Page 59 of Could It Be Magic?
Cora and Dylan both nodded, and Thea felt relieved. They’d had a lot to deal with lately, but at least Nick’s presence in their lives seemed to be something they were happy with. She realised, with a pleasurable jolt, that she was more than happy with it, too.
52
A little later on, Thea glanced in the mirror in the hallway before opening the door to a smiling Nick.
‘Hi,’ he murmured as he walked through. She relaxed as he slid his arms around her for a tentative kiss. ‘I’ve missed you.’
‘It’s only been a few days!’ Thea laughed, but she was flattered and warmed by his obvious affection. She allowed herself to kiss him back before they made their way to the living room. Cora was flumped on the sofa, texting or scrolling, and Dylan was sorting through a huge stack of Pokémon cards ready for swapping with his mates when he got back to school. Nick smiled at them both and then sat down in the armchair nearest to Dylan. He glanced at the pile of cards on the arm of the chair.
‘Some of those look familiar!’ he said. ‘Glad to see my old collection’s getting some use.’
Dylan glanced up from the pile and grinned. ‘They’re pretty old,’ he conceded, ‘but you had a lot of rare ones so that’s cool. Thanks for sorting them out.’
‘No problem.’ Nick grinned back.
‘Hi Nick.’ Cora looked up from her phone, but was soon drawn back into whatever she was watching.
‘Got to love the conversational skills of Generation Alpha!’ Thea quipped, which earned her an eyeroll from her daughter. Then, she turned back to Nick. ‘Can you give me a hand in the kitchen?’
‘Sure.’ She and Nick ambled out, ostensibly to put the finishing touches on dinner, but as soon as they were alone, Thea pulled the door closed.
‘You might as well know, Ed’s been to see me. He wants the children to meet his new family.’ Thea slumped back against the kitchen counter.
Nick didn’t say anything at first, but he crossed the kitchen and offered her his arms. She settled gratefully into his embrace, feeling the warmth and support as it seemed to flow from him to her. ‘I’m here for you, Thea. I’ve said it a lot, but I mean it.’
Thea looked up at him. ‘You don’t seem overly surprised by what I’ve just said.’
Nick hesitated, and for Thea, the penny dropped before he confirmed it. ‘Tristan came to see me on the way home this afternoon. He told me what happened.’
Thea sighed. ‘Of course he did.’
‘He just wanted to make me aware, so I didn’t go blundering in and saying something daft, I’m sure.’ His gaze was earnest as it met hers.
‘Or to brief you about the extra complications in my life,’ Thea muttered. She loved her brother, and deep down she knew Tristan had her best interests at heart, but she couldn’t help feeling irritated that he’d broached the subject before she’d had the chance to fully discuss it with Nick, herself.
‘I don’t mind the complications,’ Nick said. ‘I want to be part of your life, Thea, and if they come with you, then that’s fine by me.’
‘It’s a lot to ask of someone whose life is so ridiculously simple,’ Thea insisted. ‘You’ve never had kids, never lived with anyone, never had to look for a job outside the farm… what makes you think you can take all of this on, straight off the bat?’
Nick looked hurt and then irritated. ‘Don’t treat me like an idiot, Thea. I might not have had all of those things but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.’ He stepped away from her. ‘I thought, over the past few weeks, I might have been able to convince you that I’m serious, and that I want to be a part of you and your children’s future.’
‘You have, Nick, you really have, but this is a lot. I’m not sure what impact re-establishing contact with Ed is going to mean in the long term, and if I don’t know, then I can’t expect you to, either. That’s not part of what you signed up for when you started getting to know me better, I’m sure.’
‘I signed up for you!’ Nick’s voice was more vehement now. ‘And if that means having to deal with Ed, then so be it. I want to help you and Cora and Dylan to get through this, the best that I can. I only wish I’d been able to be here for you years ago.’
Thea’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m so used to being on my own, making the decisions for myself and the kids, that I don’t know how to handle it when someone offers to help. Gran and Tristan are forever getting the rough edge of me because I just need to do things my way. I’m not sure I’m cut out for sharing that responsibility, after all these years of being alone.’
‘What are you saying, Thea?’ Nick’s voice was calmer now, but Thea could feel the hurt running in an undercurrent through it. ‘We’ve barely got started.’
‘I know.’ Thea dropped her gaze to the laminate floor of her kitchen. ‘I guess… I don’t know what I’m saying.’ She swallowed hard. How had everything changed so suddenly? Ten minutes ago, she’d welcomed Nick through the front door with a wide smile and a delicious kiss. Now it felt as though there was a huge gulf between them. She raised her eyes again, to find Nick looking speculatively at her. She knew what he was going to ask, even as he said it.
‘Tell me, if you hadn’t met up with Ed this afternoon, would you still be thinking like this?’
Thea paused before she answered. Eventually, bracing herself, she looked back up at Nick. ‘I don’t know,’ she said quietly. ‘Honestly, I just don’t know.’ She moved towards him and reached out a hand to take one of his. ‘What we’ve done has been wonderful,’ she said softly. ‘And you’re the nicest, loveliest man I know.’
‘But…’ Nick’s voice was quiet, and his expression had a look of resignation.
‘Sometimes I can’t help wondering if we just started this because it was convenient. Because we were both in the same place at the same time. I can’t help wondering if you’ll wake up one morning and realise that, or perhaps I will.’
