopher’s, Adam’s and my deal to buy into the Millennium Hotel branch. The four of us had an offer none of us could reject. The Millennium Hotel branches are going to be bigger than any other chain of hotel’s the world has ever seen. There’s one slight problem, something that each of us agonized over before we agreed to jump on board. One of the owners has ties to the mob. There’s no proof that he’s actually involved in the day to day running of the mob business, but he’s closely linked to them.

  As in his wife is the sister of the head of the fucking mob.

  This asshole Edward has found this out and is now trying to blackmail us.

  It’s not going to happen.

  “What the fuck does this asshole want?” I ask as I try and tamper down my anger. Things between Vi and I have finally been getting better. She doesn’t look at me as though she wants to disembowel me anymore, nor does she scowl at me when I flirt with her. If she finds out that I’m in business with the mob she’ll go fucking crazy. There’s no way she’ll want me around Rhea, let alone her. It doesn’t matter that Jermaine isn’t really part of the mob, just having the attachment to it is more than enough to have people cast aspersions. It’s why we tried our best to have his involvement in the Millennium Hotels hidden, he was to be more of a silent partner; as in mute.

  “I’ve no fucking idea; no doubt the bastard has something up his sleeve?” Jameson asks and I nod in agreement. “Damn, how the hell did this bastard manage to find these documents? I’d have said they were fake, but there’s no way people are going to buy that.”

  “What does he want?” I ask once again.

  Jameson sighs as he takes back his cell phone. “I’m not sure, he wants us to contact him and I’m assuming he’ll let us know then. Christopher is ready to kill him, he’s finally managed to get Layla to let him see Marcus. If she finds out about this, she’s going to be even worse than she already is.”

  Fuck. He’s right. Layla is the worst of the worst. Christopher had a one-night stand with her, she got pregnant and he wanted to try and make a go of things with her but found out pretty quickly that it would never have worked between them. Since then, she’s used Marcus as a toy, holding him against Christopher until she gets what she wants. If she finds out that Christopher is in business with the ‘mob’, she’ll lose her damn mind.

  “What do we do?” I’m not giving in to blackmail. “Have you told Wendy?”

  Wendy’s his wife, as well as his personal assistant, they had a night in Vegas that changed everything between them and since then, they’ve been happy.

  “Yes, she’s not happy that I’m being blackmailed, and with her being pregnant, her being threatened pisses me off even more.”

  No fucking doubt.

  “What’s the plan?”

  He grins. “Between the six of us,” he says, meaning him, me, Christopher, Adam, Porter, and Liam. “We’re going to ruin him. He’s about to be blackballed from everywhere.”

  The anger starts to slowly diminish, the thoughts of revenge start to circulate. “I’d tell Christopher to warn Layla, although she’s in the UK, I’m not sure that Edward has that much of a reach. What about Adam?”

  His jaw clenches, “He’s my next stop. Are you going to tell Violet?” Jameson knows all about mine and Violet’s relationship. One night after way too many
drinks I spilled my guts.

  He’s right, and my concern is Violet. I love that woman and I won’t allow anything to get in the way. “Vi’s going to be pissed. I wouldn’t be surprised if she quits and wants nothing to do with me.”

  He nods, solemnly, “When’s Rhea’s surgery?”

  “Next week, Vi’s nervous as hell.” Fuck, even I’m nervous. I hate the thought of her going in for major surgery but she needs it and the sooner it’s done the sooner she can start to live a relatively normal life.

  “When Rhea’s recovered, you should take the two of them to Vegas, get a penthouse suite and spoil them. They’ll love it.”

  I smile, that sounds like a good idea. Vi will need to unwind and knowing that Rhea was okay would make it even better. Hell, I’d even bring her mom along, let her look after Rhea for the night.

  I’m lost in my own thoughts that it takes a while for Jameson’s words to sink in. “While you’re there, you should marry Violet.”

  I blink. Marry her. What the actual fuck? “We’re not even dating, why would she marry me?”

  He shrugs as he gets to his feet. “Then you best get moving. You’ve about a month or so to get that woman to fall in love with you.”

  “Did you get a knock to the head or something? Why the fuck would you even suggest getting married?” I’m dumbfounded.

  He just laughs, “If you love her. Marry her. It’s that simple, Drew. Trust me, being married to the woman you love is the best thing in the world. Not only does it give you some security, it’ll give Violet some too, not to mention, you’ll be Rhea’s dad.”

  My chest burns and I resist the urge to rub it. Jameson is way too astute for my liking.

  Being Rhea’s dad would be fucking amazing. It would literally be everything I’ve ever wanted.

  7

  Violet