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Nick stepped closer, cupping my face in one hand. His touch was soothing.
“I don’t want you to lose them. Hell, I’ve grown closer to them, too, and really don’t want to see them moved to God knows where. They have stability here, and together we could make it even more stable for them. But it has to be fair for you too.”
Everything he was saying was so selfless, so kind. I’d always been aware that Nick was drop-dead gorgeous.
“You want me to take out the chocolate now?” he asked in a lighthearted tone. Which of course immediately distracted me.
“No. First the pizza, then the chocolate at the end so I can properly savor it.”
“Duly noted.” He frowned as he added, “You won’t lose them, Allison. No matter what you decide, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen.” He didn’t seem lightheartedat all right now. In fact, he sounded very determined. I hadn’t heard this tone of voice from him before.
“Apparently you’re even willing to marry me,” I teased.
“I fucking am.” He dropped his hand, taking a step back.
“I’m sorry, I still... This doesn’t feel real.”
I took another sip of wine and then found my voice. “How would it even work? And for how long?”
“We’d have to ask Hugo that,” Nick replied in a measured tone. He took a sip from his glass as well without breaking eye contact. “As for the logistics, I think we’d have enough time to discuss those. I could move here, or we could all go to my place. It’s certainly big enough. The twins could each have their own room if they wanted to. If not, they could sleep together and have a separate playroom.”
Warmth traveled through me, and it wasn’t from the wine. He’d actually thought about making a playroom for the twins. How cute was that?
“Maybe it would be best if we stayed here,” I replied. “Less change for them. But I don’t have a spare bedroom for you.”
Was that a blush creeping up my cheeks? They were definitely hotter than a few seconds ago.
Nick curved his lips up into a smile. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He sounded a little bit smug, almost like he had insider information.
How would it feel to have him here in my house every evening?
“I could sleep in the twins’ room. But what would we tell everyone? Our friends and families? God, this is...” I set my glass down. “Yeah, it’s time for chocolate now.”
“But you didn’t finish your pizza yet.”
“I know. Still, I need sugary reinforcements.”
He laughed, taking out the chocolate. Dark cocoa and raisins—perfect combo. I immediately ate four pieces, carefully chewing. Delicious.
“Right. Now I’m better equipped to think.”
Nick laughed. “You’re a strange creature.”
I grinned at him. “I’m a very logical person. That’s why I’m a CFO. But there’s not a lot of logic to this. I mean, there is, but you know what I mean.” My heart was thundering in my chest. “I don’t think we could get around this without actually living in the same place.”
“We could ask Hugo. Don’t think about it too much, okay? Maybe he’ll say it’s okay for us to keep separate residences. Though I can’t imagine that.”
“I doubt that, too, but we’ll see.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Let’s talk with Hugo first. I mean, this would be legal, right? What if they realize it’s just a marriage of convenience? Would that count against me?”
“Allison,” Nick whispered. “Relax. I didn’t want to cause you even more stress.”
“I don’t know why I’m suddenly so worked up,” I confided, then started to roll back my shoulders. It wasn’t helping.
I put a hand at the back of my neck, massaging it.
“It hurts there?” he asked.
“A bit. Whenever I get tense, that spot immediately becomes sore.”