Chapter Four
ALLISON
I was singing at the top of my lungs while looking at the outfits I’d laid out on the bed.
I was determined to have a good time tonight and wasn’t going to let anything put a damper on my mood, even though the short call I’d had with Nick’s lawyer, Hugo, yesterday, hadn’t been the good news I was hoping for.
Still, for now, things were great. The kids were downstairs with Doreen, whom they adored.
She was in her mid-sixties and very good with them.
I focused on my clothing options. Summer was definitely my season.
I loved Boston year-round, but there was something special about summer.
I’d narrowed it down to a red dress, a yellow one, and a blue one.
Even though they were all different styles, I chose based on color.
Red was my favorite. The dress was simple: thin straps and a V neckline.
It was pretty snug around my body, but so what?
I put it on just as I heard Nick’s voice drifting up from the backyard. How late is it?
I glanced at the clock and gasped. Shit, it was already five o’clock. How was I not ready?
I ran to the hallway window that overlooked the backyard.
Opening it, I prepared to call down to Nick, but my voice got stuck in my throat.
He was on all fours carrying the twins on his back.
They were having the time of their lives.
Doreen was standing to one side, looking at them with glee. It was definitely a sight to behold.
Finally, I found my voice. “I’ll be right down. I’m sorry.”
Nick looked up. “Take your time. We’re having fun.”
“Yes!” Annie clapped her hands.
It was so good to see those two smile. The first month had been crushing.
They were crying themselves to sleep every night.
I wasn’t much help because I was crying with them more often than not.
I’d go in to comfort them, and then all three of us ended up having a sob session.
They kept asking when Mommy and Daddy were coming back.
It seemed like they were finally accepting that they weren’t.
My heart started to feel heavy at the thought, but I quickly nipped it in the bud.
Nope, Allison—tonight is for fun. Don’t think about any sad things. Nora would want you to have fun.
I headed back to my room, glancing at myself in the mirror before pairing the dress with black ballerina shoes.
I wore heels at the office, but I simply refused to put my feet through that torture in my free time.
Grabbing a very light jacket, I ran a hand through my hair.
It was still damp, but I didn’t like using a hairdryer.
I also had a very small backpack that matched my shoes.
After one last look at my reflection, I dashed down the stairs, feeling more excited than I had in months. I joined everyone outside and noticed a huge paper bag on the table.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Nick brought takeout,” Doreen said.
She smiled wholeheartedly. She’d heard of him from the kids but hadn’t met him until now. By the way she smiled, I could tell she liked him. That was good. I always trusted the judgment of the elderly. There was nothing quite like life experience.
God, the kids were so cute. I could just stay here for the rest of the evening to watch them. But then they both hopped off Nick’s back at the same time, and he rose to his feet.
Don’t ogle him, Allison. It was impossible not to, though, because Nick Whitley was absolutely breathtaking.
He was wearing a dark blue shirt, the top button undone.
No judgment there—it was hot outside. He’d also crumpled his sleeves up to his elbows.
Not rolled, just carelessly pushed up. His jeans had a few light grass stains on his knees from crawling around, and I loved him for it.
“Ready to go whenever you are, Allison,” he said.
I turned to Doreen. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, dear. Go have fun. You need it. I’m glad you’re doing this.”
Her words took me by surprise. Doreen and I weren’t close. We mostly had a transactional relationship, although I did ask her for advice about this and that on occasion.
“Thanks.” Slowly, I looked at Nick. “I’m all yours, then. Let’s go.”
He flashed me an absolutely gorgeous smile. Were his smiles always this amazing, or was I noticing this one more for some reason?
“Come on, let’s go.”
We walked back through the house. A shiver went through me as we reached the front door.
This was the first time I was spending time with Nick alone.
Even when he stayed after the twins went to bed and it was just the two of us, it was different because there was someone else in the house.
But now it was going to be just him and me, at least in the car.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked me as I closed the front door.
“Oh, this, that… By the way, I need to take a selfie of us.”
Nick’s eyes bulged. “Why?”
“For my mom. She didn’t quite believe that I was going out tonight, so she wants photos to make sure it happened.”
“Then by all means.” He cracked yet another devastating smile.
I took the phone out of my bag and held it toward me as Nick moved to stand behind me.
I smiled, too, and almost gasped as I felt his hand on my waist. He tilted his head closer to my shoulder to fit properly in the picture. I felt his hot breath on my cheek and his chest against my back. I swallowed hard and momentarily forgot what I was about to do.
Oh right, selfie.
I took a few pics. In the first one, Nick just smiled. In the second one, he was looking at me with a huge grin. I turned to face him.
“Why are you looking at me?” I asked as I kept clicking.
“Because I can. Isn’t that reason enough?”
Huh. What a strange thing to say.
I lowered the phone, and he let go of me, huffing out a breath. His eyes widened as if he couldn’t quite believe where his hand had been. He cleared his throat, looking at the ground for a beat.
“Let’s go to the car.”
“What are we doing tonight?” I asked.
“Everything in due course.”
It was so refreshing to be taken by surprise. I’d had to plan every minute of every day lately. It was good for someone else to take the lead so I didn’t have to think about logistics or anything else. The anticipation was amazing, and I was ready to have a fun evening.
Nick walked behind me, close enough that I could feel the heat of his body.
I swear, I could still remember the way his muscles felt against my back.
They’d been as hard and defined as I always imagined.
Then again, he ran the most successful gym business in the country. Being fit came with the territory.
“You’re silent again,” he said.
I looked up, smiling sheepishly. What could I tell him? “I was just reaffirming to myself how hot you are”?
As I got in his Lexus, I thoroughly relaxed against the black leather seat. He joined me a few seconds later, and as soon as he closed the door, I felt something shift in the air. For the first time ever, we were truly alone.
Why was I so obsessed with this? Perhaps because my skin simmered in places it had no business simmering. My pulse was more rapid. I licked my lips, glancing out the window at the porch. Was this all because of that selfie we took? Because we’d been so close?
Jesus, I wasn’t a teenager who’d never been close to a boy. Why was I reacting like this? Maybe because I hadn’t touched a man in God knew how long. Obviously everything was going to fire up.
Yep, that was a plausible explanation.
“Allison, are you having second thoughts?” Nick asked, and I realized that perhaps he was interpreting my silence as not wanting to go.
“Not at all. This is a good thing.”
“Then why are you talking as if you’re trying to convince yourself?” He gunned the engine, and we started down the road.
“I wasn’t always like this. I was more social. I went out with friends, especially on the weekends. But ever since the twins came to live with me, I’ve had this urge to spend every free moment with them. I feel guilty if I don’t.”
“Tonight, you’re not allowed to feel guilty.” Stopping at the traffic light, he took my hand and looked me straight in the eyes.
That simmer intensified, and I had no idea how to stop it.
“You think I need your permission for that?”
“Hell yes. I’ll make you a deal.”
“Huh?”
“Every time I see you drift off, I’ll assume it’s because you’re feeling guilty. So then I’ll do something outrageous to take your mind off it.”
I cleared my throat. “You wouldn’t.”
He grinned. “I would. You don’t know me too well, Allison. Jim never told you some of our stories?”
My smile fell.
He shook his head. “Sorry. We won’t speak about Jim and Nora.”
“It feels wrong to say that,” I whispered. They’d passed away three months ago, and all I wanted was to talk about them—even though it saddened me.
Nick hesitated. “It’s not, though. We both cared about them a lot. Avoiding a topic that brings up difficult feelings isn’t wrong. Let’s just try, okay?”
I was wondering if he was doing this for his benefit as much as mine, but he did have a point. Besides, we were going out to have fun.
I nodded. “All right. Let’s jump back to what you said before. Can you define outrageous?”
“You’ll know it when you see it,” he assured me, and then he concentrated on the road again. “We’re having a barbecue along the waterfront.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. The weather is so nice. I didn’t want to be cooped up inside.”
“I figured you wouldn’t.”
“How?” I asked.
“Because when I drop by on weekends, you’re always soaking up every bit of sun you can.”
“I’m an outdoorsy person. I like to bike. I used to do that as my workout every morning.”
“You go to the gym?”
“Why? Are you trying to sell me a membership at one of yours?”
He gave me a cheeky smile. “They are the best in the country.”
“So I’ve heard. Shame I’ve never been inside one of them.”
“It’s never too late. Let me know when you’d like to go.”