I became so busy that eventually working at the resort just didn’t make sense anymore, even though I knew that would cut the time in half that I got to spend with Nick. He said we would make it work when I gave my notice, and we had done just that.
We spent his days off together, and days that he worked, we ended up having lunch, or I would pop in during his breaks.
He hadn’t asked me to move in, but we were practically living together. It just felt right waking up in his bed, and if I stayed back at Remy’s, I just woke up lonely and missing him.
I continued to watch him sleep, frowning when I saw his eyebrows scrunch together. It looked like he was worried about something, even is his sleep. I had noticed things were a little off with him, but every time I asked, he brushed it aside and played it up to being stressed from work.
I knew his job was stressful, but I could tell it was something else. I had no idea why he wouldn’t just tell me. I’m sure it was something that we could easily work out so that it wasn’t eating at him like it seemed to be doing. For now, I would just have to wait, and hopefully he would be able to trust me with whatever it was.
I heard his phone beep, and I grabbed it from the small table, hitting a button on the side to silence it. I was reaching to set it back down when my eye caught the name Kara, and I did a double take. I hated to feel like I was spying on Nick, but what in the hell was that girl still contacting him for?
My stomach dropped when I slid the unlock button across the screen, and I tried to discreetly read it, even though I felt extremely guilty. If I had paid a little more attention when I was with Teddy, though, maybe I would’ve caught onto the cheating. That wasn’t what was happening here, was it? Just the thought made me sick.
I decided against reading it, and laid the phone back down on the table. Nick wasn’t Teddy, and I needed to trust that. Just because I had been burned in the past didn’t mean it was going to happen again. I was just jumping to conclusions, and we know where that landed me the first time. I think I actually remember him saying she had a box of his stuff that had been mixed in with her things when she moved out that he still needed to pick up. See, perfectly good explanation.
“Are you watching me sleep?” he asked in a husky voice, not yet opening his eyes, but his lips twisted into a smirk, flashing a dimple at me. I loved those things.
“Yup, I am.” I giggled when his hand shot out, and he grabbed around my waist, pulling me on top of him. I straddled his body, giving a little wiggle, and his eyes finally popped open.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, digging his fingers into my hips to lift me up slightly. He pointed a finger down to the tent that had appeared in his shorts and shook his head. “This stays in there as long as we’re at your parents’ house. I don’t need your dad kicking my ass out of his house for doing very naughty things with his daughter.” I pouted my lips at him and swung my legs around to the edge of the bed. “Even though I really want to.”
“Mmhmm, I’m sure you do, so if you want to behave yourself we better head down for breakfast, before I can’t control myself.”
“Alright, I’m gonna go take a cold shower, and I’ll be down in five.”
I rolled my eyes, even though a cold shower was probably exactly what I needed, and it would be even better if it was with Nick. I walked down the stairs, loving the fact that I was back at home. It was just so comforting to be in the house that I had grown up in, remembering all of the great memories I had with my family. I smiled at the picture of Owen and his wife Brenna that was displayed above the brick fireplace. They looked so in love on their wedding day, and still were after being married for eight years. It made me sad to think that they lived so far away now in California where Owen had just recently been relocated for his job.
“Morning, Mom.” I smacked a kiss on her cheek. She was standing at the stove flipping pancakes, and she began giving me instructions to help with breakfast.
“Ally, dear, make sure you grab the maple syrup that Ben likes. And there’s fresh strawberries in the back of the fridge. Does Nick like pancakes and bacon? I hope that’s alright.”
“It’s perfect, Mom, he’ll love whatever you make.” She wiped her hands on the front of her apron, before grabbing up her coffee mug that had “Mom” spelled out in tiny jewels. Something that I made for her one Christmas when I was around ten, I think.
“I like him,” she said after taking a long sip and sitting down next to me. “He’s a very nice boy, and so handsome. I’ve always had a thing for dimples.” That must be where I get my obsession from then.