Chapter Thirty-Eight
I hadn’t intended to fall asleep in Nick’s arms on his couch with Skye snuggled against me also sleeping soundly. It felt amazing, but when I realized I was at his home and it was late, I stirred and turned, ever so gently to not wake up Skye, to find Nick awake and gazing at me in the semi-dark.
“Why did you let me fall asleep? You were supposed to take me back to my hotel,” I whispered.
His only answer was to brush my lips with his own. “Stay with me, Kate.”
I hadn’t received that kind of invitation in a long time. My heart was beating double-time even thinking about what that meant. “Nick, I can’t . . . we can’t . . . yet.”
“I’m not inviting you to my bed. I promise you, the anchor will come before the pleasure cruise.”
“You listened to me.”
“Every word.” He stroked my cheek. “Please stay.”
“Even if we aren’t going to sleep together, I don’t have my stuff with me. And how will it look to Skye?”
“It will look like I finally let her have a sleepover. We’ll all stay here on the couch,” he said as if that was a logical solution.
“And she’s not going to think it’s weird that you let your friend stay the night?”
“You can say it like it is and call yourself my girlfriend. Skye already does.”
“Does she now? And where did she get that idea?”
“I think everyone but you knew.”
“That’s not true. Kenadie and Zander said I was too smart to fall for you.”
His brows furrowed together. Something about Kenadie rubbed him the wrong way. “What do they know?” he grumbled.
“Regardless of what I am or not, I don’t have my things.” I grinned. Honestly, I was happy to think of myself as his girlfriend.
He shrugged. “Everything you need will be here in the morning.”
That gave me some pause. “Do you keep a closet full of women’s clothing for ‘occasions’ like these?”
“What are you implying?”
“I don’t want to be anyone’s conquest.” My vulnerabilities were coming out.
“Kate.” He rested his forehead on mine. “Despite my reputation, I’m not that kind of man. I don’t see women, especially you, as conquests. Yes, I’ve made mistakes—you know that. But you’re different. We’re different. I knew from the first time we met, you would be.”
“The very first time?” I eked.
He kissed my nose. “Yes.”
“How could you know then? We barely had a conversation.”
“Only because you ran off, which seems to be how you operate. Why did you leave?”
“Your fans mauled you and pushed me out of the way. It looked like you were kind of busy.”
“Busy trying to get away from them so I could see what your plans were . . . for the rest of your life.”
Time and my lungs stopped working with that confession. “Really?” I breathed out.
“Really.” His eyes tried to convey how sincere he was. “When we touched it was like—”
“A torrid love letter,” I whispered.
“You felt it too.”
I nodded.
“Why did you refuse to tell me we’d met before?” He was not going to let that question go.
I looked up to his high ceilings and bit my lip. “Because I didn’t want you to ruin the magic of that moment for me. I was afraid if I ever told anyone about it, it wouldn’t be real. The connection I felt that day was so overwhelming. I’ve wondered if I would ever have it again. But even if I never got to experience it again, I needed it after everything I went through. Something to hope for. As silly as that sounds.”
“What you’re saying is you needed me.” A smile danced in his eyes.
“In some way, I suppose.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Honestly, though, as magical as that moment was, it made me realize that as much as I had dreamed about you, you and I weren’t meant to be. You were a newly single father of a toddler.” I stroked the hair of that toddler, now all grown up, who rested against me. “A man who could have any woman he wanted, and you didn’t need another coed fangirl vying for your attention. I knew I couldn’t compete. I didn’t even want to try. So I hung up my dreams and got involved with a nightmare.”
He held me tighter as if trying to protect me. “You had my attention for far longer than you’ve known. I wanted you then and now.”
His words filled me with such pleasure, but a hint of worry played in the background. “Nick, I’m not the girl who wrote your name in my notebooks or ogled you on my wall.”
“Kate, I’m not looking for a fan to share my life with. I want the woman who looks past my fame and who’s not afraid to keep my ego in check. You do both well.”
I laughed softly into his shoulder.
“But if you want to hang me up on your wall again, I wouldn’t stop you. I’d be happy to hang a picture of you on my wall.” The last part sounded sincere, maybe even the first half.
I snuggled closer to him. “Nick, is this crazy?”
“No.” He tilted my chin up and our lips met. Feelings of serendipity swirled around us. His kiss was warm and gentle this time. He barely parted my lips and only lingered for a stirring moment. He brushed his hand across my cheek and through my hair. “Stay with me.”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
He swiped my lips one more time. “Good night, Kate.”
I settled back against him, feeling connected and whole for the first time in a very long time. Peaceful sleep engulfed me.
~*~
I woke to the sound of Skye frantically shouting about how she was going to be late.
Nick and I both sat up lazily.
“I better make us something to eat.” Nick yawned.
“Do you want me to see if I can help her while you do that?” I was afraid to overstep bounds and wasn’t sure how and where I should insert myself as Nick’s girlfriend. Was that ever weird to say or think. Weirder that we had all slept together on his couch. The crick in my neck I was starting to feel was worth every second of it.
Nick paused and peered into my eyes. A thoughtful expression filled his gaze. “Kate,” he paused, then opened his mouth to say something, but it never got articulated. I did get a peck on the lips. “Yes.”
It was a good way to start the morning. I rushed off to find Skye to see if she needed my help. Light streamed in and illuminated every surface of the magnificent house. It was a weird observation, but his hallways were a lot wider than any home I’d been in, but I was happy to find that it was a normal house of a teenager—Skye’s things cluttered the hall leading to what could only be called a suite. Skye’s glitzy and sparkly bedroom was every teen girl’s dream, right down to the huge lighted mirrors, four-poster white bed, and poufs galore that filled the space. It was also a mess, with clothes strewn about, an unmade bed, and empty strawed plastic smoothie cups.
“Hey, pretty girl, can I help you?”
Skye was frantically tossing clothes all over. “I can’t find my new Abercrombie shorts.”
“What do they look like?”
“They’re denim with embroidered flowers.”
“We’ll find them,” I assured her.
“And I need to do my hair and my makeup.” She was starting to panic.
The mom gene appeared, and I easily found the shorts lying next to her bed under some T-shirts with tags still on them. No need to mention how pricey they were. I held up the shorts. “I’ll help you with your hair while you do your makeup.”
She rushed to me and took the shorts but not before hugging me. “Thanks, Kate.”
Her private bathroom was as dreamy and messy as her bedroom. I was jealous of her clawfoot tub.
I brushed and smoothed her hair while she sat at her vanity and applied moisturizer to her flawless skin. “I can do a braided twist.”
She met my eyes in her mirror. “You’re a godsend. I love you.”
Huh. Those words pricked my heart. I rested my hands on her thin shoulders and the most beautiful feeling fell upon me. “I love you too, kiddo.”
Her face was all smiles. “I’m really glad you and my dad are together.”
“Me too.” I began to piece her luxurious blonde hair into strands.
“I wish you lived here.”
Oh. Whoa. About that. “Your dad and I will have to work out when we all can see each other once the summer is over. I’ll come visit and you guys can visit me.”
Her cute nose scrunched. “It won’t be the same.”
“It won’t, but I live near Liam.”
Her cheeks pinked while her shoulders fell. “He told me that he thought it would be better if we stayed friends.”
“What? When?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, honey?”
“Because it’s embarrassing. I mean, why doesn’t he like me?”
I set the brush down and squeezed her shoulders. “I don’t know that he doesn’t. Sometimes it’s the timing of it all. He’s starting college and you’re still in high school. Maybe he doesn’t want you to miss out on any opportunities.”
“That’s what he said.” She sniffled.
I smiled at her through the mirror. “He’s a good guy. The kind that if it’s meant to work out, it will. But you are young, and you should date around and get to know lots of different guys before you ever settle on one. Most importantly, you should get to know yourself.”
“Is that what you did?” she asked innocently.
Her question caught me off guard. I had to think for a moment. “Something like that.”
I wasn’t quite ready to tell her about Douglas. Someday, if this ended up being permanent, we would have that talk. And I would make sure to do my best to see that she never had a Douglas in her life.
“I hope it doesn’t take me as long as you to figure it out,” she said without any guile.
I laughed. “Me too.”