Page 21 of Wilde In His Arms

She rolled her eyes.Things weren’t that simple.People depended on her.“I won’t be happy leaving my family high and dry for a guy who hasn’t even asked me to come up with a compromise that works for both of us.Instead, he left.”And it still hurt.

“Not because he wanted to.”

He never wanted to leave.She appreciated that, but it didn’t stop him from leaving.

She didn’t want to break things off, but it was the best course to save them both more heartache down the road.

“He’s trying to show you that he wants to work this out.”

“Lyric, what I want is what I see you and Jax and Melody have with your partners.There’s so much love between you.I thought by now I’d be married with at least one little one.Instead, I’m watching you all marry and start families.My life feels so empty.I have the bar and you guys but otherwise, I’m alone.Waiting for him to show up when he could took everything out of me.The loneliness got so bad, I just couldn’t find the joy in anything anymore.Every day just got harder and harder to get through.”

Sympathy filled Lyric’s eyes.Or was that pity?She hoped it wasn’t that.

“What if you could have him back?”

Aria would love that but couldn’t get her hopes up.“He said he was going to move here, but I don’t see that happening.He’d have to quit his job.I wouldn’t want that.He loves it.He’s amazing at it.It’s who he is as much as what he does.I understand that.This bar is as much a part of me as our family is.It’s a piece of us.I love it here.I love being so close to all of you and seeing your lives change.I can’t wait to be an aunt.I want to be here to see first steps and first birthdays and all the big and little things between and beyond.”

Lyric didn’t back down.“Is he the one?”

“I wanted him to be.You saw us.The second we met, something just clicked.”

Lyric leaned in close, their eyes locked.“He loves you.I know it like I know Mason loves me.”

Aria sighed and pulled out her phone.“Go home with your hunky husband.I’ve got a call to make.”

Lyric’s smile lit up the room.“I knew you loved him, too.”

Yeah, maybe she should have told him that before she broke things off.Maybe it would have made a difference.Maybe not.

Lyric hugged her, then rushed out of the office door, closing it behind her and muffling the ruckus and music coming from the bar.

Aria hit the speed dial for Nick and listened to it ring.And ring.And ring, knowing he wasn’t going to pick up.

“Leave a message.”Short and sweet.But that voice was everything to her right now.

“Hey, Nick, it’s me.You don’t have to call me back.I need to get back behind the bar, and I’ll probably miss the call anyway.I just wanted to say that I appreciate the calls and the texts and…yeah, I get it a little better now that you’ve opened this door to your world.And strangely, I feel a little closer to you, even though we’re still so far apart.I hope you have sweet dreams tonight.”

She hung up and stuffed the phone back in her pocket, took in a cleansing breath, and hoped she didn’t regret leaving that message and the door open for her and Nick to get back together.She’d been disappointed too many times in the past.She couldn’t take another six months of unfulfilled promises.She was tired of waiting for what she wanted.

But still, what did it really matter, because she didn’t have the partner she wanted, so she couldn’t fulfill her dreams of a family.Everything else in her life worked.Why couldn’t she achieve this one thing?

She walked back into the chaos and noise and jumped right into things behind the bar.She got lost in filling orders and chatting up the customers, making sure everyone was having a good time.That was her job.

When the call came in, she couldn’t help answering it, despite the noise and everyone singing along to Old Dominion’s “I Was on a Boat That Day.”

“Hello,” she shouted, though he could probably hear her fine.

“Hey,” he shouted back.“I was in the shower when you called.”

Yeah, that sparked a really sexy fantasy and sent a wave of heat straight to her core.

“It made me so damn happy to see your number on my phone and to hear your voice.And I know you won’t be going to bed anytime soon, but I wanted to say goodnight.I miss you.And I swear we will be together again soon.”She could barely hear him, but his words sounded really sweet to her.

“Nick.”She sighed out his name, hoping he understood everything it meant.

“I know.Me, too.I hate all the time we miss.I’m working on getting back to you.And I hope you’ll be waiting when I do.”

“I can’t seem to help but spend every second of every day waiting for you.”

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