Page 23 of True North

“Yes, honey.” Nico helped her to rinse the shampoo from her hair and grabbed the body wash to give her body the once over, and it felt like heaven, having him touch her as he did. Nico knelt in front of her body to wash her legs.

“What happens if I never remember?” she sobbed. Nico stood and pulled her against his body, letting the spray wash the bubbles down the drain.

“Then we find a new way. I don’t need you to remember all the little things we used to do together, Toni. We will continue to do them, just like this shower. Nothing has changed for me—for us, except for the fact you can’t remember silly little things like showering together. You’re getting little bits and pieces from your past; you’ll get the rest.” Toni started to protest, wanting to tell him he might be wrong about her memory. She might never regain anything more, but he covered her mouth with his big hand, effectively stopping her argument.

“And if you don’t remember another thing, from our past, it won’t matter. I won’t let it affect our future together, Toni. I love you.” Toni choked back her sob, relief washing over her, knowing Nico wanted her no matter what she remembered about the past year. It was like a balm washing over her soul.

Toni couldn’t hold back, she knew it was crazy to feel the way she did for Nico since he was so new to her still, but she loved him. Not telling him only felt cruel. “I love you too, Nico,” she whispered. “I know you might not believe it, but I do. I feel it deep down inside of me. I’m in love with you.” Nico nodded and smiled at her, stealing away her breath. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and he was all hers.

“I believe you. You’ve loved me the whole time. It just took you a little while to say it. I see how much you love me every time you look into my eyes. I see you, Toni.” Nico pulled her up his body and she straddled his cock, wrapping her legs around his waist. Toni couldn’t get enough of the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. It was as if they were made for each other, the way they fit together, like puzzle pieces.

Nico slowly pumped his cock into her body, letting her feel every solid inch of his erection and she needed more. “Please, Nico,” she begged against his hot mouth. He pushed her back up against the wet cold marble of the shower and she hissed out her breath. Toni loved how rough he was with her, always taking from her. He made her feel so powerful, as if she were the one in control, granting him access to everything he seemed to want.

A growl ripped from Nico’s chest as he continued to pump into her body, mercilessly pounding her body into the hard shower wall. Toni was so close, she could feel her impending orgasm and she rubbed her core against him, taking what she needed from him to find her release. She shamelessly rocked against his cock with his every thrust, and when she came, it was his name on her lips, like a whispered prayer. Nico followed her over, pumping his seed deep within her, and she went limp in his arms.

Nico pulled back slightly, leaving their bodies connected, but giving himself room to look into her eyes. His gaze was so intense that she almost wanted to close her own eyes to hide, but she wasn’t a coward.

“Right there,” he whispered. Toni wasn’t sure what he saw, but the way he watched her, and looked at her made it impossible for her to look away. “I see you, baby, and all the love you have for me,” he growled.

Nico

They spent the rest of the evening tangled up in the sheets, making love and talking about their future, and Nico had to admit it was like he had his old Toni back. It was crazy she couldn’t remember the last year of her life, but nothing had changed with her. She seemed to want all the same things she had before her second accident that wiped him from her memory. She still wanted three kids and to live by the beach, but Nico knew her father’s letter could change Toni’s mind. If his hunch was correct, she was about to inherit a large sum of money as James’s heir, and he worried she wouldn’t still want all the things they had just discussed. He knew they had to face what was in that letter, but a part of him wished to hide away from the real world for just a while longer. The realist in him knew that sooner or later the truth would catch up to them and he hoped their dreams wouldn’t fade after it did.

Nico handed Toni the thick envelope that was delivered to his friend’s house. She had been avoiding it as though it were something that could hurt her, and maybe she was right. It was as if her father was trying to reach out from beyond the grave to reach her and this letter held the power to hurt Toni. That was the last thing he wanted, to see her hurt or upset, but there was no way around it. She had to open the letter, to read her father’s last words for herself. And Nico needed to be there for her when she did, offering his unwavering support.

“Open it, Toni,” he whispered. She smiled at him, and he could tell just from her sassy expression, that she was going to try to stall.

“Is that an order or a request?” she asked. He couldn’t hold back his smirk; she was such a little smart-ass when she wanted to be. He pulled her naked body on top of his, giving her ass a good smack. Toni gasped and shamelessly rubbed herself on him, making him rethink what it was that he wanted her to do. She tossed the envelope to the side, and he suddenly remembered his mission.

He lifted it from the rumpled bed sheets and handed it back to Toni, causing her to sigh, as if she were tired of their little game. “Open it, Toni,” he said again, this time with a little more heat.

“So,” she smiled down at him, “an order then?” He swatted her ass and rolled them both to their sides. She was going to have to get used to the fact that he wouldn’t allow her to hide from him. Toni needed to know the truth, and from what he gathered from her conversations with James’s lawyer, his letter was going to give her the information she was looking for. He just hoped like hell Toni could find some closure and let her father go, otherwise he knew she’d be opening up another can of worms they might not be ready for.

“Toni, you can’t hide from your father’s letter forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to read what he wrote to you, for better or worse. Either way, honey, I’m not going anywhere.” Toni clutched the envelope between their two bodies, and he swore he could hear her heart beating. “It’s just a letter, baby.”

They lay there like that for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he could see the resolve in Toni’s eyes, and she sat up in bed and tore the envelope open. He had expected more fanfare, with all her indecision about whether or not to even open the blasted thing. His girl always jumped right in when she decided to do something, never doing it halfway.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered and kissed her shoulder, sitting up behind her to see what was in the envelope. She smiled and pulled a smaller, white envelope from the large parcel that had her name on it. Toni carefully opened the envelope and gasped, covering her mouth with her shaking hand.

“It’s really from him,” she cried. Nico wanted to take the letter from her and tell her he had changed his mind. Watching the pain this was costing her was almost too much for him. He knew it had to be even more unbearable for Toni.

“What does it say?” he whispered.

Toni held the letter up, and cleared her throat, “Antoinette,” she began, “I don’t even know where to begin or how to tell you what I need to tell you. I’m assuming you are reading this letter because I’m gone and that makes me sad for you. You’ve lost so much at such a young age. It was never my intention to leave you with yet another loss, but such is life. We cannot control how much time we have on this earth.” Her voice broke and she handed the letter to Nico, shaking her head.

“Do you want me to read it for you, honey?” he asked. Toni nodded and leaned back into his body, seeming to need his comfort.

“After you disappeared,” he continued James’s letter out loud for her, “I was so lost. Losing you was the biggest heartache outside of losing your mother that I have ever experienced. I would have given up every last one of my worldly possessions to have you back in my life, but that would be impossible—you were gone. Or so I thought. I was on my way to a meeting about the condos that my company built on the southern end of the island, when I came across an article that Nico Andrews published, claiming that my company was at fault for the erosion issues that were destroying my buildings. I went to his office to have a word with him and that was the day that changed my life forever. You were on the beach, talking to a young lifeguard, and I thought for sure I was imagining you. All those months I thought you were lost, and there you were, laughing and carrying on as if you didn’t have a care in the world.” Nico paused when Toni sat up.

“Did you know I was his daughter? Did you know he had found me?” she questioned. Her accusations stung, but Nico quickly calmed himself. Toni didn’t remember the last year; she wouldn’t have remembered that day or any other. Nico knew exactly what day James was describing. He thought James was acting strangely, and when he left, Nico hadn’t heard from him again.

“No,” he whispered. “I know what day your father was referring to only because I thought his behavior strange. He came out to the house, found me in my office, and started yelling something about stalling projects and costing him money. Heather went to make us some tea and when she got back, James was leaving and ran into the tray she was using to serve it. He grumbled about having to use the bathroom, and when he came back, his whole mood changed. He hadn’t cleaned up his shirt, and he grabbed his briefcase and quickly left. I never saw or heard from him again,” Nico said.

Toni seemed appeased by his explanation. “Will you finish reading me the letter?” she asked, sitting back against his body again. Nico nodded.

“Um yes, here we are.” Nico turned the letter over to continue. “I left Mr. Andrews’s office, so angry that you would keep me in the dark about being alive and safe, living right under my nose. I went back to my office and was about to tell the world my daughter was alive, but then a chance meeting with Zac had me think better of divulging that information. Zac met with me the next day, insisting I sign a new will naming him legal heir since that was what you would have wanted. He explained that just before your accident, you had told him you wanted to marry him and have a family. You said you wanted to run both of our companies together and since you were gone, he thought I should honor your wishes and give him your part of the company. I was suspicious, to say the least, and decided to keep my news a secret until I could figure out what was truly happening.”

Nico turned to the next page of the letter and Toni took it from him, seeming impatient with the whole process. She quickly read down the page and skipped ahead. “Oh God,” she gasped, “he thinks Zac tried to kill me.” Nico wanted to laugh, but this whole thing wasn’t funny.

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