Nick’s mouth fell open in shock, his eyes growing wide with wonder.
“You’re kidding me—that’s terrible!” Before I could say a thing to combat him, he continued on with sudden inspiration. “Hey, I have an idea—why don’t you stay with me?”
It was a testament to how thrown I still was by the hot tub, that I didn’t go and try to drown him in it right then and there.
“This is a big shock to you, is it?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Not like you could have had anything to do with it. Oh, now I get it. Now I know why you said to enjoy Brooklyn while it lasted. Because you knew you were moving me out. You touched all my stuff!”
He waded toward me, cutting his arm through the foamy waves.
“Abigail, I’m offended that you would even suggest it. Of course I had nothing to do with touching your stuff.” He paused, hedging his bets. “I simply called the moving company, and arranged to have all your things put into storage...”
“NICK!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. “What the hell would possess you to do such a thing? I literally walked inside this morning, and all my stuff was gone! I thought for a second that I’d been robbed!”
“And that’s exactly why I did it,” he countered. There was no shame or remorse. Just the same astronomical level of confidence that carried him through, day by day. “You didn’t put on that necklace yesterday, because you were afraid of getting jumped on the curb. The curb right by your house,” he stressed, in case I was somehow missing his point. “Now tell me how, in good conscience, could I let you go back to a place like that?”
It was a sweet premise, but the execution was all wrong.
“How could you LET me go back?” I repeated incredulously, wondering in what state he would survive if I used my purse to bash him over the head. “It’s not up to you, Hunter! It’s my apartment! Understand?! Me! Mine! You have no business interfering like you did!”
He studied my face for a moment, measuring my rage, before shaking his head with a sympathy so contrived, he didn’t even bother to try and sell it. “I think you mean: I had no business interfering like I did. It’s already done, Abby. No taking it back now.”
My blood boiled under in my skin, and I threw my bag down on the floor.
How could he sit there and be so calm?! How could he play puppet-master with people’s lives, and expect there to be no consequences?!
“This is not over, and it’s certainly not okay,” I said quietly, folding my arms with a dangerous glare. “Now I have no idea why you did what you did, but let me assure you—”
But before I could finish, he interrupted me—looking positively delighted all the while.
“Oh Abby—of course you’re upset!” he exclaimed, beaming full force with a sudden smile. “You have no context for this, I haven’t even asked you the question yet!”
“The question?”
I kept my arms carefully folded over my chest, bracing myself for whatever mischief my insufferable client/fake boyfriend had up his sleeve. I had seen Nick in these whimsical moods before. The ones where he leapt into grandiose gestures without thought of consequence. I was not about to let myself get taken in by it now.
“Yes—the question.”
It was at this point that he stood up. The water streamed away, and my mouth fell open as I stared at all of his naked glory. It took me a second to realize he was still talking to me. That he was asking me a very serious question.
“Will you move in with me?”
Chapter 12
I SHOOK MY HEAD, MOMENTARILY speechless. It was impossible to talk with him standing naked in front of me. It was impossible to even think.
He dipped his head a little lower to catch my eye.
“Abby?”
I blinked and returned to the present.
“I’m sorry—what did you say?”
A little grin flashed across his face. One he made no effort to hide.
“Move in with me
.”