Tough Love
Page 127
Stack rolled his eyes. “Tabby, you know I’m not an idiot.”
“If you walk away from Vanity, then you are.”
“That would make me the biggest idiot alive.”
“But...” Confused, Vanity started to speak to Tabby, then to Stack, then her brows came down, and she tightened her shoulders. “You were furious with me! You accused me of lying.”
Gently, Stack said, “You did lie.”
“Only about loving you.”
Tabby used both hands to make a “time out” gesture, then rounded on Vanity. “Are you telling me you don’t love my brother?”
“Of course I do. I always have. But he—” she straightened her arm to point at Stack “—wasn’t interested. So I had to pretend that I didn’t love him. I had to make him think all I wanted was... I...um...” She turned big eyes on Stack.
He smiled at her. “You want to finish that? No? Okay, I can pick up the slack.”
“Stack!”
“She’s family, honey. We don’t keep secrets from family.”
Vanity flushed again. Did she understand that she was family, as well? If not, Stack would soon make it crystal clear to her. He turned to his sister. “Vanity pretended we were having a casual hookup, so that I wouldn’t get spooked.”
“Yeah, right.” Tabby didn’t buy it. “That’s hardly a reason to get bent out of shape.”
Vanity bit her lip, her expression so guilty that it pained Stack.
Softer, with more gravity, he explained, “She also gave Phil money without ever telling me about it.”
“Oh, crap.” Wide-eyed, Tabby stared at Stack. “You thought Phil used that money to hire the thugs?”
“No. I already knew he hadn’t.” Hoping it wouldn’t upset his sister too much, Stack explained what had happened, and how Phil had spent the money. “I got rid of the gun. I didn’t want Phil to have it, and I didn’t think you’d want it left in the apartment.”
Tabby nodded, distressed, but taking it better than Stack had expected.
“I was trying to help,” Vanity whispered.
“Because she loves me.” Damn it felt good to acknowledge it, to say it out loud.
Vanity went blank.
Reaching for her hand, Stack reeled her in close, then tucked her hair behind her ear. “You do, right? Even though I was an ass?”
She nodded, her face pale. “I do. So much.” Before Stack could return the sentiment, Vanity faced Tabby. “I’m sorry.”
“For giving Phil money?” Tabby waved that off. “Believe me, I know. For years I did the same, trying to think of a way to get him motivated.” She slanted a wry smile at Stack. “Much like Mom tried to motivate me. We both needed some tough love. Combined, we made my brother nuts.”
Stack had hope for the future. “That’s all behind us now, right?”
“Absolutely. It was bad enough that I let Phil screw up my life. I won’t let him screw up a baby’s life, too. If he gets his act together, if he gets a job and shows some maturity, then he can maybe be a dad. But if not, he can just stay away.” Letting that go, Tabby tipped her head at Stack. “So you two aren’t split up?”
Firm, Stack said, “No.”
“Then how did that rumor get started?”
More confused than ever, Vanity said, “I thought we had.”
“Why?”
She gestured at Stack. “He was mad, and I knew I’d really disappointed him and—”
“So?” Crossing her arms and cocking out a hip, Tabby said, “I make him mad all the time, and he’s always disappointed with me.”
“That’s not true, sis.”
Tabby grinned. “Close enough. And sometimes he disappoints me. More often than not he makes me angry. But Vanity, we still love each other. There will be plenty of disagreements. No one is perfect, so problems happen. It doesn’t change anything, not if you don’t let it.”
Stack inhaled. “Damn, sis.”
“Nailed it, didn’t I?”
His sister looked very smug, but he didn’t mind. “Yeah, you did.”
Vanity bit her lip, but as Stack watched, she shrugged off the uncertainty and squared her shoulders. “So...you love me, too?”
Grinning, Stack hugged her right off her feet. “Darlin’, I fell in love with you that night you propositioned me. You threw me for a loop, confused me, turned me on, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. My sister is right, we’re not perfect. But I’m pretty sure, if you’ll have me, we’d be perfect together.”
“If you walk away from Vanity, then you are.”
“That would make me the biggest idiot alive.”
“But...” Confused, Vanity started to speak to Tabby, then to Stack, then her brows came down, and she tightened her shoulders. “You were furious with me! You accused me of lying.”
Gently, Stack said, “You did lie.”
“Only about loving you.”
Tabby used both hands to make a “time out” gesture, then rounded on Vanity. “Are you telling me you don’t love my brother?”
“Of course I do. I always have. But he—” she straightened her arm to point at Stack “—wasn’t interested. So I had to pretend that I didn’t love him. I had to make him think all I wanted was... I...um...” She turned big eyes on Stack.
He smiled at her. “You want to finish that? No? Okay, I can pick up the slack.”
“Stack!”
“She’s family, honey. We don’t keep secrets from family.”
Vanity flushed again. Did she understand that she was family, as well? If not, Stack would soon make it crystal clear to her. He turned to his sister. “Vanity pretended we were having a casual hookup, so that I wouldn’t get spooked.”
“Yeah, right.” Tabby didn’t buy it. “That’s hardly a reason to get bent out of shape.”
Vanity bit her lip, her expression so guilty that it pained Stack.
Softer, with more gravity, he explained, “She also gave Phil money without ever telling me about it.”
“Oh, crap.” Wide-eyed, Tabby stared at Stack. “You thought Phil used that money to hire the thugs?”
“No. I already knew he hadn’t.” Hoping it wouldn’t upset his sister too much, Stack explained what had happened, and how Phil had spent the money. “I got rid of the gun. I didn’t want Phil to have it, and I didn’t think you’d want it left in the apartment.”
Tabby nodded, distressed, but taking it better than Stack had expected.
“I was trying to help,” Vanity whispered.
“Because she loves me.” Damn it felt good to acknowledge it, to say it out loud.
Vanity went blank.
Reaching for her hand, Stack reeled her in close, then tucked her hair behind her ear. “You do, right? Even though I was an ass?”
She nodded, her face pale. “I do. So much.” Before Stack could return the sentiment, Vanity faced Tabby. “I’m sorry.”
“For giving Phil money?” Tabby waved that off. “Believe me, I know. For years I did the same, trying to think of a way to get him motivated.” She slanted a wry smile at Stack. “Much like Mom tried to motivate me. We both needed some tough love. Combined, we made my brother nuts.”
Stack had hope for the future. “That’s all behind us now, right?”
“Absolutely. It was bad enough that I let Phil screw up my life. I won’t let him screw up a baby’s life, too. If he gets his act together, if he gets a job and shows some maturity, then he can maybe be a dad. But if not, he can just stay away.” Letting that go, Tabby tipped her head at Stack. “So you two aren’t split up?”
Firm, Stack said, “No.”
“Then how did that rumor get started?”
More confused than ever, Vanity said, “I thought we had.”
“Why?”
She gestured at Stack. “He was mad, and I knew I’d really disappointed him and—”
“So?” Crossing her arms and cocking out a hip, Tabby said, “I make him mad all the time, and he’s always disappointed with me.”
“That’s not true, sis.”
Tabby grinned. “Close enough. And sometimes he disappoints me. More often than not he makes me angry. But Vanity, we still love each other. There will be plenty of disagreements. No one is perfect, so problems happen. It doesn’t change anything, not if you don’t let it.”
Stack inhaled. “Damn, sis.”
“Nailed it, didn’t I?”
His sister looked very smug, but he didn’t mind. “Yeah, you did.”
Vanity bit her lip, but as Stack watched, she shrugged off the uncertainty and squared her shoulders. “So...you love me, too?”
Grinning, Stack hugged her right off her feet. “Darlin’, I fell in love with you that night you propositioned me. You threw me for a loop, confused me, turned me on, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. My sister is right, we’re not perfect. But I’m pretty sure, if you’ll have me, we’d be perfect together.”
