She made a face. "Guilty as charged. I won't ever doubt you again."
"I know." And he did. Because he hadn't lied-their marriage had only become stronger after she'd trusted him enough to bring up the painful subject. "Good night, baby."
"Good night, Caleb," she whispered, placing her head against his chest, her hand over his heart.
Content, he slept.
Twelve
F or the next ten days, sleep was an elusive commodity. Caleb and his entire team worked like men and women possessed. And through it all, Victoria was there, the anchor in his life that let him forge ahead without destroying himself with worry.
No regrets.During the third day, she turned up with muffins for everyone. It gave his overworked staff a cheerful moment and considerably boosted morale. For the thousandth time, Caleb thanked God for her.
Pulling her into his office, he held her tight. "How was your day?"
"Busy. I think I've lined up a corporate sponsor for the charity concert I'm organizing, but it's tricky at the moment. The good news is that the radio interviews are set to go." Her hand stroked his back. "You?"
"We're doing everything we can but so far, nothing concrete." He adored her for helping him fight for his dream even as she chased her own. "Heart would be crazy to let you go."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Her smile turned a little wicked. "And thanks for setting up this crisis as an excuse to not keep our dinner appointment with Ada."
Her words made him laugh. "I did it all for you."
"I know." A more solemn look came over her face. "Can I lend a hand here in any way?"
He kissed her. "Go home and rest. I need to know that you and the baby are okay."
"We're fine. We're more than fine."
"In that case, you're welcome to keep feeding us. I think Kent was making noises about cinnamon rolls."
Their shared laughter filled the air.
Vicki left Caleb's office building with a smile. It lasted until she answered her cell phone ten minutes later. The number was unfamiliar but the voice wasn't."Hello, Vicki."
"Mother." Vicki moved to stand with her back to a wall. She'd never really expected her mother to fly to New Zealand to see her. Danica wasn't exactly the most reliable of women. "Are you in Auckland?"
"I've just left the airport. Can you spare time for coffee with me tomorrow, say around eleven?"
Vicki's mind was in turmoil, her thoughts skittering. "Sure."
"Why don't you meet me at that nice little coffee shop we went to last year?"
"That sounds fine."
Minutes later, Vicki was still standing on the street. She wanted to run to Caleb, let him hold her and ask him to make it all right. Nobody, not even Ada, could destroy her composure the way Danica could. Like a whirlwind, she'd sweep into Vicki's life once a year or so and leave emotional devastation behind.
Danica wasn't a bad person, but simply so self-involved that she had no time to be a mother, no time to listen to her daughter's needs. During her last visit, Vicki would have done anything to have her mother's advice on how to fix the fissures in her marriage. But Danica had been interested only in talking about her trip to Paris.
"Excuse me, miss."
She turned, startled. The elderly man who'd spoken tipped an imaginary hat toward her and started to read the signboard she'd been blocking. The interruption was precisely what she'd needed to snap her out of her frozen state.
She walked to her car. This was her problem and she'd deal with it. No more hiding, either behind her own walls, or behind Caleb's strength. If she still couldn't handle Danica, then everything she'd said to Caleb about becoming her own woman was a lie. And she didn't want it to be.
Caleb came home well after midnight. Vicki was asleep so he tried not to wake her as he got ready for bed. In the glow of the single bedside light he'd turned on, she looked so beautiful that he stood watching her for a long moment.God, he could barely believe she was his. Her skin bloomed with health, so soft and silky that sometimes he was afraid of bruising her with his touch. Dressed in her favorite old pj's, she was curled up on her side, legs drawn to her chest. He wanted nothing more than to hold her through the night. Sliding in beside her, he turned off the light and pulled her into his embrace.
"Caleb?" she murmured, snuggling sleepily into him.
"Go back to sleep, honey." He pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck and then lay down to rest, feeling blessed.
No matter what happened with his business, he would always have Victoria. His wife's commitment to him was so powerful, he knew it would never falter. She might not love him the way he needed to be loved, but she'd never again leave him. When a man had that kind of loyalty behind him, failure wasn't something to be terrified of.
"No regrets," he whispered as the night claimed him.
Mid-morning the next day, Vicki stared at the screen of her cell phone, fighting the urge to call Caleb. He didn't need to be burdened with her problem. Not now. But despite everything she'd tried to convince herself, she was scared she wouldn't be able to handle Danica. She'd almost said something to Caleb as he'd left for work. What had stopped her then was the same thing that stopped her now-her own need to prove that she was strong enough to face up to the brutal reality of her childhood.Closing the phone, she returned it to her purse and picked up her coffee to take a sip. As she did so, she realized something important. Though she'd come to meet Danica on her own, she was no longer alone as she'd been for most of her life. Caleb's faith in her was an invisible presence by her side.
A flash of red at the door of the café caught her attention. Putting down her cup, she watched the beautiful blonde walk over. Though she was well into her fifties, there was nothing old about Danica Wentworth née Striker. Her hair was a gold-streaked mane that tumbled around her shoulders, her body curved and toned and her makeup flawless. In a simple wraparound dress that bared her arms and showed off her cleavage, she was sexy enough to make heads turn.
Danica stopped by Vicki's table. "Victoria, darling." The scent of her perfume was painfully familiar, awakening memories Vicki didn't want to remember.
She stood and dutifully pecked Danica on the cheek. "Hello, Mother." As she sat back down, Danica folded herself into the chair opposite, her every move confident and sensual. Vicki felt dull by comparison, a swallow next to a bird of paradise.
"That blue looks good on you, darling." Danica waved at the sky-blue cardigan Vicki had teamed with her favorite jeans. She liked the softness of the cashmere against her skin but most of all, she liked how Caleb was tempted into stroking her whenever she wore this fabric.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked Danica.
Her mother laughed. "I'm hot-blooded. Did you order me a coffee?"
"Flat white, no sugar."
"Perfect."
Danica's coffee arrived moments later and she paused to send a blinding smile the waiter's way before taking a sip. "Um, wonderful, though I must admit I miss the coffee I get back home."
"How is Italy?" That was where Danica had gone after meeting Carlo Belladucci and it was a place to which Vicki had never been invited.
Danica's smiling face suddenly sombered. Putting down her cup, she reached across the table and placed her hand over Vicki's. Vicki was so surprised that she didn't react. "I came to say I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For everything-for leaving you to Ada, for deciding to chase my love for Carlo instead of looking after my daughter, for never being there for you." Danica's blue eyes, so like Vicki's own, filled with a plea for understanding. "Forgive me."
Vicki knew it meant nothing. It hadn't meant anything the last few times Danica had been overcome by guilt. And it didn't mean anything today. It never would. Danica was a fickle, beautiful butterfly. That she'd stuck with Carlo this long was a testament to her love for the man. Danica had managed to turn into a faithful lover but she'd never be maternal.
The amazing thing was, that lack in Danica no longer cut Vicki's heart to pieces. It was a startling insight but more than welcome. "There's nothing to forgive," she said gently, aware of the life growing inside of her. Without her conscious knowledge, Caleb and her baby had given her the emotional strength to withstand Danica's butterfly persona, dramatically shifting her priorities from the shadowed past to a sparkling future.