“Jesus, Nina!” After a minute, the shock wore off. “You’re right,” I admitted sheepishly as I rubbed the sting out of my cheek.
Nina narrowed her eyes to slits and pointed her finger at me. “You’re lucky I love you, Tristan Stone. Other women would have taken all that you gave me and when you didn’t come back after a few days would have jumped on the nearest good looking guy around, which incidentally is the man you and Daryl have had me pretending to play house with.”
“Don’t remind me. You should know I never liked the idea anyway.”
“That makes two of us. I’m not sure I can forgive you for making me kiss Gage in front of all those photographers.”
“Gage?” I asked, my jealousy quickly ratcheting up.
“Well, you didn’t expect me to stay on a last name basis with the man I’m supposedly having great sex with and quickly falling madly in love with, did you?”
I sighed, angry with every part of the situation Daryl’s grand plan had created. Not at Nina, though. I was to blame if she had any feelings for the bodyguard. That didn’t make it any easier, though. “So you and Gage are close?”
“We’re as close as you wanted us to be, Tristan.”
“What does that mean?”
A gentle smile spread across her lips, and her eyes grew wide. “I think you’re jealous, Mr. Stone.”
“You’re playing with me, aren’t you? Fine. I have it coming. You know how I get, though. Varo will be lucky to have a job tomorrow if you keep this up.”
Nina sat back in her seat. “So now you’re jealous? Not when you had me kiss him so everyone in the world could see?”
“Are you done yet?” I asked, tempering my anger.
“Will you promise never to leave me again like you did?”
“Absolutely.”
She leaned forward to kiss me sweetly. “Then I’m done.” Nina sat silently for a long moment, staring into my eyes, before she said, “Hmmm. What do you think about me running out for some razors, shaving cream, Tony’s pizza, and the flattest birch beer in the world?”
“I think this is exactly the reason I’m so madly in love with you. Call for the pizza and I’ll wash off the grime from my half-day as a gardener.”
I stood to head into the shower, but she pulled me back down, smiling a wicked grin. “In a minute. First, I think it’s about time my soon-to-be husband gave me a proper hello after months of being away.”
Leaning in, I kissed her for the first time in so long it felt like our first kiss that night after I’d taught her how to tie a Windsor knot. Every inch of my body felt alive like it hadn’t in so long. I’d let myself get used to being alone and forgotten how much I truly needed Nina.
Far too soon, she pulled away and shook her head. “That beard has to go. It’s picky.”
“So much for our reunion,” I joked. “A slap across the face and not even a decent kiss for your long lost man.”
“Back to Plan A. You get in the shower, and I’ll order the pizza. While I’m out, I’ll get some razors and we’ll get that gorgeous face of yours back to how it’s supposed to look.”
“Not without someone going with you, and that someone is me.”
Raising her eyebrows, she gave me a look of disbelief. “Is that really necessary?”
“Karl came close enough to speak to you today, Nina. It’s absolutely necessary.”
“Fine. I’ll tolerate the protective boyfriend thing for now.”
I stood and smiled down at her. “You’ll tolerate it until I become the protective husband. Are we clear?”
Grinning, she asked, “Where did the mild mannered gardener go to? I barely remember this man.”
“Get used to him,” I said as I walked toward the bathroom to clean up before we headed out. “He’s back to claim his life and all that he’s missed, and that includes you, Miss Edwards.”
“Oooh, I do love it when you go all alpha on me,” she said with a chuckle as I closed the door.
After an entire pizza and a two liter of birch beer that was strangely flat even though we weren’t at Tony’s, I sat back on the couch, more satisfied than I ever thought I could be there in my cheap apartment eating fast food. Nina leaned on me, softly humming some song, and I wished we’d never have to leave this spot that had become the most precious place on Earth since she arrived.
“What are you singing?”
Raising her head, she looked up at me. “A song my mother used to sing to me.” She looked away and shook her head. “I think so, at least. Maybe it’s just something I’ve dreamed up because I know so little about her.”
The memories of the hours I’d spent in her father’s storage unit surrounded by the only things left of Diana Edwards’ life flooded back as I watched Nina’s wistful expression. It was time I told her that I’d found some good in that ten by ten room.
Gently, I pushed her up until she sat next to me and I began. “I think I need to tell you some things. We’ve spent enough time with me hiding the past from you. I don’t want to do that anymore.” I saw the concern in her eyes and softly touched her shoulder. “For once, it’s not bad.”
“Oh? Well, I’m all ears then. I just don’t think I could have handled hearing you say you had a wife you hadn’t told me about or something like that,” she said with a forced smile.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” I took a deep breath and continued. “I found your father’s notebook in a safe deposit box, but he has a storage unit right outside Philly that I searched. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I was hoping that I could find out why my father had done what he did and bury that in the past and then someday take you to see the storage unit.”
“A storage facility? I know nothing about this. Did Kim know?”
“I don’t know. Your father stored your mother’s things there after she died and visited it the last time just before his death. I think it might be nice if you took a look at what’s there.”
There was pain in her eyes as she smiled at me. “I’ve always wished I could know my mother better. My father never really wanted to talk about her after she died. I don’t blame him. Losing the one you love is like losing a part of yourself. It hurts so much that you just want to curl up into a ball and push the world away.”