Chapter Twenty Seven
NICK
In the morning, I woke up to the sound of the hairdryer. I’d enjoyed last night more than I could have imagined, and I was ready for another fantastic day at Allison’s side. I was getting used to this, and I didn’t mind.
I jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom. She startled when I came in, then turned off the dryer.
“Let me just put the hairdryer away. I hate using it, but I don’t want to go out with wet hair today.”
“Don’t stop on my account. I’m happy just stand here and watch you. Now that I don’t have to do it when you’re not looking.”
She looked at me in the mirror, then glanced over her shoulder as if she needed actual eye-to-eye contact. “Good morning to you too. I see you woke up on your flirty side.”
“Allison, a word of warning,” I said, stepping up behind her. She turned her head forward so we were once again looking at each other in the mirror. “Any day I wake up naked in your bed, I won’t be able to keep my hands or eyes off you.”
“Duly noted.”
I kissed her shoulder, putting a hand on her belly. If I could, I’d keep this woman just like this.
“What are you thinking? You have that sort of caveman expression.”
“That I’d like to keep you indoors and naked all the time.”
She laughed. “That’s going to be a bit hard. I have to go to work from time to time.”
“Here’s an idea.” I moved to her other shoulder, kissing it too. “You can come work with me. I’m always looking for a good CFO.”
“What about your current one?”
“I’ll just find him another place in Whitley Industries. I can insist on you sharing an office with me.”
“And let me guess. You’d keep me naked all the time?”
“Fuck yes!” I tugged at her earlobe.
“Did you come up with this just now?”
“Yes. The idea is fully formed in my mind. I’m ready to put it into action whenever you are. Josh won’t care.” My CFO was great and probably wouldn’t be too keen on the idea, but a guy had to keep his options open for his woman.
She flashed me a grin. “You know what? Next time some client or my boss gives me a hard time, that’s all I’ll think about: ‘I could be naked in Nick’s office right now.’”
“Exactly. Do keep that in mind.”
She yawned as she started to brush her hair.
“Do you have plans for today?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? I knew I had a whole day with you.”
“You’re full of plans, aren’t you, husband?”
“You have no idea.”
Her skin sprouted goose bumps at my words. I kissed her shoulder again before taking a step back.
“Let’s have a strong coffee, and then I’ll tell you all about the rest of my plan.”
“I think I know what it is,” she whispered before starting the hairdryer again.
“Well, not exactly.”
She’d probably guessed parts of it, but it was more elaborate than that.
I showered and changed into fresh clothes before going downstairs.
On the way, I checked my messages. I had one from Leo, informing me that my penthouse still had zero interest, which was what I’d intended, of course.
He’d thought my idea was crazy when I first told him that I wanted to charge an astronomical rent for it so no one would bite, but he agreed to help. So far, the plan was working.
By the time Allison joined me, I was already on my second coffee. I held out a freshly made one for her.
“So… what are we doing today?” she asked as she took the mug.
“How about going on a cruise?”
Her eyes bulged. “Wow. When you said plan…”
“You just thought I meant taking you to bed, huh?” I smirked.
“Uh, yes,” she admitted, hiding her sheepish smile behind the coffee cup.
“Don’t worry. That is definitely on the agenda,” I replied with as much seriousness as I could muster.
“Don’t we need to buy tickets or something?”
“That’s already taken care of,” I assured her.
She lowered her cup. “Nick, that’s very thoughtful. I was going to suggest we eat breakfast at home, but now I’m too excited. When’s the cruise?”
“We still have time. It starts at ten.” It was only nine o’clock. Funny enough, after waking up at six thirty every morning for the twins, my internal clock had already shifted.
“I’m sure we can find something to eat on the ship or maybe in the harbor. Am I dressed appropriately for that?”
She turned around once. Her yellow dress was short, and it flounced around her.
“Your dress might get caught by the wind.”
“You’re afraid someone might see my sexy parts.”
I growled. “No one can see those. They’re all for me. Just for me.”
Allison pressed her lips together as her pupils dilated a bit. “Only yours, Nick.”
“I’ll just cover you with my body if there’s wind.”
She laughed. “That won’t attract attention at all.”
ALLISON
I’d never been to this part of the harbor. Then again, there were lots of parts of Boston that I hadn’t been to.
“Your smile is amazing,” Nick remarked as we stood in line.
I put one hand over my mouth to hide it. “I think it’s a bit too obvious.”
“What do you mean, obvious?”
I made a come-here motion, and he lowered his ear to my mouth. “That it says I got laid last night, and it was amazing.” Nick burst out laughing. I hadn’t seen that coming. “Well, now that will give us away.”
I started to sip from my smoothie we’d bought from the nearby cart. Nick had just gotten a bagel, and he’d already devoured it. His laughter made me laugh too.
“Nick, people are starting to look at us,” I admonished.
He cleared his throat, but it took several tries for him to stop. “Let them watch us, then. What’s wrong with us being happy?”
Nothing, I realized. Absolutely nothing.
His eyes were playful. God, was this really happening?
Last night, I had so many worries, and now I had zero.
I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Things were as confusing as ever, but I was looking forward to spending this “marriage with benefits” with Nick.
Why hadn’t we thought about it from the beginning? It made so much more sense.
“How long is the cruise?” I asked.
“Just an hour.”
“That’s not so bad. That means we’ll still make it in time to pick up the twins.”
Nick took my free hand in his. “I’ve timed everything. I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m picking up all the slack today.”
“That, husband, is one of the sexiest things you’ve said to me.”
He jerked his head back in surprise.
“Okay, maybe not, but it’s right there in the top five or something.”
“Fuck me,” he said. The lady next to us actually jumped. “Sorry, ma’am,” Nick apologized before focusing on me. On a whisper, he added, “I must do better, then.”
“No, trust me. This is a good thing. You being… I don’t know. Forget it.”
At the office, I didn’t have issues stating my ideas, but when it came to Nick, I found myself at a loss for words far too often.
When our ferry finally arrived, I was absolutely giddy to get on. The line moved slowly, as the person taking the tickets was very thorough about all the details. Were there people faking tickets to get onto a ferry? That seemed strange, but you’d sure think so the way she was scrutinizing them.
A few minutes later, we were inside and found comfortable seats on a bench in the middle.
I would have preferred to sit in the front, but this would do.
The seats were comfy, and there was a menu pinned to the backrest of the bench in front of us.
I immediately inspected it. They didn’t have much, so it was good I had a smoothie.
As the boat moved out of the harbor, I looked around with a huge grin on my face. I hadn’t been so happy in months. I turned to tell Nick this and found him looking at me.
“What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face? Smoothie?” I asked.
“No. Why?”
“You’re looking at me so intently.”
“I want to memorize everything about you today.”
“It’s just that…” I bit my lip once again, at a loss as to how to explain myself. “I haven’t been this happy in a long while. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this happy. Especially not on a date.”
He grinned. “I like that.”
“The thing is that losing Nora sort of split my life into before and after.” My voice shook. “I never thought I could feel fully happy again. Or at least not without also feeling guilty because my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Nick moved a strand of hair behind my ear. He seemed to like doing that a lot.
“But today, I feel completely happy and not guilty at all.” I glanced at him. “Is that a good thing?”
“Yes, it is. Allison, I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“I can’t help it,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I know we agreed not to talk about sad things.”
He shook his head. “I want you to always tell me what’s on your mind. There’s no reason to keep things from me.”
Well, well, my fake husband was turning out to be the best boyfriend I’d ever had.
“Mourning those we love is a way of showing them affection after they’re gone. But don’t feel guilty for feeling happy. Nora loved you deeply, and I’m sure that all she would have wanted was for you to be happy.”
“I know that. My sister was a gentle soul. But, Nick, there’s something else. Something in me shifted since last night.”
That made him grin again. “I always like claiming credit, so I’ll add that to my list of wins.”
“Yes, please do.” It was as if he’d unlocked something inside me.
Nick had set free my ability to feel joy again.
I could feel myself getting back to being the old me.
Or maybe this was simply the new version of me.
I’d been trying all along to get back to who I was before, but maybe that shouldn’t have been the goal in the first place.
“You’re lost in thought,” he whispered.