6. Chapter Six
Chapter six
A ria was setting up the bar for the night when Patsy from Patsy’s Petals walked in carrying a huge bouquet of flowers in a gorgeous cobalt-blue vase.
“Someone found a keeper.” Patsy set the bouquet on the bar. “Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t know your favorite flowers, so I gave you the best of what I had on hand.”
The pink roses, white carnations and mums, sprigs of pink stock, and red gerbera daisies mixed with greenery were lush and smelled amazing as she sank her face into the blooms and inhaled.
Patsy gave her a sly smile. “So, tell me about him.”
She’d known Patsy forever. When she was a kid and her mom took her into town, she loved to stop by Patsy’s shop and just smell all the flowers. “Who are they from?” Her heart wanted them to be from Nick, but her head told her that she had a date tonight with a guy who’d asked her out practically once a week for the last six months. She’d always told Mark she was seeing someone, but last night when he asked for a date, she’d finally said yes. Because she deserved to go out on a date and have some fun. If she was going to have that something good in her life, she needed to get out there and find the man she was looking for.
You already found him. He’s just not that into you.
Was that it? Nick just enjoyed the amazing chemistry they shared and didn’t want more?
He doesn’t have time for you, or more.
Ugh! She’d been thinking these thoughts since he left the other day.
“You don’t know who they’re from.” Patsy rubbed her hands together. “Now things are getting interesting.”
Aria waved her off. “Stop. It’s just…I ended something recently with someone who didn’t want things to be over and I’m maybe starting something tonight with someone new.”
“Well, color me impressed. Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve. And you deserve the best, sweetie.”
Aria pulled the card from the bouquet and read the note.
You saved my life today. We’re not over. XO Nick.
Patsy’s knowing grin widened. “I don’t know about you, but I like a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it.” She shrugged. “But that’s me.”
Aria was still stuck on what the note said.
She desperately needed to know if he was all right. In his line of work, anything could have happened to him. She pulled out her phone and called him.
Nick picked up on the third ring. “Hey, sweetheart, I was just walking in the door.”
She spoke over him. “Are you okay? Why are you home so early? Did you get hurt?”
“Hey now, slow down. I’m okay. Just had a close call today.”
Her heart pounded even harder. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
He didn’t often talk about his work. Most of it he had to keep secret because he had men undercover. “I just wanted you to know I’m thinking about you. About us.”
“Nick.” She put enough warning in her tone for him to get that she wanted a real explanation.
He huffed out a breath. “I was out picking up lunch. I saw a car following me, but thought it was just someone looking for a parking spot on the busy street, just like me. I got out of my car to walk to the restaurant and I stopped short when I spotted a florist and thought I’ve never sent you flowers and I should. I should do a lot of things for you.”
“Nick.” She said his name for a whole other reason and this time her tone conveyed how much he was in her heart.
“In that split second that I stopped, someone took a shot at me, barely missing me.”
She gasped. “What? Why? Are you okay?”
He chuckled. “I’m talking to you, which means I’m better than okay.”
“Who tried to kill you?” She couldn’t believe that sentence came out of her mouth. Or that Nick had probably faced that deadly situation more than once on the job. Especially when he’d worked undercover.
“A man I tried to take down a couple of years ago when I was working undercover.”
“Are they going to put you in protective custody?”
“No. I’m a trained agent. I’ll be fine.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. “Someone needs to watch your back.”
“I love it that you still care.”
“Of course I do.”
“Then don’t end this. Us. We can figure this out.” Desperation infused his plea.
She didn’t see how anything would change when he was so tied up in his job. “Nick… I have a date tonight.”
“What? No.” A deep rumble of a growl came from deep in his throat.
“I love the flowers. Thank you for thinking of me and sending them. And I’m more than glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
“If that’s how you feel, then don’t go out with whoever you’re seeing tonight. Give me a chance to make things right.”
Her heart wanted to give in but her head won out. “It’s better this way, for both of us.”
“It’s not better for me, sitting here, thinking about you out with someone else. You know you want it to be me. I want to be the only one you’re with.”
“And when would that be? Tomorrow? A week from now? Two weeks? A month? When will you have time to work me into your busy life?”
“Does it count at all that I want to be there with you right now? I know things have to change for us to make this work. I need some time to figure it out.”
“You’ve had more than six months to figure it out. I want someone in my life who is going to be there making memories with me, building a life with me.”
“I don’t want to lose you. Don’t go on the date.”
“I’m going, Nick. I can’t keep waiting for you.”
He did that growly thing again. “You’re going to be looking at him and knowing that I’m the one you want. I’m the one who makes you crave to be touched, because you know how I make you feel. I know how you like my lips and tongue on your skin, my cock buried deep inside you, filling you up, pounding into you until you forget everything but my name falling from your lips. You know I’m the one who loves to spend hours making you come, making you feel good, letting you know how much I love hearing you fall apart beneath my hands.”
A flush of desire raced through her as her heart longed for him. “Nick.”
“That’s right. Me. The one who always reminds you why we’re so good together. And we could be so much more if you just give us a chance.”
She didn’t know what to say. “I have to go.” Because if he kept talking like this, she’d give in and find herself six months down the road still waiting on him to find the time to be with her and still deciding what he wanted.
Her heart clenched with the thought of even doing it. But she disconnected the call, then folded her arms on the bar, and laid her head on them, tears gathering in her eyes.
A warm hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. “Those are some beautiful flowers.” Lyric’s soft voice coaxed her to say something.
“ He sent them.”
“Nice. So why are you upset?”
Aria raised her head and let her sister see her tear-filled eyes. “Because he wants me. And I want him. And that doesn’t seem to change anything between us. How can we be so drawn together and yet always feel so far apart?”
“Long-distance relationships are hard.”
“Exactly, and that’s not going to change. We want different things. That’s why I’m going on a date tonight.”
Lyric gaped at her. “You’re serious about moving on.”
It wasn’t really that. “I love my life. I love working here with you and everyone else. I’m happy just being me. But being with Nick…it made me see that I could be even happier with someone I love in my life. The days that he was here, or I spent with him in Montana, those were some of the happiest days of my life. I want that all the time. I’m going to prioritize finding a partner who wants what I want and is ready to commit.”
“Okay, then. Who is the lucky guy taking you out tonight?”
Aria’s eyes glassed over at her sister’s support. “Thank you for understanding.”
“I’m your sister. I always have your back.” Lyric clasped her hands together at her chest and her smile brightened. “You should wear that powder-blue dress that hugs your curves. You kill in that dress.”
It was Nick’s favorite. “That one is more a things-are-going-somewhere dress. I thought I’d wear the emerald-green one.”
“That one makes your blue eyes stand out. Perfect. He won’t know what hit him.” Lyric caught herself. “Who are we talking about again?”
Aria’s cheeks heated. “Mark Davis.”
Lyric pressed her bottom lip against her top one. “Is he the guy who comes in here wearing a suit talking about investments?”
Aria nodded, a smile breaking out on her face. “He owns his own financial planning business. He’s successful and looking to settle down.”
Lyric still didn’t seem excited for her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. He’s a nice guy. Says please and thank you. He’s never rude. Doesn’t give women lewd looks.”
What Aria heard between those words was boring . “He is nice. And I’d like to get to know him better.”
“Okay. But I’m just saying, Nick is…intense with an edge of dangerous. He’s going to have to look at you the way Nick looks at you.”
“How does Nick look at me?” She already knew. Like he wanted to strip her bare and worship her all night long.
Damn the man for reminding her that no one else compared.
Lyric echoed her thoughts. “Nick looks at you like you’re everything he ever wanted and more.”
“Well, maybe we don’t all get our Mason.” Like Jax found Layla. Like Melody reunited with Fox.
Maybe Nick just wasn’t meant to be hers.
He was already married to his job and seemingly happy with his life just the way it was.
Maybe she needed to find a different kind of happy with someone else.