Chapter Ten
Nicole
Two weeks later
When Shawn had gotten the call three days ago that Justin was coming home early, I'd tried to play it cool.
"That's great," I'd said, forcing a smile while my stomach dropped. "You must be excited."
And he was. I could see it in his eyes, the relief and joy at knowing his little brother was coming home safe. Could hear it in his voice when he'd talked to Justin on the phone, the easy banter between them that spoke to years of history I'd never be part of.
Which was fine. I wanted Shawn to be happy. Wanted him to have his brother back.
I just also happened to be terrified that Justin would take one look at me and think I was the reason his responsible, career-military brother had suddenly decided to play house in New York.
Now, standing in the apartment that had been Shawn's temporary home for months but would soon belong to Justin again, I was going to throw up.
"Stop fidgeting," Shawn said, catching my hand as I smoothed my dress for the third time in as many minutes. "You look beautiful."
"I look like I'm trying too hard." I glanced down at the navy dress I'd chosen specifically because it was approachable but professional.
Not too formal. Not too casual. Exactly the kind of outfit you wore to meet your boyfriend's brother for the first time when said brother was a decorated soldier who'd just spent eight months deployed and probably thought his older brother had lost his mind.
"You look like Nicole. That's all that matters." Shawn pressed a kiss to my temple. "He's going to love you."
"You don't know that."
"I know my brother. And I know you. Trust me."
The thing was, I did trust him. Over the past two weeks, Shawn had proven himself in ways I hadn't thought possible.
He'd signed a lease on that tiny SoHo apartment.
Started his new job at Elite Fitness. Helped me set up my consulting business's website and LLC paperwork.
Been there every night when the panic hit about leaving my stable career for the unknown.
He'd shown up. Consistently. Without hesitation.
And now I was about to meet the brother whose homecoming had nearly destroyed us before we'd really begun.
"Flight just landed," Shawn said, checking his phone. "We've got about forty-five minutes."
We were waiting at his old apartment, the one that technically belonged to Justin. Shawn had moved most of his stuff out over the past week, but we'd come back today so Justin would have a familiar place to land after eight months overseas.
I walked to the window, looking out at the street below. "What if he thinks I'm the reason you gave up his apartment?"
"He'll think I'm a grown man who got my own place. Which is true." Shawn came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Stop catastrophizing."
"I'm not catastrophizing. I'm being realistic."
"You're spiraling." His mouth found that spot behind my ear that made me shiver. "Want me to distract you?"
"Shawn." I tried to sound stern, but it came out breathy. "Your brother will be here in less than an hour."
"So we'll be quick." His hands were already sliding up my sides.
"We are not having sex in your brother's apartment right before he gets home."
"Why not? I've been having sex in my brother's apartment for weeks."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because he wasn't about to walk in the door." I turned in his arms. "I need to make a good first impression."
"You will. You're incredible, Nicole. Brilliant and successful and you've got your whole life figured out at thirty."
"I quit my job two weeks ago to start a business that might fail spectacularly. I don't have anything figured out."
"You took a risk on something that matters to you. That's more than most people ever do." He kissed me, slow and deep. "And for the record, watching you chase what you actually want instead of what you think you should want is the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
The words made my chest ache in the best way. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now stop worrying. Justin's going to take one look at you and understand exactly why I turned my whole life upside down."
A knock on the door made us both jump.
"That can't be him," I said. "You said forty-five minutes."
"Maybe he caught an earlier connection." Shawn moved toward the door, and I resisted the urge to check my appearance in the mirror again.
When he opened it, a man who looked like a younger, leaner version of Shawn stood in the hallway. Same height, same dark hair, but his was cut military short. Same green eyes, but his were taking in everything with the kind of awareness that came from months in a combat zone.
"Surprise," Justin said, grinning. "Caught the earlier flight."
"Jesus, man." Shawn pulled him into a hug, and I saw the relief on both their faces. "Welcome home."
"Good to be home." Justin's gaze moved past Shawn to where I was standing awkwardly by the window. "And you must be the reason my brother's been texting me about furniture deliveries and asking if I wanted any of his stuff."
"Nicole," I said, moving forward to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Justin." His handshake was firm but friendly. "And I gotta say, Shawn's text about having someone he wanted me to meet did not prepare me for this."
"For what?" I asked nervously.
"For the fact that he's completely gone over you." Justin dropped his duffle bag by the door. "I've never seen him look at anyone the way he's looking at you right now."
I glanced at Shawn, who was indeed staring at me with an expression that made my face burn.
"Stop embarrassing her," Shawn said, but he didn't look away.
"Stop being so obvious." Justin moved further into the apartment, taking in the changes. "Place looks good. Better than I left it."
"That's all Nicole," Shawn said. "She made me actually organize instead of just throwing things in boxes."
"Miracle worker." Justin settled onto the couch. "So tell me how this happened. Last I heard, you were housesitting and planning to move on when I got back."
"Plans changed." Shawn sat beside me on the loveseat, his hand finding mine automatically. "Met someone worth staying for."
"Obviously." Justin's gaze was assessing but not unkind. "Nicole, what do you do?"
"I'm a marketing consultant. Well, trying to be." I forced myself to relax. "I just started my own firm two weeks ago. Small business focus."
"Started your own business. That's bold."
"Or stupid. I'm still deciding which."
He laughed. "I like her. She's honest."
"She's terrified you're going to hate her," Shawn said.
"Shawn," I hissed.
"What? It's true. She's been panicking about meeting you for days."
Justin looked at me with something like sympathy. "Let me guess. Worried I'd think you're the reason he's uprooting his life?"
"Something like that."
"Here's the thing about my brother," Justin said.
"He's spent the last five years bouncing around like he's scared to land anywhere.
Never staying long enough to build anything real.
Never letting anyone get close enough to matter.
" He leaned back. "So if he's getting his own apartment and taking a real job and introducing me to a woman he's clearly crazy about?
That's not you ruining his life. That's you saving it. "
The words hit me harder than I expected. "I don't know about saving."
"I do." Justin's expression was serious now. "Sarah destroyed him. Took years for him to even pretend to be okay. And now he's here, looking happier than I've seen him since before we deployed. That's because of you."
"Justin," Shawn said, his voice carrying a warning.
"What? It's true." Justin stood up. "Look, I'm going to grab a shower and pass out for about twelve hours. But Nicole? Thank you. For making him want to stay somewhere. For making him want to build something. He needed that."
After he disappeared into the bathroom, I turned to Shawn. "He's not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Someone more intense? More judgmental?"
"Justin's the least judgmental person I know. Comes from seeing actual shit overseas." Shawn pulled me closer. "Told you he'd like you."
"He likes what I've done for you. That's different."
"No, he likes you. I could see it." He kissed my forehead. "Everyone likes you once they get past that ice queen thing you do."
"I don't do an ice queen thing."
"Baby, you absolutely do. It's hot as hell, but it's also intimidating."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and felt my stomach flip.
"It's Lauren," I said. "The bakery client."
"The one you've been pitching the holiday campaign to?"
"Yeah." I opened the email, scanning quickly. "She wants to move forward. Full package. Social media, email marketing, the website redesign."
"Nicole, that's incredible."
"It's one client. That's not—"
"It's your first client. That's huge." He grabbed my face and kissed me. "I'm so proud of you."
The words made my eyes sting. "I haven't even done anything yet."
"You took the leap. That's everything." He was grinning now, that beautiful, reckless grin that had first made me fall for him. "We should celebrate."
"Your brother just got home."
"He's sleeping for twelve hours, remember?" Shawn was already pulling me toward the door. "Come on. Dinner. Wine. Then I'm taking you back to my place and showing you exactly how proud I am."
"Your apartment doesn't have any furniture yet."
"I have a bed. That's all we need."
Heat flooded through me at the promise in his voice. "Fine. But we're getting Thai food."
"Whatever you want, baby. Tonight's about you."
As we walked out into the December night, his arm around my shoulders and my first real client secured, I felt something I hadn't felt in months.
Hope.
Not the desperate, clawing kind that came from chasing what other people thought success should look like. But the real kind. The kind that came from building something that mattered with someone who mattered.
"Hey," Shawn said, stopping on the sidewalk to look at me. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I stood on my toes to kiss him. "I'm really okay."
"Good. Because I've got plans for us."
"What kind of plans?"
"The kind that involve you naked in my bed for the foreseeable future."
I laughed. "That's not a plan. That's a fantasy."
"It's both." He started walking again, pulling me with him. "And trust me, the fantasy is even better than you're imagining."
"Cocky."
"You love it."
"I do." I leaned into him as we walked. "I really do."