The corner of Fiona’s mouth tugged up, but sadness lingered in her eyes. “I love that we created this. That you gave my idea juice and helped me make it go. I am so so grateful. But us working together... We need to do something. I don’t want to lose my brother because of this.”
It was a similar sentiment to the one he’d had, and to what Nathan suggested. “I agree. We’ll make it work.”
“I’m so sick of hearing you say that. I want to paint it on a wall and burn it down.” She rested her weight back against the wall and studied him. “The phrase has pretty much lost all meaning at this point.”
“I’m giving it a different one. I think the best thing for both of us...” He drew in a deep breath, and rolled the words across his tongue, tasting them before he spilled them. “... is if I step aside.”
“I—” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. What would come next? Denial? An obligatory plea for him to reconsider? “I don’t want to force you out.”
“Don’t you?” Nick was ready to lay this all down, if they both wanted it. She needed her to be honest about it, though.
She shook her head. “I don’t. I’d rather you left because you’re ready to move on.”
There was the sting he expected. He didn’t want to be doing this though. He’d already hashed that fact out six ways from Sunday.
“Sorry to be eavesdropping.” Nathan stepped into the room. “I—we couldn’t help ourselves.” He held up his phone.”
“Ciao,” Tara called from the device. “I made him do it. I’m nosy.”
“Should I come back?” Fiona sounded more curious than upset.
“No.” Nick grabbed her hand and tugged her further into the room. “You should come in and meet Nathan and Tara.”
Fiona looked between him, Nathan, and the phone. “I’ve missed a lot, haven’t I?”
“A bit. It’s going to take some time to explain. But not nearly as long as it took for you with me,” Nick said.
“And I’m gonna leave the two of you to it.” Tara’s cheer was back. It sounded odd having her on speaker in the middle of all of this. “But first I have to ask Fiona something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you online,” Tara said.
Fiona’s smile cracked through. “Same. All around. I assume only the good stuff is true.”
“Eh...” Tara dragged the word out. “About half the bad stuff is rooted in reality as well. Listen, real quick, because it really is rude of me to interrupt. How much to buy out Nick’s contract?”
“What?” Fiona asked at the same time Nick did.
Nick couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t ask for it or let it happen.
I didn’t ask for it. Why is it a problem?
Because this was more than plane tickets. He couldn’t owe—
Nick cut his own thoughts short. “I own half the company. There’s not a contract to buy out.”
Tara made a tsk noise. “I need you working for me. What about an investment?”
“Bianchi International passed on that.” Nick realized his mistake the instant he replied.
She wasn’t offering on behalf of the family business. “I have my own money. I’m interested in it. Silent partner, as long as no one there fucks off with my cash.”
“We wouldn’t. We won’t,” Fiona said.
This was Nick’s chance to give one last protest. But this resolved the biggest concern he had—leaving Fiona in a lurch. “Are you sure you’d be okay with this?” he asked Fiona.
She searched his face. “Yes. As long as it doesn’t make you mad. I want our friendship back. Overprotective big brother instead of stressed out and miserable business partner.”
“I wasn’t miser—”
“You really were.” Fiona’s reply wasn’t accusing. She looked at Tara. “We’ll talk details. And now I’m the one who will let you finish your private conversation.
She squeezed Nick’s hand. “Call me. We still need to celebrate.”
He loved the sound of that.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nathan hadn’t been this nervous in ages. Not since Tara told her parents they were dating. He’d known the family for years by that point, but that was like leveling up.
He stood next to Nick outside the family style restaurant. They’d gotten there early at Nick’s insistence. Nathan would have rather been late, but it wasn’t as though sitting at home fidgeting was any better than doing it here.
Nick nudged him, and nodded at the parking lot.
Fiona was approaching with two men. Nathan recognized Parker and Wyatt from Parker’s videos. Cuter in person, but nothing like what Nathan had.
Nick tangled his fingers with Nathan’s, and a layer of relief blanketed his nervousness.
Fiona glanced at their hands, then looked at Nick.
“Told you there’s a lot to catch up on,” Nick said.
Fiona smiled. “I’m looking forward to hearing it. Nice to see you again,” she said to Nathan.
“Same. Are we doing introductions, or does everyone assume we all know each other’s names?” Nathan didn’t assume the people he saw on screen were any measure of those in front of him. But passing names around seemed unnecessary.
“I think we’re good.” Parker shook his hand. “Always nice to meet a fellow celebrity.”
Wyatt snorted. “Celebrity. Right. You rank right up there with... I don’t even know.” He shook Nathan’s hand as well.
“Because I have no peers.” Parker’s retort was good-natured.
Nathan was glad for the playful exchange. “That confirms one thing.”
“What’s that?” Fiona asked.
“You’re at least partly the people in person that you are on camera.” Most of these content creators were, but some wore such an intricate mask, there was barely any resemblance between their on-screen personas and real life.
“They’re behaving right now. At least until they see which one of them wins the bet,” Fiona said as they headed inside.
“Five. Table, please,” Nick said to the hostess.
She led them through the dining room.
Though Nathan spent most of his life in the US, he was still adjusting to restaurants now that he was back. Several TV’s surrounded the bar area, each playing a different basketball game as captions scrolled on the screens. Half the tables had bowls of corn chips and salsa, and the remainder were littered with half-eaten burgers and mostly empty margarita glasses.
Not that Nathan thought one or the other was better. Each was such a different experience that they stood on their own.
Parker and Wyatt sat on either side of Fiona, and Nick took the seat next to Parker. Nathan didn’t have an issue with any of that.
“What bet?” Nathan asked.
Parker and Wyatt exchanged looks, and Fiona twisted her mouth. “If they tell you, it won’t count,” she said.
Already the night was going well. Nathan didn’t know what he’d been worried about.
“So, the two of you...” Parker nodded at Nick.
Right. That. Would Nick own up to their relationship? Nothing about him made Nathan think otherwise, except experience. He’d had boyfriends gloss over him before, and Nick meant so much more to him.
Nick grasped Nathan’s hand again. “Cute couple, aren’t we?”
Nathan mentally sighed with relief.
Parker nudged Wyatt. “Told you so.”
“Fine. You win. That bet, by the way.”
“He didn’t think Nick would come clean about it,” Fiona explained.
Nick squeezed Nathan’s hand before letting go. “Always. I’m a little slow to pick up on some things, but I’m happy and lucky and grateful he puts up with me.”
The words warmed Nathan to his core.
They ordered drinks, and appetizers—an assortment of deep-fried foods. Not a single olive or fresh vegetable to be found.
“My brother has a boyfriend and a sug
ar momma. What else have I missed?” Fiona leaned in. Her eyes were bright, and it was easy to see the resemblance between her and Nick. She also looked a lot happier than she had at the apartment.
“You’re going to be an aunt,” Nathan said.
Fiona’s smile grew. “Seriously? How huge is that? When were you going to tell me? How... I mean, don’t give me details. Not those details. But give me details!”
Nick made an exaggerated throat clearing sound. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet.”
“Oops.” Nathan was surprised to hear it.
Fiona glared at Nick. “Why not?”
“Because...” Nick sighed. “Because Tara’s not going to be here, and we don’t know how any of this is going to work. It hurts to talk about it with that much uncertainty around everything.”
That made sense. Nathan noticed he didn’t mention the question of parentage.
Because it doesn’t matter.
“But you’re the idea guy,” Fiona said. “And a baby. You’re going to have a baby.”
“I’m not personally going to.” Nick’s scowl vanished.
The conversation drifted from one topic to the next, the five of them chatting for hours.
The next few weeks passed smoothly. Nathan got approval from Rinslet to use remodeling the new shop as part of their contest entries. Chloe loved the marathon idea so much, she made it the next challenge for everyone.
Nathan, Tara, and Nick watched the results together, with a phone line open between them. There was no sweating to hear their names called this time. Beauty’s Magic Needle was announced right after Jeremy Rocks.
Not that Nathan was surprised. Their views had dropped a little after the initial rush of interest from the video of Marco. But things leveled out far higher than they’d been a month ago.
It was almost perfect. The only thing missing was Tara.
She just happened to be the most important thing, besides Nick.
TARA COULDN’T BELIEVE she’d kept the secret for almost a month. She’d come so close to slipping, so many times. It wasn’t that she wanted to deceive Nathan and Nick. She wanted to be there in person when she told them she was staying.
There was also a teensy bit of her terrified that something was going to stop the whole thing from happening before she got here.
But here she was, walking through Terminal 2 at Salt Lake City international airport. The nice things about airports—no matter where one went, they were always a little familiar.
The biggest difference here was being surrounded by so much English. She caught the occasional snatch of Spanish or something else.
Her brain had been switching gears since she landed in New York. Speaking of, she was grateful this place wasn’t as big as JFK. She might climb out of her skin if it took her too much longer to reach her destination.
Excitement hammered in her ears as she reached a set of escalators going down. She could see Nathan and Nick from up here. They exchanged a few words, but mostly scanned the crowd.
Nathan’s gaze landed on her first, and his grin was one of the best things she’d ever seen. He squeezed Nick’s hand, and nodded toward her.
Nick gave her an award-winning smile too, though she wasn’t sure which of them won.
And then she was within a few meters.
Nathan reached her first, and engulfed her in a hug.
She fell into his arms and devoured his kisses. Each brush across her lips, along his stubbled chin, down her neck, was a new reason to sigh happily. After all this time the thrill that came from his touch had never gotten old.
“I should have given you this kind of greeting when you got back to Italy.” She rested her cheek against his shoulder.
He rested his hands against her lower back. “We get it now. That’s what matters.”
“So wise. But I still say if we ever fight like that severely in the future, you’re not going anywhere.” She tilted her head up to look him in the eye, and crushed her mouth to his again. “I’m not letting you leave like that again.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She extracted herself reluctantly. The only reason to let go was to turn to Nick. Granted, that was pretty fucking good reason.
He watched them with a guarded expression that made her heart hammer in her ears. She’d already shared one airport reunion with him, and while she didn’t vocalize it then, she’d hoped it would be the official, final welcome home.
She had that now. She just needed the right moment to say the words. Blurting them out might not be bad either. I’m here to stay hovered on the tip of her tongue.
He cupped her cheeks with both palms, and crushed his mouth to hers. The thrill that raced through her was different than with Nathan. Heady and intoxicating spiced rum instead of sweetly potent espresso.
She adored both sensations equally.
Nick broke the kiss, but didn’t let her go. He searched her eyes. “How long do we get to keep you? Because neither of us want to let you go.”
“Forever.” Christ, that word tasted good. It made her heart sing.
“Really?” Nathan pressed his chest into her back and settled his hands on her hips.
She nodded. “Except those occasions when I go home to visit. But they can come here. It’s going to be a long time before I’m ready to leave the two of you, even on vacation. I’m here to stay, and wherever you are is here.”
Nick slid a hand to the back of her neck. There was a possession in his touch that would infuriate her with anyone else. With him, she never wanted it to stop.
“You couldn’t tell us sooner?” he asked.
“I wanted to do say it in person.”
“I understand.” His voice had dropped an octave, sending chills down her spine. It should be difficult to hear him amid the chatter, but she was focused on that distinct sound.
She figured they’d be okay with her reasons, but hearing the confirmation comforted her. “Good.”
“I get it, because”—he dipped his head close to glide the tip of his nose up the side of her neck, and nipped her earlobe—“I wanted you here for what I have to say, too.”
She whimpered at each new touch. “What’s that?” Why did they have to be someplace so crowded?
“I love you.” Nick murmured the words against her lips. “So much more than I can put into words. I love you and I need you and I can’t imagine life without you.”
Her breath lodged in her throat, and her heart squeezed. “I love you too.”
Nathan kissed the back of her neck. “People are starting.”
“Let them.” Tara smirked at the idea of ruffing a few feathers.
“Bad idea,” Nick said.
She could jump to all sorts of conclusions about him being embarrassed, but there was more to his retort than what she saw on the surface. “Why?”
“Because if we keep this up here, clothes will come off.” Nathan teased his thumbs under her sweater to tease her bare skin. “Then people will really be staring. Someone will call the police...”
That was a fair point. “Not looking forward to more jail time?” She teased.
Nick kissed her hard again, swallowing her moans, and biting her bottom lip before he pulled away. “Not looking forward to letting you out of our sight anytime soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The ride to Nick’s place was torture of the most delicious variety. Nathan insisted Tara sit in the front passenger seat next to Nick.
Being in back didn’t stop Nathan from leaning forward most of the ride, teasing his fingers under her sweater and up her sides, and gliding light touches along her neck.
“I should have sat back there with you.” She sighed and leaned back into another round of caresses.
“Bad idea,” Nick said. “I need to keep my eyes on the road, and that’s already nearly impossible.”
“Oops.” She dragged her fingers up the inside of his thigh.
He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth and grabbed her w
rist. “You’re lucky I know this route by heart.”
“I’m lucky for a lot of reasons. That’s not high on the list, but I am grateful.” She didn’t twist from his grip. The tension of his fingers just digging into her skin was enough to send her imagination running rampant, and she had no desire to rein that in.
She should be taking in the sights of this new place. The mountains. The stretches of nothingness broken up by expressway.
It was all background noise to the men she was with. They couldn’t get home fast enough.
Home. She liked the sound of it.
It felt like it took an eternity to reach Nick’s place. It was probably closer to twenty minutes. They left her luggage in the trunk of the car.
The three were barely in the front door before two sets of hands were traveling her body. She couldn’t decide where to focus, so she sank into all of it.
Nathan layered rows of soft kisses along her cheeks and neck, covering her in adoration.
Nick slid her coat from her shoulders, then stripped her sweater off in a single tug. There was no time for her to feel cold. He scraped his teeth along her shoulder, and glided his hands over her stomach, his chest warming her bare back.
Would they notice or mind that she’d started to gain weight?
Nathan trailed his fingers down her sternum, and along the outline of her belly. “You look gorgeous. More beautiful than the last time I saw you.”
Had he read her mind? As much as he always did. A flush of heat flooded her cheeks.
Nathan’s kisses were an intoxicating blend of sweet and desperate—little nips along her mouth, jaw, and neck that didn’t let up.
Nick kissed along the back of her neck. He wasn’t so gentle; biting and sucking while he unhooked her bra and tossed it aside.
They led her into the bedroom. She’d ask for a tour later. Right now she only had eyes for her men.
Nathan trailed his lips down her sternum, to lick and nibble her breasts. Each light swipe of his tongue raised goosebumps along her arms.
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