Page 38 of Wilde In His Arms

Lyric sidled up to her.“What’s that look?”

She pasted on a smile.“Nothing.”

Lyric bumped her shoulder into Aria’s.“Come on.Spill it.”

It took her a minute to find the courage to say it out loud.“I wish it was me.”

Lyric pulled her into a hug.“I know.And it will be.”

She stepped back, but still held Lyric by the shoulders.“Do you think so?I feel like I pick men who don’t pick me.Dan cheated.Mark was nice, but trying to move way too fast into a relationship.Nick is married to his job and lives in another state.”

Lyric cupped her cheek.“Not for long.Mason said Nick is anxious to get here and be with you.”

She released her sister and asked, “Has Mason said anything about this case Nick is working on?It sounds really dangerous.”

“I imagine it is.The guy he’s after killed another agent and took a shot at him.Other than that, I’m not sure.Why?Are you scared for him?”

“Yes.Aren’t you when Mason is working?”

“Not so much now.He isn’t undercover anymore and leads a lot of training.Though he still helps out on cases.”

They watched Jax and Layla greet all their guests as they made their way through the room.

Aria kept her focus on Lyric.“How do you keep yourself from worrying to death?”

“I trust that he’s trained and will do everything he can to keep himself safe.I believe that no matter what he faces, his end goal is to always come back to me.And I have faith that he will do everything he can to protect himself and others, while arresting those who deserve it.I don’t let myself get mired in the what ifs.I focus on how proud I am of him for doing a really hard and dangerous job, because it’s necessary and keeps us all safe.”Lyric’s mouth scrunched to one side.“Even though all that is true, I still worry.It’s hard not to when I love him so much.So I know how you feel about Nick.It’s especially hard when the hours stretch and you haven’t heard anything.”

She sighed.Try days.“I know he’s good at his job.I trust him to be safe.I’m being ridiculous.”And selfish.She was only thinking of herself, and not all the people Nick helped.

“No.You love him.He’s lucky to have someone like you who cares and understands and still finds a way to let him do that job without holding him back.So instead of worrying about whatever he’s doing today, let’s celebrate with Jax and Layla.And maybe you could use a drink to help you relax and have some fun.”

Sounded like a good plan to her.

So she immersed herself in the reception, giving one of the toasts, dancing with friends and family, enjoying the dinner and eating the decadent cake, and waving off Jax and Layla as they left for their honeymoon night.

But the thing that stuck with her as she drove home was the family picture they took.Mom and Dad, Lyric and Mason, Jax and Layla, Melody and Fox, ending with her standing without a partner.She’d sent Nick a text right after it.

ARIA: Just took family photo.All of us together with Mom and Dad.My siblings with their partners.It really hit me.You were missing.

NICK: I’m sorry.I wish I could have been there.

She unlocked the door to her place, still thinking about that text.

How many more texts would she get like that in the future?Was this what life with Nick would be like?

That future didn’t seem as happy as the one she imagined.

Today hadn’t been all it could have been if he’d been there.

Even if he moved here, he’d have the same job.Would she always be the one with the missing partner at events and in the photos?

Chapter fifteen

NickhadtextedAriathis morning asking about her plans for the day.She always had Monday and Tuesday off because the bar was closed.She’d spent the past weekend doing wedding stuff.Today she was at her family’s ranch helping out and visiting her parents.As much as he wanted to take down Javier, he needed some new leads to follow.So he took today off work to come to Wyoming, check out the house he bought in person and see her.Hopefully she wanted to come with him.He wanted her to love the place and hoped they could talk about getting back together.

He had dinner plans for them, too, before he had to leave tonight.

Really all he wanted to do was spend time with her.

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