Page 37 of Nikki Sinatra: For Her Lover

The sportscar sped through the gate and stopped behind Mick’s Escalade.

Nikki was late. She tried not to be, but she had shipments she had to track.

But as soon as she stepped out of her brand-new Porsche Panamera and heard the music and the laughter coming from their backyard, her anxiety left and her heart soared.

She hurried around the side of their home.

She couldn’t get back there fast enough.

But as soon as she got to the edge of the house and could see the full breadth of her backyard, she stopped all movement, leaned against the house and folded her arms, and took it all in.

Kimmie was chasing her other young cousins around the pool while all of the girls, from Gloria to Destiny to Bonita and Sophie to Jackie and Madison to Ashley and Carly, were all in the pool playing water polo with each other.

Monk and Marco and Dommi and Jimmy and Trevor Reese were on the basketball courts playing a game against Big Daddy’s sons.

From Brent Sinatra to Tony Sinatra to Bobby Sinatra and Donald Sinatra, Big Daddy’s brood were dominating the courts.

Every time Dommi or Marco went up for a layup or a dunk, one of Big Daddy’s boys powerfully swiped the ball away.

Which kept Dommi and Marco crying foul and accusing them of cheating.

Monk and Trevor Reese were too busy laughing.

And all the women, from Roz and Trina and Jenay and Grace and Gemma and Amelia, and Kari Grant-Drakos, were laughing and talking and drinking at the card tables.

They were louder than the young people. Which did not surprise Nikki in the least. Every one of those women, except for maybe Tommy Gabrini’s wife Grace, had big mouths.

All of their men, except for Mick and Alex, were at the community golf course.

They were to be called when the food was ready. Which was typical them.

Big Daddy and Jenay were acting like lovebugs as they slow-dragged to every one of the songs on Luther’s Live at Radio City Music Hall album.

Nikki loved their love. When Big Daddy thought Jenay had died and he had lost her forever, they didn’t think he would make it.

But they were still here. They were still here.

Mick and Alex Drakos and Carmine , Reno’s young genius son, were talking business, with the two billionaires listening to that little boy as if he was a captain of industry too.

It was crazy to see. But it was good for Nikki to see Mick up and about.

It had been three weeks since that fateful shooting and the fallout from it, and although Mick was still walking with a cane, he was otherwise just fine.

And Teddy.

Nikki rested her eyes Teddy as he manned the grill.

He was still healing and had one arm still in a sling, but it was only by the grace of God he was still alive.

He took all those bullets for her. For her !

And the first thing he did when he got out of that hospital?

He tracked down Mike Dreissen, their fired cargo supervisor who disrespected Nikki in front of their men, and kicked his ass. Even with one arm behind his back.

That was Teddy. All day long. And of all the activities in their backyard that day, and all the places she could have hung out, that was where she went: To Teddy.

Teddy smiled a grand smile when he saw her walking toward him. “There she is!” he said happily. “How did it go?”

“It went,” she said.

“No shop talk?”

“No shop talk.”

Teddy nodded his agreement. They had made a deal: They were going to keep their work at work from here on out. They kissed.

“Sure you know what you’re doing?” Nikki asked as he turned over the already well-done steaks. “I don’t like no burnt meat.”

“But I do,” Teddy said and then, smilingly, looked her up and down. “That’s why I married you.”

Nikki’s mouth gaped open and she playfully hit a grinning Teddy. “No you didn’t,” she said so loud that Big Daddy and Jenay could hear her. “No you did not!”

“No he didn’t what?” Big Daddy asked her.

“Teddy just called me burnt meat!”

Big Daddy looked Nikki up and down too. “Oh,” he said as if he agreed with Teddy, and he and Jenay laughed too. Teddy was already rolling in laughter.

“Very funny,” Nikki said, although she was laughing too.

But then Teddy stopped everything when Luther stopped singing Love Won’t Let Me Wait and started singing Superstar .

“That’s our song,” he said.

Nikki looked at him. “Since when?”

“You cried at the hospital when they started playing that song.”

Nikki was astounded. He remembered that ? “But you were out cold,” she said. “You heard me crying?”

“I don’t know if I heard you,” said Teddy. “But I felt your presence. I felt your tears. I felt you.”

Nikki melted.

Teddy closed down the grill lid, sat down the grill fork, and reached out his hand to Nikki. “May I have this dance?” he asked her.

Nikki smiled. “I don’t see why not,” she said as she took his hand. One of his arms was in a sling, so he was limited, but they managed to get out on the patio near Big Daddy and Jenay and slow dance too.

“Don’t you remember you told me you love me, baby.

You said you’ll be coming back this way again.

Baby, baby, baby, baby oh baby.

I love you.

I really do.”

Nikki looked at Teddy. Teddy looked at Nikki. Their hearts beating as one.

Nikki Sinatra was full.