Page 62 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The wooing

Nicolette

The day I get home from the wedding, I realize the wooing has already begun. I arrive at my townhome to find Calvin—the man who picked me up from the airport for my interview—waiting in his car with a huge bouquet of flowers.

They are bright and colorful, but what really makes me smile is the attached card.

To my beautiful Nicolette,

These may just look like flowers, but I think of each bloom as a promise from me to you. I selected each type because they all have individual meanings, which I listed below.

Red rose - love

Peony - happy life

Morning glory - affection

Lily of the valley - humility

Heliotrope - devotion

Red Chrysanthemum - I love you (because that one bears repeating)

I hope these brighten your day as much as you brighten my life.

All my love,

Helix

“Well played, Dr. Hale,” I say aloud, holding the card to my chest.

The next day, Calvin arrives on my doorstep again, this time with an enormous stuffed elephant. And when I say enormous, I mean almost large enough for me to ride on. It takes Calvin and I both to wrangle it into my living room.

Once he’s gone, I stare at the insane gift and giggle. The elephant has green eyes and is wearing glasses exactly like mine. It’s obviously been custom-made because there’s a tag on the butt that reads Queenie.

And so it continues for the next two weeks. Gifts arrive each day, delivered by Calvin. Some are funny, like the case of frozen corn dogs that arrived three days ago. That one had Calvin scratching his head, but there was no way I was explaining it to him.

Today I received a leatherbound journal, the pages filled with Helix’s distinctive handwriting. Some of them contain his thoughts, and there are even a couple of poems. I’ve read through it three times already and decided my favorite was a poem titled Margins.

You say you’ve been written in the margins of your life.

But I see you.

You say your voice doesn't matter.

But I hear you.

I will write your name in the boldest font, not in the margins, but on the front cover of the book.

Then I will fill each page with the pieces of my heart.

Some people are written in pencil and can be erased from memories.

Some people are written in ink, which can fade with time.

But you have been burned into the pages of my life, permanently etched into my soul.

You will not live in my margins.

Yeah, that one made me cry. Helix Hale is a damn good wooer.

The next day, I get up and dress, my eyes falling on my dresser and the nameplate with my name and my new title… if I decide to accept the job. I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple weeks and have started to formulate a plan.

I clip on the charm bracelet Calvin delivered five days ago and wiggle my wrist to hear it jingle. There’s an elephant charm, as well as an Erlenmeyer flask, a cute pair of glasses, and, of course, a corn dog. I have no idea where the hell Helix even found a corn dog charm, but it made me laugh.

Calvin usually makes his deliveries a little after noon, but when that time comes and goes, I find myself feeling anxious. I definitely don’t need any more gifts. I’m well and truly wooed, but I worry that something happened to him.

At two in the afternoon, I hear a knock on my door and sprint to open it, finding a person standing there with a box so large, I can’t see his face.

“Good grief, Calvin. What does he have you delivering today?”

“Not Calvin,” a voice says from behind the box, and a thrill shoots down my spine. Because I recognize that voice. I’ve missed that voice.

I haven’t heard it in two weeks. Helix and I text every day when I message him to say thank you for whatever gift arrived. But his deep voice resonates inside me and makes me giddy.

“Come on in,” I say, stepping back to allow Helix inside. He sets down the box, which is wrapped in the gaudiest snowman Christmas paper I’ve ever seen and is topped with a sparkly silver bow. “Did I sleep for a few months? Because I’m pretty sure it’s early March.”

He stands and ruins me with his handsome smile. “Just call me the Spring Santa.” Lowering himself to the floor, he gestures for me to do the same. “I wanted to be here when you opened this one.”

“What is it?” I ask as I sit cross-legged beside him.

Rolling his eyes, Helix lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Why do you always ask me that when the present is right in front of you? Just open it.”

“Fine,” I huff, pulling off the bow before diving in to tear off the paper. My heart stalls for a second and then begins beating faster when I start to suspect what’s in the box. Removing every scrap of paper, I stare wide-eyed at what’s revealed.

“You… you got me a Barbie Dreamhouse?”

“This was the original design. They have newer versions,” he says worriedly. “There’s one with a slide and a pool. If you don’t like?—”

His words are cut off by my lips because I dive at him, knocking him onto his back and kissing the fire out of him. And god, how I’ve missed kissing Helix.

He’s startled only momentarily before his hands are on my ass, and he’s kissing me back with fervor. I plunge my fingers into his hair to anchor his mouth to mine as I take and taste everything I’ve been craving.

“I love you,” I tell him between kisses. “I love you, and you’re not moving to London.”

He rolls us, pinning me beneath him as he runs his mouth across my cheek and bites my earlobe. Then his kisses trail down my neck, and one hand pulls my knee over his hip.

“You’re awfully fucking bossy since you became lab director.”

I shove his shoulders and turn us again, putting me back on top. “Damn straight. And I haven’t accepted yet.”

“But you will, right?” he asks, his breaths stuttering as I pull down the collar of his dove-gray Henley and lick a line along his collar bone.

Our hands are all over each other, touching and caressing, relearning each other. Biting the side of his neck, I soothe the spot with my tongue before sitting up and bracing my hands on his chest, doing my best to ignore the growing bulge beneath me.

“Only if you’ll be my co-director.”

Helix’s eyebrows raise and then furrow together. “No, I want you to have it.”

“And I want us to be partners.”

His baby blues search my face. “In all the ways?”

I nod. “In all the ways.”

He sits up and cups my face with both hands. “It was the Barbie house that clinched it, wasn’t it?”

I burst into laughter and give him a quick kiss. “No, you nut, though I do love it.” My eyes fall to his chest, and I shrug before lifting my gaze back to his. “What clinched it was the effort you put in to get me back. No one has ever made me feel so important and loved.”

Helix twists one of my curls around his finger. “You are important and loved. Never forget that, Nicolette. And I’m so sorry for?—”

I shush him with a finger to his lips. “I don’t want you to apologize anymore.

That will only serve to drive a wedge between us.

Everyone makes mistakes, Helix. What matters is how you fix them.

” I drag my finger down his lips and tap his chin.

“And you went above and beyond. Every gift you sent was so meaningful.”

“Even the corn dogs?”

Giggling, I say, “Even the corn dogs.” I swing my leg over and off him, seating myself on the floor beside Helix. “Want to help me put together a magnificent Barbie Dreamhouse?”

He wiggles and stretches his fingers. “That’s what I’m here for, babe. After all, we’re partners now.”

“I have no idea who the fuck wrote these instructions, but they need to be shot,” Helix grumbles, staring at pink piece of plastic like it had personally insulted him.

“That’s the one I’ve been looking for,” I accuse, taking it from him and snapping it into place. “There, that part’s done. Only fourteen thousand more pieces to go.”

Helix snorts. “The funny part is, you’re not even exaggerating.” With a tilt of his head, he assesses what we’ve already spent two hours working on. “Is there a Barbie doll that’s a building inspector? If so, I think we’re fucked. No way she’ll grant us a permit for this.”

Picking up another piece, I hold it against the instruction booklet to compare. “I used to think we were smart, but this has proven me dead-ass wrong.”

“Aren’t there any other toys you wanted as a child? Preferably something that doesn’t require a mechanical engineering degree to assemble it?”

“Hmm,” I ponder. “I liked puzzle-based toys like Simon. Ooh, and Perfection. Remember that game where you were timed and the whole board would pop up and scare the shit out of you?”

“Oh, yeah. That one was fun.”

“I got one for my birthday one year, but Angelica stole all the pieces and buried them in the back yard. It took me three months to find and dig them all up.” I snap one of the railings into place. “I never did find that hexagon-shaped piece.”

“She was a fucking brat. Still is,” Helix says, picking up the instructions and holding them upside down like that might help. “Any news on the newlyweds?”

“Ah, yes. The Clutterbucks returned from their honeymoon, both of them still alive, though barely. They apparently got some kind of virus that tried to destroy their intestines.”

“Sucks for them.” Though he doesn’t really sound very sorry about it.

“Pop said they’ve been house hunting for months, but Angelica keeps rejecting all of Rory’s suggestions. Apparently houses that are within their budget aren’t big enough for her.” I gesture to the dollhouse. “I think she’s dreaming of something more like this.”

“A house that will fall over if the wind blows wrong?”

I stick my tongue out at his negative attitude.

“Anyway, they’re now living in a small room at the back of Angelica’s beauty salon because Rory told his landlord he’d be moving out after the wedding.

So now his lease is up, and they don’t have anywhere else to go.

I’m sure he thought they would have secured a house by now.

Guess he didn’t realize how snotty my sister was going to be about it. ”

“Has he met her?” Helix scoffs. “I’m sure your parents would let them live at their house.”

Cutting my eyes at him, I ask, “Would you want to live with my mother?”

“Good point,” he says, making a slight gagging noise before getting back to work. “You know, our Aspen trip is coming up in two days. I can postpone it if you’re not ready.”

I smile over at him. “I’m ready.”

Helix stays with me the next two nights. We don’t have sex, but we sleep together, and when he holds me against his warm body all night long, I feel like I’m finally at peace.