Page 51 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
I swallow hard, voice trembling now. “And then the acting thing took off. It was a means to an end, something I was good at. It turned into a way to earn money and move out of that toxic household, but all of a sudden, everything turned around. Suddenly, I wasn’t only tolerated, I wasimpressive. Desirable. People wanted me around. I thought maybe, just maybe, my parents would finally see me too. Maybe they’d even be proud.”
I blink up fast, but the tears spill over anyway—those disloyal pricks—and I swipe at them with a little too much force. “But ultimately, friendships in show business are superficial. At some point, I became distrustful because everyone I met had some kind of hidden agenda. At some point, many people forgot that Nic Duncan is a real person and not just a means to an end.”
I take a deep breath.
“Anyway, you can probably guess that my so-called family wasn't exactly an exception. They played nice, bragged about me to their friends like I managed to get where I was because of them, not despite them. They did it only long enough to keep me hopeful. And then it all blew up when I found Jay and my sister whispering their mutual dislike for me and making plans to steal my money duringwhat was supposed to beour engagement party.”
I pause, taking a deep, breath that seems to scrape my ribs on the way in. “Lauren got me out of there. I had a few breakdowns, then pulled my life together. Lauren found the lakeside mansions, and I moved on, movedaway.And … well. The rest is history.”
Finally, I lift my gaze. And for once, I don’t feel the need to brace myself for what I might find in someone’s eyes.
“I’m sorry. I bet you thought you’d get an uncomplicated girlfriend but instead, picked one with next-level self-esteem issues and a whole wagon of emotional baggage.”
“And I wouldn’t want it any different,” he assures me and lifts his arm. Immediately, I scoot closer to him, until it lowers back over my shoulders, a reassuring weight as he pulls me to him and presses his lips against my forehead.
“What if I become too much? I’m … like a storm. I destroy everything around me.”
“Then I’ll be a mountain. You won’t blow me away, you won’t knock me down. I’ll always be there.”
Chapter 19
Nic
“No! Shut up, he did not say that!” Lauren exclaims, excitedly slapping my upper arm.
“Ow,” I complain and rub the spot, but can’t contain the grin tugging on my lips. “He did,” I confirm, noticing my cheeks growing warm.
“I’m so jealous, Nic. You went right ahead and got yourself the perfect guy.” A deep sigh falls from her lips, and she watches Cinnamon as she climbs into her lap, clearly in the mood to cuddle.
She’s completely made herself at home here, like this house was the place she’d been waiting for all along. Her favorite spot is a bed I impulse-bought and placed right by the window. More often than not, I will find her curled up there, enjoying the sun, probably dreaming about food. Or glaring at Pumpkin when she has another of her screaming fits, though they’ve become significantly less frequent.
“He really is,” I say dreamily, hugging a pillow to my chest. “Sometimes I’m scared he’s too good to be true.”
“Makes me want to find a frog too, if the prince follows that quickly,” she says with a dreamy sigh. She stares with an empty expression out of my front window, probably imagining her own, probably grumpy prince charming wearing a backward cap instead of a crown. I shake my head at her.
“Trust me, you don’t want that.”
“I know.” Her eyes jump back to me. “But come to think of it, Jay does kind of a frog-like face, doesn’t he?”
I tilt my head, and suddenly, the resemblance is uncanny, and I burst into a giggle. “Now that you say it. He actually does!”
“Thank God he’s left you alone since. Do you think he’s gone for good?”
“Oh, no.” I chuckle, but there’s no amusement in it, and shake my head. “Not a chance. He’s too stubborn. And I think in his delusional mind, he’s convinced that he still has power over me, that he deserves my money and I need to bend to his wishes.” I take a deep breath. “I fear we haven’t seen the last of him.”
“Can’t you get a restraining order? He’s harassing you!”
“Nope,” I say, popping the P. “Being an asshole is not enough reason for a restraining order, I’ve learned. And they're still inspecting the evidence of fraud and identity theft. Erik promised to keep an eye out, though.” She lifts her eyebrow, and I shrug.
Both of us have had our fair share of experiences with stalkers and know firsthand how difficult it is to get a restraining order—and how much harder to enforce it. We’re both jaded by the long and mostly unsuccessful processes of trying to get away from overzealous fans who are convinced we’re besties or in a relationship. And by the police’s inaction until violence has been committed, pissed at how high our security budget got because we realized thatweare the only ones who will protect ourselves.
Then again, this is a small town. Wayward Hollow might not have a ton of cops, but from what I can tell, the ones they have take their jobs seriously. Erik wrote down everything I said religiously, meticulously labeling and filing all the documents Anna sent over—much more thorough than any city cop would have been.
Sometimes I miss parts of my old life. The five-star hotels, having a stylist, and having a driver. But then I remember the downsides—the not-so-nice fans, the constant camera flashes in my face, the egos in the industry—and I’m glad to have gotten out of there.
“Anyway, it’s a problem for future us. Right now, it’s time for more fun activities.” She puts Cinnamon on the couch and gets up. “Come on, Nic. We are baking a pumpkin pie. I keep getting spammed with recipes on my socials, and I’ve been dying to make one.”
“You have the best ideas,” I say excitedly and jump up, pulling up my sleeves. “I was just feeling snack-ish.”
