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I frowned. “I’m sorry. That’s terrible.”
“It’s not, actually. It instilled in us a strong motivation to work hard from very early on. But it was difficult for Mom,” he said with affection in his voice. “By the way, she’ll be at the wedding too.”
I was stunned. “How come? She knows it’s all fake, right?”
“She does but wants to join us anyway.”
“Where is she exactly?”
For the rest of the meal, we spoke about what she was doing in Bali. I also kept asking pointed questions about the recipebecause it truly was delicious, and it was a bit different from the carbonara I’d had at Italian restaurants in the city.
After we finished, he said, “I want to take you on a tour of the place. Sound good?”
“Yes, please. I already know I’ll love it. I still don’t think it’s a good idea to move out of my house, though.”
“I agree. The kids’ stability early on is important. Besides, I wasn’t suggesting that we do that right now. I just want you to take a good look at the place and remember all the possibilities.”
I nodded in agreement, loving the fact that he seemed to think of the twins often. It was almost natural for Nick, and that was so important to me.
I was shocked when he told me he had six bedrooms. How on earth was he going to sleep on a pull-out couch in the living room when he was used to all this space by himself?
“So, my plan is for Leo to put it on the market. He’ll list it for an astronomical price. That way, no one will actually rent it. It’ll give the appearance to Jim’s parents that my moving in with you is legit. What do you think?”
Nick was right. This was all for appearances, and I needed to remember that.
“That’s a great idea. I’d hate for you to lose this while you’re helping me out, though.” It just didn’t seem fair. Nick was giving up a lot. I started feeling guilty for everything he was going through for me.
“Stop that, Allison. I want to do this. To help you. Help the kids. It means a lot to me. It’s not just about helping an old friend anymore. I really want to be there for the three of you, someone you can count on... always.”
Oh my.I needed to get off this topic; otherwise, I was going to start thinking things I shouldn’t.
“Do you have guests overnight often? Is that why you have all the extra rooms?”
“No, not at all. This is, for example, my home office.” He opened a door to a large room. “Not all the bedrooms are bedrooms. I’ve converted a few, like this one, and the others are still empty or used for storage.”
“Oh, I like your office! It drips with authority. Power.” The dark wood and masculine furniture were so alpha.
“Do those things turn you—” He stopped midsentence, but I knew exactly what he’d been about to ask—“turn you on.”
I sucked in a deep breath. He closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. He looked as if he was trying to ground himself.
Ha! Finally, he was starting to lose control a bit.
“I just meant that your office fits you” was all I said.
The air between us changed. It became more charged. I swallowed hard as we moved on to the next room.
“This one’s actually completely empty. I’ve been toying with the idea of having a home gym. Most of my brothers do, but it makes no sense for me. I like training at work. It would be very easy to convert this into a playroom for the twins.”
How was he so effortlessly swoonworthy?
“What do you have in mind?” I asked.
“There are all sorts of towers and climbing things we could mount on the wall. My brother Spencer has something like that at his house, and my nephew loves them.”
My eyes were stinging. I was going to tear up soon. Nick had always been thoughtful, but this was something else. He cared for the twins a lot!
Suddenly, I wished our fake marriage could be real.