Nicholas POV:
I glanced over at him, before looking away again and shaking my head. “No, nevermind. I want to know everything you can find first. Then I’ll figure out what exactly I’m going to tell her.”
“So you want me to follow her?”
I stopped in my tracks and shrugged. “I don’t care what you call it. Don’t engage with her right now. Just call me and send me everything you find. Does she work? Does she have friends? Does she go home and cry alone every night?”
The pain in my chest was back at the thought of her being alone and crying. Was I dying?
“Are you okay, boss?”
I nodded and stopped clutching my chest. I wasn’t going to go into the fact I was having these feelings. He’d either laugh at me or have me committed. Or worse, call me a woman and try to give me chocolate and flowers or some shit like that.
“I want to be informed of everything,” I told him.
“No problem. I’ll call when I’ve landed.”
I sat back down, searching for my phone. “Take the jet. I’ll have them ready to leave at noon.”
He nodded, his lips turning up slightly. Was that a smirk? Was he smirking at me?
“Are you still planning to leave for a few days?” he asked.
“No. I don’t really think that’s necessary now.” I sent him a glare, and he held his hands up with a chuckle.
As I watched him take off out the door, my heart was racing again, but this time it was joined by something else that I didn’t quite understand. Was it hope?
Over the next few days, each piece of Willow’s life I gleaned from Virgil started fitting together, helping solve the puzzle in my head she’d left from her words and her phone call. She was hardworking, studious, polite, and alone. for her best friend.
I told Virgil to find out about Lorelei Adams, too. It couldn’t hurt to know about the people- or person-close to Willow.
Yes, I’d officially entered stalker territory. It couldn’t be helped. There was some connection that I couldn’t deny and I felt an overwhelming need to protect her.
I’d been so tempted to call her back and let her know she no longer had to worry, but the more I found out about her, the more I thought maybe the two of us were meant to be something beyond awardee and benefactor.
Words like fate and destiny started floating in my head.
Then I thought maybe I was having a mid-life crisis and checked to make sure my dick was still attached.
My phone rang and I rushed to answer. “Virgil?”
“Yeah, boss. I wanted to tell you that I made initial contact today. I bought a few things at the local supermarket and she cashed me out. Nice, courteous, although she seemed a little distracted.”
I frowned, wondering if she had problems I wasn’t already aware of. “What did you find out about the stepfather?”
“He’s not around much. No criminal record… seems to be on the up and up. Willow lives with him on a rental property. The lease is up in a few weeks and the landlord told me it wouldn’t be renewed.”
Was he moving because Willow planned to leave for college or was she leaving because she had nowhere else to go? I hated the thought that she may feel she had no options. “What else? Did you get what I asked for?”
He was silent for a moment. “Um… yeah, I got them. I’ll go ahead and send them now.”
I messed with my mouse, waiting for the email to arrive. After clicking on the first image, I knew my dick was definitely still attached. “Holy fuck.” She was gorgeous. Beyond gorgeous. I clicked through the photos I’d asked Virgil to get for me, each one better than the last.
Walking into school. Coming out from work. Smiling at her friend. She was beautiful. Perfect. Mine.
“Boss?”
I forgot I was still holding the phone with Virgil on the line. “Yeah?” I croaked.
“What’s the plan now? It’s her graduation tomorrow.”
I didn’t know yet. “Just hang tight. I’ll call you in a little while.”
I ended the call and went back to ogling the pictures. As I scanned image after image, a plan started to form in my head.
I wanted her and I had to come up with a way to make her mine.
Normally, it didn’t take much more than a wink and a smile to get a woman into bed.
But I already knew I wanted more than a quick fuck with Willow. She had little means, no family, and no security. These were all things I could give her and wanted to give her.
Maybe a family.
My heart started pounding again as my eyes widened at the screen in front of me. Was some higher being trying to tell me something? Or was it just my overactive imagination?
I grabbed her essay pages, reading over her words again despite having them almost memorized.
She wanted the same things I did. She wanted a family. Children. Someone to go home to.
But I didn’t care. I was going to make this happen. This would be different from my experience with Rosemary. I would make sure of it. I wouldn’t lay my heart on the line. I would do this on my terms . I could give her what she needed and she could give me what I needed, and nobody would have to be hurt.
It was perfect. I looked at her picture again and smiled.
I changed my desktop to my favorite picture of her before opening a new word doc. As I typed a message for Willow, I called Virgil back.
“Hey, boss.”
“Hello. I’m about to send you a letter that I want you to deliver to Willow after her graduation tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“And you are to escort her to Quentin the following morning.”