“I miss you so much, Lacey. We need to figure something out, because I think you were right.”
“About what?”
“Us. Being apart from you for even a few weeks is harder than Ithought. I don’t know if long-distance is going to work.”
Like an anchor leaving a boat and plummeting to the ocean floor, Lacey’s heart sank. “Wha… what? You don’t want to do this anymore?” She could feel the tears building behind her eyes.
“No, I’m sorry. That came out wrong. Trust me, I want you and I want us.”
She let out a breath and wiped away the tears that escaped. “I want you too. And I do trust you, Drew.”
“I hate to do this, but I need to run into a meeting, and then I have a few calls to make. We’re supposed to be getting a storm here, and I jammed a few meetings together so I wouldn’t need to work all day tomorrow. Will you be home later? I can call you when I get home.”
Feeling a little better, she smiled into the phone. “Yes.”
“Try not to worry about Pete. I’m sure he loved your pitch. If he didn’t, then he’s not as smart as I thought he was.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
Chapter 23
“Uncle Drew!” His niece ran into his office, his brother Mark trailing behind.
Drew stood up from his chair in just enough time to catch the catapulting, snow-covered four-year-old. “Hi.” He peppered Victoria’s cheeks with kisses before dipping her backward and back up again. She giggled, so Drew did it a couple of more times.
Mark groaned. “I’d be careful if I were you. She just had breakfast.”
Victoria squirmed until her feet hit the floor. She slid her small backpack off, pulled off her turquoise-and-pink ski jacket and matching hat, and tossed them on one of the empty chairs. “Can I color, Uncle Drew?”
“Of course.”
Victoria sat at the small round table, pulled out a coloring book and crayons, and got to work. That girl could go from Mach speed to calm in a heartbeat. Her father, on the other hand, looked like he’d been through the ringer. Drew sat behind his desk, and once Mark shrugged off his winter coat, he sat down.
“Sorry to barge in on you.”
“Yeah, why are you guys out on a day like today? It hasn’t stopped snowing all morning.”
Mark ran his hand through his snow-slicked hair. “It wasDaddy and Meday at Victoria’s preschool. Of course, most of the other parents were smart and kept their kids home, and don’t think I didn’t want to do the same. But your niece is a force to be reckoned with. So when we arrived, only two other kids were there. The preschool apologized, but they had to close early and said they would reschedule so the dads could come in another day.”
Drew let out a hearty laugh. “Let me guess, Victoria coerced you into spending the day with her anyway.”
“Yup.” Mark glanced at his daughter, who was swinging her legs and coloring peacefully. “It’s not that I wouldn’t want to, but I just took the morning off, not the afternoon. When we saw your building, Victoria wanted to see her favorite uncle.”
“I have the afternoon free.” Mark’s eyebrows arched as Drew called out to his niece. “Victoria, what do you think about hanging out with me today? I’ll take you to lunch, and then we can go to my place and watch a movie.”
Victoria nodded. “Daddy, is that okay?”
Mark smiled and looked completely relieved. “Yes, baby.” Victoria went back to coloring, and Mark looked back at Drew. “Are you sure? I can pick her up after work.”
“Yes, it’ll be fun. She’ll keep me company and keep my mind occupied.”
“Is everything okay? Is it Lacey?”
Drew leaned back in this chair. “She’s great. I just never thought I would or could want someone as much as I do her. How is it possible to miss someone after only knowing them for a couple of weeks? Explain that to me. Explain how every night I want to hear her voice before I go to sleep and every morning I want my day to start with my arms around her?”
Mark laughed, though Drew couldn’t see what was remotely funny. “I’ll tell you how; you’re in love. Waking up with Monica every morning is the highlight of my day. And, of course, that little one sitting at the table owns the rest of my heart.”