Page 51 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The proclamation
Nicolette
October fades into November, and it’s still fucking hot in Texas. At least it’s not in the nineties or hundreds anymore, but eighty-eight is still extremely warm.
My eyes follow Helix as his large body slices through the water. He is always attractive to me, but he’s downright stunning while he’s swimming. The sun glistens off the surface of his wet body when he stands and shakes his head, sending droplets flying.
Then his eyes meet mine as I sit in one of the cushy lounge chairs, and he grins. It is devastating.
“Hey, beautiful. Want to come in?”
“Not today,” I say. “I’m enjoying the show.”
My man swipes his hair back and winks. “Okay, baby. But don’t worry; I’ll get you wet later.” And I know he’s not talking about in the pool.
His pool area would be right at home in some fancy tropical resort with a stone waterfall at one end and palm trees scattered between colorful flowers.
A buzzing against my hip has me reaching for my phone, and I see it’s Helix’s mom calling. Probably wants to ask when we’re going back to Cowboy Yoga. I swear, the woman is obsessed.
“Hey, Ophelia,” I answer with a smile in my voice. I really like this woman. She’s warm and funny, and she’s welcomed me into her family with open arms. I often wonder what it would be like if I’d had her as a mother growing up instead of my own.
“Nicolette! It’s so nice to hear your voice. Listen, I was wondering if you’d like to come over to my house today. Just you without my son.”
I’m taken aback and a little worried. What if she thinks I’m too much of a freak after thinking more about my bathroom rant the first day we met? “Sure. What’s going on?”
“Well, I hope you won’t take offense because that’s not how I mean it all, but I was hoping to share some of my family recipes with you.
” She rushes to add. “I’m not saying you can’t cook or anything.
I’m sure you can because you’re a very smart woman, but I thought… Oh dear, am I making a mess of things?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Not at all. I would love to.”
“Great! I always dreamed of having a daughter who would become my best friend when she was all grown up. Someone who would come over and hang out in my kitchen while we cooked, but I just had three stinky boys.” There’s affection for her sons in her words, despite the mild insult.
“What time would you like me to come?”
“In about an hour, if that gives you enough time.”
“I’ll be there.”
“I can’t wait. You’re very important to my son, and I want to get to know you better.”
The excitement in her voice thrills me. Is this what having a real mom is like?
She sends me the address by text once we’re off the phone, and I walk over to the edge of the pool. Helix swims over like a damn dolphin and props his chin on his folded arms on the side.
“What’s up, buttercup?”
“I’m going over to your mom’s house.”
He wipes some water off his tanned face with a big hand. “Okay, I’ll need to take a shower before we go. Did she say what time?”
“In an hour… and you’re not invited,” I tell him, nudging his thick forearm with my bare toe.
Helix appears to be insulted. “But why?”
I squat and run my fingers through his wet strands. “Because we’re having girl time, and you’re not a girl.”
“Thanks for noticing,” he mutters.
“There you go. That looks perfect,” Ophelia says, holding up a strand of linguini and inspecting it.
“About time. I ruined two batches already,” I grump, wiping off my hands on a dish towel.
“You did fine. Helix does a great job with my sauce, but he sucks at making pasta. I think he just uses store bought.” Ophelia shudders delicately.
“He made spaghetti for me last month. He said the sauce was your recipe.”
She appears delighted by this news. “Did he?” Lowering her voice like she’s telling a secret, she asks, “How was the pasta?”
“It was actually good. He bought it freshly made from some store.”
“Okay, I guess it’s better than that boxed mess,” she sighs. “I tried to teach him, Nicolette. I really did.”
I laugh at her dramatics. “Thank you so much for teaching me, Ophelia. It really means a lot.”
Pride is evident on her pretty face. “Your sauce turned out beautifully. Let’s call Helix and Phoenix over for lunch. I do wish Remington lived closer.” Her smile turns wistful. “But that’s what happens when your little birds grow up. They leave the nest and fly.”
I dial my father’s number later that evening and am surprised when Ma answers. “Hello?”
“Hey, Ma. It’s me. How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m all right, I guess. My knee has been bothering me a little.”
“I’m sorry. Have you had it checked?”
“No, your father insists I should, but I think he’s overreacting.”
“You’re a little young to need knee replacement, but it’s still a good idea to get it looked at. Let me know if you need me to help you find a good ortho, okay?”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
I wait for her to ask me how I am or anything about myself, but when she doesn’t, I ask, “Where’s Pop?”
“He’s in the bathroom. I told him not to have that second bowl of chili, but you know how he is. He never listens.”
Laughing, I say, “Okay, well tell him I hope he feels better. I was just calling about the holidays.”
“Rory invited us to have Thanksgiving with his family. Isn’t that nice?”
Ugh. No. I’m not going over there, so I make the quick decision to stay in Texas. “That is nice, Ma. I think I’m going to stay here for turkey day, but I’ll see you at Christmas.”
“Oh. Well. I thought I told you, Nicolette. We’re not going to be here then. We’re going on an eight-day cruise over Christmas and New Year’s.”
“No, you didn’t tell me. Just you and Pop?”
“Rory and Angelica are coming too, of course. It’s like a family vacation.”
I should probably be insulted that I wasn’t invited on this family trip, but to be honest, eight days on a boat with them sounds like a nightmare.
Maybe I’ll go to New York. Lehra and Cruz will probably be spending the holidays with their families, but maybe we could at least have lunch on Christmas Eve.
“Did you have fun with my mother yesterday?” Helix asks as we walk down the beach, hand in hand. The moon is full overhead, and the stars reflect tiny sparkles on the gently rolling water.
Helix brought me to Galveston tonight for dinner. It’s an island less than an hour south of Houston. Our meal was amazing, a seafood feast in an elegant restaurant with white linens and flickering candles on each table. The mood was soft and romantic, and Helix touched me every chance he got.
Afterward, he suggested a moonlit walk, and here we are with sand between our toes.
“I did. It was really nice of her to invite me.”
“She knows how special you are to me.” Helix stops walking and turns us to face each other. “Do you know how special you are to me?”
Unsure how to answer, I say, “I guess. You’re really good to me, and we seem to enjoy being together. At least I do.”
The wind whips my hair across my face, and Helix pulls the band from my wrist and fashions what feels like a very messy bun. “How does it look?” I ask, and he chuckles.
“Pretty terrible. I’m definitely not quitting my day job to do hair.” He steps closer, his warmth infusing itself in my skin. “And for the record, you are very special to me, Nicolette.”
I swallow hard. “You’re special to me too.” I’ve never seen his eyes this blue. Maybe it's because of the moonlight.
His hand cups my chin as his eyes flit over my face. “I love you, Nicolette.”
My heart takes flight, fluttering like it has wings. “Helix…”
“You don’t have to say it back. I know I only met you a little less than five months ago, but I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
I climb the man like a damn tree, and he laughs, holding me beneath my butt. “I love you too,” I tell him. “And you don’t have to imagine me not in your life because you’re not getting rid of me now.”
He kisses me then, and it’s tender and poignant, an impeccable proclamation of love kiss, if that’s even a thing. The lapping of the waves is the perfect soundtrack to the perfect moment.
When we break apart, Helix rests his forehead against mine. “I’m just warning you that I’ve never been in love, so I probably won’t be very good at this. But I want you to call me out if I ever make you feel like you’re not the most important thing in my life. Because you are.”
Who the hell kidnapped my dirty-talking man and replaced him with this sweet impostor? I don’t know, but I love both sides of him.
“I feel it,” I tell him, looking out at the water. “I’ve always felt like I’ve been written in the margins by pretty much everyone.” I bring my eyes back to him as emotion thickens my words. “But you make me feel like I’m written on the very center of the page. And I hope I make you feel the same.”
“You do,” he whispers before kissing me again.
As he holds me tight, I try to figure out what I did to get so lucky. Because I’m in love with Helix Hale…
And he loves me right back.