Page 107 of The Defender

“Wonderful. I’ll send them after Charlie and I get home from our walk on the beach. Say hi to Brooklyn, Charlie!” I heard his gurgling laughter in the background.

Everything in me softened. I opened my mouth to say hi when the call abruptly cut off.

She’d hung up.

I gritted my teeth. No matter how good a mood I was in, my mom had an uncanny knack for ruining it.

I fought the urge to throw my phone across the room. Instead, I texted the only person who could cheer me up and hoped to God he was free that afternoon.

Me:Can you meet me in Covent Garden in an hour?

Covent Garden during the holidays was jam-packed with tourists and locals rushing to fit in some last-minute gift shopping. That was precisely why I’d picked it.

I’d learned that alone time after talking to my mom was always a bad thing. Her voice would echo endlessly in my head, and I needed enough noise to drown it out.

Vincent was already waiting near the Christmas market when I arrived. He wore a black coat and dark jeans with a black baseball cap pulled low over his forehead. I couldn’t see his face from afar, but I’d have recognized him even if he was wearing a full ski mask. The relaxed, confident posture and aura of self-assurance were unmistakable.

“No sweats and hoodie? I’m shocked,” I said when I got within earshot. “Don’t tell me you dressed up just for me.”

His smile flashed white beneath his cap. “I heard this is the spot to meet women during the holidays. Figured I’d give it a try.”

“I hate to break it to you, but look around. There aren’t many single women here. It’s family and couples central.”

“I don’t need a ton of options.”

“No?”

“No.” His dimple deepened. “I just need one.”

The way my chest fluttered from four simple words should be illegal. A smile spread across my face and stayed there as we slowly made our way through the crowd. The noise made it difficult to talk, so we settled into a comfortable silence instead.

It was wild to think we could go from having mind-blowing, neighbor-disrupting sex last night to this, but it worked. I’d had relationships where I only turned to the other person for one thing. Some had been for sex, some had been for comfort, and others had been for food and partying.

But Vincent encompassed everything. No matter the situation, I always wanted him there.

“My dad came by earlier,” I said when we reached a quieter corner of the market. “He told me what you said.” I gave him a quick summary of our conversation.

“I’m glad you two mended fences. Almost as glad as I am that he didn’t punch me.”

“What would you have done if he had?”

“I’d have dealt with it,” Vincent said. “At the end of the day, it was a choice. I chose you.”

I chose you.

It was one thing to hear my dad recount it. It was another to hear it from Vincent himself. He said it so casually, as if it was a foregone conclusion and he wasn’t the first person who’d ever chosen to put me first.

Something cracked open inside me. I breathed through the ache, but despite the icy temperatures, I was a pile of melted goo inside.

Vincent and I stopped at a hot cocoa stand for refreshments. We sipped our drinks and watched the other customers pass. It was a cozy, slow-paced day, which was what I needed, but I eventually brought up my mom’s call. I had to.

“I talked to my mom after my dad left.” I cupped my hands around my Styrofoam cup, letting the heat warm my palms. “She has a scheduled C-section next month, and she wants me to be there for the birth.”

“In California?” Vincent’s eyebrow rose. “Did you do that the first time?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I was still living in San Diego then, so it wasn’t a big deal. I should go again, right? It’s not like I have work, and it’ll be good to see Charlie. He’s my half-brother. It’s been a while since I’ve visited.”

Vincent frowned. He didn’t speak until we tossed our empty cups into the bin and resumed our walk through the market.