Page 27

“Locked the door,” I finished for him. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“You want us to stay outside?” he asked.
I eyed the bottle of wine and the pizzas. “Sure. I’ll grab glasses and plates. Be right back.”
Nick had visited frequently since my sister died, so it wasn’t the first time I’d noticed how attractive he was. Hell, when Jim first introduced me to him, I’d been very taken with him. But I’d always focused on my career. Up to now, I thought of him only as a friend who was just trying to help me out because the twins were his best friend’s kids.
But now?
Goodness.I sucked in a breath.
Nick’s eyes were on me. My stomach somersaulted as I headed back inside the house. Grabbing two wineglasses and plates, I hurried outside. Nick was leaning against the table. He’d already opened the boxes and the bottle of wine. That’s when I noticed the smaller bag.
I licked my lips. “Yum. That’s my chocolate?”
“Yeah. Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets. And I’m not saying that just to beef up my case so you’ll take me on as your husband.” His words nearly knocked the wind out of my lungs. I let out a deep breath.
“Nick,” I murmured as I stepped closer.
I found a spot on his chest to fixate on because I couldn’t possibly look him in the eyes. I started to trace his arms. He was wearing a tight shirt, and if I looked very closely, I could see all those muscles.
Way to get sidetracked.Maybe looking him in the eyeswasthe safer option, so I snapped my gaze back up.
“Mm, too soon, I get it. Let’s work up to that,” he said with a smile.
How was he so unfazed about this?
I swallowed hard. “Sure.”
“And maybe a glass of wine will help.”
“I want some pizza first, though.”
I devoured a slice before Nick even reached for his. He was watching me with a smile.
“What?” I inquired.
“You didn’t even ask which one is yours,” he taunted.
“Oh, I just assumed that this one was.”
“I’m kidding, Allison. I don’t have a preference. We can share.”
I grinned but then quickly took another bite because I was truly hungry.
I didn’t stop at the first slice either; I immediately downed another one, but my nerves weren’t settling. I took a few sips of wine, too, hoping that would do the trick, but now that Nick had said the wordhusband, things felt even more real than before.
I put the glass down, unsure where to look. It was too weird not to look at him, but somehow I was even more susceptible to those gorgeous dark eyes than usual.
“Have you thought any more about what I said this morning?” Nick asked.
“Honestly, I had a full day. And every time I thought about it, it seemed even crazier than when you first suggested it.” I was speaking in a low voice, although no one could overhear us.
“I know. I actually thought a whole week about it before I even brought it up.” His eyes were trained on me—almost as if he was waiting for a reaction.
“Part of me can’t even seriously consider it,” I admitted. “It could go wrong in so many ways. But on the other hand, Bob and Sophie keep reminding me that they want custody. I don’t have time to hope some magic solution comes along. Hugo said he didn’t have another silver bullet solution. I mean, this wouldn’t be a silver bullet, either, to be fair, but it would increase my chances a lot.” My heart was thundering in my chest. “I can’t believe there’s an actual chance I could lose the twins, that they could be taken away from me.” My voice cracked. I hadn’t even brought myself to voice this fear until now.
“And they shouldn’t be, Allison. They love you. They always have, and you’re their cornerstone now. Any further disruption in their lives will only make things more difficult for them, and Jim’s parents should realize that. I’m actually kind of surprised that they’re taking this action if they’re really concerned for the twins.”