“Why didn’t she tell me that?”
“She didn’t want to bug you, I guess. I don’t know. Where the hell are you going?” he questioned when he spotted the keys in Vincent’s hand.
“I need to talk to my father. Think you can hold down the fort for an hour?”
“And if they follow you?”
“I’d hope they wouldn’t be that disrespectful to follow me to my father’s grave. I’ll be back.”
Vincent ignored his sputtering as he walked to the garage and opened it. He was barely in the truck when he heard questions shouted at him, but he tuned them out, backed down the drive, and drove to the cemetery. No one followed him, at least, and he hoped Billy kept them occupied by selling them some story or other. All he needed was a few minutes to talk to his dad and sort out the last of his concerns.
When he parked at the cemetery, he tried to call Natalie, but she didn’t answer. He left her a voicemail then texted her for good measure, wanting to know what was going on. She hadn’t texted him back by the time he reached his father’s grave and knelt in front of it, kissing his fingers and resting them on the stone.
“Hey, Dad,” he said, glancing up at the early morning sky. “I’m sure you know about what’s happening down here. I’ve been all twisted up lately, and I think you know that too.” He sat down, resting his back against the stone as he usually did. “I…uh, I found the woman I want to spend my life with. No whiskey on a rooftop, but we did have our night on a bridge that ended with us in the water. I really think you’d like her.”
The wind ruffled his hair and he smirked.
“I know you told me you would be proud to have me follow you and take your seat one day, but with everything that’s going on, I’m not sure if that’s the right path for me anymore.”
Leaves broke free from a nearby tree and landed on his lap. He brushed them aside absently, lost in his thoughts.
“I never meant for a scandal to happen, but I never expected to find a love so intense, so pure, I can’t live without it. I want to be with Natalie, and to do that, I don’t think I can run for Congress. In fact…I don’t want to anymore. My heart’s not in it. I want you to understand why I’m turning down the chance to be like you when I feel like I already am.” He smiled softly and patted the grass by his side. “You loved Mom so much and everyone saw that, including me. I feel the same for Natalie. Thank you for teaching me how to see what was right in front of me. I’m not letting this chance go.”
His conscience clear and his heart light, Vincent stood and brushed the grass from his jeans. He left another kiss on his dad’s grave and strode to the truck when the breeze lifted his hair. He spun around and swore he spotted the back of a man in a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots walking away through the cemetery. Vincent smiled, not caring if what he saw was real or not, and ran the rest of the way to his truck.
Alex handed Lana her suitcase and frowned at the twins. “How long are you going to be gone?”
Natalie shrugged and Lana sighed. “Just a week or two. It’s about time we visit our parents anyway, but we’ll be back, don’t worry.”
“She’ll be back for sure,” Natalie told him. “I’ll make certain of it.”
“You’re really going to run from this? Does Vincent even know what you’re doing?”
Natalie glanced at her phone and the five missed calls from Vincent along with a stream of texts. She turned her cell off and shoved it in her butt pocket. “It’s too late, we’re leaving. Lana, whenever you’re ready.”
The drive to the airport wouldn’t be long. Lana asked if she wanted to drive to Maine, but without Vincent to keep her from having a full-fledged panic attack, there was no way in hell Natalie could make that long a trip. Alex offered to drive them, but Natalie told him it’d be better if he came and picked up Lana’s car later. For all she knew, there were reporters staked out at the airport, waiting to catch her if they caught wind that she was running. She hadn’t a clue what Billy would leak to the press so they would chase her down instead of Vincent, blaming her for the wedding and the mix up.
Lana climbed in behind the wheel. “All right, you ready to go?”
“For the tenth time, yes. Now let’s go.”
“Just checking. You don’t have to bite my head off.”
Natalie sighed and held her sister’s hand. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I just want to get out of here.”
“I know.” She put the car in drive and they pulled out into traffic. “What do you think Mom and Dad are going to say when we explain what happened?”
Natalie watched out the window as traffic grew heavy around them. “I have no idea.”
Just get to the airport and you’ll be away from this mess. I’m sorry, Vincent, it’s for your own good.
No, it’s not, you idiot, and you know it, she argued with herself and straightened in her seat. You are really going to leave the only man you’ve ever loved, just like that, because some d-bag told you to? What happened to the fiery Natalie?
“Lana,” she said urgently, gripping her sister’s arm. “Turn around.”
“What—why?”
“Because I need you to turn around.”
Lana’s look of confusion turned into a bright smile as she squealed with delight. “Thank God. There’s the sister I know. Let’s do this shit.” She exited the interstate and waited at the light for it to turn green so she could go under the overpass and head back in the direction they came from. The light turned green, and she let her foot off the brake. The car moved into the intersection.
Suddenly, Lana screamed and threw her arm out against Natalie. Horns blared and Natalie heard her sister yell in pain before darkness flooded her vision and everything disappeared.
Vincent parked the truck in the driveway and stepped out. Billy ran to his side, whispering in his ear, “You need to get your ass inside and get changed. We’re going to have a press conference right now and clear this mess up. I need you looking your best.”
Vincent pulled his arm from his friend’s grasp. “I’m afraid we’re not, actually.”
“What are you talking about? What the hell are you doing?”
“I am taking care of this situation once and for all.” He waved his hand at everyone, motioning for them to be quiet as he walked to the front porch, Billy at his side. “I’m glad you all are here, actually. I understand there’s been some confusion about my wedding and the woman I married.”
“Is she even your wife?” a woman yelled out.
“Is it legal? What were you trying to do, marry both twins?’
“Are you secretly a Mormon? Do you have more than one wife already?”
“You see what you started,” Billy uttered behind him. “Go inside and let me get them calmed down.”
Vincent ignored him and held up his hands again. “Please, if you could all hear me out. For many years, I tried to find the right woman. It never happened, so yes, I resorted to a website that sets people up to be married, and yes, there was a slight issue with which twin I married, but it was a happy mistake brought on by one sister’s love for another. None of that matters, however, because I love Natalie Jenkins and she loves me. We are husband and wife, and we are going to stay husband and wife.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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