Chapter 25: Forever With The CEO: Chapter 25

Being married to Nick Whitley was hands down one of the highlights of my life. Was it crazy? Yes. Was it also working better than I’d expected? Yes.

Was I also in danger of jumping his bones every single evening? Hell yes.

My fear now was that I actually was going to fall for him and that I’d be hurt when we separated later on. How crazy was that?

He brought his new couch that very same day. I liked it much more than my old one. It was super comfy.

One evening, a month after the wedding, I got the dreaded email from Bob and Sophie’s lawyer. They were informing me that they were taking me to court for custody.

I froze, reading the email several times. I’d been expecting it, of course. I’d actually been bracing myself for it, but seeing it in black-and-white was driving my anxiety to the max.

“Allison?” Nick said. I startled as I watched him come off the last stair. The twins were already sleeping. “What’s wrong? You look tense.”

In response, I simply turned the phone around. He walked to me with quick steps and glanced at it.

“We were expecting this.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I’m so stressed, though. What if they’re successful?”

“Allison,” Nick said in a gentle tone. He pushed my hair over my shoulder and then cupped my face with both hands. “We’ve got this. We’re together in this.” Hearing his words calmed my anxiety, but it started to make my pulse race for other reasons entirely. “Forward it to Hugo. He’ll take care of everything.”

“Will I have to face them in court?” I asked, and Nick frowned.

“He’ll tell us if it’s necessary.”

As I forwarded the email, asking Hugo what exactly this meant and what the next steps were, Nick’s phone beeped, and he answered right away.

“Hey, Spencer. Yeah, Allison’s here.” He took the phone away from his ear and put it on speakerphone.

“Perfect. We wanted to run an idea by the two of you. As you noticed, Ben, Jack, and Annie hit it off at the restaurant.”

“Yes, they did,” I said, grinning, and some of my worries melted away. “The twins are asking about Ben all the time.”

“That gave us an idea,” Penny said. “We’d be very happy to have them here for a sleepover, if that’s something you approve of.”

“Their first sleepover!” Excitement coursed through me. “Are you sure you can handle that many kids?”

“Between the two of us we can,” Spencer said. “We also have a nanny who comes from time to time. We could ask her to join us, but I don’t think it’s necessary for a sleepover.”

I was ecstatic at the idea of these two spending time with Ben. I couldn’t believe that they were so willing to embrace us into their family. Hopefully, this friendship would continue after the divorce.

“I’ll ask the twins tomorrow, but I think they’d love it. When would be a good time for you?”

“This weekend, starting Friday evening, maybe, and then we’d keep them through the day on Saturday as well.”

“That’s perfect. I’m happy to host Ben at any time too.”

Spencer laughed and said to Penny, “He’s already been asking about that.”

“If you want to, we can have him here first.”

“Let’s start with the sleepover at our place,” Spencer said.

“Yeah, it’ll give you two time to…,” Penny started excitedly, but then her words fizzled.

I frowned. “What?”

“I think everyone needs a breather now and then,” Penny said, but I had the distinct impression that that wasn’t what she actually meant.

I glanced at Nick, who was simply shaking his head. His eyes were full of humor.

“We’ll let you know. Thanks a lot for suggesting this.”

“Sure. Have a great evening,” Spencer said.

After the call disconnected, I said, “That’s very thoughtful of them.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Why do you have that expression?” I pointed at him. “Like you think I’m missing something.”

“Because you are. I think Penny’s doing some of my grandmother’s work.”

“Meaning?” I asked in confusion.

“Remember what I told you about her matchmaking games?”

“Oh. Oh!” I exclaimed, then covered my mouth. “I wasn’t… Okay.”

“So, while I definitely think they’re happy to have a playdate for Ben, I don’t think their intentions are entirely innocent.”

I swallowed hard as my entire body started vibrating all at once, everywhere. The prospect of a night alone with Nick was exciting. I didn’t even want to admit it to myself, but it was.

“First let’s see if the twins want to have a sleepover at all.”

They said yes before I’d finished asking the question, so on Friday evening after picking them up from daycare, I took them directly to Penny and Spencer’s house. It was a gorgeous place in Beacon Hill. I had a strange feeling when dropping them off and Spencer immediately took them to Ben’s room, leaving me alone with Penny.

“Any plans tonight?” she asked. We were both in their kitchen, enjoying a glass of fresh orange juice.

“No, it’s been a long week.” I’d been obsessively checking my personal email in case Hugo wrote back. He’d replied to my questions, assuring me the chances of actually going in front of a judge were minimal. But other than that, I hadn’t had any news from him. He’d also sent me and Nick a standard divorce document, which we’d use once all this was over. We both read it carefully. It already felt bittersweet to think about, which was ridiculous. It was simply a formality, and it was what we’d agreed upon, after all.

“So, you’ll be staying at home.”

I nodded. “Pretty much. I think I’m going to order something in.”

Penny frowned before taking a sip. “Nick’s not home?”

That was my first cue that she was up to something. It dawned on me that Nick hadn’t been exaggerating.

“We didn’t speak about what we were doing tonight. I think he’s meeting a friend.”

Her shoulders dropped. “Right. Of course. I truly admire you two for what you’re doing. It has to be incredibly hard to live with someone who’s not… your partner.”

“It’s not that hard. Nick and I sort of have a system for sharing a bathroom and so on.” As well as pretending we weren’t ogling each other. But things were going to come to a head sooner or later. I felt it in my bones.

And that wasn’t the only problem. Over this past month, we’d grown incredibly close. I couldn’t wait for those hours after the twins fell asleep when it was just the two of us, talking about our day, sharing our hopes and dreams. When the four of us were together, everything felt dangerously real. I was falling for Nick Whitley—there were no two ways about it.

“Then I’ll let you get on with your relaxing evening. Thanks for bringing the kids over. We’ll call you tomorrow and get them back to you later in the afternoon.”

“Great, thank you. If anything happens or you decide it’s too much, you can always call me and I’ll pick them up.”

“Nonsense,” Penny said. “That won’t be necessary. I truly love spending time with kids. Have a great evening.”

After I got into my car, I started to wonder what Nick was doing tonight. I’d been in such a frenzy this week between work, checking emails, and preparing the twins for the sleepover that I didn’t even ask. I decided to text him as I headed home.

Allison: Hey, what are your plans for the evening? Are you out already?

He replied a few seconds later.

Nick: You’ll find out as soon as you come home.

Oh goodness. Does that mean he’s at the house?

Excitement coursed through me as I glanced in the rearview mirror, checking my appearance. I looked like a CFO, or maybe a teacher, depending on how you looked at it. I’d had a big meeting today, so I was wearing a conservative suit. I’d even pulled my hair into a very tight bun. I typically disliked this look, but I found it helpful in meetings. It made me feel more professional if nothing else.

As I drove home, I took out the elastic band and pins at the next red light. My hair fell in nice thick waves around my shoulders.

I parked in front of the house and got out of the car, wondering what this evening would entail. This was our first night alone.

“Nick!” I called out, but there was no answer, which meant he wasn’t in the backyard. I hurried up the steps, opened the front door, and stepped inside, my entire body immediately relaxing. The air smelled delicious: a mix of spices.

I toed off my shoes and didn’t call Nick’s name again because I could hear him. I tiptoed to the kitchen and watched for a few moments. Holy shit. I wanted to memorize everything about this moment. This gorgeous man was in my kitchen, wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. He’d pushed up the sleeves, as usual. I also noticed that he’d undone the top few buttons.

He must have sensed my presence, because he looked at me from the side.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“I just arrived.”

“Should I pretend I didn’t see you so you can get your fill?” He winked, and in the span of two seconds, my body reacted to his presence.

“What are you cooking?” I asked, coming closer.

“Chicken with white wine and rice.”

“Yum. I thought I could smell the wine.” I would gobble down anything, but this sounded delicious.

“It won’t take long.”

“I thought you were going out with a friend tonight.”

Nick looked strangely at me. “I was supposed to, but I wanted to be home with you.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I swallowed hard.

What did this sexy man have in mind? He was all about keeping boundaries between us. But maybe that was because of the kids so as not to confuse them.

Then again, I was all over the place, too, when it came to him. What were we doing?

“I’ll set the table,” I offered.

“It’s all taken care of.”

“What?” I glanced at the table. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that.”

He’d literally taken care of everything.

“How long will until it’s ready?”

“Five minutes, more or less.”

“I’ll take a really quick shower and get out of this suit.”

Nick nodded, and I thought I heard him swallow audibly. The look on his face made me wonder if he wished he could join me, but then he said, “I’ll be right here.”

I ran upstairs, my heart pounding at a million miles an hour. I was having dinner with Nick.

It’s not a date, Allison. It’s normal for you to have dinners. You’ve been having dinners ever since he moved in.

Except this time it was without the kids.

I could offer to repay him for making dinner. Maybe with a massage? I could start with those gorgeous muscled shoulders in the back and move to the front…

Ugh. I needed to get my mind out of the gutter.

I’d never showered so quickly in my life. I didn’t want to make Nick wait or let the food get cold.

I put on my favorite perfume before throwing on a light yellow summery dress that wasn’t too revealing. Although, like all my clothes, it was fitted and very feminine. Because I was stuck wearing suits all day, I enjoyed wearing dresses when I was home.

I went downstairs barefoot. Even though the custody issue was still at the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic that things were going to work out one way or another. I had an inkling that my optimism may have something to do with the sexy man camping on the couch.

“You already served the food,” I said, stunned.

“And poured the wine.” He winked at me. “I want to make this a very relaxing experience for you.”

It looked extremely romantic. I realized belatedly that there were flowers in a small vase. Roses.

“Nick,” I whispered, stopping in front of it and touching the petals, “when did you get these?”

He came up right behind me. “Tonight.” His voice had changed somewhat from a few seconds ago. It was lower. “I figured you’d enjoy them.”

He was running his fingers up and down my arms. This felt so much like we were a real couple, like we were truly married and just enjoying a night together without the kids.

“Thank you. I love them.”

“Dinner is served. I didn’t even ask you, but I chose white wine,” he said as he pulled out the chair. I sat down, and he pushed it under me.

“We’re having chicken, so white wine is good. Besides, you said you cooked with it as well.”

He sat in front of me. He’d put the rice in a bowl and the chicken in another one. I quickly loaded my plate, and as soon as Nick put the rest on his, I immediately dug in.

“You should be a chef,” I said.

“You’ve only had my food a couple of times.”

“I know, but everything has been exquisite.”

The dish was creamy and well-seasoned but not too heavy because he’d countered the cream with white wine. I bounced my shoulders, humming. He laughed.

“What?” I asked.

“You do that when you’re eating something you like. I’ve noticed you have a little happy dance.”

He’d noticed that about me? Oh my. “Doesn’t everyone?”

“I don’t know, Allison. I don’t pay as much attention to other people as I do to you.”

There it was, that flirty tone and the sexy eyes. I was a goner. Nick most definitely had other plans for tonight.

“How’s work?” I asked, trying to distract myself. “By the way, did you decide where you’ll open the new fitness center?”

“I’m going to put that on hold for now. We’ve got enough going on.”

My jaw dropped. “Nick, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know. But opening new locations requires travel, and I don’t want to miss out on any time with you and the twins.”

Oh my goodness. This was completely unexpected. I almost teared up. Nick was a wonderful man.

I took a few sips of wine, and soon my entire body relaxed. I then realized Nick was looking at me intently.

“What? Do I have something on my mouth?”

I stretched my legs under the table and then felt Nick trapping them with his. We both froze, but I decided not to pull back. I liked his touch. More than that, I craved it.

“Penny and Spencer were really welcoming,” I said, desperately trying to cut through the tension. “Oh, by the way, Penny seemed to be very disappointed when I told her that you might not be home tonight. I think you were onto something with that matchmaking thing.”

Nick laughed. “I had an interesting call with my gran too. She was asking in detail about my plans tonight.”

“So, what did you tell her?”

“I teased her. I didn’t tell her anything.”

I giggled. “Nick, you’re bad.”

“She deserves it. Usually, I don’t mind sharing stuff about my life, but I feel like everyone is trying a bit too hard. And I never understand why they keep pushing when I’ve always made it clear that I’m not marriage material.”

His words felt like a punch to my gut. Of course he wasn’t. He was only doing this so I’d get custody of the twins. Why did I keep forgetting that?

“What do you want to do after dinner?” His voice was so nonchalant, like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on me.

“How about we play a game of poker?” I asked, voicing the first thought that came to my mind.