Page 60 of Ties That Bind Us

“Hey!” Vince bellowed, rushing in to break the two of them up as the rest of the party goers whispered and looked on.

Once he had them apart, Vince grabbed Jimmy’s arm, leading him out of the room and hopefully out of the party completely.

Nick swiped at blood dripping from his lip and turned back to me. His face was bloody but not nearly as bad as Jimmy’s. If I wasn’t so pissed off at Nick for sinking to Jimmy’s level, I might actually find some enjoyment in this. I couldn’t believe that had just happened. Nick had just beat the shit out of my ex-boyfriend at our engagement party. Jimmy deserved everything he got, but this hadn’t been the time or place.

Feeling the scrutinizing eyes of all the partygoers on us, I hurried out of the room, desperate for some air.

They sure knew how to break up a party.

Chapter 22

Ava

“Ouch!” Nick winced, squeezing his eyes shut. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub in my childhood bathroom as I was wiping the blood out of his eye. “I know you’re pissed, Avs, but it hurts when you jab my wounds like that.”

Personally, I couldn’t find the humor in any of this. We still had a hundred guests downstairs, and I was up here having to deal with this. I ignored him, and continued pressing the warm washcloth to his cut.

“Hey.” He reached out and took my hand, running his thumb along the back of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit him. I just can’t fucking stand that guy, Ava.”

“I know.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek, then sat down next to him. “Which is why I told him I wasn’t going to take the job.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “You did what?”

“Nick, that’s what I was planning to do all along. I told you I just felt like I needed to go to the interview to make my father happy. The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable with where I’m working. It hurt me that you didn’t think I could resist using if I was around that place, but I understand where you were coming from. I love you and I want you to know I respect your feelings, so I told Mr. Bradford I had to turn it down right away and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for other options.”

“Baby, my feelings about that job had nothing to do with you or your abilities. I was more upset with the fact that your father would ask you to do something like that. I’m sorry I didn’t explain that better. Jimmy is a snake and he’s hell-bent on destroying us for some reason. Do you honestly think that’s a healthy environment for you to be in right now?”

I shook my head. “But he did have some valid points. There is so much we don’t know about each other.”

“Would you stop?” He chuckled a little bit. “Jimmy is dead wrong, okay? We may not know every single thing about each other, but no one ever really does. We could date for years and still not know everything about each other.”

“But . . .” I tried to protest, but Nick put a finger to my lips.

“But nothing. Jimmy is just trying to get to you. Ava, I may not know your favorite movie, but I know that your right leg twitches right before you fall asleep every night, and that you bite the inside of your cheek when you’re concentrating on something. You hum in the shower when you think no one is listening, and you make yourself a cup of coffee every day but you have to warm it up at least three times before you finish it. When you get frustrated,”—Nick touched my forehead in between my eyebrows—“your brow furrows right here. You’re a sacrificer, especially when those you love are involved. There isn’t anything your family or friends could ask of you that you wouldn’t do, and you’re always worried about disappointing people. You get nervous when I drive and grip the handle on the door, but won’t ever tell me to slow down. You’re driven and ambitious and adventurous, and you always keep me on my toes. I may not know everything about you, Ava, but I know enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life learning.”

Jimmy was trying to drive a wedge between us, and I had played right into it. The truth is, Nick probably knew me on a deeper level than Jimmy ever had in the entire time we’d known each other.

“How do you always know the right thing to say to make me feel better?” I nodded, wiping a tear off of my cheek. “I know none of what he said was true, and I shouldn’t have let it get to me.”

Nick leaned forward and kissed me. “I know this is a lot for you. Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve taken it all as well as you have. Our relationship was forced to begin with, but it’s developed into much more, and no matter what Jimmy tries to make you believe, I love you. And I am so excited about our future.”

“Why are you so good to me?” I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Because you deserve it.” He set his hand on my knee gingerly. “And I plan to spend the rest of my life convincing you of that.”

“For the record, I wasn’t pissed you hit Jimmy, he deserved that and worse. I just felt like it shouldn’t have been done in front of our guests in the middle of our engagement party.” I had to admit I got a huge satisfaction from seeing Nick hit Jimmy after the bullshit he’d said to me tonight.

“I agree with you there.” Nick chuckled. “And judging from the glare my dad gave me, he does too. I should have shown more restraint and not sunk down to Jimmy’s level. But you’re right, he deserves much worse than I gave him.”

“Let’s just find a more discreet place next time.” I smirked.

“Whatever my girl wants.” Nick stood up and kissed my cheek. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” I smiled as I grabbed his hand and stood up.

By the time Nick and I got back downstairs, the crowd was starting to disperse. The fight had broken up the celebration, and only a few guests and our families were left. We said our good-byes quickly, and headed home.

We spent the rest of the evening tangled up together in the sheets. When we made love, it always amazed me how he balanced being soft and gentle with being in control. He moved my body into positions he wanted, knowing exactly the way to get to me with each touch. I’d never get tired of the feel of his lips on mine, as if he was hungry for me and could never get enough himself. He made me feel so thoroughly loved that by the end of it, I couldn’t even keep my eyes open.

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