by Fiona Cole
Forcing myself to move, despite wanting to stare at him all morning, I went to get a cup of coffee. I swiped at the pools of moisture building in my eyes when I grabbed the creamer.
So sweet and so simple, yet so impactful.
When I sat down, he slid two stacks of papers face down across the table, keeping his longer fingers sprawled on top of them. I took in his tan skin against the stark paper and wondered if I would ever feel them again. I clutched the warm mug to hold back from stealing another feel just in case I never got to.
“My parents died in a car accident when I was ten. They were hit by a drunk driver who got off without even a warning. He was a senator’s son, and my grandpa was furious. He spent money on top of money to have it looked into. Add in the fact that the senator didn’t appreciate it, he bad-mouthed the business, and my grandpa struggled to recover.”
“Nico, I’m so sorry.” Losing my mother crushed me. I couldn’t imagine what losing two at the same time would be like.
“Then when I was twelve, my grandma was diagnosed with cancer,” he continued without acknowledging that I spoke, staring down at his hand pressed to the papers. “We were devastated, but my grandpa refused to admit defeat. He loved her, and he’s not the kind of man who gave up without a fight. So, he paid for any treatment he thought could give her more time. He took time off work to be with her every step of the way. In the middle of her illness, the company suffered more than ever before. He was on the verge of losing it all, and the last thing he wanted was for his wife to watch her legacy be sold while she was still alive. Knightly Shipping was her family’s company, and she and her brother hadn’t wanted anything to do with it, but she had wanted to be with the man who worked in the mailroom at the time.”
He smiled as if remembering their story, and I imagined him as a little boy, sitting around listening to his grandparents talk about how they met and fell in love. But just as soon as it came, the smile faded.
“When Lorenzo Mariano came to him with an offer to help, he took it, despite the outrageous interest and clauses. He was desperate. Desperate men in love take risks.”
He lifted dark eyes to mine and pinned me in place, his words pressing on my chest.
“My grandma died a year later, and my grandpa struggled to keep going. He struggled to keep up with Lorenzo’s loan and worked himself into the ground, fighting a losing battle. He took riskier jobs and traveled more. He wore himself down and ended up contracting a virus that he struggled to fight off. He eventually did, but it damaged parts of his brain. Maybe it wouldn’t have if he hadn’t struggled for so long—maybe his immune system would have been stronger if he hadn’t used all his energy to pay Lorenzo. Maybe he wouldn’t be in a nursing home with growing dementia if it wasn’t for Lorenzo.”
His jaw clenched, and I knew that no matter my decision, Nico would forever hate my father, and after the past few months, I think I hated him too. He’d shown me his true colors—coming out from behind the façade of a caring father. Maybe it hadn’t been a façade before, but once my mother passed away, whatever had been real left.
“Lorenzo ended up taking the company, breaking it apart for money, leaving us with the international side of the business as a gift, as he said,” he sneered. “I promised myself to make it right, and when I went to college, I knew exactly how I wanted to do it. I didn’t care how long it took; I was determined to make it happen. Then you came along.”
I swallowed, remembering that first day we actually met in the lobby. I’d been so happy about the interview and instantly attracted. Lust had almost swallowed us whole right then and there.
“Verana,” he said my name like a plea. I looked from his hand to his eyes, wanting to dive into the dark depths and never come out. I wanted to believe the earnest need behind them. “I never planned on you. Not in my revenge or in my life. I had my eyes so focused on taking his company, I never even looked into his family. But when you told me your name with that mark on your cheek, I went with it. My gut urged me to jump. So, I did. I never planned on you.”
He repeated the words like they held more meaning than just business.
“It doesn’t make it right that I lied, and I’m sorry. I should have been patient and continued with my plan, but I justified it all because we both got something out of it.”
“We did both get something,” I agreed. However, my anger still lingered, making me add a snappy reminder. But now, there wasn’t nearly as much heat behind it as before. “I was just the only one to lose something.”
“Trust me, Verana. I’m losing something I never thought I’d want.”
My heart skipped a beat—hope and mistrust warring.
Does he mean me? No, he only used you. Nothing more.
But the doubt grew more and more quiet. His eyes softened, the sunlight streaming in to bring out the deep greens that hid in the depths of dark brown. He sat before me, letting me in to see for myself that he could be honest.
I wanted so much to believe that everything I felt had been built on truth. How we got there may have been a lie, but I wanted the respect and friendship—the love—to be real. I was just scared that I’d make it real to have him even if it wasn’t true.
“I don’t want you to lose anything in this. I got my revenge, but I realized late that what I’d lose wasn’t worth it.”
I wanted to pick apart his words and delve into their meaning, but he finally flipped over the stacks of papers. He pointed to one but continued to watch me. My eyes flicked up and down, not wanting to lose his eyes, but also curious about the papers.
“This one,” he said, his finger atop one, “is signing Mariano Shipping over to you.”
“What?” I gasped, finally giving the paper my full attention.
“My plan had been to break it apart, so he could suffer like he made my grandpa. But it’s not mine to do with as I please. It’s your legacy, and you’re more than smart enough to run it. Definitely better than Lorenzo was. I’ll help you build it back up to its peak, and then it’s all yours. I’d had these drawn up while we were in France. I planned on telling you when we got home. I should have told you all of it then, but I hadn’t wanted to spoil our extra week. Possibly my last week with you.”
Tears burned up my throat, and I struggled to swallow past the growing lump, leaving me speechless. Before I could gather any words, he moved his finger to the other stack of papers.
“Verana,” he said, waiting for me to look up to continue. “I’ve never loved anything more than my revenge. But then I’ve never met a woman like you. Strong, proud, smart—probably smarter than me,” he said with a soft laugh. “You’re beautiful and funny. You’re…everything I never even considered. I’ve never loved anything more than my revenge,” he said again.
I sucked in a breath, holding it tight in my lungs, holding on to hope that I wasn’t imagining the wrong thing. Holding on to hope that it was true. Too scared to breathe in case this passed, and I lost it.
“Yet, here you are, proving me wrong.”
“Nicholas…” I pleaded on the smallest amount of air I’d let out.
“I love you, Verana Rush.”
My heart beat against my chest, forcing all the air out on a whimper. Doubt tried to rear its head, but why would he say it? What would he gain? Any ideas I could concoct fell away when he explained the second document.
“These are the signed divorce papers, re-done to break our five-year contract—to set you free.”
My hand flew to my mouth, and I looked down at both papers, the tears finally falling. Pinching my lips tight, I shook my head, not knowing what the hell to do with this. Was it only less than twenty-four hours ago that I sat across from my lawyer to file for divorce?
Now I had what I thought I wanted, and it had never looked more wrong.
“You really think I can do this?” I asked, tapping the paper giving me my company.
“I know you can.”
And that was all I needed to know.
Nicholas ma
y have used my emotions against me, but he would never use business. He’d worked too hard.
Without saying a word, I stacked both contracts on top of each other and stood, holding them to my chest.
“Vera, I—”
His voice broke, and I looked down in time to watch his throat bob over a swallow, and I wondered if his emotions were just as extreme as mine.
I shook my head and turned my back, heading to the kitchen.
I looked across the island. His hand thudded to the table, and his head hung as he muttered, “Fuck.”
When he heard the click of the gas stove turning on, his head snapped up. Holding his gaze, I held the divorce papers over the flame until it caught fire. His jaw dropped, and he shot up from his seat, and we both watched the flame lick at the paper over the sink. Once it reached my fingers, I dropped the remnants of the so-called freedom he gave me and that I didn’t want, running the water to wash away any evidence it existed.
Looking up, I sat the other contract between us. “I’m keeping this one. But I want you to help me. I want to learn. I want to be a team because Nicholas Knightly Rush, I love you too.”
“What?” he asked like maybe he imagined me saying it and needed to hear it again to be sure.
“I. Love. You. You saw me when no one else did. You appreciated me beyond what you could get from me. It took me a while to see it—for you to show it, but when you did, I never felt stronger—more sure. And I’ve never had that from anyone.” He rounded the island, closing in on me. “Nico, I love you, and I don’t want those stupid divorce papers. I don’t wa—”
I never got to finish. He pulled me into his arms and slammed his mouth down on mine. I didn’t hesitate. I sunk into his hard body, relaxing in his arms like I was coming home. I lost myself to the soft give of his lips, swearing to never go so long without kissing him again.
“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses.
I nodded, not wanting to pull my mouth away, but not given a choice when he pulled back to frame my face and meet my eyes.
“I love you, and I never meant to hurt you. I’m so sorry for everything, Vera. I may have started all this for revenge, but you have to know that how much I love you is true. Everything that brought us here—all the moments, the tiny traditions we created of our own—that was all real. We are real, and I will take every day you let me to prove it to you. And if you let me, I’ll do it forever and not just five years.”
“Fuck five years. I want to burn that contract, too. I want it all, Nico. I want you.”
“You have me. I’m yours.”
“Prove it,” I challenged.
With a growl, he gripped my ass and hoisted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and went back to kissing him.
We bumped into furniture, and I didn’t even bother coming up for air around our laughs as he carried me to our bedroom, where he spent hours proving how much he was mine, and I was his.
By the time night fell, we finally got our night in front of the fire, celebrating our love the same way it all began.
With a bottle of champagne.
Epilogue
Nico
“I still do, and I always will.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and the dimples I loved so much made an appearance with them. The sun reflecting off the water like tiny diamonds illuminated her face, bringing out the pale freckles I could stare at forever.
“I still do, and I always will,” she said.
The officiator spoke words on the importance of keeping our promise to each other now and forever, but all I could focus on was her smiling face and soft lips. It’d been almost twenty-four hours since I’d kissed my wife, and a second longer stretched like an eternity.
“Nico,” she whispered, laughing.
“What?”
“Kiss your bride,” she ordered.
I’d been so lost in her, I’d missed my cue, but I didn’t have to be told twice.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I locked my lips on hers and hoisted her against my chest. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her smiling mouth pressed to mine, locking me in the most secure embrace I feared I’d never have again.
Soft applause mixed with the crashing of the waves, so different from the roaring applause of strangers at our first wedding.
“I love you, Nicholas Knightly Rush,” she said softly against my lips.
I’d never tire of hearing it or saying it in return. “I love you too, Verana Camila Rush.”
A loud catcall pulled us from our bubble, and I didn’t even have to look to know Raelynn was the culprit.
Linking my hand with hers, I turned us to walk down the short aisle, past the four benches of guests. I looked to my grandpa first and stood a little taller when he winked before wiping a stray tear. Rae cheered the loudest, earning an eye roll from the mountain of a man I’d come to know as Austin. Nova elbowed Rae but laughed, softening the blow. Xander and his wife stood next to Ryan and a few other close associates from the Charleston office.
This was the wedding we were always meant to have.
The night after we burned our contract and divorce papers, I asked her to marry me all over again. I got down on one knee in front of the fire, and damn-near begged her to marry me again. Making me luckier than I deserved, she agreed, tackling me to the blankets for another round of celebration.
“Ready for cake?” I asked.
“I’m always ready for cake.”
“Do I get to shove it in your face this time?”
“You can try,” she challenged.
We all made our way over to the small tent set up close by, where music played, and champagne was already being served.
Similar to our other wedding, we threw this one together within a month, knowing that trying to pick Mariano Shipping back up to where it needed to be would take all our time and effort.
In that month, Vera decided to get her MBA and further her education. She claimed she wanted to run her family’s company, but only when she was the best she could be.
My wife never ceased to amaze me.
“A toast,” Grandpa Charlie said, holding up his glass of champagne. Everyone dutifully followed suit. “To my grandson and my beautiful new granddaughter. I don’t know what I did to deserve you both, but I’m glad Nicholas could pull his head out of his ass long enough to win you over for the both of us.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled.
“Your grandmother would be so proud of you—as well as your parents. You two make a beautiful couple, and I could see the strength of your love even when you couldn’t. I have no doubt you both will support each other when you’re weak and love each other through it all. Always remember to be honest, be humble, and love even when it’s hard.” He raised his glass higher. “To Nicholas and Verana.”
I swallowed down the lump of emotions working their way up my throat along with the chilled bubbly liquid.
Before I could finish, silverware clinked against glasses, signaling us to kiss.
Not wasting any chance I got, I pulled her back in my arms and glued my mouth to hers, nibbling her soft lips. When she did the same to mine, flicking her tongue along the sting, I set my glass aside and used both arms to dip her back and deepen the kiss.
“Get a room,” Xander shouted.
I stood us upright and turned a devious smile his way. “Oh, I plan on it.”
Vera slapped my chest but laughed, the lightest blush coloring her cheeks.
“How long do we have to stay?” I asked her.
“Hmm…” she pretended to ponder, pinching her lips. “I’m thinking all night. We may party until dawn. I mean, Rae is already asking the bartender for tequila.”
“I don’t think so. They can do all they want, but I’m thinking two hours at most.”
“Wow, impressive.”
“What?” I asked.
“I was thinking I’d be lucky to make it an hour.”
“God, I love you.”
“I love
you too.”
“Now, we just need a good reason to vanish.”
“It’s okay. We can say we’re not feeling well. We can blame it on the champagne.”
I clinked my glass to hers. “Sounds perfect. Just like you.”
Nova
Vera and Nico left two hours ago, but a few of us had moved the party to the bar.
“Come on,” Raelynn whined. “I want to play with Naughty Nova.”
I gave her a deadpanned stare as she waved the shot of tequila in my face. She knew it was my weakness, and after the stressful week of meeting deadlines for my new job, I could use a night to let off steam.
“Maybe we can try and Instagram Patrick,” she said in her seductive voice, following it up with kissing noises.
Just hearing his name brought forth a slew of emotions tied to a million memories.
“You’re horrible,” Austin grumbled next to Rae.
“I’m the best, and you love me,” she said, smacking a kiss on his cheek.
“Someone has to.” He rolled his eyes but continued to watch her even when she turned away. Rae tortured him, and he always turned her down, but it was so obvious to everyone but her why he never took her up on a one-night stand. He wanted so much more.
“Come on, you were laughing right along with me,” she said to him.
The last wedding we’d had for Nico and Vera had started with a ton of tequila and ended with me twerking on the dance floor while Raelynn scrolled through Instagram, stealing pics I swore to kill her over if she ever posted.
No, she never posted.
But she had seen Patrick start an Instagram live video that he notoriously invited fans to join. Lucky Raelynn requested to join under my handle and magically got picked. She’d greeted him, announcing she only knew of his band because her friend was half in love with him. At that point, unbeknownst to me, she turned the camera on me mid-ass shake. I had no idea any of it was going on and shimmied toward her, rapping along to Missy Elliot.
Yeah, I didn’t want to repeat that performance. But just the memory of it had me wanting to drink the embarrassment away.
