16. Lucky
Lucky
Days passed while I waited to hear from either my grandfather or Finn. They’d been keeping in touch, but hadn’t found anything that was foolproof yet, other than being bit by a master vampire. The more time I was spending in the sun, the less that option appealed to me.
Could I handle it?
Probably, but I would be miserable not being able to go outside during the daylight hours for a few hundred years. I would miss the sun on my face, and the warmth on my skin. I would miss how it always brightens my mood and makes me feel like if the sun is still shining, then everything is okay.
I was also giving serious thought to Nick’s offer to live in Florida. We weren’t there as a couple—yet. To the point where we were talking about where to live. But his assurance that he would go wherever I wanted to go gave me the freedom to dream of other possibilities.
It was just that I would miss everyone so much.
My grandfather had moved to Moonhaven for me, but I wasn’t too worried about him.
He would either split his time between Moonhaven and Florida, or he would move to Florida full time to be close to me.
I knew that I would still get to see him frequently.
But Dice... her life was in Moonhaven.
I could visit her, but I wouldn’t be able to just hop in my jeep and go see her, and I didn’t like that. Dice and I had gotten close over the last year. She had become like a sister to me, and I didn’t want to lose that.
I also wasn’t really sure about what job I would go for. Being a secretary wasn’t exactly my dream job, but I didn’t really know what my dream job might be either.
Rabble-rouser?
Malcontent?
Annoyer of genies?
As the days passed, Nick and I grew closer. We did many other fun things on the island that our concierge said were popular for tourists, but my favorite was the night we’d lain on a blanket on the beach, looked up at the stars, and just laughed and talked well into the morning.
He didn’t push or put pressure on me for anything, he just kept matching his actions with his words.
A thing I found extremely attractive and sexy.
I couldn’t help but wonder why guys thought women were such big mysteries.
I thought we were pretty easy to understand, but then again, I was a woman.
Well, part leprechaun, but mostly human.
Nick’s brothers came a few more times. They said they wanted to keep us company because they were afraid we were bored, but Nick told me it was to torture him. Also, because they really liked hanging out with me. I wasn’t sure about that, but Nick seemed pretty convinced.
I tried to keep helping them with whatever questions they had about women, the whole time feeling like some big fraud.
What did I know about relationships? The answer was not much.
Nick had had to be pretty persistent to even get me to take a chance on him.
And before Nick, I’d only had a few relationships.
All of them had ended for various reasons, mostly because I refused to give up on the hope that one day I’d be loved the way I needed to be loved.
As I glanced at Nick from behind my sunglasses, I was glad I had waited. And I was really glad I was so stubborn because it had encouraged me to keep going and not give up. Even when things had felt dark and hopeless.
I wasn’t much of a quitter, actually.
I really liked that about me.
“Are you ogling me right now?” Nick murmured, feeling my eyes on him somehow even though his were closed. “I left off my shirt and am risking a sunburn just for you today, sunshine.”
“I am fully ogling you right now. You are correct.”
He laughed, patting the little bit of cushion next to him, wanting me to join him.
“I think you have big dog syndrome,” I said dryly.
“What’s that?”
“You know, it’s where these big huge dogs actually think they’re the size of a teacup and try to climb on your lap?”
Nick grinned. “Are you asking me to climb on your lap right now?”
“No!” I said, laughing. “I’m saying I think you don’t realize how big you are. There’s maaayyybe an inch of space there. I won’t fit.”
“You’ll fit. Look, I’ll scooch a bit.” He moved a fraction of an inch to the side, which made me laugh again. “No? Okay, we’ll compromise. You step away a bit so your magic doesn’t interfere, and I’ll make this into a little clamshell lounger.”
“There are humans around,” I reminded him. I felt like I reminded him about this multiple times a day, but he always told me—
“I’m actually hurt that you think my genie skills aren’t up to the task. I am a terrifyingly powerful genie, I’ll have you know.”
That. He always told me that.
“Yeah, I’m not really sure I believe you, but I’ll go just to humor you.” Getting up, I moved about five feet away from him and turned to watch him. We weren’t sure where the exact boundary was for my magic interacting with his, but it seemed to be about five feet in any direction.
Between one blink and the next, Nick had created a clamshell lounger. Smirking, he patted the space beside him again, and I rolled my eyes and joined him.
Smug genie.
I lay on my side next to him, but Nick wasn’t satisfied with the distance between us. He pulled my hips toward him and wrapped his arms around me, entwining our legs.
I loved how affectionate he was. He always had to be touching some part of me, and I was quickly becoming addicted.
I don’t think I’d realized how touch-starved I’d been before.
Even from Dice, who, though she was getting better, was not really an affectionate person. She was with Rhys, but no one else.
Nick looked at me with an expression so tender it made my chest ache. I freed one hand from his grip and touched his face, trailing light fingers above his eyebrows, then running my fingers through his hair.
He swallowed. “I love when you’re close to me. Most of the time it’s not sexual, it’s just... peaceful, and fulfilling in a way I’d only previously dreamed about.” His hand flexed on my hip. “You feel like home to me.”
“You feel like home to me too.”
I knew we hadn’t been together long, but as the days passed, I’d grown more and more certain of him, of us.
And he’d been right before when he said I knew him. I didn’t know him then as well as I did now, but I knew enough that I was kicking myself for waiting so long to give us a chance.
“Nick?”
“Hmm?” He’d closed his eyes, and I’d bet money he was falling asleep. He seemed to have the magical ability to do that wherever he was, while it basically took a two-by-four to get me to sleep.
“I love you.”
His eyes flew open in surprise, and then the sweetest, most radiant smile spread across his face.
“You love me?”
I nodded, swallowing. “I do. It’s really easy to love you, Nick. You’re my favorite person in the world.”
He pulled me closer, murmuring, “That’s the best thing anyone has ever said to me.” Then he came up on one elbow, cradled the side of my face with his hand, and kissed me tenderly.
When we broke apart, he seemed content to just lie back down and hold me close to him. When his eyes closed, I was nervous he was starting to fall asleep again, so I poked his stomach.
“Don’t you have anything you want to say back?”
Eyes still closed, and a grin of pure mischief on his face, he said, “No. I’m good.”
I lightly punched him. “Nick!”
Laughing, he ran a hand through the ends of my hair, then lightly kissed my lips again before he settled back down.
“I can’t even tell you when I first fell in love with you—it was that long ago.
I admired you. I thought you were beautiful.
I longed to be around you. But love?” He shook his head.
“I can’t remember when it happened. It feels like I’ve always loved you.
I really don’t believe in meant to be, but the more I got to know you, the strangest thing started to happen.
“I kept getting these flashes of emotion, but they weren’t tied to where we were in our relationship then.
It was like... I was getting a glimpse of how I would feel about you in the future.
There were no visions, only the emotions, but it was enough for me to know I wanted to wait for you, and to hope that one day you’d see me in the same way that I saw you.
“I love you, Lucky. I genuinely can’t imagine my life without you in it. I don’t want to imagine my life without you in it. Thank you for trusting me enough to reach beyond your fear.”
Sniffing for no suspicious reason whatsoever, I buried my face in the curve of his neck, and held him tightly.
As the sun went down, we finally left our cocoon and Nick walked me to my door, leaving me with a gentle kiss goodnight.
On the other side of the door, I leaned against it, closed my eyes, and smiled.