Fire In His Eyes (Secrets & Seduction #1)(53)

“You’re pretty, Mon. I love your jeans. I would love a pair of jeans like that, but mom and dad say no way, whenever I ask for a pair of skinny jeans,” she confided in me. I had just bought these this morning. I hadn’t wanted to wear anything sexy, but all my casual pants had been too large. They were not my usual style, but they were comfortable and fit well at least. Victor looked at my legs then, and I think it was the first time he noticed what I had on, because I saw a lick, just a bit, but I saw it, a flame in his eye. My heart accelerated.

“Thanks Stacey, but your dad is probably right. If you wore these, he would have a heart attack, or worse, he’d have to chase all the boys away with a stick and you would be mortified,” I teased her. “Fathers can be so embarrassing at times.”

“Don’t I know it!” she rolled her eyes and looked back at her dad.

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” he sounded wounded as he looked at his daughter. Adoration for her filled his expression.

“Yes, you are,” she teased. “Well sometimes.” Brittany and Lucy over by the snack and refreshment table began to beckon to her. “Okay, I gotta go get some snacks and I want to hang out with the girls. I’ll be back later, Monica because I want to ask you about your fingernails. Don’t let me forget.” And she was off, skipping over to the buffet, and her two friends who were piling their own snacks onto paper plates.

I looked down at my freshly painted manicured fingernails, French-tipped. I had the nail tech add a little sparkle to the pinkies, but other than that, nothing fancy. “Oh, brother,” Victor laughed, “am I in trouble or what?” he joked, but clarified when he saw my confusion, “She’s been begging her mom and I to let her get a real manicure and not a fake one.”

“They grow up fast,” I offered looking around and realizing for the first time we were standing by ourselves and that Joe and Kat were now sitting with another group of people.

“Yeah, they sure do,” he grumbled. His hands rubbed his temples. “It’s scary. It scares me that I won’t be there every night.”

My heart lurched. It sounded as though he was resigned to it being over with his wife. I squashed that feeling and put it away to ponder later. “You are,” I whispered and then more firmly. “Maybe not physically, but you see her every week at least, and every other weekend for three days, and when you do, I am sure it’s quality time. The time you spend apart, the lessons you teach, and the morals are with her always. Those just don’t go away,” I explained.

“You’re right, you’re right,” he muttered and shook his head. “You were great with her, by the way. You really can talk to kids,” he added mildly surprised.

“I, um, am a teacher, Victor! Kids are my life.” I teased. “I’m the kid whisperer.”

“Well, then I may have to come to you for advice if you’re such an expert,” he laughed at my joke.

“Sure. Anytime.” I laughed in return.

“Come on let’s go circulate,” he offered me his hand, and I took it. He gave my hand a little squeeze and I trailed behind him. He introduced me to a few new people and I got reacquainted with those I knew; Michael, Tina and Maria.

At one point, Victor wandered off to spend a little time with his daughter and I found myself back talking with Kat.

After a few minutes of conversation, she came out with it. “Yeah, so . . .,” she paused. “You still love him, don’t you?”

I couldn’t lie. I sighed. “Yes, but I am not a husband stealer. I just couldn’t do that to anyone. But, I do care for Victor, and I think we both just needed to know that the other was all right before we could move on,” I explained hoping she would understand.

“I don’t think you’re a husband stealer, Mon. Please don’t take it that way. I’m glad you are here for him. His wife, er, Julianna, she bailed on the marriage four years ago.”

My eyebrow arched up at her words. “Yeah, at first it was the sex. He hasn’t had sex with her in three years. He only started . . . ,” she paused searching for the right words, “seeing girls a year or so ago after she kicked him out. There were a lot, mind you, but he never saw any of them more than once or twice. And at first, it was only out of anger. But since you, there has been no one, not even since you . . . well you know what I mean,” she finished lamely.

I was shocked by this revelation. She was telling me Victor had been in a marriage for three years without any sex at all, a man like him, and that he had just meaningless flings before me, then it was just me. I didn’t know what to say. I just stood there, jaw dropped, staring.

She continued, “But I can understand why you want to be cautious. She was a winner. She played head games, making him think he was a freak, when it was more about the money. Her folks are loaded. She never got used to Army life. Would not even consider living in base housing even after Stacey came along. She would stay with her parents when he was away, or in training. Julianna made him get an apartment and never wanted to hang out with his Army buddies. We weren’t her people. She never even tried to get to know us. She kept to her own circles.” It was clear Kat was not a fan of Julianna’s.

I was taking this all in. It confused me, and I couldn’t seem to make sense of all the information. It did, however, make me understand why Victor had lied for so long, and it did make me understand why he was such a mess. But, what I didn’t get was why he was fighting to keep a woman that didn’t love him. Why he didn’t understand it was more important for his daughter to see both her parents happy, than to be miserable together?