NICK (Carsonbrothers Book 3)

by S R Dyble

  "Oh my God," she said, crying.

  I stood with my mouth slightly agape as the other nurse rubbed the baby's back, encouraging her to cry. It felt like an eternity until the little joy started exercising her voice. Once she had, they wrapped a towel around her as Kit kissed Eve on the forehead and gushed over their baby girl. He had his arm wrapped around Eves' back as they both stared, their eyes full of love. I didn't realise until then that I was crying and I wiped my eyes clean.

  "Do we have a name?" The nurse asked shortly after Eve lifted her top and directed their baby girl to latch onto her nipple for the first time. She was a natural, and after working out what was what, the baby started suckling on her mummy's nipple, finding comfort there. I stared longingly at Eves feeding her baby for the first time, and so did Kit.

  She looked up at Kit then, his eyes full of love. It was a sight to behold.

  "I think we're gonna call her Erin."

  Kit nodded before lowering his head to hers again.

  "I love you," he said and she nodded whilst shedding a tear.

  "I love you, too. So much."

  I took some photos of them all and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from crying even more as I kissed Eve on the head.

  Once the nurses had cleaned Eve up, and Erin had finished, Eve gave her to Kit so that she could take a quick shower. She didn't take long and I knew it was because she didn't want to leave her beautiful little girl. She had given Kit long enough with Erin for me to stare at him in complete awe as he spoke to his tiny little girl in his arms. He looked absolutely perfect holding her and the sight made me cry more. Eve returned and gently sat herself beside Kit on the sofa. They were all just so beautiful together.

  I decided then as they sat together, kissing one another, that they needed time to be alone. Just the two of them with their beautiful little girl.

  "I'm gonna go find the waiting room," I said, wiping my eyes again. I was a complete wreck.

  Eve nodded. "Can you tell them that they can come in now?"

  Nodding, I gave them both one last look before finding my way to the waiting room.

  It hadn't clicked in my mind until I'd gotten there that I was walking to Kit's brothers looking like this.

  "Is everything okay?" Jax stood up and I quickly nodded.

  "You can all go in now… and meet your niece."

  I couldn't describe the looks on their faces. It was something else entirely and I smiled as each of them piled out of the room. Except for one. Nick had passed me but stopped to look back at me.

  "Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded, not giving him a moment longer.

  I knew he lingered there a bit but I waited for him to be gone before turning back around.

  I glanced at the TV then, noticing the news. I frowned as I caught a look of a huge wave crashing into houses on the coast of a beach. I was waiting to find out more information when Eric popped his head back into the room.

  "Eve is asking for you."

  I nodded and rushed after him.

  I found each of the brothers crowded around Eve's bed, and one by one they each took turns holding their niece.

  First Nick, and I watched in fascination as he took Erin as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. He smiled down at her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to record. There was no way I could miss recording this.

  "Welcome to the family, Angel," Nick said and I had to avert my eyes.

  His words were crippling. For a second, the feelings I'd hidden beneath a deep layer of concrete in my heart, had risen to the surface. I pushed them back once Jax took his turn, and with Erin in his arms, he held onto her hand and I watched as her fingers gripped around his little finger.

  These guys were so damn cute. To see four big guys like mush over this tiny little girl made my heart swell.

  Once Jax had taken his time to cherish her, he handed her to Eric, and I watched as Nick pulled Kit into a long hug. Then he kissed Eve on the forehead, her eyes closing at the contact before she beamed up at him. Once Eric and Jason had met Erin, they handed her back to Kit. She started to fuss, making little whimpers until she started crying.

  Once in Eves' arms, she stopped instantly as if she just knew. It was amazing to witness. Safe to say I was holding back tears, witnessing such a moment. I eventually had to take a break because my phone continued to vibrate.

  I headed into the hallway, noticing the now twenty missed calls and I wondered how the hell I'd missed so many. As I shuffled through my call log, I saw that every call had been from my parents’ agent, and not from Eve as I'd first thought earlier.

  Then, right on queue, my phone rang again and I answered straight away.

  "Jess, what is it?" I asked, moving further down the corridor and into the waiting room.

  "Lilly, God I've been calling you non-stop. It's your parents, sweetheart, they've been in an accident."

  My heart skipped a beat and almost stopped, processing what I'd heard.

  "Wh-what?"

  "There's been a huge storm in Australia, they were out at sea when it hit and—"

  "No."

  "Sweetie, they—"

  "They can't be. They… they do these reports all the time, they can't be…"

  "I'm so sorry, sweetie, the coastguards are doing everything they can to try and find them…"

  As Jessica trailed on explaining what had happened, I glanced back up at the tele on the wall and remembered what I'd seen earlier. Now the news was repeating again and I rushed forward to find the remote to turn the sound up.

  I closed my eyes, hearing the reporter describing what had happened and then a picture of my parents came onto the screen.

  "Two reporters from the UK are said to have been lost in the storm. The coastguards are working tirelessly to try and find them, unfortunately helicopters are unable to assist during the high winds."

  I was numb. Totally and utterly numb.

  "I'm coming," I stuttered, trying to speak through my tears.

  "I'm coming," I said again, wiping them away.

  My head was a pit of confusion as I walked back into the room where I'd left everyone. I stopped just outside, thinking about what this meant.

  My parents had been lost in the storm.

  That could mean…

  I couldn't think such a thing and winced.

  It could mean they were… dead.

  I opened the door slowly, staring at all of them as images flashed before my eyes, flashes of my parents being engulfed by the sea. I tried to rid my mind of such horrific images until eventually, my ears began buzzing, followed by a long high-pitched beeping.

  "My parents…" I began but stuttered. "My parents…" I tried again, feeling weightless on my legs as I swayed and barely caught myself.

  "Oh fuck." I heard Jason say as I fell.

  "Quick, grab her!" Nick raised his voice as my eyes blackened and I sank slowly towards the floor.

  "You can't go alone," Eve said as I gathered my bag from the floor.

  "I have to," I answered quickly.

  She'd just had a baby, there was no way she could travel to Australia.

  "Lilly, wait!" she called after me as I pulled my bag over my shoulder.

  "She's right, you can't go alone." Kit agreed.

  "Let me call someone at Delta. We'll have someone escort you—"

  "I'll go with her." Nick cut in and made his way towards me.

  "What?" Jax asked, staring at Nick.

  "I'll take her." Nick confirmed as I stared at him.

  "I don't need anyone to take me! I'm leaving now, alone."

  I rushed to Eves' side then and kissed her forehead.

  "I'm sorry," I said quickly before hovering over Erin's cot.

  "I'll see you soon, my little princess," I said, shedding a tear.

  "You're not going alone." Nick gripped a hold of my arm before I could leave.

  I yanked my arm from his grip, glaring at him.

  "If he goes with you, you can us
e the private jet," Kit said and I stared at him.

  "Delta has a private jet?" Eve asked. "How the hell did I not know this?"

  "You'll get there quicker," Kit said, looking at me.

  The last thing I wanted was to be going anywhere with Nick. But right now I had to get to Australia, and as soon as possible. I stared at Eve, her eyes said so much, reasoning with me with only one look. I wanted to tell her not to look at me like that, but she was right. I knew what she was thinking, and unfortunately, I had to agree. Anything that meant I could get to my parents sooner, so I accepted.

  The next few hours I moved without thinking, my only goal to get to Australia. I'd somehow managed to get home, pack a small bag and be picked back up by Nick before speeding to a private airfield. It was all so surreal. I didn't know where we were going and I had to trust Nick, of all people. As we drove there, my mind quickly reverted to my parents. My chest ached with the thought of them alone at sea. Of all the death-defying things they'd done for work, I couldn't believe they'd been involved in an accident at sea. We remained silent all the way there until we reached the private airfield.

  "We'll need to check through security first," he told me before opening his window. Nick had to type a passcode into a keypad.

  "I thought the beauty of a private jet was to miss all of that?"

  "This airfield is on lockdown, just like everywhere at Delta. Everyone has to be checked in case of traitors or spies."

  I sat on edge as Nick drove us through security to be thoroughly checked. Not long after, Nick stared at me as a male guard ran his hands up and down my legs and raked through my bag, accidentally dropping a pair of my knickers on the ground.

  "I'm so sorry," he said, picking them back up with his glove-covered hands.

  "Don't worry, they're not my favourite pair…" I said, dismissing it.

  I heard Nick snorting from where he stood while he was being searched by another guard.

  Once we'd been fully searched, Nick moved to my side and placed his hand on my lower back. I wanted to swat his hand away, and I nearly did until he shifted to pick up my bag before leading me down the path and onto the airfield. In front of us a lit-up jet, positioned and looking pristine, awaited us.

  If I hadn't have been so consumed with worry, I probably would have taken more time to admire my surroundings. Instead, I rushed onboard and watched as Nick placed our bags in the baggage compartment.

  Eventually, inside the luxurious private jet, I finally glanced at Nick who sat across from me in one of the plush seats. I could tell that he had no idea what to say to me, and instead I felt his eyes on me constantly. I wasn't sure what was worse—him speaking to me or him staring at me all the time. I'd gotten used to him staring at me, which was why I'd avoided him at all cost. That, and the fact that being around him reminded me too much of the pain he'd inflicted, and how much of an idiot I'd been. That thought allowed me a few moments to not think about my parents. Within seconds I was back to worrying about them. At least, until the pilot spoke over the speakers, letting us know he was about to set off. I'd forgotten how much I hated flying until the jet started speeding down the runway. It was the reason I avoided travelling abroad for work at all costs. I gripped a hold of my seat and closed my eyes as the plane picked up speed. The nerves in my chest grew tenfold once the plane lifted into the air and then bobbed back down.

  "Breathe, Lil'," I heard Nick say.

  I ignored him, closing my eyes tighter.

  "Oh my God." I breathed once the plane heightened in altitude.

  "You didn't say you were afraid of flying," Nick said and I straightened myself upright once the plane was successfully in the sky.

  "Who said I'm afraid of flying?".

  "Your face is enough to let me know," he answered, sitting forward.

  I glared at his beautiful, amazingly handsome face.

  "Look, just because I agreed to have you take me, doesn't mean we have to make small talk. Once I'm in Australia, I'll be going my own way."

  He narrowed his eyes at me. "And which way is that, Petal?"

  I glared at him. How dare he use that nickname on me. It reminded me of how selfish and arrogant he was.

  "I'm sure the taxis have a good idea where they're going."

  "Well, seeing as I'm on strict orders to deliver you to safe accommodation, I'm gonna have to say no to that."

  "On strict orders? What the hell do you think this is? I am not a mission assigned by Delta."

  "It may have escaped your attention but you are indeed under the protection scheme at Delta. You're being escorted to your destination in Delta's private jet, by a member of the protection team. That being me. Therefore, I would say this is definitely a mission."

  So, this is just a mission to him?

  "I never asked to be a part of your bloody protection scheme!"

  "No, but you wanna keep Eve safe, don't you? The enemy won't think twice about taking someone innocent like you and using you as a weapon."

  The thought made my mouth dry, the fear coming alongside with it as I thought about what had happened already.

  "I have accommodation organised not far from where your parents were last sighted. We'll stay there until we hear more."

  I wasn't sure if I should be thankful or pissed off.

  Instead, I sat back in my seat and glared at him, trying to figure out my next move.

  I eventually brought my attention to the small window, giving my eyes access to the blue sky and fluffy clouds.

  The journey was uncomfortable for more than one reason. I was sitting across from Nick-bloody-Carson, for Christ’s sake. The same dickhead I'd sworn to stay the hell away from.

  I'd been offered food from the flight attendant on more than one occasion but I declined each time. The last thing I could think about was food. She was a young woman, not much older than myself. She was dressed smart and gave Nick a certain look when she passed. Witnessing it brought a sour memory to the forefront of my mind that I had to banish quickly, but my inner sarcasm and hatred got the better of me. I glanced further down the corridor to where the flight attendant had returned, noticing no extra private rooms on this jet. No room for Nick to fuck the flight attendant. I hated that my mind wandered onto the subject, as it always did. I rolled my eyes at my thoughts and saw that Nick had seen. He questioned me with his eyes and I got up and headed towards the toilet.

  In the surprisingly large bathroom, I placed my bag on the side and held onto the sink and stared at myself in the mirror. I tried not to cry thinking about my parents. I glanced back at the door. I was heading to Australia with the lad who had broken my heart.

  This was absolute madness.

  I made quick work of brushing my teeth and brushing my hair with the bits I had in my bag.

  When I returned to my seat, I frowned and looked at Nick. Somehow my seat had been reclined and it held a cushion and blanket.

  "You should try to get some sleep," Nick said from where he sat, still upright.

  I narrowed my eyes at him and sat down in the reclined seat.

  I didn't have any plans to sleep. There was no possible way I could. Instead, I crossed my legs and sat fiddling nervously with my fingers.

  "This is the most you've spoken to me since…" Nick trailed on, looking ashamed. "You've never really given me the chance to talk to you about what happened—"

  "Are you serious?" I glared at him. "Of all the times to try and talk to me about it? My fucking parents are missing, they could be dead for all I know and—"

  "You're right, I'm sorry. Just, this is the first time you've allowed me to be this close to you. Although, I'm worried about your parents, too, I can't help but feel the need to talk with you—"

  "Why would we need to talk about it?" I cut him off quickly.

  "You know—"

  "I know that it was a mistake. One that I'll never fall into again."

  Despite knowing I'd never be able to sleep, I laid down just to rid myself of Nick. And
as I laid there with my back to him, I could feel his eyes burning into my spine as I clenched my eyes shut tight.

  Nine months earlier

  I still couldn't believe I was doing this.

  As I pulled up my stockings, I doubted myself even more. Eventually, I pulled on my high heels and stared at myself in the mirror, still not believing that I was doing this. Nick would have expected me in normal clothes and not this get-up. Part of me felt like an utter twat now dressed in this skin-tight dress that wore me like a glove. I wasn't sure why I'd dressed up. Perhaps it would make me pouring my heart out to him seem less pathetic. Nevertheless, I was going to pour my heart out. Because after only a short while of knowing Nick Carson, I'd fallen for him. It was total madness. Absolutely, fucking, unbelievably mad. Not to mention stupid. Despite all of that, I couldn't deny it any longer. I had to tell him and tell him that our agreement was now revoked.

  At the front door of the Carson household, I brought my finger to the doorbell and then withdrew it. I began breathing heavily, thinking about sneaking away.

  What the hell am I doing?

  "You could have fooled me. You look like the real deal."

  I snapped my head around to stare at Jason heading up the path.

  "You scared the shit out of me," I breathed.

  "I can imagine. The adrenaline must be tenfold. It's the best part about sneaking around."

  I moved out of his way and glared at him.

  "I wasn't sneaking around…"

  "I believe you," he said, opening the door and gesturing for me to go ahead.

  "What's the real deal?" I asked him, just coming to terms with the remark he'd made.

  "Nothing, Lill', go upstairs…" he trailed off as he walked into the house.

  There wasn't any turning back now and I stared inside at the empty, dark corridor.

  "You coming in?" Jason asked and I nodded.

  "You know where to find him," he added, turning on the corridor light and disappearing into the dark kitchen.

  By the looks of it, Nick had been home alone until myself and Jason had gotten here.