Lexi stole the key from Vincent and hopped in the car, letting the engine roar to life. The resulting purr sounded like heaven and always made her think of Harry. She ran her hands lovingly over the steering wheel and smiled. She hardly noticed when Vincent climbed into the car beside her.
“I want your car.”
“What? Your little Matchbox car not doing it for you anymore now that you’ve seen a fine, performance machine like this?” she teased, laughing as he ran his hands over the dashboard.
“My car is still faster, but this is just gorgeous.”
“Excuse me? Faster? I don’t think so. Listen to this.” Lexi slammed her foot down on the gas. The engine thundered, making her teeth rattle from the vibration. “Hope put so much horsepower in this thing it would eat your car for breakfast.”
“Can I drive it? Can I drive it?” Sean popped his head in the window, a hopeful look in his eye.
The only other person Lexi ever let drive the car was Hope. It was the last piece of Harry she had, and that’s why she put so much time and care into it. Sean was a good man and would understand. “It was my dad’s, Sean. It’s all I have left of him. Be careful, and I have one condition.” She climbed out of the driver’s seat so he could get in. Vincent vacated the passenger’s side at the same time. “Hope has to go with you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
“Agreed!” He crooked his finger at Hope and tapped the seat beside him. “Come on, baby, let’s roll.”
“Lexi,” Hope snarled as she walked by her friend, “if he puts his hand on my knee while he’s driving …”
“You’ll love every second of it,” Lexi whispered and gave her a push toward the car. “Have fun, you two. No making out in my car, please.” Lexi waved and ignored Hope flipping her the bird as they went screaming down the driveway.
“Your car wins,” Vincent chuckled as they walked back to the house and sat down on the porch swing together. Erik went inside to check on Anna and Madison while Lexi and Vincent watched the sun set behind the tall trees at the edge of the yard.
“There’s nothing wrong with your car, Vincent. I was just teasing you earlier. So, you remember Harry’s car?”
Vincent smiled sheepishly. “I used to see it at the diner every day when I drove home from school. One day, I stopped to get a better look at it, and your dad must have seen me through the window. He came out, and I thought he was going to yell at me, but instead he popped the hood and told me about the engine. I didn’t understand half of what he was saying.” He looked over at Lexi, who had tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, i didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Lexi always had a hard time talking about Harry, but to hear Vincent talk about him in such a kind and loving way was more than her heart could handle. She buried her face in her hands and wept.
“Shh, it’s okay, Lexi. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Vincent pulled her against his chest and let her cry. He held her and rocked them gently on the swing, doing his best to soothe her.
“No, I’m sorry,” Lexi whispered against his chest. She felt ridiculous, sobbing in front of him and clinging to his shirt for dear life, but to have his arms wrapped around her felt like home. For the first time in a while, she felt loved and cared for. More than that, she felt protected, something that up until then, only Harry had been able to do. “I’m such a wimp.”
Vincent’s expression hardened. “You are most certainly not a wimp. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. Look at what you’ve been through and still you walk around with a smile on your face, bringing joy to everyone around you.” Lexi made a small grunt of disbelief. “I’m serious.
What about the presentation? That new campaign? It was all you. Your ideas were the centerpiece of it, and you stayed in that office all night, helping me when I was acting like a complete bastard. You, Alexandra White, are amazing.”
Lexi was captivated by the sound of his voice. He spoke with such power, such certainty, that she couldn’t question it. She found herself lost in his eyes, which showed the honesty of his words. He wasn’t feeding her a line; he wasn’t simply being kind and telling her what she needed to hear. He was speaking from his heart, and Lexi was overwhelmed by it.
She was hyperaware of him, picking up on even the slightest movement, like the way his shoulder bumped into her, or the way his forearm slid against hers. She doubted the contact was accidental. With great care, like she was a fragile china doll, Vincent reached up and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb, his fingers lingering on her face. Between his touch, his eyes, and his heartfelt words, Lexi felt herself falling again, falling for the man who had held her heart all these years, even if he’d had no idea.
Vincent leaned in closer, his eyes still on hers, never wavering. He dipped his face, brushing his cheek against hers, not once, but twice. Lexi’s whole body tensed, waiting to see what would happen next. She felt his lips lightly graze the corner of her mouth, and then the spell he had on her was broken by the loud crunch of tires on the driveway. Vincent pulled away from her, putting a safe distance between them but still looking guilty as sin.
∙ 18 ∙
a very tired Elizabeth and Robert Drake climbed out of the car and waved. Vincent and Lexi jumped up from the porch swing and hurried over to help them with their bags. “Hello, kids! How are you?” Elizabeth hugged them both and gave them each a motherly kiss on the cheek. “I hear you had a big day today.”
Robert came around the car, and Lexi introduced herself. “Hello, Mr. Drake, you probably don’t remember me, but I’m Lexi White. Nice to see you again.”
“Lexi, dear! My wife’s been talking about you nonstop. I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you at the gala and welcome you to Hunter, but she kept me busy. Vincent, congratulations on landing Stone. We’re so proud of you. Your mother tried to change her flight three times this morning to get home to help you after Jared checked his voicemail and told her what had happened. American Airlines will never be the same again. I’m sure we’ll be stopped by security and subjected to a full body cavity search every time we fly in and out of Miami.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t that bad. You’re always exaggerating. The woman wasn’t listening to me when I told her it was urgent.”