Her words about her parents made me realize how long it had been since I’d even thought about our hometown. It seemed like it had been forever since we were living there, although it really hadn’t been very long at all.
A fleeting thought of Oliver swirled in my head, and I hoped wherever he was and whatever he was doing made him happy. He’d given me what he could spare, except any emotional attachment. I didn’t begrudge the way he had kept his distance, but I never wanted to live that way again.
Atkins was a universe apart from my life now. When I left I never imagined the twists and turns I would experience, but I regretted nothing. And I’d never been happier.
A couple of days later, Nicholas and I were dressed in our finest and attending a holiday benefit raising money for literacy with his parents at the Quentin Public Library. I didn’t end up buying a white dress, but I compromised with my girls and got a silver one. It was festive, fluttery, and went very well with the sparkly diamond bracelet Nicholas slipped on my wrist before we left. He called it an early Christmas present.
Nicholas and his parents were all smiles on the drive there, but the underlying tension was palpable. It would be the first public test of Simon’s promise to keep his distance from all of us. There had not been a peep out of him, or his evil daughter, since Nicholas and Jefferson confronted him, but they had also not been in the same room either.
Nicholas kept me tucked at his side as we mingled through the crowd, and I put on my polite face as he chattered away with the other guests and introduced me to a bunch of people I’d never remember. About halfway through, he leaned down to murmur in my ear. “Do you need to sit down?”
I nodded. “Yes, my feet are getting sore in these shoes.”
Damn heels. He chuckled and put a barely-there kiss on my neck. “Come on, beautiful, let’s go find our table and get you two fed.”
Before we took another step, our path was suddenly blocked, and Nicholas’ body tensed up like a coiled spring as his grip around me tightened. It was Hector. My wish of never seeing him again had been a pipe dream.
He stood there, arrogant as usual, a menacing smile on his face. When his eyes roamed up and down my body, Nicholas snapped. “What do you want, Willis?”
Hector’s gaze left me, and he sneered at Nicholas. “Relax, Rowe. I helped you out, remember? We’re all buddy-buddy again.”
He turned his leering eyes my way again, and Nicholas stepped in front of me, almost face-to-face with Hector.
“Don’t fucking look at her.” His voice was low and icy.
Hector let out a mocking laugh. “I was just checking on my kid.”
He was such a vile, disgusting excuse for a human being. I wanted to claw his eyes out, but we were already starting to cause a stir as eyes fell in our direction. Nicholas’ body was vibrating from the effort to restrain himself, and I stepped between them, trying to calm him down before he lost control and a giant scene erupted.
I faced him and rubbed his clenched fists. “Ignore him. Let’s go sit down. He’s only trying to get under your skin.”
Nicholas looked down at me, his rage calming with each deep breath. I tugged on his hands, forcing myself to not pay attention to Hector’s laughter until Nicholas finally deposed and pulled me into his arms again.
We started walking away, but I turned back toward Hector. “You’re a fucking asshole.” If anyone deserved a kick from karma’s ass, it was him.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know he’d be here,” Nicholas said after we sat down.
His jaw was still clenched, but at least he no longer had murder in his eyes. I kept one of his hands in mine, so proud of him for not losing it. Hector had pushed every one of his buttons, but Nicholas had been the Bigger man. Maybe his therapy sessions were working even better than I’d hoped.
“I thought he was going to get fired?”
He frowned. “Yeah. I guess they’re waiting until after the holidays.”
A server came by with a tray of finger food, and Nicholas loaded up my plate and ordered drinks for us both. His parents soon joined us, along with a few others, and Hector was mostly forgotten as everyone ate, drank, and chatted.
The food was excellent, but for two thousand a plate, it should have been.
“How are those feet feeling?” he asked once dinner was over.
I raised my eyebrow. “Why?”
He gave me a lopsided grin and stood up, holding out his hand. “Will you dance with me?”
As if I could tell him no. Not when he was charming, sweet, and decked out in formal wear. “Okay.”
He helped me up and held me close, the orchestra bouncing between classical music and holiday songs. I relaxed against him, content with the warmth of his body next to mine and his humming in my ear. I wasn’t sure how long we stayed out there, but each time his hands moved up and down my back and his lips brushed over my skin, the more I wanted him.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are tonight?” My heart raced from his sweet words.
“Only about a hundred times.”
His warm breath fanned over my skin when he chuckled. We were probably holding each other entirely too close to be considered appropriate for the occasion, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t wait to get him home and out of his tuxedo.
He nibbled on my earlobe, just enough to drive me crazy. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
“Beyond ready.” I was ready to pull him into the bathroom and have my way with him. He must have heard the arousal in my voice because he pulled back enough to look into my eyes.
“Fuck. Let’s go home.”
I laughed and held onto his hand as he led us back to our table. His parents also seemed eager to end their evening, saying their goodbyes and walking with us toward the front.