Page 20 of Wilde In His Arms

She checked the time.Still three hours to closing.Then she’d walk upstairs to the tiny apartment she moved into after Lyric moved into a house with Mason.She’d sleep alone.Again.God she missed him.

And she did appreciate that he was sending her all these messages.At least once a day he left her a voicemail.And more often than not she got a text, too.Some days it was multiples of both, like today.

She’d learned more about what he did on the job over the last six days, since they broke up, than she had dating him for months.She liked the little glimpses into his world.She loved that he opened up in his voicemails, telling her he missed her.Hearing it in his voice was so much better than via text.And she guessed that’s why he called every day, to remind her of how he sounded and how honest his words were when he spoke to her.

Needing to distract herself, she turned back to the bar patrons to see who needed another round and found Mason on the other side of the bar staring at her.“Was that him?”

She stuffed her phone in her pocket.“What can I get you?”she asked instead of answering his loaded question.

Mason leaned in closer.“He misses you.He wants to be with you.He loves you.”

She pressed her lips tight.Mason found it so easy to tell her that, yet his own brother had never said those last three words.“I appreciate that you like the idea of me and your brother together.”

“You’re perfect for each other.I’ve seen it.Everyone sees it.I know this breakup isn’t what you really want.”

“I told him what I want.I made it perfectly clear what I can and can’t do.And that’s carrying on a relationship going nowhere, no matter how great we are together, no matter how much…” She choked up, tears gathering in her eyes.Apparently she couldn’t say those three little words out loud either.

Mason rushed around the bar and took her in his arms.It felt almost like being in Nick’s, though Mason was an inch taller and much bulkier than his older brother.He held her like a sister and not the love of his life.As it should be.But it also made it oh so clear that he wasn’t Nick.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“What’s going on?”Lyric came up behind her husband.

Mason gently set her away from him.“I was just talking to Aria about Nick.”

Lyric took Mason’s place hugging her.

“I’m sorry.”Aria wiped away tears.

Mason shook his head.“It’s my fault.Nick told me not to say anything.”

Aria pulled away from her sister and stared at Mason’s guilty-looking face.“Not to say anything about what?”

Lyric glared at her husband, though she wasn’t ever really mad at him.“I told you to just wait and see.”

“See what?”Aria asked, understanding that they knew something about Nick that she didn’t.“Is he okay?Did something happen to him?”That was her worst fear.Something happening to him on the job.Where he carried a gun.Where he might have to use it.Where bad guys could be shooting at him—just like last week.

She broke out into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

“He’s fine,” Mason assured her.“He just wants you back so badly, he’ll do anything to make it happen.”

“As much as I appreciate the calls and texts, that’s not enough to make a relationship work long-distance.We both have our jobs and our obligations.”Nothing had really changed.

“Yeah, well, his have changed,” Mason said under his breath, like he didn’t want her to hear, but clearly he did because he said it from two feet away from her.

“What does that mean?”She glanced from him to her sister, hoping Lyric would clear things up.

Lyric shot Mason another glare, then turned her full attention on Aria.“Nick loves you.You know that, right?”

“Everyone keeps telling me that, except for him.So no.I don’t know that he loves me.I do know that when I ended things, he said he wanted to fix it, but he had a helicopter to catch and a meeting that couldn’t wait.Over the last six days, I get the calls and texts I wanted while we were dating, but really, how long is that going to last before he’s too busy to remember that I exist?”

“It was never like that,” Mason tried to defend his brother.

“I know.I’m being unfair.I get it.His job is important.Lives are on the line.I know.Theyneedhim.”She choked up for the second time and rushed away before everyone saw her crying again.She made it all the way to the office and grabbed a wad of tissues before Lyric walked in behind her and closed the office door.

Lyric planted both hands on the desk and leaned forward.“Do you want to move to Montana to be with him?”

She raised a brow.“And leave the bar in Jax’s hands while you and Layla have babies and your priorities shift.”

Lyric stood back to her full height and stared back at her, completely serious.“If that’s what will make you happy.”

---