Page 29 of Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You
Shae takes a few steps into the guest room and pauses, not expecting her search for Nick to end here. An empty whiskey glass sits by his tapping foot. Both hands rake through his hair as he hangs his head, his elbows resting on his knees. Weariness radiates off his body, overwhelming her with the urge to console him. To hold him close and soothe his sorrow just like he has all week for her.
She kneels in front of him, her legs sinking into the plush carpet. “What are you doing in here all by yourself?”
He looks up and studies her face before brushing his knuckles against her cheek. “Is this the room you planned for the nursery?”
The constant ache in her heart, slightly dulled by his comforting, surges in her chest. With the cunningness of a pickpocket, grief steals their fledgling recovery before she even realizes it’s gone. She leans into his hand. “Yes. I wanted to have him close to us.”
He nods toward the wall separating the space from their bedroom. “We could’ve put a door in right there to make it easier.”
“That would’ve been nice.” She squeezes her fingers around his, trying to draw out the real reason behind his melancholy. “You know you’re allowed to be upset. He was your baby too.”
He kisses her forehead before laying his head on her shoulder. His vulnerability evident for the first time since they received the news. Always focused on her, he never seeks anything for himself, refuses to accept the solace she offers. Until now.
“I got the test results back while you were in the shower. I knew I wasn’t Emme’s father, but getting the call…” He shakes his head against her neck, her hair swaying across her back, tickling her skin. “I don’t know what I wanted.”
Another loss. Another brief flicker of happiness smothered by circumstances they can’t control. “I understand. We had so much, and now everything feels like it’s slipping away.”
His hand snakes around her waist while the other fists her hair, drawing her against him. Her skin warms from the intensity of his lips pressed against her shoulder. Their embrace so crushing his heart races against her chest. “Do you know how much I love you? What you mean to me?”
She swallows down the lump burning her throat. Sorrow resurrects their old habits—she runs, he doubts. “Yes, of course I know. It’s the same way I feel about you.”
“…everything for you.” Only the last few words of his murmur make it to her ears.
A chill runs through her as goosebumps dot her bare arms at the ferocity of his voice. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
Wiggling out of his arms, she cups his cheeks. A tornado of emotions twists on his face, yet she can’t make out which one drives his words. “Nick?”
“I just want your life to be perfect.”
Her shoulders droop as she shakes her head. As always, he doesn’t realize he already gives her everything she needs to be happy. “I appreciate that, but there’s no such thing. We have to take the bad with the good sometimes.”
He stands up, pulling her with him. Long fingers trail from her temple down her cheek before resting under her chin tipping her head to face him. His eyes roam her features before he kisses her softly, attempting to distract her and end the conversation.
Not yet. Not when he’s allowed a sliver of light to shine on the emotions he hides from her as well as himself. “Please don’t shut me out. I know you’re hurting. You don’t have to pretend for me.”
“I don’t mean to. You’ve been through so much—”
“So have you. We can be sad together.”
Nodding, he pulls her to him. Peace fills her body from the warmth of his bare chest and slowed pace of his heartbeat against her cheek. The perfection he seeks for her exists right here, wrapped in his arms, each of them taking care of the other.
After a few minutes, he nuzzles her hair. “Have fun today.”
“Thank you.” She lifts his forearm and checks his watch. The photo shoot starts in less than an hour. “I’d better get going. Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?”
“I’d love nothing more, but I have this meeting I can’t miss.” His fingers wrap around hers before they walk down the hall.
Max smiles up at her from the bottom of the steps. “Ready?”
She can’t help but match his happy expression. Having Max home brings a sense of normalcy back to their lives. Returning them back to the feeling of family they created before Spencer destroyed it. “Yes.”
She kisses Nick on the cheek. His eyes darken, a glimpse of uncertainty flashing, before he squeezes her hand, seemingly reluctant to let her go. “It’s okay. I’ll see you when I get back. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Nick nods down at Max, both of them watching her as she walks down the stairs. Both of them fearful it might be the last time Nick sees her.
