Page 60 of Fair Trade (New York Monarchs #2)
His eyes lift from staring at an invisible spot on the wall and track me as I enter his office.
I skip past the oversized chairs meant for visitors and walk around the desk to present my offering.
“I come bearing gifts. This’ll make you feel better.
” He wheels back his office chair, and I take a seat on the open space on his desk, placing a hot cup on each side of me.
“One has the fake dried vegetables and the other one doesn’t.
Wasn’t sure if you were feeling fancy,” I joke.
He looks over at both offerings. “You like your noodles plain, don’t you?”
“Duh, how can I enjoy the silky goodness if I have to worry about getting stray veggies in my teeth?” I nudge his knee with my bare foot.
“Then this is the one I like.” He picks up the veggie one and chews on a large forkful of noodles. “Mmm, that’s better than I remember.” He looks up at me. “Thank you. For this.” He lifts the cup in his hand. “And for tonight.” He sighs as he looks down.
I clear my throat. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Not particularly.” He places his half-empty cup on the desk.
I hum. “Avoidance. Sounds healthy.”
He manages a small smile. “Don’t worry. Remember, I’m back in therapy, so I’ll probably save it for my next session.”
“Am I going to get the CliffsNotes sent to my email again? Because that was my favorite.”
He runs a large, calloused hand up my thigh.
“Nick, your dad is—”
“He’s not my dad. Never was, and he never will be. Unlike your father, who stood up for me tonight.”
Gosh, how could I forget? I was so hung up on ruffling George’s feathers that I didn’t consider how impactful my dad and uncles standing side by side with Nick would be to him.
“Did you hear the part where he called me mijo?” Nick’s smile resembles that of a much younger man. Of a child who’s been given the greatest gift.
“I did. And I’m pretty sure my uncles were ready to offer to bring in their peewee baseball players as backup during our showdown. That’s how you know things were escalating.”
“It’s been a long time since I had a parental figure.
At this age, I’m more used to a parent trying to tear me down than sticking up for me.
” His eyes lock on mine. “Made me realize that falling in love with you has made me whole. Filled in the dark spaces in my heart that I forgot were lacking affection. Every minute of every day, I discover more reasons why I’m the luckiest bastard alive, because, for some godforsaken reason, you’ve allowed me to orbit your light, and you love me as I am. ”
“Nick,” I whisper.
“Being loved by you is nothing short of heavenly.”
He stands then, hands sinking into my hair.
We’re just a breath away from one another when his phone rings.
It’s late. Who the hell is calling past midnight?
He must be thinking the same thing. It must be an emergency. I nudge him to check since his body seems to be struggling to release me.
“It’s my attorney.”
He answers the call and puts it on speaker.
“Hello, Nicholas. I know it’s late. But it’s still early evening here in London, and you told me to reach out immediately if I had any noteworthy updates in regard to your grandfather’s will.”
“Go on. I’m here with Luisa.”
He squeezes my hand resting on his desk.
“Ah. perfect. Glad I caught you two together. It’ll save me a phone call.” I hear the ruffling of papers on the other end of the line. “Per your request, we’ve been combing through the will, having it dissected by multiple partners at the firm. And we found a loophole.”
“What is it?”
“Your grandfather stated that you must be married for a year in order to obtain the property in the Dominican Republic. But what we never took into account was your mother’s will.”
“My mother’s? She left the property to Daisy and me, and I gave it to my grandfather, so why would her will matter now?”
“Because she had more than one will, Nicholas.”
“What?” Nick’s voice rasps.
“She had another will drawn up in the Dominican Republic after Daisy was born. One that stated that her family home could never be owned by a Stonehaven, besides her children. And if you failed to take proper ownership within a year of turning eighteen, that property would automatically be granted to Daisy.”
“Wait, hold on. I filed paperwork. The house—”
“The paperwork is invalid based on this new will. It was never eligible to belong to your grandfather, and at this point, even you. All this time, it’s been registered in Daisy’s name per the surrogate’s court in the Dominican Republic. I’m sorry. There’s nothing else I can do—”
“This is great news,” Nick shouts. “No, not great. Fantastic. Daisy, she needs this. She was always the one who deserved the house. She has no memories of our mother besides photos and a few video clips. How soon can she get a copy of the deed? I want to plan a trip, have us all fly down together. We could… God, this is great. Did I say that already?” Nick looks between me and the phone repeatedly.
“You did,” I say with a watery smile.
My soul soars for the man who has stolen my heart. It’s as if I’m witnessing the emotional weight lifted off his shoulders right before my eyes. This agonizing ordeal is finally over, and I can’t wait to be there to tell Daisy the good news.
The attorney chuckles good-naturedly over the line. “Glad to hear it. Guess that leaves one more thing for me to do for you.”
Nick runs a hand through his hair, eyes brimming with happiness. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“File for your divorce.”