When they returned, the other sisters demanded to see the ring. He felt strange with all of them knowing he was about to propose, but he didn’t know what else to do, so he pulled the ring out of his pocket and opened the box.
Lauren put her hand over her heart. “You’re making me swoon, Nick. If Alyssa says ‘no,’ all you have to do is ask me.”
He chuckled, a bit embarrassed by all the attention.
Taylor simply looked at the ring and nodded. “That’s perfect. You two did good.”
He tucked the ring back into his pocket and got back to work, determined to make up for the half day lost while he’d been ring shopping in Logan.
As he worked, he whistled, happier than he could ever remember being. Alyssa was the love of his life, and though he hadn’t known her long, he didn’t need to. She was perfect, and he was going to ask her very soon.
Alyssa talked to her sisters when she got back from Salt Lake City the next day. “Kayla said to hug everyone for her.”
“I’m so glad you decided to stay with her rather than going to a hotel. She needed some sister time,” Lauren said. “Every time we’ve talked lately, she’s seemed more and more bummed that she’s not here with us. I really feel badly for her.”
Amanda nodded. “She’s got to feel all alone.”
“She seems to,” Alyssa said. “I’m really glad I spent the time with her.” She walked into the living room, and all of her sisters followed her. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you guys about.”
“What’s that?” Taylor asked, sitting beside her. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not wrong. I just . . . well, I think we need to start giving Nick a day off every week. He’s working so hard, and I just think he needs a day every week for laundry and grocery shopping. He did six loads of laundry Friday while I was there. I’m sure he didn’t have many clothes left.”
Amanda bit her lip. “I think you’re right. We really are overworking the poor man.”
“Kayla thinks she can be here by June first. We have two bedrooms ready for Amanda to work her magic, and we’ll have a few more by then. When they both start working, they can knock the others out quickly,” Lauren said. “I think it’s a good idea.”
Taylor nodded. “You’re right. I just want everything to be done before the first, but we have to think about how we’re half-killing him.”
“Yes, we do,” Alyssa said, glad the others had all agreed with her. “And I think we could use a day without a man in the house.”
Amanda laughed. “A day without Nick? What will you ever do?”
“Hopefully he’ll take advantage of the time off to spend with his girl,” Alyssa said, winking at the others.
There was general laughter.
“Fine. We’ll tell him in the morning.” Lauren got to her feet. “Are you hungry? I made beef tips to serve over rice, and there’s some left in the crock pot.”
“That sounds fabulous. I haven’t eaten since noon.” It was well after seven. Alyssa hadn’t been thinking clearly and had left Salt Lake City at four, hitting rush hour. It was nice not to think much about rush hour anymore.
“Come on,” Lauren said. “I’ll feed you.”
Just as she’d hoped, Nick had asked Alyssa to spend Sunday afternoon with him. He was supposed to pick her up around two, and she was ready and waiting when the doorbell rang. She had no idea what he had in mind, so she’d dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a hoodie over it. He wasn’t a formal kind of guy, so that should work out just fine.
She ran to the door, excited to see him. It had been almost twenty hours since she’d last touched him, and that was way too long. Touching him was like a slice of chocolate cake after a twenty-four–hour fast.
She threw the door open with a huge smile on her face. “Hey . . .” Her smile faded and her eyes grew wide. “What are you doing here?”
Tim was on her doorstep, and he had one of his smirks on his face. The kind of half-smile she’d once thought was so adorable but now made her feel a bit sick to her stomach. “I missed you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you find me?” She certainly hadn’t given him a forwarding address, and she knew none of the people in her life would have told him.
“It’s not like you were hiding from me.” He shrugged. “I realize I’ve made some mistakes with you, and I want to apologize.”
“I see.” Alyssa really didn’t want to forgive the man, but she knew deep down inside that forgiving him would be good for her. Hanging on to her anger wouldn’t help anything at all. “I forgive you. Thanks for coming to see me.” She started to close the door, but he once again shoved his foot in it. “Is there something else?”
Tim nodded, dropping to one knee there on her doorstep. Alyssa wanted to throw up. There was no way he was proposing now. It was all she’d wanted for years and years, and now it was the last thing in the world she’d ever want. “Alyssa, will you marry me?”
Twenty-Seven
Nick put on a button-up shirt and tie for the first time in forever. He was sure the last time he’d worn one had been to his grandmother’s funeral. It was strange that you wore the same things for the happy times as well as the sad. He looked in the mirror and combed his hair, wanting to look his best for Alyssa.
He walked out to his truck and realized his hand was shaking a little. He knew it was probably going to feel strange to her that he was proposing so soon, but he knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, so he wasn’t sure why he should wait.
He drove to her house but parked around the corner, wanting to surprise her with a walk on the beach, where he would take her hands in his and beg her to spend the rest of her life with him.
As he walked, he mentally practiced what he was going to say, wanting everything to be perfect. Thankfully it wasn’t snowing for a change, and a walk on the beach wouldn’t seem strange to her.
He walked to the front door, instead of the back door as he had since he’d started working there and stopped on the sidewalk facing the house.
Alyssa was in the doorway with one hand over her mouth, and a man he’d never seen before was on one knee on the doorstep. Nick turned and walked away, feeling as if a knife had just been stabbed through his heart. Whoever the man was, she hadn’t seemed to be turning him down. No, with her hand over her mouth that way, she was obviously happy. It was how he’d imagined she’d look when he held out the ring and asked her to marry him.
He ran back to the car, thankful he’d worn jeans and tennis shoes with his dress shirt. Yes, it was strange, but now he was glad.
He got in his truck and drove, wondering why seeing her that way had hurt so much more than seeing Kami in bed with another man. Both women had betrayed him, but one was so much worse than the other.
He turned his car toward Logan Canyon, wanting to drive the difficult roads so he could stop thinking about seeing her that way. This way the drive would be a challenge and he would have to concentrate. Anything to not think about his hopes and dreams being washed away like footprints in the sand.
Alyssa stared at Tim in shock for a moment. “No, I will not marry you.” She said nothing else as she closed the door. She ran up the stairs, hoping to find at least one of her sisters. There was no way she was going to be able to go out with Nick right away. She had to shower first and wash away how dirty his proposal had made her feel.
She swallowed hard, hoping to keep herself from vomiting. That wasn’t what she’d wanted or expected. Not in any way.
She went to Taylor’s room and found her sister sitting at her desk, busily writing on some paper in front of her. “Would you be willing to go downstairs and wait for Nick? I need to shower. Badly.”
Taylor heard something wrong with her sister’s voice and turned to her. “What happened?” She got to her feet. “Your face is pure white.”
“Tim. He came by and asked me to forgive him. I knew that forgiving him would keep me from being angry, so
I said I would, and then I tried to close the door, but he stuck his foot in it. Again.”
“Okay. He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Taylor was looking more concerned by the moment.
Alyssa took a ragged breath. “He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. So, I told him no and slammed the door in his face. For all I know, he’s still out there, waiting for me to ‘come to my senses.’” Alyssa used air quotes when she talked about coming to her senses.
Taylor shook her head, looking angry. “I’ll go down and see if he’s still there. I’d love it if he was still on his knees so I could easily kick him in the face.”
Alyssa couldn’t help but smile at that. “I love you, Taylor.”
“I love you, too!” Taylor hurried toward the stairs while Alyssa got into the shower, wanting to scrub every inch of her body. How on earth had she ever thought she loved that man? He wasn’t worth her time. He wasn’t even worth her being upset. She was going to spend the day with Nick, a man who knew how to give and receive love. He was the only man she ever wanted to be with for the rest of her life.
She’d been hoping he would ask her to marry him, and instead, she’d gotten Tim. She wanted to throw up again, but she put her hand on her stomach for a moment before soaping up everywhere. She had to be able to wash off the feeling she had. There was nothing else to do.
When she got downstairs, it was thirty minutes after Nick was supposed to be there for their date. She didn’t ask Taylor if Tim had still been there when she got downstairs, because she truly didn’t want to know. She never even wanted to hear the man’s name again, let alone think of him asking her to marry him. Or hanging around Bear Lake. She’d never been with him in that house, and it had made it feel safe. Now the house even felt wrong.
She sat on the couch, looking over at Taylor. “Did Nick come?”
Taylor shook her head. “I haven’t seen or heard from him. I hope he wasn’t in a wreck.”
The idea scared Alyssa. “I’m going to drive over to his place and make sure of that. I can’t imagine him missing a date unless there was an emergency. I hope he’s all right.”
Taylor nodded. “Go. I’ll let him know that’s where you went if he comes by.”
Alyssa hurried out to her vehicle and drove to Nick’s cabin, pushing the speed limit a little more than she usually would. His truck wasn’t in the driveway, and she knew that’s where he usually parked it. So, where was he?
She picked up her phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. She said a silent prayer for his safety and drove back toward the house. Wherever he was, she just needed for him to be unhurt. She couldn’t imagine living even a day without seeing him anymore.
When she got home, all three of her sisters were in the living room. Obviously, Taylor had filled the other two in.
“Have you heard anything?” Alyssa asked.
Taylor shook her head. “Not a word. I even tried to call him, but there was no answer.”
“I did, too. It went straight to voicemail.” Alyssa frowned. “I’m going to go upstairs and keep trying.”
Lauren put her hand on Alyssa’s arm. “I know it’s been a hard day, but we’re all here for you. Anything you need, you just tell us.”
Alyssa felt a single tear escape her eye. “I just need to know he’s okay.”
“I’ll call the hospital,” Amanda said. “If he’s hurt, they’ll know.”
“Good idea. Thank you!” Alyssa hurried toward the stairs, needing to be alone as she called him. Over and over for the rest of the day, she dialed his number and listened as it went to voicemail.
Finally, she threw herself on her bed and cried. First Tim had shown up where he didn’t belong and was unwelcome. And then Nick had disappeared. It was too much for her to handle.
Twenty-Eight
Nick thought long and hard about whether he wanted to go back to the Romriell house and continue working there after what had happened. He was up half the night thinking about it, and finally decided that he needed to. He had made a commitment, and he wasn’t about to leave a job half done. He also didn’t want Alyssa to think she’d hurt him, even though she really had.
Getting ready for work the following morning, he was both annoyed and nervous. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to look at Alyssa without being hurt and angry, but he was going to have to try. Hopefully she’d be going to her office and getting it ready to actually start working there. That would be the best-case scenario for him.
He walked in the back door of the house shortly before seven and went to the next room he needed to start working on. Thankfully it was a downstairs bedroom, and there would be little chance of running into Alyssa there. He had a list of the things that needed to be changed, and the colors the room needed to be painted. He would focus on the task at hand and pretend no women even lived in the house.`
He was only fifteen minutes into his day when Alyssa appeared at the door of the room he was working in.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her face concerned.
He barely glanced at her before continuing with the task at hand. “Sure.”
“You didn’t come yesterday. We were supposed to meet at two.”
“I got busy,” he lied. He had no desire to talk to her ever again. Why didn’t she just go away?
“You didn’t call, and I left you fifteen voicemails.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?” he asked, staring straight ahead. “If I didn’t show up, wouldn’t it have made sense that I had no desire to see you?”
He heard her slight intake of breath, and she sounded hurt to him. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he was so hurt himself, he didn’t know how else to get rid of her.
“I don’t know what I did to make you angry,” Alyssa said, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of tears.
He straightened his spine and looked at her. “Then I guess you’ll never know.” He moved to another wall with his paint roller, his back to her now. “Go away, Alyssa. Go and set up your new office or go back to Salt Lake where you belong.” She had to belong in Salt Lake City. Where else would that man have come from?
He heard her footsteps walking away from him, and he had to stifle the urge to call her back and beg her forgiveness for the way he’d just spoken to her. She was acting like the injured party, when they both knew that wasn’t true at all.
Nick closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to center himself. He had to get through this job and onto the next one. He couldn’t let this derail him completely.
Alyssa went to her room, changed into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, and put her running shoes on. All she wanted to do was cry, but first she needed to run. Running would help her deal with her emotions.
Instead of going to the beach, where her memories of Nick would plague her, she ran through the streets, heading for a country road. She had left her phone at the house on purpose, not wanting anyone to bother her as she ran off the emotions.
She ran toward Fish Haven, simply wanting to be out of town, where people were starting to think of her and Nick as an item. In Salt Lake City when she’d broken up with Tim, she hadn’t really run into anyone who asked her about it. Here, she knew things would be different. Small town life was wonderful most of the time, but in this case, she wasn’t terribly excited about it.
She ran and ran, finally glancing down at her watch and seeing she’d already gone five miles. It was time to turn around and go home, and she prayed she’d make it. Hopefully her aching muscles would give her something to focus on other than Nick.
By the time she got back to the house, she had tears streaming down her face. She went straight to her room and the shower, not wanting to talk or look at anyone. Maybe she needed to move out faster than planned so her sisters wouldn’t ask her about Nick. She couldn’t even face them at the moment. They’d all thought he was a good one, unlike Tim. Why was she incapable of realizing a man would break her heart into a milli
on pieces until it was in the process of happening?
She changed into her oldest, rattiest pair of pajamas and laid on her bed, curling into a ball and sobbing. Ending a one-month relationship had become so much harder than ending a seven-year partnership. How could that be?
There was a knock on her door, and she called, “Go away!” her voice as ragged as her pajamas.
Amanda opened the door and stood there for a moment, looking at her with concern. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Walking over to the bed, she sat down beside her sister, and stroked her hair away from her face. “What happened?”
Alyssa cried even harder, unable to find her voice for a moment. When she did finally talk, her speech was broken up and involved a great deal of struggling for breath. “Nick . . . dumped me. And he . . . won’t even . . . tell me why.”
“What? No way! Nick loves you, Alyssa. I don’t know what just happened, but that man is head over heels for you, and you need to work this out.”
“He . . . won’t talk . . . to me.”
Amanda frowned. “Wait until he goes home from work tonight and go to his house. Walk in without knocking, and corner him. Don’t let him make you leave until he’s told you what’s really going on. He promised us he would never hurt you, and you need to get to the bottom of this. I know something had to have happened.”
Alyssa didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She had no breath to speak.
“Wait . . . is it possible he came by while Tim was here yesterday? Could he have seen him . . . be an idiot?”
Looking up at her sister, Alyssa brushed the tears from her eyes. “Maybe?”
“I bet that’s what happened. Have you ever told Nick about Tim?”
Alyssa shook her head. “Not really.”
Groaning softly, Amanda got to her feet. “I’m going to go get you a bottle of water, and you’re going to go see him tonight. First, though, we sisters are going to go out to lunch, and you’re going to figure out how to stop crying. While I’m gone, get those pajamas off and get dressed. No wallowing. This will be all fixed soon.”
Changing Dreams (Bear Lake Dreamers Book 1) Page 15
