Page 44 of Imperfections Seduced
“I don’t know. That’s a question he’ll have to answer. The one thing I do know is he cares about you, and he’d most likely do anything for you.”
“How do you know that?” I sit back on my pillows biting the side of my cheek. “I’m not sure I believe that’strue. If it was, he damn sure wouldn’t have had sex with my sister, not even one time.”
“You need to talk to him.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to see him yet or deal with him. I’m still trying to process everything that has transpired and how I feel. I don’t know what to do next.”
“Where’s your pendant?”
“The one Nick gave me?”
“Yes.”
“It’s in my jewelry box. Why?”
“I was there the day he bought it for you.”
“I didn’t know that—why didn’t you tell me?”
“The day he bought it, I asked him to come to the jewelry store with me, because my dad was afraid I would buy the entire store. The only way he would let me go is if Nick came with me to make sure I didn’t max out his card, which is ridiculous. Black has no limit.”
“Your father’s a very smart man.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Anyway, when we got to the jewelry shop, I was so excited to show him the pendant I was going to buy. It was the most beautiful, unique piece of jewelry I’d ever laid my eyes on. The second Nick saw it he said to me, ‘You’re not buying it.’ I said why not? You know what his answer was?”
“What?”
“His exact words were, ‘It was meant for someone else, someone special. A person that will always be a part of my life, without a doubt in my mind.’”
“He said that?” She nods her head slowly.
“Jokingly, I said yeah, I know the special person is me. He said, ‘No, this person is a different kind of special, and I need to remind her of that. Whether I’m near or far away from her, she will always come first above everyone else. All she has to do is call.’ He said the eyes were wrong;the original gems were emeralds. He had them changed to a light blue star aquamarine. What color are his eyes, Cat?”
“An undeniable haunting, beautiful shade of gray-blue. Sometimes I feel like he can see right through me.”
“He chose that particular gem because it bears a close resemblance to the color of his eyes. So whenever you looked at it, you would know he was always with you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the night he gave it to me? I called you and you acted like you didn’t know about it.”
“I didn’t know he was talking about you when he bought it so I was just as surprised as you were. I thought the dope would eventually tell you. You want to know what I think?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me, whether I want to know or not.”
“You have always had a special place in Nick’s life, from the time you were in pigtails. Out of respect for his friendship with Chris, he couldn’t act on his feelings for you. He spent so many years protecting you from all those other guys, and what he saw in them, he knew he had in himself. He thought he was protecting you from himself.”
“I came back home because I missed my family, but that’s not the only reason I came back. I thought there might be a chance Nick and I could be more than friends.”
“And you are. I know this is not the way you envisioned it happening, but, Cat, listen to me. I’m your friend, and I only want to see the best for you. If I thought for one second Nick would intentionally hurt you and he didn’t genuinely care about you, I would tell you to tell him go fuck himself. Because I believe you deserve a man who is loyal and honest. A man that is going to love you and show you love like no other woman has ever been loved on the face of this earth, every night and day of your life.”
I smile at her words, but it’s sad and forced. “Wouldn’t that be nice? Can you find me that man?”
“Yes. His name is Nicholas Alexander. You need to talk to him.”
I know I do. “I will, soon.”
“Good. Now, I think you’ve spent way too much time in this house. You need a stress reliever.”
“I’m definitely in need of a stress reliever.”
