Tearing Down Walls (Love Under Construction Series Book 2) (77 page)

“So your fiancée got a call on Memorial Day, huh?” the handsome gray-haired man asked Vic with a smile.

“Yes she did, and I hear you had something to do with that.”

“Not much. It was actually that cousin of yours. He just asked me to write a letter, but I called instead, and then got a call telling me that POTUS wanted to talk to her. I assume she’s happy about this?”

“Thrilled. I’m so proud of her. If you had any idea how far she’s come, well . . .” Vic trailed off.

“Oh, I can’t even imagine. You know, I’m dating a lovely woman now, and she’s had some difficulties in her life too. I hear your cousin’s wife had a rough time as well,” the governor told him. For some reason, Tony and the lieutenant governor had taken one cart, leaving Vic with the governor. But he didn’t mind. The fellow was very nice, and Vic was enjoying himself. It was a beautiful day, and his drive had been phenomenal – well into the fairway just feet from the hole every time. He was at least five strokes ahead of his normal game, which was usually ten to twelve ahead of everyone else’s. But the lieutenant governor was giving him a run for his money.

Tony just liked the beer. He said that was why he took up golf in the first place.

“Yes, Nikki had some very dark days. But she’s happy now. And Laura, well, I hope she’s happy. I’m doing everything I can to keep her that way anyway,” he grinned.

“I don’t know you very well, but I know she could’ve done much, much worse!” the governor laughed. “Well, tenth hole. Let’s stop playing golf and drinking beer, start drinking beer and playing golf!” he said as he got out of the cart.

“Finally! I’ve waited for this all day!” Tony said with a smirk, and the lieutenant governor laughed. “If we don’t start drinking pretty soon, those two are going to relieve us of our money,” Tony said, elbowing him. “I’m hoping to get them so sloshed that they’ll forget our little wager.”

“Not a chance!” Vic told him. “I could use some spending cash,” he laughed.

“I just figured it out!” the lieutenant governor said. “It’s his hair! Maybe we should relieve Samson of it.”

Vic shot him an evil grin. “I’ve got news for you, buddy. My strength’s not in my hair, and if you don’t believe me, just ask my girlfriend!”

Nikki was excited; it wasn’t every day that she had dinner with the governor and his friend, lieutenant governor and his wife, and the two absolute hunkiest men in the Bluegrass State. It took Laura longer than usual but, with Nikki’s help, she looked beautiful when they set out for Frankfort.

Tony and Vic had been invited to come to the governor’s mansion to shower and dress, and they jumped on the chance. It wasn’t every day they got to hop into a gubernatorial shower. They met the girls in the restaurant parking lot.

“Wow. Look at you, beautiful,” Vic told Laura when she got out of the car. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

“Hey, I’m pretty lucky too!” Tony said, kissing Nikki when she walked up and put her arms around his waist. “Baby, you look hot!”

“Gee, thanks!” she said and pinched his cheek. “You look pretty damn hot yourself, sexy guy!” Tony whispered something to her, and she giggled.

The club restaurant was beautiful, its big plate glass windows looking out over the twelfth fairway. Vic gave their names to the maître d’, who led them directly to the private dining room. They all got a surprise: José and Peyton stood guard at the entryway, both dressed impeccably, Peyton in a black Brioni custom-tailored suit and José in a slate blue Armani. Vic spotted them first, and everybody passed hugs all around. “Wow! I didn’t know you owned anything except black jeans!” he laughed at José.

José shot him a look, then laughed. “Until a month ago, I could’ve said the same about you!”

“Feeling okay?” Peyton asked Laura.

“Pretty good,” she said and smiled, then leaned in to his ear. “Thanks for being a good friend to me. I appreciate you.”

Peyton’s eyebrows shot up and his smile was warm. “Thanks. I needed to hear that,” he said and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“There they are!” the governor said when the four Walters family members glided into the dining room. “Wow! You guys clean up pretty good!” Tony’s brown eyes looked browner than usual in his mocha Armani, but Vic’s suit was unbelievable – a charcoal gray Alexander Amosu that had set him back over ninety-five thousand and a tie he’d had made from a one-of-a-kind piece of silk that matched the suit to perfection. The Amosu’s cut showed off every possible attribute of his physique, and he looked stunning; every woman in the restaurant had watched him walk through, all drooling into their laps and panting after him. Laura had never been more proud to be seen with him than she was at that moment.

It hadn’t escaped Tony that the governor had looked at Nikki sort of funny when they walked up, but she hadn’t seemed to notice. “My date will be here in a few minutes. Got held up at a charity event. Drinks, everyone?”

Within minutes of the drinks arriving, the governor cried out, “There she is! Sweetie, come and join us!” All of the men rose, and Tony gasped – she looked so much like Nikki that he had to look twice. But Vic and Laura’s mouths fell open.

It was Evie.

She walked right up to the governor and kissed him on the cheek, then turned to greet everyone else at the table. When she did, she cried out, “Vic! Laura! So good to see you both!” She kissed Laura on the cheek, then hugged Vic and whispered, “Good job, big boy! She looks beautiful!” When she turned back to Laura, she looked down and said, “What’s this?” She drew Laura’s left hand up and then looked at Vic. “Well! About time!”

“So you know them?” the governor asked her.

“Of course I know them! Vic and I were members of the same country club in Lexington, and I know Laura through him.” She smiled and winked, and Vic winked back.

“Vic, I didn’t know you . . .” Tony started and Nikki kicked his ankle under the table. “Owwww,” he mouthed to her, and she shot him a look. He shut his mouth – quick.

Dinner was wonderful –
canard farci et braisé
with rosemary, herbed redskin potatoes, and orange-glazed asparagus. The governor loved tiramisu, so the chef had made it especially for him, and they all enjoyed it. After dinner, the servers opened the dividing doors when the small orchestra started to play, and the governor looked at Laura. “Would you like to dance, Laura?”

“I’m afraid I’m not very good . . .” she mumbled.

“I bet you’re better than you think,” he chuckled. Laura looked at Vic and he motioned with his eyes for her to go, so she rose and took the governor’s arm. Everyone else sat and talked and, after a few minutes, Laura and the governor returned. “I was right. She’s better than she thought! Vic, you need to take this girl dancing.”

“I will if she wants to go,” he grinned, and Laura blushed.

Everyone sat and talked until the orchestra leader called out, “Mambo!”

Evie’s eyes lit up. “I love to mambo! Darling, let’s dance!” she said to the governor.

“I don’t know how to mambo, honey. You’re the one who studied dance in Florence. I have two left feet. Laura can attest to that,” he smiled, and Laura smiled back and shook her head.

“Oh, damn,” Evie grumbled. “Does anyone else here know how to dance?”

Tony pointed at Vic. “Yeah, he does.”

“Do not,” Vic snapped back.

“Do too.” Tony turned back to Evie. “He went to private schools in Italy. Learning to dance was a requirement. Get out there and mambo, big boy,” Tony laughed.

Evie grinned mischievously. “Dance with me, Vic! Come on, it’ll be fun!” She got up and grabbed his hand and, before he knew what was happening, he found himself on the dance floor.

“Studied dance in Florence, did you?” he said, cutting his eyes at Evie.

“Yes. I have a feeling you know
exactly
what you’re doing,” she whispered.

“Better hang on, little one,” he said as the music started.

Everyone in the private dining area gasped. Vic moved Evie around the dance floor like they were floating on a cloud. She was practically glowing in his arms, and the effect was breathtaking.

“Well, fuck me,” Tony whispered to Nikki. “I thought I’d embarrass him.”

“Looks like your cousin still has a few tricks up his sleeve!” Nikki whispered back. She glanced at Laura, whose face was lit up from the inside just watching the man she loved dance that way. Nikki smiled.
If I can’t be with him, I’m glad he’s found someone who truly loves him.

“Nice cover,” Vic told Evie before turning her.

“I think fast on my feet,” she replied.

“Obviously.”

“So you proposed, did you? Good job!” she smiled.

“Thank you. So how are
you
doing?” he asked her.

“I’m doing great. He’s a wonderful person and
very
good in bed. Although I bet you could teach him a thing or two!” she told him with a playful giggle.

“In need of some instruction, are we? Well, your big bad Dom is always available for couples therapy. But no boots-on-the-ground action anymore. Girlfriend’s orders,” he added.

“Good for her. She needs to keep you to herself. So when’s the big day?”

“We’re getting married on the Fourth of July. It’s the big, big, really big Walters family get-together – my Zia Raffie’s favorite holiday – and we thought that would be the perfect time. Evie,” he said, almost stopping, “I just want you to know how much I appreciated you letting Laura sit in that night. It was the beginning of her healing journey, and I can never thank you enough.”

“That night was the beginning of
my
healing journey, so you repaid me tenfold,” Evie said, a serious look on her face. “Vic, I don’t know a lot about your background, but I sensed all along that your life hadn’t been the best. I think you’ve found the right woman, and I wish both of you all the happiness two people can stand. Going anywhere special on your honeymoon?”

“Yes. We’re going to Italy to see my nonna. I haven’t seen her since I was fourteen. Then it’s back home to hopefully make a baby.”

“That’s wonderful! Oh, any child the two of you have will most definitely be beautiful. Can’t help but! Good luck with that. And have fun practicing!” she laughed.

Vic almost blushed. “I fully intend to!”

When the music ended, he led Evie back to the table. “That was beautiful!” the governor told them, kissing Evie as she sat down. The band struck up a slow, lilting tune from the forties and, instead of sitting, Vic held his hand out to Laura. She stood and took it and he led her wordlessly to the dance floor, then took her in his arms.

“Wow. That
was
beautiful. I had no idea you could dance like that.”

“One of the many surprises I have in store for you, wife-to-be,” Vic whispered in her ear.

“Oh? And what might some of the others be?” she whispered back, giggling.

“If I told you, then they wouldn’t be surprises, now would they?” he grinned. “How ‘bout I tell you something that’s not a surprise?”

“Okay. Go for it.”

“I love you, Laura. I’ll always love you. I’ll always be here for you, as long as I live. I can’t wait to have a child with you, to start our life together, and if we can’t have a child, we’ll just adopt. But I want you, a family with you, a good life with you.” He stopped. “But by now, none of that should be a surprise.”

“Nope. But I still want to hear it every day. And Vic?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Can we change up the house a little? There’s something I want to do,” she told him and shot him a nasty, sexy little smile.

“What’s that?”

“Can we turn one of the bedrooms into a playroom?” she asked.

“Sure. We can decorate it any way you want, buy baby furniture, put those little stick-up animals on the walls, whatever you . . .”

“No.” She licked her lips and looked up at him, and he felt a jolt like a hot little lightning bolt in his boxer briefs. “I don’t mean that kind of playroom.”

“Oh.” He stopped, then his eyebrows shot up. “Oh!” Vic blushed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I want to learn to do things that’ll make you blush. And if it looks like a dungeon,” she purred into his ear, “all the better.”

“So,” he said, looking particularly wicked, “who’s going to be the submissive?”

“Let’s just say,” she said, “I think you need to dust off those leathers of yours.” Before Vic could say anything else, Laura asked, “So how much longer do we need to stay here?”

“I don’t know,” he answered her, a grin spreading across his face, “but we’ve got the rest of our lives to set the sheets ablaze. And don’t forget – Tony and Nikki fucked their way across Italy, and we’ve got to do our best to put them to shame.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a challenge, do you?”

“God, I hope not!” Vic kissed her and held her closer as they swayed on the dance floor. “I want you to know that if I die tomorrow, I’ll be the happiest man alive just to have spent the last days of my life with you.”

“Yeah, but you’d better not die tomorrow, Cabrizzi, or I’ll kill you!” she laughed.

“Duly noted! But right now, I want you to put your cheek on my chest, let me pull you closer, and forget that there’s anybody here but you and me.”