My cheeks flush. "It would be wrong to lie in my maid of honor speech." I lean into his touch. "I'm sorry about everything with Shepard. I should have respected your wishes."
"You were trying to protect me. I would have done the same thing."
"I thought it would make you happy."
"I thought so too." He slides his hand around my neck. "I was a wreck over losing the company, but that was nothing compared to losing you. I haven't slept. I can't eat. I can barely think."
I stare into his eyes. They're honest. They're earnest.
"I didn't know what you'd done, why you'd left, but I knew you were right. Odyssey was my first priority. It made me happy once, giving everything to the company. But not anymore."
I'm warm everywhere. I squeeze Nick's hand. I suck in a shallow breath.
"I want to be a better man, a man who deserves you. I want to put you first, Lizzy, before everything."
"Before work?"
"Before breathing." He drags his fingers to the back of my head, tilting me so we're eye to eye. "You're everything to me."
I melt into his touch.
"I'd give up anything before I'd give up on you."
"You make me want to be better, too."
"I know, baby." He digs his fingers into my hair. "I want to be with you. All yours. And you're all mine. Is that okay?"
I nod.
He leans closer. "Elizabeth Wilder, I love you. I love you in a way I've never loved anyone."
"I love you too."
He presses his lips to mine. All the cold melts away as I kiss him back. Nick is mine. And I'm his.
Whatever happens, we belong together.
When the kiss breaks, we go back to the reception and we dance the night away.
Epilogue
My knuckles are white as I pull the car into the narrow parking space. I practiced this a hundred times with Nick.
Foot on the brake, hand on the center console, I put the car in park and turn off the ignition.
Done.
The DMV employee checks boxes on her clipboard. She looks to me with a smile. "You passed, Miss Wilder."
Holy shit. I passed. According to the state of New York, I'm a licensed driver.
"Thank you." I shake her hand and get out of the car.
There's Nick, standing on the curb of the Brooklyn DMV.
The rain has his dark hair sticking to his forehead. Otherwise, he's no worse for wear. He looks impeccable in his black trench and jeans.
Better out of them, of course.
I throw my arms around him. "I passed."
"I'm so proud of you, baby." He squeezes me tightly and presses his lips to mine. "I knew you would."
"I don't know how you talked me into getting a license. I go to school eighty blocks from our apartment." I decided to go to Hunter College. It's not the best school in New York, but it's a state school, which means it's in my price range. Between the money I saved working at Odyssey, and me and Kat selling the Brooklyn apartment, I have enough to put myself through grad school.
He's running another start-up. He's passionate about the project, but he still turns it off when he gets home. He still gives me his weekends.
And he's even speaking to his brother again.
I'm not sure exactly where they are. But they're friendly.
As far as I can tell, Shepard is still trying to win Jasmine back.
I haven't decided if I'm rooting for or against him.
"Because you knew how we'd celebrate." He slides his hands to my lower back and plays with the bottom of my t-shirt.
It's cold today, but even with my coat in the car, I feel damn warm.
"Miss Wilder." The DMV employee calls for me.
"Coming," I yell back.
Nick winks. "Not yet."
My cheeks flush. It's difficult to focus on paperwork. The fifteen minutes feel like hours. When we're done with the DMV, I hand Nick the keys to the car but he won't take them.
"Your turn to drive." He motions to the driver's seat.
The rain is pounding, but I can manage. I slide into the car, buckle up, turn the ignition. Nick is next to me the entire ride. He holds my hand when it's not glued to the steering wheel.
It's early afternoon. There aren't many cars on the road. Driving is still far from my favorite activity, but there are moments—like when Nick squeezes my hand—when I like it.
We park in his garage. Our garage. He asked me to move in last July. It's perfect. I have my own office for schoolwork, a gorgeous room in shades of purple and silver.
But I'm not ready to get back to the apartment yet. Not when the sun is shining through the clouds, and the trees in Battery Park are blooming.
I lead Nick across the street. It's pouring rain. My canvas sneakers are not at all helpful in staying dry, but I don't care.
The cherry blossoms are clouds of pink. The whole park is lined with them. It's just like last year, at Kat's wedding. Just as perfect.
There's a great view from Nick's apartment, our apartment, but it's nothing compared to being here. It's like the world is flourishing in front of us.
The sun casts a glow over the park. Over Nick. He looks like an angel, backlit and surrounded by soft pink cherry blossom petals.
He is an angel. He saved me from losing touch with the world.
I reach up to my tiptoes so I can whisper in his ear. "I love you."
"I love you too." He slides his arm around me and holds me close.
We stay like that until we're soaked to the bone.
He brings his mouth to my ear. "How about we get you out of those wet clothes?"
"Only if you go first."
He takes my hand and leads me back to the apartment building.
Glass walls be damned, the second the elevator doors slide shut, I undo the buttons on Nick's coat and slide it off his shoulders.
He grabs my hips and presses me against the wall. My coat is too slick for me to stay in place. I slide down. Right back into his arms.
A laugh escapes my lips.
"I warned you about the wet clothes." He does away with my coat.
"My turn."
I pull his t-shirt over his head and press my hands against his broad chest. His eyes are wide with desire. No hesitation. No fear.
He's mine.
And I'm his.
And nothing else matters.
I go slow as I unbutton his jeans and slip my hand inside. He's already hard.
He groans into my ear. For a second, I think he'll tell me to stop, that he can only handle me touching him if he's one hundred percent in control.
But he doesn't.
He groans my name.
The elevator dings. Finally. I kick our coats into the penthouse and step inside. He follows right behind me.
I shove his jeans to his knees then rub him over his boxers. He wraps his arms around my waist. Then they're at my ass, pulling our bodies together.
He looks into my eyes. "You want me in control today?"
I nod. "As long as I get to touch you."
Nick must be impatient. He grabs my hips, presses me against the wall, and kisses me like the ship is going down. I kiss him back, my hands digging through his hair, my body melting into his.
He talks in between kisses. "Take off your top."
I fling it over my head. It lands on the floor with a thud.
"I like you soaking wet."
My cheeks flush. "Me too."
His hands go to my zipper. My jeans are soaked through. They don't want to budge. Nick has to drop to his knees to get them to my ankles.
He drags his hands up my hips, grabs my panties, and pulls them to my ankles. "Step out of your pants."
I do.
"Spread your legs wider."
I do.
Starting at the inside of my knee, Nick trails kisses up my thigh. Until his lips are on me, working their magic.
I dig my hands into his shoulders. His skin feels so good against my fingers.
Somehow, it makes the motions of his tongue feel even better.
Pleasure fills my body as he licks me. Almost. Almost.
"Nick," I groan.
There. An orgasm spills through me. I scream his name again and again as I come.
He doesn't waste any time. He rises to his feet and kicks off his boxers.
"Come here, baby." He takes my hand and wraps it around his cock.
Hell yes. I stroke him until his eyes flutter closed and a groan escapes his lips.
His hands go to my hips. "I need to be inside you, now."
He places my hands on his shoulders and pins me to the wall.
I stare back at him, into those deep brown eyes of his.
The world is where it needs to be.
He stares back as he enters me. There's no doubting what's passing between us. We have the words, and we have our bodies. Two different ways to say I love you.
I hook my arms around his neck and hold on tight. He kisses me hard and deep as he drives into me. I kiss him back, lost in pleasure, lost in him.
My world is a dizzying mixture of color and light. The most wonderful shade of purple. I'm not intellectual. Only physical. Only emotional. All I feel is his body. His breath, his hands, his fingers, his cock, his teeth.
His love.
The way he shakes when he's about to come.
I'm almost there. I arch my hips to press my clit against his pubic bone, so I can come with him.
An orgasm rises up inside me.
His eyes go wide. His teeth sink into my neck. His shoulders shake.
I can't fight it anymore. I come, my sex pulsing around him. He's there seconds later, filling me as he rakes his nails across my skin.
We take a long shower. Nick makes excellent use of the detachable showerhead. When we're done, I've come so many times that I can't stand.
He carries me to the bed. I expect him to toss me pajamas, but he brings me a dress. That gorgeous purple dress I wore during our poker night.
"This is a bit much for lying around the house," I tease.
"It's our anniversary."
"Our what?"
"A year ago, today, I told you I loved you."