A good hour later, Sean made his way down to the lobby, the grin still on his face. Maggie had let each of them hold the baby; he still couldn’t get over how small the boy had been in his large hands, even though everyone insisted that a ten-and-a-half pound baby was considered large. Michael had boasted proudly that his son dwarfed the other newborns for the entire five minutes he was in the nursery before Maggie insisted he be returned to her side.
Sean chuckled again. Maggie was quite possibly the sweetest, most open-hearted woman he knew, but she was ferocity personified when it came to protecting her family. A slight twinge had him absently rubbing his chest. Michael was a lucky son-of-a-bitch.
A casual glance toward the coffee shop had him doing a double take. Nicki sat in a booth at the far end, head down, looking as if she was about to do a header into the cup of coffee that sat in front of her. At least he thought it was Nicki.
Sean’s steps slowed. He instinctively kept out of her direct line of sight, but she never once looked over his way. Yes, that was definitely Nicki. He would recognize that delicate, feminine profile anywhere. Every curve, every line was already etched in his memory. His hands twitched and flexed, doing a little remembering of their own.
There was something decidedly different about her today, and it was more than just a lack of makeup and a sexy get-up. She seemed more natural, more real. Looking at her now, it was hard to envision the seductress that damn near brought him to his knees the night before. It both confused and intrigued him.
Sean didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until he saw her head bob as if in agreement, saw her lips move in response to whomever sat across from her. Why was she here? Who was with her? And why did she look so damn sad?
He should probably just keep walking, but something wouldn’t let him. Not allowing himself to think too much about what he was doing, he followed his instincts and slipped into the gift shop, angling himself slightly behind the large display of magazines and paperbacks available for purchase. From this vantage point, he could catch occasional glimpses of Nicki, but she would be hard pressed to spot him.
It only took a moment or so for Sean to recognize Nick’s voice as well. Hushed and low, it carried easily once he zeroed in and concentrated on them and them alone. It was a skill that had served him well in the field.
Sean felt only a momentary flash of conscience for eavesdropping, but the strong warning in his gut overrode it. There was something going on with those two, and Sean had a lot more questions than answers. He silently justified his actions by reasoning that if he didn’t know what the problem was, he couldn’t help fix it. Nick was his top mechanic, and Nicki was – well, he didn’t really know what she was yet – but he figured that if he could help, he would.
*
“You’re too fucking soft,” Nick said harshly. “That’s why you always get hurt.”
Nicki hung her head. What could she say to that? Nick was right.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he continued. “Why do you even care?”
Nicki ripped pieces from the paper napkin, rolling them into little balls with her fingers and letting them drop onto the table. A cinnamon roll sat untouched off to the side. Nick pointed to it. Nicki nodded and pushed it toward him. Seeing her mother unconscious and hooked up to all of those tubes and machines eliminated any appetite she might have had.
“The same reason you do,” she answered. "Because she’s our mother.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Nicki,” Nick said coldly. “That woman could go straight to Hell for all I care and I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over it. She was never a mother to me. To either of us. But especially not to you.”
He ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. Hanging loose, it was almost as long as hers. “Christ, Nicki, how can you even look at her after what she did?”
“Shove it up your ass, Nick. You’re the one that fucking texted me, remember?”
“Yeah, because I thought you should know. Because I knew you’d be pissed if you found out I knew and didn’t tell you. Not because I wanted you to do anything about it. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“You want me to go? Fine. I’m outta here.” She’d had just about enough of people trying to push her into the shadows, tell her what she could and could not do. Nicki grabbed her bag and made to get out of the booth, but Nick’s arm reached out and grabbed her.
“You know I didn’t mean that. Christ, you make me fucking nuts!” He blew out a heavy breath. “I’m not ready for you to leave yet, Nicki. Please.”
Nicki slid back into place, her head lowered as she took another sip of her coffee. Silence stretched between them for one minute, then two.
“Did she even recognize you?” Nick said softly. “Does she even know who you are?”