Chapter Twenty-Four
Nick pulled himself out of his car, tired and weary after a long day at work. In contrast to the air-conditioning in his car, the humidity in the parking garage swamped him, making him break into a sweat in about ten seconds. He unknotted his tie as he walked and popped open the top button of his shirt. It was Friday, and his buddies wanted to take him out to welcome him home, but he’d turned them down and asked for a rain check. All he wanted was to get up to his apartment, take a shower, grab a cold beer, and sit on his terrace to watch the evening sky darken into night.
He’d been back for a week now. His hip twinged once in a while, but he was fine. He’d gone back to work immediately and thrown himself into his caseload. He sometimes got tired, but he pushed through it. No way would he show that at work.
His mom had come by on Monday night to make him dinner and hover over him. The home-cooked meal had been nice, but spending some one-on-one time with his mom was even nicer. They talked about the surgery, the Harrisons, and what he wanted for his future where they were concerned. Turned out, he did want them in his life.
He even told her about Amanda. She’d been surprised, but offered support and not too much advice, which he appreciated.
“Give her some time, mijo,” his mom had instructed. “Let her miss you. Let her think about you. And in a few weeks, try again.”
He’d taken a sip of his soda as he mulled that over. “You’d like her, Ma. She’s down to earth, not a phony or pretentious bone in her body. She’s amazing.”
His mom had only nodded. “So, in time, you’ll go after her again. If you want to.”
“I’ll want to,” he’d mumbled. “I miss her like crazy, Ma. I’m . . . Christ, I’m helplessly in love with her. I never felt like this before. I think she’s the one for me.”
“Wow. Okay. Well . . . if it’s meant to be, it’ll be,” she’d said, and spooned another serving of rice onto his plate. “But I have to say, if she lets a man like you go, amazing or not, it’s her loss.”
“You’re totally biased,” he’d said with a grin.
“Of course I am!” She had smiled back. “But it’s still true.”
He worked long hours. He went back to the gym, taking it slow but getting in his workouts. At night, he fell into bed, utterly exhausted. But Amanda was never far from his thoughts. She showed up in his dreams. Awake or asleep, no matter what he was doing, she was there, in his head and in his heart. She owned him.
He hadn’t heard from her at all. The pain of it was like nothing he’d ever felt before, only showing him that yes, he was truly in love with her. He’d never felt like this about another woman. And the fucking misery of it, the ache of knowing how deeply he felt about someone who had cut him off, was a palpable thing that never let go. He didn’t know how to let go of her, because he didn’t want to.
He’d try again soon. But for now, he’d live with the heartache and push through. Other than the pictures and texts on his phone, the heartache was all he had left of her.
As he emerged from the garage, the late-evening sun slanted at an angle that blinded him, even with his sunglasses on. The leaves of the palm trees overhead barely swayed; there was no breeze. It was just hot and humid, typical mid-June weather. Nick thought about jumping in the pool for a quick swim before a beer. He wasn’t hungry; he’d had a late lunch at the station. Maybe a swim would be good, he thought as he approached the front door of his modest building. Swim, beer, scroll through his pictures of Amanda and miss her some more like the pathetic idiot he was, Netflix, bed.
Yup, those were his plans for the night, done, he decided as he pulled open the door to the small foyer.
He stopped cold. Amanda stood there, between the metal front door and the glass door that allowed people access to the building’s lobby.
He blinked, his brain taking a few seconds to process that. She straightened up, her eyes widening a drop. She bit down on her bottom lip for a second before clearing her throat. The corners of her mouth ticked up shyly. “Hi.”
His heart rate started climbing. “Hi.”
“I wanted to wait for you somewhere I knew I’d definitely catch you,” she said. “But I didn’t want to bother you at work, so I decided to wait here.”
He gave her a quick once-over. Her silky blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a simple light blue tank dress and green flip-flops. Her pale skin was dewy with sweat; the air-conditioning in the small foyer was on, but weak. A burgundy suitcase stood perched beside her feet, her flowered tote bag resting on top of it. She licked her lips and stared back at him.
She was the most welcome, beautiful sight he’d ever seen in his life.
“How’d you know where I lived?” he asked.
“I asked Charles for your address,” she said. “I told him I wanted to send you a ‘hope you’re feeling well’ card. Blatant lie, but you know . . . desperate times call for desperate measures and all that. I’m not sorry.”
“I’m not either.” Warmth bloomed in Nick’s chest, along with a surge of hope. She was there. “How long have you been here?”
She grabbed her cell phone from where it poked out of the pocket of her tote and glanced at it. “About an hour. I thought you said you usually work until six o’clock, so . . .”
He winced. It was just past seven now. “I worked late every night this week. Sorry to make you wait.”
“Don’t be! You didn’t make me wait—you had no idea I was here.”
He couldn’t stop staring at her. She’d come all this way, for him.
She fidgeted with her silver bracelet. “I hate seeming like a stalker, but I didn’t want to miss you. I know this must seem a little creepy, but I . . .” A shadow of ambivalence crossed her features.
“No, it’s okay,” he said quickly. “You’re the one stalker I’m happy to see.”
She blinked, and a hint of a hopeful grin lifted her lips. “I didn’t know if you’d even want to see me. I didn’t know if I blew it for good, if you’d even take my call if I called.” She reached up to adjust her ponytail and brush it off her shoulder, an endearingly nervous gesture. “This week, I picked up the phone so many times, but I didn’t know what to say. How to break through the wall I put up between us. I did that, so it was on me to reach out. You stopped trying, so I thought you were done, and so I . . . did something a little crazy. I just took a chance.” Her eyes widened a little. “I had to try, Nick. I just hope it’s not too late?”
He gripped her face with both hands, pulled her against him, and took her mouth with a heated, consuming kiss. She whimpered into his mouth and opened for him, kissing him back with equal passion, matching his fervor as her arms snaked around his waist to hold him tight.
He kissed her long and hard, the feel of her mouth and arms and body making his blood race. He kissed her without holding back as adrenaline and pure joy shot through him. He’d never felt such elation in his life.
When he broke the kiss to gaze down at her, they were both breathless. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. “Ahhh. Yes.”
“I guess that means it’s okay I just showed up at your door.”
“It’s more than okay,” he said. “Christ, I missed you, baby. I’ve been a wreck.”
“You still want me,” she said, but it was more like a question, seeking assurance.
“Hell yes,” he said, still cradling her head with his hands. “More than anything.” He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her again. She tasted minty and sweet and like heaven on earth. “And I guess you want me too, since you’re here.”
“Of course I do,” she said. “I missed you too. Every minute, really.”
He kissed her again, needing to taste her sweet mouth, feel her breathe into him.
“I’ve been thinking about everything since I threw you out of my apartment.” Her hands swept up and down his arms, his back, gazing at him like she was drinking him in. “I’m sorry about how I handled that. But I hated that you tossed me that ‘hey, move to Miami’ on a whim. We do need to talk about that.”
“Agreed. I screwed that up so badly.” He groaned, shaking his head. “You were right to kick my ass over it. I was selfish and stupid. But the sentiment was real. It came from a good place, Amanda, I swear. I just didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want it to be over. I got desperate, because that whole week, every time I tried to talk about it—”
“I know. I screwed up too, Nick. You were right—I got scared. So I shut you down and pushed you away.” Her eyes held his, unwavering. “I pushed you away because I didn’t want to lose myself in something that wasn’t real, that wasn’t going to last. And I didn’t see how we could last. But . . . I can’t see not being with you. I want us, together.”
“I do too. That’s all I want, us together. We can figure it out if we just talk about it, can’t we?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me for shutting you out.”
“Forgiven,” he said. His hands smoothed down her back, stopping just above her ass to hold her tighter against him. She felt so good in his arms. “Does this mean you’ve forgiven me for dropping the move idea on you so stupidly?”
“Forgiven,” she said without pause. “I have to admit, it was kind of romantic. . . .”
He grinned, but something else occurred to him. “One last thing. You really gonna be okay with dating a cop? It breaks your big rule. . . .”
“It does.” She looked right into his eyes. “But I don’t care anymore, because I just want you. I’ll worry about you every damn day, but I’ll learn to deal with it. I’m willing to take the risk. Because I’ll have you, and that’s what matters most.”
“Okay then.” He held her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re here. We’re together. We’re going to work this out. That’s all that matters, mi reina.”
“Okay then.” She echoed him with a smile. “I was worried you gave up on me.”
“I gave up on calling or texting,” he admitted, “but only for a while. I was letting you do your turtle thing, waiting—hoping—that you’d cool down and realize I really do love you. I was giving you some time, then I was going to come after you again. I never gave up on you—I kept loving you.” He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know how to stop loving you, and I didn’t want to. I couldn’t if I tried.”
“Thank God.” She sighed and let her head drop to rest on his chest as she hugged him.
His hands skated over her hair, her back, everywhere he could touch. “The suitcase is a good sign,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head.
She chuckled and said, “We have a lot to talk about. I was hoping you’d let me stay long enough to do that. Might take a few days to figure this all out.”
“I’d love that.” He kissed her hair and hugged her. “Baby, I know we can make this work somehow. Maybe try a long-distance relationship for a few months, then . . . see where we go from there?”
“I was thinking something like that too. Whatever it takes.” She pulled back to look up into his eyes. “Because I love you, Nick. I’m yours. I have been from the start. I just hated to admit how much I wanted it. It scared me. I’m not scared of that anymore. The only thing that scared me now was the thought that I’d lost you for good.”
He smiled as his blood raced through his veins. “Say that again?”
Her brows puckered in confusion. “Which part?”
“The loving me part,” he murmured. “First time you finally admitted it, we were fighting. This time, it sounded like music.”
Her smile spread wide and bright as her eyes sparkled with joy. “I love you, Miami Vice. I love you so much I got on a plane and came here to work it out with nothing but a wing and a prayer, hoping it wasn’t too late.”
“I’m so glad you did.” His hands lifted to hold her face as he smiled back at her. “Te amo, mi reina bella.” He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. “Mi amor, mi cielo . . .” Another kiss, long and sweet, as his hands ran over her hair, down her back. “Mi vida . . .”
“I love when you call me mi reina,” she murmured against his lips. “And I understand mi amor.” She smiled. “But the other things? I need translation, please.”
“Mi cielo, my sky.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Mi vida . . .” He gently nipped her bottom lip. “Love of my life.”
“Ohhh. I really like that one,” she whispered, beaming. Her head cocked to the side, as if an idea hit her. “You know, if I’m eventually going to move down here, I better learn some Spanish. I think I’m going to start taking lessons.”
The idea made him smile so wide his cheeks hurt. “That sounds great. But I’ll gladly be your personal tutor, if you want.”
“Hmm. I’m serious about learning, but if you want to help me too, that could be fun. You’ll likely distract me, but . . .” She squeezed his ass and asked playfully, “How should I compensate you for your lessons?”
“Heh. I can think of several ways. . . .”
He drew her in tight, sifted his fingers along her hair, and kissed her again and again. She pressed herself against him, melting into his arms as their mouths met, their deep, passionate kisses saying all the things they couldn’t express with words.
Nick’s mind reeled as they willingly drowned in their embrace. They were together. She’d come around and admitted how she felt, both to herself and to him. She definitely loved him as much as he loved her, if the woman who hated taking risks took one like this to fly to Miami and seek him out. He’d made mistakes—they both had—but their love had won out, because it was real. They had connected in a way they would never deny again. It may have started in chaos, but they’d found each other in the storm.
They were meant to find each other. Nick believed that with all his heart.
So yeah, they’d talk tonight, and over the next few days. But he knew they’d work everything out, and that their future together was going to be incredible. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. Amanda was his forever.