"No."
"Okay." He let go, and she noticed he held a bouquet of crushed daisies. She widened her stance and held onto the handrail next to the steps just to make sure she wouldn't fall over.
"I brought these for you." He handed her the flowers. She leaned back against the handrail and avoided his hand when she accepted them. She didn't want to chance touching him; just seeing him was enough to affect her equilibrium.
Nick stepped back. "They looked better before we smashed them." "Thanks."
Nick turned to Dave. "How's my boy? I got something for you, too." Nick pulled a pig's ear from his pocket.
Dave jumped on Nick, but he must have been prepared, because he didn't even step back. Dave gave him a big swipe of the tongue, which pretty much covered his whole face.
"Damn it, Dave. How many times do I have to tell you? I don't kiss guys-not even you. I thought we got that straight."
Dave didn't take his scolding seriously and continued to lick Nick's face. After Nick had sufficiently hugged and patted the huge mutt, he pushed Dave down. Dave settled for sitting beside Nick and leaning against him, the pig's ear hanging out of his mouth.
"Well, at least someone missed me."
Rosalie met his eyes and didn't know what to say. Did he want her to say she missed him?
He pulled her sunglasses down. "Lee, are you in there?"
She nodded.
"Good. You're late getting out this morning. I thought I might have missed you. Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah, I'm fine. Nice shiner. I could kill Rich. I told him to stay out of it."
Nick touched his left eye. "It's not as if I didn't deserve it. Rich and I have history. I had it coming to me long before I met you. We fought; we talked; we worked things out. It's all good... except for a few bruises. Then Lois came over with Ty and told us about Tony Gianelli." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Listen. I was thinking that I could take Dave to the park while you try to salvage the flowers. I'll pick up breakfast on the way back and we can talk. Okay?"
"Sure." She handed him the plastic bags she had in her pocket.
He took them and gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Ah, I'd almost forgotten about that part of walking Dave. It's the only thing I haven't missed."
Nick kissed her cheek and breathed in the scent of her. God, she smelled good-she looked awful, but she smelled like a dream. He'd even bought a bottle of her perfume to sniff every now and then. It didn't help. It wasn't the same. In a little over a month, she looked as if she'd lost twenty pounds. If Rosalie was pregnant, she sure as hell wasn't glowing.
She pushed her glasses back in place and handed him Dave's leash. Nick wished he could still see her eyes. Her eyes were so telling. A minute ago, she'd looked as if she might cry.
Nah, Rosalie was not the crying type. She was more the get-pis sed-instead-of-hurt type; she sure showed (hat yesterday Dave pulled Nick down the steps, giving him an easy out As he turned to walk toward the park, he thought about his plan. It was going well so far. She'd agreed to talk with him, and he'd kissed her cheek without getting punched. That was something, anyway.
She didn't look especially happy to see him-not that she looked unhappy, either.
Before they reached the park, they were joined by Jasmine, the basset Dave had a crush on, and Tommy, the basset's owner.
The two guys did the usual nod and let the dogs set the pace, which was slow for Dave-Jasmine had short legs.
Tom cleared his throat. "I haven't seen you around for a few weeks. Were you out of town?"
"No, Rosalie and I stopped seeing each other."
"So, you back together?"
Nick wanted to know why the hell Tommy was so interested. "Yeah, we are."
"Good. I saw her last week at the park with Dave, and it looked like she was crying."
"Lee was crying? In public?"
Tommy nodded. "It looked that way. She was sitting on that bench over by the pond, and Dave was practically on her lap. I thought she was hurt or something. She said nothing was wrong, and she looked embarrassed as hell. So I left."
"Thanks, Tom. Look, I've got to go. I'll see you around. Come on, Dave, let's go home."
Nick loved the idea that Rosalie cared enough to cry over him. Why else would she have been crying? It didn't matter if Rosalie was sick or pregnant. Nick would do whatever it took to get her back. If they had a baby, that'd be great. Nick had begun to get used to the idea of having a family.
When he started worrying about being like his old man, he reminded himself of what Lois kept telling him. He'd been a part of Tyler's life for the last ten years; he loved him like a son; and he'd never leave him, no matter what. Ty could always depend on him. So why would it be different with Nick's own kid, or his wife? All those lectures Lois had given him had finally sunk in. Nick made a mental note to give her another raise and pick up that new Xbox for Ty.
Dave seemed to sense the rush, so he took care of business quicker than usual. When they got to Rosalie's door, Nick didn't know if he should knock or walk in. He couldn't remember ever knocking on Rosalie's door, and he didn't want to start now.
He walked in, startling her. She spilled ground coffee all over the counter. It looked as if she'd tried to fix herself up a little. She'd changed her clothes, though what she'd put on was hanging on her. She was bony. What had happened to his Lee?
He saw why Gina had called Rich. He tapped down the worry. He'd take care of her, and she'd be fine. But damn, if she was pregnant, she was one sick pregnant lady.
Nick set the bags down on the table. He'd stopped at Fiorentino's and gotten all her favorites. He knew the way to Rosalie's heart was through her stomach. At least it used to be.
Chapter Nineteen.
It was weird seeing Nick in her apartment again. She'd imagined him there so many times, and now that he was, she couldn't stop wondering if she was dreaming. The only thing that clued her in was the slight irritation she felt when he walked in without knocking, as if he owned the place. Of course, if he had knocked, it probably would have made her cry.
He subtly checked the apartment out. She'd kind of let the place go. It wasn't as bad as it had been before, but it was well on its way. Mail covered the table. One of the two things Nick had left behind, the vacuum, served as a coatrack holding her collection of outerwear. She'd kicked all her shoes off under every available piece of furniture. The thought of putting them in her closet only served to remind her of Nick, and she was depressed enough as it was. Hell, she'd been spinning around the toilet bowl of depression for the last thirty-five days, six hours, and eighteen minutes-not that she was counting.
Dave was doing a happy dance, jumping all over the apartment in glee. His tail banged the walls and closets like a drum. The traitor.
Reaching into the cupboard above her, Rosalie snagged the pain reliever and took one. Okay, she downed three and tapped a Pepcid out of its bottle. Her stomach was doing flips. She didn't know if it was because Nick had walked back into her life or because he'd brought food. In any case, she didn't trust her stomach. "Should you be taking that?"
She turned and found Nick standing right behind her. She stepped away and wedged herself into the corner of the cupboards. "It's over-the-counter."
"Yeah, but is it safe?" He looked at her funny, like he was examining her.
"Safe enough."
Nick didn't seem to believe her. Too bad. He'd lost the right to make her take medicine, or not take it, when he walked out on her. She popped the pink pill in her mouth and crunched on it, just to piss him off. It worked-the crunching, not the pill. Her stomach was still roiling.
Nick stepped aside, swept the coffee she'd spilled off the counter with the side of his hand and into the sink, and finished setting up the coffee machine. That was fine with Rosalie. She always did like his coffee better than hers.
He nodded toward the bags. "I brought your favorite-chocolate-covered donuts. Go ahead and dig one out. I know you want to."
"Maybe later." Like when hell froze over. She swallowed back the nausea and rubbed her stomach. Nick stared, giving her the weirdest look. "What?"
"Nothing. Um, are you actually going to have breakfast before dessert?"
"I've been watching what I eat. That's all."
"Good. I've been reading about how important it is to eat healthy." He poured her a glass of orange juice he'd picked up and slid it down the counter. "Folic acid."
Whatever the acid was in OJ, it didn't sit well, either. She didn't mention it. It wasn't his business.
Taking the juice to the table, she set the glass down at his place. God, he still had a seat at the table, a side of the bed, keys...
"Hey, how did you get in the security door? Did you make a copy of my keys or something?"
Ooh, she saw steam shooting out his ears. Now all he needed was to blow his top. She had no idea what possessed her, but she intentionally pissed him off. It didn't make sense. She was happy he was there. Happy, confused, insecure-oh, and let's not forget, scared spitless. She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of-that he'd leave again, or that he'd stay and leave later. The only thing she knew was that she wanted him to stay forever. She never again wanted to go through what she had in the last thirty-five days, six hours, and twenty minutes.
Rosalie watched Nick trying to control his anger. His mouth moved as he counted to ten, and his teeth clenched. The tic in his jaw was going double time. Good. It was nice to see that she could still get a rise out of him.
"Henry and Wayne let me in. They seemed happy to see me."
"Oh." Okay, now she felt like a heel. "I'm sure they were." "You don't look so happy."
She gathered the mail that she'd thrown all over the table and tossed it on the couch. She didn't turn to look at him. She was already on the verge of losing it.
"Nick, what are you doing here?"
She waited for his answer, listening to the Felix the Cat clock ticking. Every roll of Felix's eyes and swish of his tail seemed to take a lifetime. Her heart pounded- the part of it that wasn't broken, the part that kept her alive. Blood rushed through her ears. She held onto the back of the chair and prayed she wouldn't pass out.
He'd moved so quietly, Rosalie didn't know he was behind her until his hands cupped her shoulders and slid down the length of her arms. He pried her hands off the chair back and pulled her against him. A war waged in her head. Part of her wanted to stay in his arms, absorb the heat of his body against hers, and melt into his embrace. The other part wanted to run like hell. God, it hurt so much, thinking this might be the last time she ever touched him. At least when he'd walked out the last time, she hadn't known he wouldn't come back. If he left now, she'd know. And she wouldn't be surprised if it killed her. Rosalie honestly didn't think she could go through it again.
"Don't do this, Nick." She pulled away, but he didn't let go. He turned her around to face him and held her there.
"Don't do what? Don't love you? I tried that. It didn't work. Lee, I know I hurt you. I know I fucked up. I should never have kept things from you. But when I met you and found out that you were Rich Ronaldi's sister, I didn't think past-"
"Getting into my pants?"
"Well, yeah. Lee, I'm thirty-two-years-old, and I've never had a relationship last more than a month. I've never been in love before. I never wanted to be."
"Do you think this is what I wanted?"
"No. But I didn't know that then, and I thought once you found out who I was, you'd never want to see me again."
"Oh, yeah, you being The Dominick Romeo must have women running in the opposite direction. It must be tough. Maybe you should change your name to Dr. Hannibal Lecter. That might help."
"I was your brother's best friend until I slept with his girlfriend and got both our asses arrested. I didn't think he'd be real happy with me seeing his little sister."
"Hold on. You slept with Rich's girlfriend? Rich is three years older than you, and he was only seventeen when he was arrested. You slept with someone when you were fourteen? What did you do, play spin the bottle and tell ghost stories as foreplay?"
"I was fifteen, and to tell you the truth, I don't remember. I was drunk. I never would have touched Sophia if I was thinking clearly."
"Neither would Rich. She was such a slut. I was ten, and even I knew she would do anyone."
"Gee, thanks."
"Don't mention it. So this is why you didn't tell me who you were? It had nothing to do with Premier Motorcars?"
"I didn't know you were involved with Premier until I drove you there that day you insisted on going to work sick. I swear. Before that, I thought it was nice to go out with someone who didn't expect to be taken to a four-star restaurant on every date."
"We'll get to Premier in a moment. As for the four-star treatment, I can see that. I figured you didn't want me to know who you were because most women try to land you for your money." "Well, yeah."
"But after you got to know me, why didn't you come clean?"
"I wanted to, but then I found out you were working with Premier. I thought if I came clean, you'd be so pissed about me lying, you wouldn't want to see me anymore. I figured I might as well wait until Rich came back for spring break. That way, I'd have as much time with you as possible. By the time I found out Rich was coming home, I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. I knew I had to tell you."
"So, why didn't you?"
"I was going to, but you didn't get home until three in the morning. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"Do you have any idea how much it hurt when I realized I was living with a man who cared so little about me, he'd never told me his name? And that's before I figured out I was sleeping with the enemy. You were trying to ruin the company I was trying to save."
Nick shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. God, Lee, it was never that. I just didn't want to lose you, and as for Premier, I did nothing to hurt the company after I found out you were the new CFO. I hardly had to do anything before then, except wait for Jack Jr. to flush Premier down the toilet. I should never have let him near you. God, Lee, I don't know what I'd have done if anything had happened to you."
Nick clung to her and kissed her. A sweet kiss on the lips. God, she'd missed him.
The coffee machine beeped, signaling it had finished brewing. She was dying for a cup. She also had to get away from Nick. She couldn't think when he was touching her. She went to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
"Is that decaf?"
"What would be the point in drinking coffee, if not for the caffeine?"
"You should be avoiding caffeine. It's not good for you. It increases your blood pressure and your heart rate. Did you know that it's been linked to miscarriages?"
"So?"
"So, pregnant women shouldn't be drinking caf-feinated anything. Ever since I got here, you've been popping pills, and now you're drinking coffee. Are you trying to lose our baby?"
Rosalie spun around, coffee sloshing over the rim of her cup onto the floor. "Oh my God! You came here because you think I'm pregnant?"
Her skin got all clammy, and a wave of nausea rolled over her. She ran to the bathroom. She'd never been one to be sick, especially in front of anyone, but Nick followed and rubbed her back while she threw up what little she had in her stomach.
Rosalie sat back and leaned against the cool tile wall, fighting tears. Nick handed her a wet washcloth. She wiped her face. God, it was happening again. He was going to leave.
"All better?"
She shook her head. "You need to leave, Nick." "How could you think I'd leave you? We're having a baby, for God's sake. My baby. I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't you understand? There is no baby. You're off the hook. Go. Get out." "What?"