Sweet Nothings (42 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

J
oanie stretched out in the bed her mother had apparently decided to leave behind, and smiled up at the ceiling. She and Nick had spent the afternoon making up for not seeing each other the last two days, and then they’d taken a nap. Now Bob and Cat were curled up in bed with them, with Nick stretched out on his stomach, one arm slung off the bed, looking to be out for the duration.

She rolled to her side, enjoying the view, and the fact that she got to wake him up for once.

She did it by leaning over and clamping down on his butt.

“What the…” Nick jerked away, but stopped when he saw where she was and what was going on. “You bit my butt.”

“I did.” She nodded. “I owed you one. Plus, you have a really nice butt.”

It was a part of him she admired a lot.

He rubbed the spot on his rear where she’d tagged him and narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t bite you that hard.”

“You also didn’t leave a hickey.” She grinned. “But I did.”

“You marked me?” He was wide awake now, and she could see that all of him was waking up. The man was ready to go at the drop of a hat.

“Only to make sure anyone looking knows you’re mine.”

He rolled to his back and pulled her over on top of him. “Sweetheart, anyone who’s looking has known that for weeks.”

“That’s what Katy said.”

“Who’s Katy?” His hand swept up her back, making her purr like a cat. She stretched her neck out as he went to work nibbling at the base of it.

“She’s the new girl at the salon. When we were talking about the bet today, she said that—”

“Wait. You know what the bet really was?”

She nodded. “You do, too?”

“Holly told me that day at the parade.” He sucked a spot on her neck and made her wriggle against him. “That’s why I kissed her. Though I’d do it again just to see your jealousy. That was hot.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m all out of jealousy. I know you’re mine now.”

He looked into her eyes, all joking gone. “And I know you’re mine.”

She caressed his cheek and gave him a light kiss.

“When did you find out about it?” he asked.

“Today. Given that they have to rely on my say-so as to when I decided that I want you forever, I basically get to choose the winner. I can either go with yesterday, which is
possibly
the correct answer. Or I can tell them it was today.” She eyed him. “Given that everyone knows we argued and then didn’t talk at all yesterday, they would believe me if I said today.”

He slipped his hand down over her rear. “Who has yesterday?”

“Gina.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. She tried to seduce you in front of me. I’m not sure I can give it to her.”

He nodded in understanding. “Who has today?”

She gave him an evil grin. “Brian.”

Nick growled at her and rolled them over so that she lay beneath him. “Gina wins.”

“I don’t know. I’ve got my money on Brian.”

His mouth found hers and she moaned her approval. When he released her, she was out of breath, but ready for more.

“You do that really well,” she said. “Even better, I think, than Brian.”

At the expression on his face, she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped.

“You wear jealousy well too, babe,” she said. “And it makes
me
hot.”

“I swear you’re evil.” It didn’t sound as if he minded too much.

He started to kiss her again but she stopped him. “Let’s talk about a few things first.”

“Okay.” He propped himself up on his elbows, but kept her underneath him. “Shoot.”

“Your brother?” she asked. “The one in Atlanta. That’s a no?”

“As of now, that’s a no. He was a douche, so that’s okay.” He nuzzled the curve of her breast. “Next topic?”

“The house,” she said. No way was she going to let someone take it away from her, but how bad was it going to look when she rejected an over-the-asking-price offer? “I don’t want to sell it—though I’m going to feel like a heel telling the buyer no—”

“It was me,” he said.

“You what?”

“Me. The one who put the offer on the house.”

She pulled back from him so she could see him better. “Why?”

“So you didn’t screw up and get rid of it before you came to your senses.”

She sighed. “Okay, fine. But there’s also the issue of the loans.”

He rolled off her and scooted up to sit against the headboard. She followed him up.

“I owe both you and the bank a large amount,” she continued once they were resituated. “I was thinking I could sell—”

“Not gonna happen,” he said.

“What?”

He eyed her. “We’re about to be married,” he stated, his tone matter-of-fact. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Nick, that doesn’t feel right. You loaned it to me.”

“And now I’m giving it to you. What’s mine is yours, right?”

She studied him, still a bit overwhelmed at the changes in her life. She was going to share everything with this man. And she was going to
love him forever. She supposed it only made sense that she let his loan to her be forgiven.

With a nip at her bottom lip, she gave him a small nod. “Okay, but I’ll take care of the bank loan then. It seems only fair.”

“And your solution is to sell Cakes?”

She gave a little shrug, hoping she didn’t appear as helpless as she suddenly felt. “It’s the only thing of value that I have.”

“Do you actually want to sell the store?” he asked, his tone gentle and caring.

“No,” she admitted. “I
actually
love it. But I can—”

He took her chin in his hand. “I’m going to be your husband, babe. I’ll take care of the loan.”

She let out a little sigh. “That just seems so wrong.” She’d spent her life taking care of herself. It was hard to just turn so much of it over to someone else.

He got off the bed and went to the bag he’d dropped when she’d asked if he loved her. He rooted around in it while she enjoyed the view.

“Are you listening to me?” she asked, as he continued to dig. She had the feeling she was being ignored.

“I always listen to you, babe.” When he stood up, he held a small box in his hand. It looked like a ring box.

“What is that?” her words were breathy.

“It’s your engagement ring if you want it, but it comes with conditions.”

“You got me a ring? We just decided to get married today.”

He angled his head down at her. “Correction. You just decided today. Or actually yesterday, I guess. Gina wins. But I’ve known for weeks.”

“When did you buy me a ring? And Gina isn’t decided on.”

“I got it this weekend.” He sat on the bed beside her and linked his hand with hers. “I wasn’t going to give it to you until you were ready. But I knew I was ready. So I bought it.”

She eyed the box, finding herself giddy at the thought of seeing what was inside, but remembering what he’d said. “It comes with conditions?”

He lifted her left hand and kissed the center of her palm, and then the back of her ring finger, then he smoothed his thumb over the skin where
the ring would go. “You have to let me take care of you.” He lifted a shoulder. “Because that’s what I do.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She kind of wanted him to take care of her. She liked it.

“That means I’ll pay off the loan.”

“Oh.”

He smiled and waved the box back and forth in front of her face. “It’s a really big ring,” he teased.

“Nick, you’re not being fair again.” It seemed so wrong just to let him take care of it.

“I told you, sweetness, no one ever promised fair. I’m paying off this glorious house that the two of us are going to fill with babies, and you’re not going to complain. You’re not going to sell your cupcake business either. Or quit wearing the go-go outfits.” He gave her a hard look. “Even though I’m going to continue being jealous of every man who looks at you in them.”

Her heart filled with so much love, it felt it could burst. “We’re going to live here?”

It had never occurred to her that he might move. She’d been too busy worrying about whether
she
could or not.

“There’s no other place you belong,” he told her.

She loved him so much. “I would move to Nashville with you,” she said.

“I know you would.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “But we belong here.”

She nodded. She wanted to stay there. In the Barn. With the love of her life. “Will you take the go-go outfits off of me when I get home?” she asked.

He lifted his brows. “The minute you walk through the door. But we’re putting up curtains.”

She laughed, the sound as happy as she was inside. “Okay, Pushy. If you insist, you can pay off the loan.” She held out her hand. “Now give me my ring.”

“There was actually one more condition.”

She snatched her hand back and shot him a glare. “Do I get to make conditions, too?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Not fai—”

His pointed look stopped her. She supposed life wasn’t fair. But she did have her man. “What’s the condition?”

He leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue making promises she was ready to get to. When he ended it, he whispered against her mouth. “That you at least
try
to fight the urge to keep everything in the world like your grandmother did. Your mini-hoarding thing you’ve got going on is cute, babe, but you’ve got to keep it under control.”

She smiled against his mouth. Not just because she was happy with him, but because she knew she was more her grandmother than she’d ever been her mother. Most of all, she was herself. A little odd, a big heart, and a slight tendency to hoard.

“You’ll still love me if I fail?” she asked.

“I’ll still love you if you fail.” He opened the box and pulled out a huge emerald-cut diamond. As he put it on her finger, he said, “But I’ll still throw your stuff away.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A
cknowledgments must go out to a couple people, without whom this book wouldn’t be what it is today. To Lindsay, I very much appreciate all the scrupulous editing that caused me to bang my head against the wall in frustration. I know without a doubt that the book is far better from having you be a part of it.

And to Gretchen, thank you for our day of epiphanies. Everyone should have a friend who’ll take a whole day to help them figure out just what is wrong with their characters, and how much more agony you can toss at them. Joanie, Nick, GiGi, and Pepaw
would not
be the same without you!

Also, a quick thanks to my cousin Janette for reminding me of the milk can that sat on Mema’s and Pa’s front porch for so many years.

And special thanks to those who make cupcakes. The world is a much better place with you in it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

© 2012 AMELIA MOORE

A
ward-winning author Kim Law wrote her first story, “The Gigantic Talking Raisin,” in elementary school. Although it was never published, it was enough to whet her appetite for a career in writing. First, however, she would try her hand at a few other passions: baton twirling, softball, and music, to name a few. Voted “Bookworm” and “Most Likely to Succeed” in high school, she went on to earn a college degree in mathematics. Law spent years working as a computer programmer and raising her son, and she now devotes her time and energy to writing romance novels (none of which feature talking raisins). She is a Romance Writers of America’s RITA finalist, a past winner of the RWA’s Golden Heart Award, and currently serves as president for her local RWA chapter. Her books can best be described as a lighthearted mix taking her readers on a sexy, fun, and emotional ride. A native of Kentucky, she now lives with her husband and an assortment of animals in her Middle Tennessee home.