Chapter 23
It’s just after one in the afternoon when I gently close the door to Sophia’s room, trying not to wake her in the process.
Niko told me she rarely naps these days, but after the day we had, Sophia was asking if she could go lie down in her room.
She was asleep before I finished reading the second book she picked out. Hell, I could use a nap myself.
Once Niko left for the arena, Sophia spent the next half hour giving me a tour of the house.
This place is just as immaculate inside as it appears outside.
It even comes fully equipped with a theatre room and what looked like a recording studio in the basement.
Sophia didn’t stop to show me the studio on our grand tour, which I’m sure belonged to her mom when she lived here. I don’t blame her for avoiding it.
After the grand tour, we played dress-up and pretended to be princesses at a tea party. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun. Honestly. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much and my heart is full.
Once we finished our tea party, we headed outside for a nature walk and scavenger hunt. Niko’s outdoor property is absolutely gorgeous. I’m not sure how many acres he has but it’s more than enough space for a small farm. Sophia was the one who had that great idea.
“I really think we should get a couple goats and horses to hang out back here,” is what she said while we were taking a walk, and I totally agree with her. I’ll be sure to mention that to Niko when he gets home.
He texted about a half hour ago letting me know he had to stop for a few things when he was done at the rink. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he walks through the door to find a completely silent house.
I’m rinsing the last teacup out in the kitchen sink when I hear the front door open.
“Anybody home?”
Niko’s voice fills the silence, his voice booming off the walls like an amphitheater. Maybe I should’ve texted him and told him Sophia was asleep. Too late now, I guess. I turn off the faucet and run on my tiptoes toward him with my finger over my lips.
“Shh! Sophia fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago.”
Niko freezes mid-shoe removal and stares at me in disbelief. “She’s sleeping?” As if he doesn’t believe me, he finishes taking off his shoes and then peers around me for any sign of Sophia.
“It’s cute you don’t believe me. But yes, she’s taking a nap. We’ve had quite the day.”
His face splits into a smile I’ve yet to see. A flutter of butterflies takes off in my belly and warms me from the inside out.
I walk over to the door and attempt to grab a couple of the bags he must’ve brought in from his car. Reaching down to pick up the last bag, he swats my hand away.
“What the hell, Niko?”
He grabs the bag and looks at me sheepishly. “Sorry. But that one’s a surprise.”
My eyebrow raises. A surprise?
“For me?” I don’t hide the shock in my voice. I can’t hide it. When’s the last time someone surprised me with anything?
“Maybe.” He shrugs and then saunters into the kitchen, completely unaware that he almost just caused me to melt by getting me a surprise.
I follow him into the kitchen and place the bags he allowed me to grab up on the island.
Rising onto my tiptoes, I try to peek into the bag in front of him.
My curiosity is at an all-time high wondering what this man brought home for me.
Ideas begin forming in my head, getting more ridiculous by the second. Is it ice cream? Cake? A puppy?
“Just show me already!”
My hand reaches across the counter into the bag but it’s yanked away from me before I could get a hold of anything.
Niko points to a stool at the island. “Sit.”
His authoritative tone excites me but it also pisses me off a little bit. Who does he think he’s talking to?
“Excuse me?” I ask, placing one hand on my hip.
“I said, sit. If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll show you what’s in the bag.”
And now I’m clenching my thighs together.
Who am I and where did the normal Sadie go? Do I love a well-placed “good girl” in my romance books? Abso-fucking-lutely. Am I supposed to fall to my knees when someone calls me that in real life? Fuck no. But here I am, ready to do whatever this wonderful man asks me to.
I huff and then take a seat in the stool next to me. “Happy?” I ask, throwing my hands up like a pissed off child.
“Very.” His voice dips just enough to make one simple word sound like a tease. My pulse quickens and I’m reminded again just how much this man affects me.
Niko must sense the effect on me because he shakes his head and laughs. Damn it. Even his laugh sounds like trouble. Smooth and tempting, pulling me right in.
He reaches down into the reusable bag but seems to change his mind about showing me what he bought.
“First tell me about your day. How did it go?”
As quickly as I can, I tell him all about our day. From the house tour to the tea party to our adventures outside. I don’t spare a single detail. He chuckles when I try to convince him to get a few goats.
“What? You have more than enough space for a couple goats.”
He leans his elbows down onto the counter and leans across, closing the much needed distance we had between us.
“I can barely take care of my child on my own, remember? That’s why you’re here.”
How this man thinks he’s not enough for his daughter drives me mad.
This isn’t the first time he’s made a comment like that.
There’s nothing I’d love more than to reach out and grab his face between my hands and talk some sense into him.
Okay, so maybe I’d like to kiss some sense into him, but that’s a terrible idea.
Acting like the responsible adult I am, I clasp my hands in front me on the counter, bumping against his in the process.
It’s the simplest touch, but I find myself leaning toward it, like our auras are reaching for each other.
Every brush of skin sending energy up my spine, opening channels I hadn’t realized were blocked.
I inhale deeply, trying to calm energy rushing through me.
“You can take care of Sophia just fine. Asking for help doesn’t mean you can’t take care of her. It’s the opposite, actually. It just shows me you know exactly how to take care of her. You’re finally taking care of yourself too.”
Niko stares at me for a moment. His eyes bounce between mine. I watch as they slowly move down to my lips. One second goes by with his eyes on my lips. Two. Three.
He awkwardly clears his throat and pushes his hands off the counter.
“Right. Well. I still wanted to get you a few things to thank you for doing this for me.”
He moves his attention from me to the bag on the counter and I wonder if he’s feeling what I’m feeling. This undeniable energy between us. Our frequencies humming in perfect harmony together. His hand shakes as he reaches into the bag, and I know he feels it too.
Doing my best to ignore what I’m feeling, I smile and wait for him to show me what he bought me. The feeling only intensifies when I see what he pulls out of the bag first.
“You bought me sage?”
Niko rubs the back of his neck, seeming unsure about his purchase. “Uh, yeah. I thought you might want to burn it in your new apartment. Apartment? I don’t know if I’d call it that. But, yeah.”
I reach out and grab the dried bundle from his hand. Before I can thank him, he’s reaching into the bag for something else.
“I also got you this salt lamp. I noticed you had a couple in your office, so during treatment today I did some research. Some people believe they can help cleanse the air in your home and improve your mood and sleep. But you probably already know that since you have some in your office.”
Niko rambling is officially my favorite thing. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing, not wanting to make him feel more nervous than he clearly already is.
“Thank you,” I say before grabbing the lamp.
“One more thing.”
I’m about to argue with him, telling him this is way too much, but words die on my tongue when I see the last item. It’s a gorgeous ceramic pot overflowing with fresh lavender. He sets the pot down in front of me and stuffs his hands in those damn gray sweatpants that nearly ruined me this morning.
“Lavender. Every time I see it, it reminds me of you.”
I focus on the plant sitting in front of me, rubbing a branch of lavender between my fingers and trying like hell to fight the emotion that is creeping up my throat.
My eyes sting, and I’m seconds away from sobbing, but I hold it all in.
It’s pathetic, but no one has ever done anything like this for me.
No one has really understood me enough to do something like this.
Not my parents. Not my past boyfriends. No one.
I’ve always been made to feel like an outcast. A pariah. The quirky girl obsessed with yoga.
Niko has made me feel more seen in the past five minutes than I ever have in the thirty years of my life.
My vision blurs with unshed tears and I finally look up from the lavender to see Niko watching me.
“Hey, hey. Did I do something wrong, Sadie?” Niko moves to my side of the counter and sits in the stool next to me, turning his body so he’s facing me. I do the same and wipe underneath my eye to catch a tear that escaped.
“No it’s not that. It’s just—”
I pause mid-sentence, unsure of what to say.
How do I tell someone—in particular, this wonderful man—that I’m so pathetic no one has ever given me a gift this thoughtful before?
Ellie and Hunter are my people, but they’ve gotten to know me over time.
How does Niko see me so clearly, so effortlessly, in such a short amount of time? It’s unnerving.
“It’s just what, Sadie?” He places his hand on my thigh, the warmth immediately spreading to other parts of my body. His touch steadies me and after a few calming breaths, I find the courage to reveal another part of myself to him.
“No one’s ever gotten me a gift like this before.”