Oh my… Nick shirtless is… wow.
How is someone like that taking me on a date tomorrow? Somehow, knowing that makes him even sexier to me. Because he’s not just some really hot guy on the beach in Mexico. He’s a responsible doctor who is a great father to Bria. He has his life figured out. And he wants me.
“Come on,” he yells, gesturing to the water.
Oh, hell no.
“No way,” I shout, laughing. “It’s cold!”
Suddenly he’s running over to me, and I laugh maniacally as I scramble to get up.
I’m not fast enough.
Before I know it, he grabs me around my waist and throws me over his shoulders. I squeal with delight, and I beat my fists against his back.
“Nicholas Wilder! Put me down right now! I’m not going in there! I’m not!” But it seems I don’t have a choice, because the next thing I know, I’m being submerged into the salty, warm water. I dunk my head and shriek as I come up again. “Fuck you, Nick,” I say, laughing and wheezing. He’s just smiling and watching me.
I’m waist deep, and I see him wade over to me slowly.
“Nick?” I ask, suddenly shy. “Are you sure going on a date is a good idea?” I say quietly. What I don’t say is I’m not sure if I’m ready to compete with someone who is dead. Someone who holds the number one spot in your heart and always will.
I watch him as he begins to speak and then stops. The confused, conflicted look is back, and I now realize, he’s fighting the internal battle again—Isabel or Evianna—the battle I’ll never win. I’m not quite ready to be rejected. I’m not quite ready for Nick to tell me that he can’t fall in love with me. There are so many reasons why Nick can’t fall in love with me. I don’t need to hear it from him. I already know.
He just stares at me. His face is scrunched up, and I can tell he’s hurt. I continue. “I just… I’m not sure if I’m ready to start a relationship with someone who is still grieving, you know?”
Nick walks over to me and pulls me into him. I have to say, despite the serious conversation, I’m loving the close proximity.
“Evi, I will always be grieving. I will always love Isabel,” he says quietly.
“I know you will. And I don’t expect you to ever stop. I hope you don’t ever stop. Because what you had was so, so special. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to be somebody’s number two. I was Dan’s number two. I want to be someone’s number one.”
“Evianna, please go on a date with me,” Nick begs. He reaches up and pulls my face close to his. “Yes, Isabel was number one in my heart. When you and I first met, I didn’t want to date anyone. I didn’t think I’d ever feel the way I felt about Isabel with anyone else. I didn’t think I was ready. But you were so good to me, and I got swept up. Little by little, I found myself falling for you.”
He doesn’t kiss me. I know Nick won’t kiss me here—he’s a gentleman. But he just looks at me, his face inches away from mine. It’s almost better than a kiss, in a way. His honey-brown eyes bore into me, and his words replay in my head over and over.
Nick might be falling in love with me.
He continues.
“So I’m asking you to give it a shot. When we first met, I had no idea you’d be so important to me. I had no idea I would lie awake and think about you. I had no idea I would start to visualize a life with you. I’m just asking for one night. All I’m asking for is a little faith.”
“Faith in what?”
“Faith in what you and I could have, Evi. Faith in us. I have loved before, and so have you. That love left a permanent scar, a scar that might not ever go away, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fit two people in my number one spot. I think part of the reason I held on so tightly to Isabel was because I was sure a love like that couldn’t happen again. But I was wrong. It can. It did.”
I watch as his eyes study my face, and I feel a tear slip down my cheek.