Chapter 29
Claire
The best decisions I made in my life were moving to California to get to know my siblings and asking Nick to move in with me. I wouldn’t lie and say it was a cakewalk because, with my OCD, it wasn’t.
I sat down by the shoreline and texted Sam.
“If you’re free, can you come down to the beach? I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll be right over.”
I tipped the beer bottle to my lips as I sat with my knees up, staring out into the calm ocean water.
“What’s up?” Sam smiled, sitting beside me in the sand.
“You know how much I love Nick, right?” I glanced at him.
“Yes, of course.”
“Sometimes it’s a little hard,” I said.
“Let me guess. Your OCD?” A smirk crossed his lips.
“Yeah.” I looked down. “When he walks through the door and takes off his shoes, he leaves them. One is sitting on its side, the other inches away. He leaves a couple of dishes in the sink even though the dishwasher is right there. When he shaves, he leaves water spots on the mirror and sometimes doesn’t use a coaster.”
Sam threw his head back and laughed.
“It’s not funny, Sam.”
“Yeah, it is, Claire. Listen.” He grabbed hold of my hand. “Living with someone takes a lot of getting used to. Trust me. When I met Julia, she was messy. It drove me insane. And it took a long time for me to train her, so to speak. But it also took her a long time to help ease my OCD tendencies. Have you talked to Nick about it?”
“No. I could never. I love him and don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
“You need to mention it to him because you will let it fester inside you, and one day, it’ll get to be too much, and you’ll explode.”
“What’s going on over here?” Shaun walked over and sat on the other side of me.
“Our sister is trying to handle her OCD issues with Nick,” Sam said.
“Ah, I see. That can be challenging.” Shaun smiled. “The key is communication.”
“That’s what I said,” Sam spoke. “You two love each other. You need to respect how he is, and he needs to respect how you are. You both meet in the middle, and life goes on.”
“Yeah, sis. It’s best not to sweat the small things in life,” Shaun said.
“But see.” I waved my finger. “When he makes the bed, he always leaves the corner of the sheet hanging out from under the comforter. Both sides. Not just one side, but both. It drives me insane.”
Shaun and Sam both chuckled.
“Julia does that too, even to this day. You know how I stop it from happening?”
“How?”
“I make the bed every day. When she goes to make it, I stop her, tell her I love her, and that I’ll do it. That way, I’m happy, she’s happy, and our bed is happy.”
“A corner sticking out is the least of my problems with Jenni and our bed. She doesn’t even pull the sheet up on both sides, so it’s even when she makes it.” Shaun shook his head. “She told me to stop worrying about how she makes the bed and start worrying whether any more action would happen in that bed if I kept saying something about it. So, most of the time, I make the bed, and when she does it, I remake it when she’s not around.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do they have to be like that?”
“I have no idea.” Sam shook his head.
“Either do I.” Shaun sighed. “But the point is, it’s all about compromise and adjusting. You’ll get there eventually.” Shaun hooked his arm around me.
After my brothers and I talked for a while, I returned to the house.
“There you are.” Nick smiled.
“Hey, babe.” I walked over, kissed his lips, and hugged him. “I was down at the beach with Sam and Shaun. Did you just get home?”
“Yeah. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” I glanced over at his shoes. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything for you.” A smile crossed his lips.
“Can you put your shoes away?”
“Yeah. Definitely. I will as soon as I change.” He began to walk away.
“Why not now? They’re right there. It’ll take two seconds.”
Everything that bothered me since we moved in together suddenly hit all at once.
“And stop leaving your dishes in the sink. The dishwasher is right there. How hard is it to open it and put a dish inside? And for the love of God, when you’re done shaving, wipe down the damn mirror. Those water spots drive me insane.” I threw my hands up in the air.
He stood there, narrowing his eyes at me. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, when you make the bed, tuck in the damn corners so the sheets aren’t hanging out.” I placed my hands over my face as the tears fell from my eyes. “I don’t like being like this, but I can’t help it.”
“Aw, babe.” His arms wrapped tightly around me. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry. I knew you’d eventually crack.” He breathed out a laugh.
“It isn’t funny.” I pushed him away.
“Yeah, it is.” He cupped my face in his hands. “I love you, and I’m sorry. I had no idea those things bothered you that badly. You should have said something sooner. We’ve been living together for over two months.”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or seem like a nag.”
“You’re not a nag, and it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings. Those things are important to you, and I respect that.”
“I’m a mess,” I said.
“You’re a perfectionist. There’s nothing wrong with that.” His beautiful eyes stared into mine.
“I’m sorry,” I spoke.
“Don’t ever apologize for being you.” His lips met mine. “Just make sure to tell me next time, and don’t let it build up.” He swooped down and picked me up. “I’ve had a long day and need to relieve some stress.” A smirk crossed his lips.
“First, shoes.” I smiled.
“Right. First, shoes.” He set me down, put his shoes away, then picked me up and carried me to the bedroom.
Finally, my name change was legal. I was now Claire Marie Kind.
“Tessa, I have some errands to run, so I’m leaving for the day,” I said, stepping out of my office.
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Claire.”
I walked down to Shaun’s office and saw Carter sitting in the chair across from his desk.
“Hey. I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving for the day. I have some appointments.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later tonight.” Shaun smiled.
“See ya later, Claire.” Carter smiled.
After I went to the DMV and changed my driver’s license, I headed to the hospital to see Nick and tell him the good news.
“Is Dr. Russo available?” I walked over to the nurses’ station.
“He sure is.” I heard his voice from behind.
Turning around, I fell into his arms.
“What are you doing here, babe? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I left early. I have something to tell you.”
“Come on. Let’s go into one of the empty rooms,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Look.” I excitedly pulled the signed order from my purse.
“What’s—Oh, my God. Is it official?”
“Yes. I am now Claire Marie Kind.”
“That’s wonderful, babe.” He picked me up and spun me around before kissing my lips. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I’m going to tell my brothers and cousins tonight at the bonfire.”
“You don’t think the girls already mentioned it to them?”
“No. They promised, and I trust them. We have a code.”
“A code, eh?” His brow arched.
“Its the same code you have with the guys,” I smiled. “Anyway, I just wanted to see you and tell you the news in person.”
“I’m happy you did.” His lips met mine. “I’ll see you tonight, babe.”
On the way home, I stopped at Mojo Madness to tell Julia the good news. When I stepped inside, I didn’t see her.
“Hey, Rob. Is Julia here?”
“She’s next door at the bakery.”
“Thanks.” I smiled.
I walked over to Baked With Love. When I stepped inside, I saw Riley behind the counter.
“Hi, Claire.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Are Julia and Zoey here?”
“They’re in the kitchen.”
I pulled the signed order from the judge from my purse.
“It’s official!” I held it up, stepping into the kitchen.
“AH!” Julia screamed as she ran over and hugged me.
“Congratulations.” Zoey grinned, hugging me. “I’m so happy for you.”
“What’s going on back here?” Barb smiled.
I hadn’t told her I was legally changing my name and wasn’t sure how she’d feel about it.
“Claire Monet is now officially Claire Kind,” Julia said.
Barb stared at me.
“You changed your name, Claire?”
“I did, Barb.”
“Well, it’s only right. You are their sister and should share their last name. Congratulations.” She hugged me. “Do they know?”
“Not yet. I’m telling them tonight,” I spoke.
“They’ll be thrilled.” A smile crossed her lips.