Page 56 of Seizing Mack
Liz had changed too. She’d always been slim and feminine, but she was even more so now. Time had only enhanced her natural beauty and the sheer happiness that radiated from her made her glow with health and vitality.
“And look at you! No one is ever going to believe you’re older than me.”
A tall, dark man watched the exchange from the doorway, amusement lighting his eyes. Nick recognized the man instantly as the one he’d been cyberstalking.
Liz grabbed his hand as if she was afraid he’d disappear and tugged him toward the condo. “Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet. Nick, my husband, Miles. Miles, this is my brother, Nick.”
The men shook hands. Miles’s grip was firm and strong, his smile warm and friendly. “Nice to meet you, Nick. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Nick wished he could say the same, but seeing as he hadn’t even known his sister had tied the knot until a few weeks ago, he couldn’t. Liz must have picked up on the direction of his thoughts because she said, “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how to reach you.”
Her voice was even, but her eyes couldn’t hide the hurt she obviously felt. “I’m so sorry, Liz. I should have done a better job keeping in touch.”
“I wish you would have. I didn’t know where you were, or even if...” She let the sentence hang, and the guilt weighed even heavier across his shoulders.
“I know. And I am sorry. Here.” Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. “I know this doesn’t make up for things, but...”
“What’s this?”
“A present. I missed your birthday this year.”
Her eyes misted as she accepted the small package and untied the ribbon. Her small gasp when she saw the crystal wolf made him feel a little better. “I hope you still like Swarovski.”
“It’s beautiful!” she said between sniffles. “I love it!”
“I’m glad, because I’ve got nine more in my car, one for every birthday I missed. Every time I moved to a new place, I picked one up.”
Liz hugged him again. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sis.”
“We have so much to catch up on.”
“Yeah, we do.”
Miles held out his hand again. “Nick, it was nice to meet you.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I have some catching up of my own to do,” Miles told him. He kissed Liz on the cheek. “I’ll be up at Adam’s if you need me.”
“Tell Holly I’ll call her later.”
“Will do.”
Liz watched her husband leave, the look of pure love on her face unmistakable. The moment the door closed, she shook her head as if coming out of a trance. “Sorry. That man just does it for me, you know?”
Nick laughed. “Are you happy?”
“So, so happy. Want some coffee?”
“Good. I’d love some. And while we’re making it, you can tell mewhy you sold my fucking car.”
Sincere regret shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry about that, Nick. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see or hear from you again.”
“But mybaby, Liz.”
“I know how much you loved that thing but I just couldn’t see letting it rot somewhere and I had no way of knowing if you were evenaliveat that point. I thought it would be better to put her in the hands of someone who would care for her as much as you did. And, I didn’tsellit, I gave it to him for graduation.”
