“Is she?” He looked around, his eyes lighting up. “It would be nice to catch up.” His reaction put a smile on my face.
“I left her in the foyer, where she was mauled by the ladies,” I said with a chuckle.
“I’ll have to rescue her then,” he smirked, then excused himself.
“My dad knew your mom?” Mason asked as he turned and watched his father disappear down the hallway.
“Yep.” I smiled, turning to look up at him. “It was a long time ago.” I added. “I need a drink.”
“Follow me,” he said. I felt the nervousness fill me as he laced his fingers with mine. He led me to the bar in the den. “Looks like we’re out of the good stuff in here, I’ll be right back.” He kissed my cheek then left the room.
“Evening,” Nick said as he came up from behind me. I could hear the strain in his voice as he spoke. My heart thudded in my chest but I turned to face him anyway.
“Evening,” I replied, trying to disguise my own pain. The other people in the room left one by one, leaving Nick and me alone. He looked around the room, then back at me. He stood awfully close, drink in his hand and the other hand tucked in the pocket of his pants. I tried to find something to focus on other than him. He looked good in his snow-white cashmere shirt and black dress pants. He leaned on the shelf, looking as nervous as I felt.
“It’s good to see you,” he said, clearing his throat. I hated this little show we were putting on.
“You too,” I lied. I didn’t want to see him. Not yet at least. I knew I would eventually have to run into him. I just wished it wasn’t this soon.
“Liar,” he croaked, smiling. My eyes widened, surprised. “I know I’ve said it before, but I wanted to say it again.” He moved closer. “I’m terribly sorry for my behaviour.” His breath caught in his throat.
“I know, Nick,” I replied, looking away because his intense stare was more than I could bear. His broken voice was killing me inside.
“Are you sure?” he asked, getting choked up. I could hear the sob brewing in the back of his throat. “It wasn’t because Mason was easy to fall back on?” He inched closer. I looked down at the ground, not quite sure what to say to that.
“No. It wasn’t like that,” I replied, looking up at him, again.
“Sure it wasn’t,” he said, dragging his hand down his jaw.
He moved closer still, and then I felt the gentle caress of his fingers touching the curve of my neck, trailing delicately over to my chin, and lifting it so that we were looking at each other. I was a little put off when his finger lingered across the edge of my bottom lip. “I love you,” he gulped. “That hasn’t changed.” He paused, looking at the door where Mason had exited through. When his eyes met mine again, I started to feel the tears sting my eyes. “I never lied to you about that. Yes, I should have been honest from the beginning. That is something I will forever regret.” His voice shook as he spoke and his lip quivered.
“I don’t want you to regret it, Nick,” I replied, biting my lip.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I would have chosen you,” he whispered regretfully. “Would you have stayed?”
“Nick—” It was an unfair question. I couldn’t give him an answer to a hypothetical question. “I can’t answer that.”
The shake in his voice was so unbearable. “You’re right. It’s unfair of me to ask.” His eyes bore into mine, making me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t look away. “I’ll say this, though. Those few months that we spent together were the best months of my life.” His thumb stroked my cheek, just as Mason returned. Nick leaned in and kissed my cheek then stepped back. “No one compares to you,” he whispered, then he eyed Mason as he walked out of the room. My eyes watered and I bit down on my lip, holding my breath. Mason sauntered towards me. I took a moment before I could look up at him and smiled sincerely.
“Everything okay?” he asked, watching Nick leave.
“Yep,” I lied, swiping the tear that managed to escape.
“I feel as though I have interrupted something.” He handed me a glass as he stood directly in front of me. I knew he was trying to read my expression.
“He apologized again, that’s all,” I said with a shrug. He eyed me, glancing over at the doorway. Nick stood in view.
“Is that all he said? Because it looked like more.”
“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Stop worrying.” I stretched to kiss him.
“Oh, I’m not worried.” He forced a smile.
We walked out of the lounge and joined the rest of the party with Mason glued to my side for the rest of the night. It was half an hour to midnight. Cassie and I had gotten lost in the music on the dance floor. Mason only joined us when there was a slow song on. I even found my mother enjoying the party—with Robert. It was a little weird seeing her with another man, but it had been three years since my father died. I wasn’t expecting her to be alone for the rest of her life, but it will take some getting used to. Then I felt someone take my hand, and when I turned thinking it was Mason, I found Nick standing behind me. He pulled me away before Cassie noticed.
“Nick?” I said , trying to break free. “Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to resist. He led me out onto the patio, then through the garden towards the hedges that bordered their yard. “Nick!” When we finally stopped walking, he slowly turned to face me, letting my hand go. “What is going on?” I breathed. His head turned, and he focused on the distance between us and the house. I turned and realized that we were far, and no one would see us standing here in the dark.
&nbs