Page 58 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
He who shall not be named but it rhymes with Felix
Nicolette
“Nicci!” my father calls, waving wildly as I exit the Newark Liberty International Airport on a Friday afternoon. I smile and release my suitcase, walking directly into his outstretched arms.
It’s so good to feel and smell Pop’s warmth, not awkward in the least, and I’m happy we’re getting to the point of normalizing hugs again.
Tears threaten, but I hold them back with a bite to my inner cheek. Not sure what’s wrong with me lately, but the tears I’ve held back for years now slide down my cheeks at the drop of the hat. It’s like my tear repressor has finally grown weary of repressing and gone on vacation.
“Good to see you, Pop.”
“You too. Where’s Helix?”
His name is a punch to the gut, and I have to work hard not to physically react.
No, I haven’t told my family about the breakup and all the other bullshit going on in my life the past couple weeks. I kept meaning to come up with an excuse to explain his absence at Angelica’s wedding festivities, but my mouth wouldn’t say the words out loud.
So, I paste on an apologetic smile for my father. “He said he sends his regrets, but an important family matter came up that he couldn't avoid.”
“Awww, I hate that,” Pop says, taking my bag from and leading me to his parked car in the lot. “I really like him, honey.”
Me too , a tiny voice says, but I swat it away.
The past couple weeks have been eventful, to say the least. The woman who broke into Helix’s office at the lab has been identified, and charges have been brought for breaking and entering, corporate espionage, and a laundry list of other crimes.
The detectives called to let me know I’ve been completely exonerated, though they did ask if I knew anything about the video “an anonymous source” sent to Helix.
Apparently, he didn’t rat me out and tell the cops it was me, which I guess gives him half a point in his favor.
He’s still about minus five-thousand though, by my estimation.
Charges are also pending against Joyce, my ex-boss at Aquarius, and Dr. Wilhelm, which makes me happy. Well, happy is a relative term at this point. I’m not sure I’ll ever be truly happy again. Not now that I know what it feels like to be in love. As mad as I am at Helix, I still love the asshole.
“I’d really like for you to stay at the house instead of a hotel, Nicci. It will always be your home,” my father is saying, and I snap back to the conversation. I don’t even remember getting in the car, but apparently I did because I’m in the passenger’s seat and we’re pulling onto the highway.
Pop is looking hopefully at me, but the last thing I want is to be in my parents’ house, not just because my mother and sister are nightmares, but it’s also the first place I slept in a bed with Helix.
He finally told me about the whole situation where he woke up with me holding his dick and sleeptalking about corn dogs. I was mortified at first, but it quickly turned funny, in hindsight. We still laugh about the corn dogging incident sometimes.
No, laughed , past tense.
“I’m going to stay at the hotel where the wedding is being held, Pop. It will be more convenient.” Then I decide to tell the full truth, finding the strength to stand up for myself. It’s ironic that the man who broke my heart is the one who kick-started my ability to do so.
I add, “Ma and Angelica make me miserable, and I don’t have to sit around and be treated like shit. Plus, it’s not really my home anymore since Angelica has my room now.”
Pop’s mouth gapes open before he snaps it tightly shut and nods. “I understand.”
When we reach the hotel, my dad hops out and gets my suitcase from the trunk. I give him a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner tonight.”
When I enter Bridgewater Hall alone that evening, I feel awkward. This is the same place where Angelica’s engagement party was held, and I try not to dwell on the fact that the last time I was here, I was much more comfortable because he who shall not be named but it rhymes with Felix was with me.
I wish Austin was here. He’s the cool cousin everyone likes, and I could have hung out with him tonight. But this dinner is only for the immediate family and the bridal party. I think Pop probably put his foot down about the price for this extravagant wedding Angelica insisted on having.
And you’ll probably never get married because you don’t have a man.
Paging Nicolette Bell, pity party for one. Your sad little life is ready for you.
I purposely showed up just before dinner was served so I could minimize the amount of time I had to spend mingling, especially with Ma and Angelica. Speak of the devils, Ma is seated directly across from me when I find my seat. Pop is on her left side, and Angelica and Rory to her right.
My mother puts on a fake smile for the other guests. “Nicolette, so nice to see you. That dress is an interesting color choice.”
I don’t even glance down at my purple fitted dress that hits at a modest length above my knees.
I know this color looks amazing with my green eyes.
Hel— he who shall not be named but it rhymes with Felix told me so often.
In fact, he bought me this dress one day when we were shopping at a lovely boutique in Rice Village.
“Thank you, Ma,” I say mildly, though I know she didn’t mean it as a compliment. “And mustard-yellow fits your personality perfectly.”
Her eyes widen and then narrow, like she’s trying to figure out whether or not I just insulted her.
Angelica’s blue eyes sparkle with that look I’ve become all too familiar with over the years.
“Hello, sister. Where is your boyfriend ?” The last word is delivered with a nasty sneer, and I feel myself shrinking as I take my seat.
I don’t want to. I’d rather retreat to the restroom area and touch the wall where he and I shared our first kiss.
As I open my mouth to tell my predetermined fib, I smell him, the rich bergamot mixed with hints of vanilla. Jesus, I’ve gone completely crazy. I see his handsome face in my mind all the time, and now I’m freaking smelling him?
“Sorry, I’m late. Had some things I needed to attend to for my family.”
Super-dee-duper. I’m hearing his voice now too. Someone call Tranquil Minds Behavioral Health Center and see if they have an extra bed available.
But then a large body sinks into the chair beside me, and I realize I’m not hallucinating. When I turn my incredulous face to the left, my lips receive the sweetest kiss ever.
“Hello, sweetheart. You look absolutely stunning tonight.”
Oh my fucking hell. He who shall not be named but it rhymes with Felix is here.
The guy —that’s his new moniker because that other is growing tedious to think—sits beside me for the entire dinner. And he won’t stop freaking touching me. A casual arm draped over my shoulder. A not-so-casual hand on my thigh.
I hate that I like the warmth it brings to me… the elemental confidence I feel just by having him by my side. Ma and Angelica refrain from any of their snarky barbs, which makes dinner an almost pleasant experience.
The guy keeps up an easy chatter with my father and the other diners as I quietly eat my roast chicken and veggies just to give myself something to do.
The food is good, and I realize how hungry I suddenly am.
I haven’t been eating well the past couple of weeks, and my stomach is pleased I’m no longer neglecting it.
My skin, however, feels like someone washed it on hot and ran it through a dryer, shrinking it to the point of discomfort.
“Can we talk?” he whispers in my ear as I pick at my slice of chocolate cake. It feels dry on my tongue but it’s probably more to do with my body’s response to the guy than any fault of the baker.
I risk a glance at him, and that’s a fucking mistake.
His eyes are a rich cobalt, only made more brilliant by the matching shirt he wears beneath his charcoal-gray suit.
His tie is the same dark-gray, and I wonder what it would feel like wrapped around my wrists while he tied me to the bed and worked that beautiful, filthy mouth of his down my body.
Stop. It.
His smirk tells me he knows exactly what I’m thinking. “Or we could act on whatever dirty thoughts are going on in that head of yours,” he murmurs so only I can hear. “My tie has a nice texture that would leave the prettiest patterns on the soft skin of your wrists.”
That pops my hazy bubble, and I grit my teeth. “Not going to happen.”
His smile is easy and devastating. “Okay. We can just talk then. I have a lot of things to say to you.”
“I’m sure you do,” I shoot back. “The answer is no.”
The guy’s jaw tightens stubbornly. “I’m coming to the wedding tomorrow. I’d like to be able to get everything out in the open so we can relax and not have so much tension between us.”
“You’re not coming,” I state firmly.
“I am coming,” he retorts with just as much vehemence. “Do you really want to sit all night with these people with no buffer?”
He has a point. Tonight hasn’t been horrible.
“Fine,” I acquiesce through gritted teeth. “You can be my fake date for the wedding.”
“And you’ll listen to me tonight? I have a room in the hotel, or I could come to yours, if you’d feel more comfortable.”
I open my mouth, close it, and open it again as my brain has an all-out battle with my heart. We do need to air our differences, and maybe I would feel better if I got to get some things off my chest too.
We need privacy, but there’s no way he’s coming to my room. I’ll go to his so I can leave whenever I want. That puts me in control. Right?
Fuck if I know, but I hear myself say, “I’ll come to yours.”
I hope to god I can handle what’s about to go down because I feel so vulnerable when he looks at me with those pleading blue eyes.
“Can I get you a drink?”