Tomorrow. I’ll tell him tomorrow...or maybe the day after that.
Chapter 6
When I awoke just a few hours later, the early afternoon sun had already painted the room a magical shade of bronze. Everything seemed to be illuminated in a golden glow, from the paintings on the walls to the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, right down to the beautiful man beside me. Nick was still passed out cold, but that didn’t stop me from doing my very best to wake him up.
“Hey,” I whispered, fighting back a grin. “You awake?”
It was an obvious question with an obvious answer, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. It was a brand new day, and our three months were up. The merger was signed, we were back in the Big Apple, and he had just confessed his love for me for the very first time. I wasn’t about to let him hibernate through all that.
I knew Nicholas Hunter, was keenly aware of his rather sordid track record with the ladies. From what I knew of him and what everyone in the world seemed to know of him, I was fairly certain that he’d never said those three words to anyone in his entire life, not once. For that reason alone, I could not believe he’d said it at all. And to little ol’ me, of all people!
My eyes danced with uncontainable delight as I replayed the moment over and over in my head. It was dark when he uttered it, so I didn’t really have a visual to go with it, but that didn’t stop me from imagining it to blissful perfection in my mind’s eye. I would forever remember the way he tensed slightly beneath me, as if he had to make a quick decision. I would always recall the way his muscles relaxed slightly when he made up his mind, the way his arms tightened back up again as he cradled me against his chest and said those magical words. It was perfect, absolutely fucking perfect.
Unless he didn’t really mean it.
My soaring heart came to a screeching halt as I considered that horrible possibility for the first time. It really wasn’t like it was that unlikely. I mean, I did just say it to him, right before that. What was he supposed to do? Just leave me hanging after all we’ve been through together for the last three months?
A cold chill swept through me, a million doubts nipping at any shreds of hope and self-confidence I had. Yes, he said it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he really feels that way, Abby. Don’t be a gullible idiot, the logical, cautious part of me scolded. After all, he didn’t respond the same way when I said it on the beach in Peru. He just...ignored it then. He was tired. Maybe it was an echoed response.
The thought stopped my heart cold, and I rolled onto my side, staring up at him with sudden dread. To anyone watching, I would have looked like a lunatic. On the outside, nothing had changed, but suddenly, that brand new day didn’t seem so magical and sunny.
The worst of it was that I didn’t know how to determine it for sure. It wasn’t as if I could come right out and ask him. Maybe I’ll just wait and see if the subject comes up again, naturally. No use forcing things, right? I reasoned.
Wrong! Quit being such a chicken-shit, would you? my head admonished. You’re carrying his baby, for fuck’s sake! You have to know if he meant it!
“Nick...”
He stirred slightly but didn’t open his eyes.
“Nick, are you awake?”
Still, he said nothing.
“Nick!”
The third time I said his name, with a bit more panic and volume in my voice, there was a shift in his breathing. His biceps tightened, then relaxed again as they gathered me up against his chest. “What is it? What’s wrong?” he finally muttered, though he didn’t bother to open his eyes yet.
I hesitated, squirming nervously against him, figuring it was best to ease into the awkward conversation gently, the way one would slowly slip the body into a cold swimming pool, one tiny toe at a time. “It’s, uh... Hey, do you wanna get some breakfast?”
He shook his head and yawned widely before surrendering to sleep once more.
Of course he doesn’t. He only went to bed a few hours ago, after you made him chase you halfway around the world. Forget the breakfast. If you keep bugging him, he’s going to slap you not so over-easy!
They were wise words, even if I knew Nick would never actually attack me. Unfortunately, they weren’t enough to stop me.
“Are you sure?” I asked again, well aware that I was venturing ever closer to that line. “I could make us something.”
He shifted a little under the sheets, spilling his golden hair across his face. “I’m fine, but the kitchen’s well stocked if you’re hungry. Help yourself.”
“You look very handsome this morning,” I said, trying a different strategy.
“Um...thanks, babe,” he said, still not opening his eyes.
I leaned even higher up on his chest, till my face was just a few inches from his. “Very handsome,” I teased. “You know, we should really consider one of those in-bed photoshoots the next time they ask you to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.”
“Okay, if you want to.”
“They’re usually really specific with that sort of thing,” I babbled, picking up speed now that I was back on familiar ground. “They always come to the table with all these preconceived ideas, but I’m sure if we present a clear vision of what we want, they’ll be quick to accommodate us because...”