Page 35 of Big Nick Energy

“I know. I tried not to want this. Not to want her. Not to love her the way I do, but—“ I shrugged and sighed. “Honestly? I couldn’t stop it. It was inevitable. Like the sun can’t be stopped from rising in the morning, Noah.” He stared at me for a moment, and then I saw it.

His lips twitched. “Fuck, Dad. My whole life, I didn’t even see you go on a date. When you fall hard, you really fall hard, don’t you?”

“You have no idea,” I mumbled. This time, there was no twitch in his lips. Noah laughed and shook his head.That has to be a good thing, right?

“We good?” I asked. He stared at me for a moment before he nodded.

“Yeah, Dad.” He nodded, and a weight slowly lifted off my shoulders. “Of course, we’re good. You’re my dad.” He stepped forward and hugged me. We patted each other on the back, and I stepped back.

“Just don’t expect me to call Blanca mom, and we’re good, okay?”

“Right,” I murmured.

“Does this mean I’m finally going to have little brothers and sisters now?” I chuckled.

I wasn’t sure if that would be in the cards for us. Whether she wanted them or not. It wasn’t like we were preventing anything, but I wasn’t about to jinx it. Especially when I had said a hell of a lot more about how I felt to my kid than to my princess. Noah glanced over his shoulder and smiled then winked.

“So, I wanted you to meet someone, too.” He brought his attention back to me.

“Oh?” That’s when I spotted who he was looking at. The girl who had stood with Noah and his friends hadn’t left. She was standing off to the side, in what I guessed silent support for Noah, even from afar.

And for that alone, I liked her.

He called her over, and she hurried toward us. The moment she was within reach, he took her hand and tucked her body into his. They looked good together. She was a couple of inches shorter than Noah with deep auburn curly hair and kind eyes.

“Dad, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Sam. Sam, this is my dad, Nick Marsh. Dad, she’s off limits,” he warned. I shot him a look and shook my head. The little shit laughed.

I extended my hand, and Sam shook it.

“Nice to meet you, Sam. Sorry about the drama,” I muttered, and she smiled kindly.

“No drama. Everything was fine.” She shrugged, not making it a big deal that her boyfriend had just discovered his dad wasdating one his ex-girlfriends. And it made me like her more. My son could have a flair for the dramatic every once in a while, especially when he had been younger. Someone calm and steady was exactly what he needed.

“Right, well, I’m sorry to rush off, but…” My eyes darted to my son, and he nodded.

“Go get your girl, Dad.”

“Thanks, kid. I promise we will catch up soon!” I waved at the two of them before I turned and hurried. Scanning the crowds only to find Blanca and Val sitting on a bench together.

They weren’t yelling.

My girl’s head rested on her mom’s shoulder, and they were holding hands. As if feeling me, her head rose, and I started to make my way toward her, hoping to god her mom hadn’t talked her out of seeing me.

9

Blanca

“How about we sit down,” My mom suggested. She pointed down at her shoes, and my eyes widened.

“Are you in heels?” I asked. My mom was a flats kinda girl.

“Your sister insisted. I think she’s trying to set me up with someone. She even did my makeup,” she shared just as we found a quiet space amongst the crowd standing around, waiting for the tree to be lit.

It sounded like Griselda. My little sister was a hopeless romantic who was always trying to set someone up.

“So, Nick Marsh, huh?” Mom asked, and I turned to look at her.

She had already sat down, and she patted the bench next to her. I sat next to her, expecting her to immediately go on a rant. But to my surprise, she didn’t. My mom didn’t even yell. Not that she was the yelling kind. But I figured if there was ever a time to yell at your kid, it would be when you found out they were seeing someone twice their age.

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