Vic Vaughn is Vicious by J.A. Huss

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - DAISY

After Vic’s call, there is no way I can go back to sleep. My mind is spinning with thoughts of him, and Vivi, and our upcoming date. I lie in bed with my eyes closed, just letting myself get lost in the fantasy.

I wonder what he has planned? It can’t be that big of a deal because I know he has to work tonight. It’s Friday and there’s no freaking way he’s taking off on a Friday night. I haven’t seen him since our trip out east on Wednesday because yesterday we were both busy working. I was covering a shift so I can slip out early in Sunday for the pool party at Veronica’s and Vic is always busy at the shop. People are always walking in for tats.

I love that I can stand in the Pancake House dining room and just look across the street at that place. And this is strange because a week ago, I hated that place. I did my best to never look over there and now it’s all I think about.

He is all I think about.

And that sex we had out under the trees? Jesus. Just thinking about it gets me hot.

My phone buzzes and I pick it up, hoping it’s Vic. But it’s not. It’s Rina telling me that they will be in the library early if I want to study.

Today’s final is chemistry and I do need to study. Rina is actually a pre-vet student, so she’s been helping me with this class all semester. I don’t exactly need this final—I’m not in danger of failing if I screw it up—but I don’t want to fail, so I get up, get ready, and then head out for the bus.

Twenty minutes later I’m walking up to the study table on the second floor of the library.

“Last day, bitch,” Ella says. “Are you ready?”

I set my backpack down and take a seat. “I’m fucking ready.”

Luu giggles in my direction, her face buried in a book.

“So what’s the update?” Ella asks.

I assume she’s talking to me, since she’s looking at me. But I don’t know what she’s talking about. “Update on what?”

“Vicious Vaughn,” Rina says.

“Oh.” I smile and cross my arms. “So that’s why you invited me today.”

“Shut up!” Ella says. “You know we love you.”

“For an old lady.” Rina snickers.

“Who just caught the hottest older man in history in her feminine net,” Luu adds, still buried in her book.

“Truth,” Ella says.

“Spill it,” Rina demands. “We want details.”

“We deserve details,” Ella adds. “We’ve been true friends for thirteen months now.”

Friends. I give in—“OK”—and agree to details.

“Yes!” Rina and Ella high-five.

“But it stays in the circle.”

“Cross our hearts,” Ella says.

They all lean in. Even Luu, who has put down her book.

“Well…” And there is no way to stop my smile.

“OMG,” Ella says. “You slept with him!”

I blush so bright. I feel ten years younger. But all I can do is nod.

Rina slaps my arm. “Every. Fucking. Detail.”

“Right now,” Luu adds.

“And don’t leave out a single thing,” Ella demands.

“Especially what his dick looks like.” Rina snickers.

I have never been this girl. The one with lots of friends who love to gossip and tell each other secrets. But I turn into her now. And I like it. I like these friends. I don’t care how young they are. They’re fun. And supportive. And I don’t even mind telling them personal things because they have encouraging words at every turn. They joke with me, and smile with me, and they are just happy for me that things are going well.

“So what time is this date?” Ella asks. She’s gathering up her things because she has her last final in ten minutes.

“I told him I’d be done by eleven-fifteen, so he’s meeting me outside the chemistry building.”

They all look at each other.

“Nope,” I say, holding up a finger. “You will not show up there.”

“Bitch,” Rina says. “We’re so showing up.”

“Are you kidding?” Luu says. “Even I want to see Vicious Vaughn in the flesh on campus. He’s a legend. And besides, I have a final in the same building. And even though being outside at eleven-fifteen means I will only have approximately thirty minutes to do my test, I do not care. I will take an F on this final to personally meet Vic Vaughn.”

“You guys—”

“No,” Ella says. “We need to speak to him.”

“We have to grill him,” Rina adds, sneaking a sly look over at Luu. “Right?”

“Yep.” Luu latches on to the excuse. “We need to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

“It’s our duty,” Ella proclaims.

“We’ll see,” I say.

“Oh, I’m gonna be there early,” Ella says, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “And I’m going to take photos.”

She blows us all a kiss and then takes off in a rush to make her last final on time.

“I know damn well you left out some details, so I want to hear it all again,” Rina says, scooting over to occupy the chair that Ella just vacated. “Start from the beginning.”

And I don’t even mind telling it again. This week with Vic has been amazing. But then I remember that I’m a mother and I gather up my things so I can call Vivi on my walk over to the chemistry building.

She doesn’t pick up, but Veronica does.

“Hey, Daisy. How are you doing this morning?” Ronnie Shrike is so friendly, she is very easy to like.

“Just heading over to my last final.”

“Oh, you’re gonna kill it. I can tell. You’re one of those smart people.”

“I’m really not, but I’m not nervous, so I think I’ll do fine. How’s Vivi?”

“Oh, so excited about the goats. We’re just getting ready to go pick them up. She wants to stay the weekend.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But if you want her home, I will bring her home when you’re done with your final.”

“No. That’s OK. She can stay. Vic and I are going on a date today.”

Ronnie sucks in a breath. Holds it.

“Veronica?”

Her breath comes out in a rush. “He likes you, Daisy. I hope you guys hit it off. And I like you, and Spencer likes you. We just… like you.”

“Thanks,” I say, getting a warm feeling all over. “I like you guys too. And I think we are hitting it off. I mean, he’s not the guy I thought he was.”

“He’s a good one. Sure, he’s had his issues, but that’s all in the past now. He grew out of most of them. He’s never gonna drive a minivan, right? He’s always going to have the bikes and he’s always gonna do the tats. But even though his name is Vicious, he’s not vicious to the people he loves.”

“Yeah. I know all that. I kinda wish I had told him when I first found out I was pregnant. But…” I shrug, even though she can’t see me. “Things are going great right now. Maybe this was just how it was meant to be?”

“Exactly. No regrets. No one has time for that. You two are different people now. You were very young when you first met him, and he wasn’t exactly father material back then. But he is now. I can just tell he adores Vivian. And Vivian adores him. She talks about him all the time. You too, so—”

“Oh, I’m not jealous. I mean, maybe I was at first.”

“I totally get it. If someone suddenly appeared in my life and started changing everything, I’d resent it too.”

“But they are good changes, I think.”

“I think so too.” We both pause to smile. At least I do. Then Ronnie says, “Do you want me to chase down Vivi so you can talk to her?”

“No, I’ll call again later this afternoon.”

“And you’re coming to the pool party on Sunday, right?”

“I’m actually really looking forward to it.”

“Perfect. Well, go slay that test and we’ll talk again later.”

“Thank you, Veronica. For everything.”

“Hey, that’s what family is for.”

And then we say goodbye and hang up.

But I just stand there stuck on the word ‘family.’

I never thought I’d have a family like this. Not even when my parents were alive. We were tight, but our family is small. No aunts or uncles. No grandparents. The relatives I did have when I was small all passed away in my early teens. So it was mostly just the three of us and then four when Vivi came along.

But Vic is a package deal. His family is huge. Just the immediate family consists of fourteen people. God only knows how many others are lurking out there.

Plus there’s always those friends who count as family. These people must have a lot of friends. There’s no possible way they don’t. Everyone knows them, so at the very least they have hundreds of close acquaintances.

And I will get to meet them all if Vic and I are together. I will get to have Christmas with these people. Everything will be a big deal. Birthdays, holidays, hell, there’s probably a reunion too.

I’m just entering the lecture hall where my final is when my phone buzzes a text. And when I look down at the screen, I see that it’s Vic.

Good luck today, he says. See you at eleven-fifteen.

I actually sigh as I slip into my seat and put my phone away.

I don’t know how I got so lucky, or what I did to deserve this total one-eighty in my life, but I haven’t felt this happy and optimistic about things since… well. It’s been a very long time. Long before my parents died and we lost the farm.

I never imagined I could start over again with school.

I never even thought I’d have another boyfriend, let alone be dating my daughter’s father.

And I never expected all these new things would make me so happy after all the tragedy I endured last year.

Life is good.

I love it.

I love everything about it.

My test goes as expected and I’m handing in my paper at five minutes after eleven. I figure if I get outside a little early, I can meet up with Vic and avoid the girls. But when I get outside, I realize that is a fantasy.

No Vic, thank God. But all three girls are waiting for me.

“There she is,” Ella says, sneaking up to me and then pinching my cheek.

“Our little girl is all grown up,” Rina teases.

Luu smirks at me knowingly. “You came out early to avoid us, didn’t you?”

“No,” I deny.

She narrows her eyes at me and whispers, “Lies.”

“You guys, please don’t embarrass me.”

Ella clicks her tongue. “Now why would we do that?” She and Rina high-five, then giggle like idiots.

“Seriously. This is our first real date.”

Rina snorts. “Says the mother of his child.”

I give up. They are having way too much fun with my love life at the moment so there is no way to fight this. “Fine,” I say. “I will introduce you when he gets here.” All three of them clap. Even Luu. “But you have to be on your best behavior.”

They all cross their hearts. And their fingers.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I fish it out. “It’s Vic.” His text says, Are you outside yet? I text back, Yes. By the fountain. The girls are jumping up and down. “You guys are being dumb. He’s just a man.”

Rina makes a face at me. “Just a man? No. This is the bad boy of Fort Collins. He’s a legend.”

“And he’s practically famous,” Ella says.

“I’m totally booking a tattoo with him,” Rina says.

“I tried last night,” Ella says. “But he charges three hundred dollars an hour.”

“I swear to God, if you guys show up at the shop—”

But my words are cut off by a very loud noise.

All four of us turn and look down the street towards the dorms and then my friends gasp out loud.

Because that noise is Vicious Vaughn atop a mean-looking powerhouse of a bike that shines with chrome. He’s wearing a white t-shirt, his dragon tattoos bright in the sun. His faded jeans are tattered on one knee and his black boots and chain wallet are a dead giveaway that he’s the real deal. He rides the bike right onto the sidewalk, making crowds of students scatter and squeal. And when he stops in front of me, he slides a pair of mirrored sunglasses down his nose with one hand and tosses me a white helmet covered in stickers with the other. “Get on,” he says.

That’s it. No Hello, Daisy. Who are your friends? Just Get on.

“Oh, my God.” I hear Ella even over the revving of the bike’s engine.

“Hurry up, Daisy,” Vic says. “The po-po are on my ass.” He winks at me. And I can’t tell if he’s serious or not.

Probably not. But if we stay here on the sidewalk any longer, the campus police will surely show up. I shoulder on my backpack, swing my leg over, and have just enough time to grab Vic’s hard, well-muscled stomach as we lurch forward with a loud roar.

I wave at the girls before we disappear between two buildings and then bump down off the sidewalk and take off down Pitkin Street.