Christmas in Lucky Harbor

by Jill Shalvis

  Chapter 5

  Nick watched Mia’s emotions chase each other across her face. Hope, hurt. Temper. He was going to hold on to the first one, in spite of the fact that Carlos was standing at her back.

  “Nick.” The genuine surprise in Mia’s voice was a direct hit. Clearly, she hadn’t expected to see him, hadn’t expected that he’d come for her. He took a step toward her, but before he could say a word, the door of the B&B opened. In the doorway stood Mia’s uncles, both of whom he’d met when he’d arrived last night. Clearly interested in his and Mia’s reunion, their imposing, impenetrable vibe was broken only by the little girl and huge brown Labrador at their feet.

  Mia’s aunts were in the window. They’d been incredibly kind but incredibly vague about Mia’s exact location. Not up to par on family protocol, Nick figured he had some serious ass-kissing to do. He was prepared to do that. What he wasn’t prepared for was the glacial wall of protectiveness from Maddie’s husband, Jax, and Chloe’s husband-to-be, Sheriff Sawyer Thompson.

  The dog and little girl weren’t imposing. The little girl was offering a soggy cookie to the dog.

  “Baby, don’t feed Izzy,” Jax said, and hoisted her up into his arms.

  The dog shot Jax a look of reproach and sighed.

  Everyone else looked at Nick.

  This was possibly the most important moment of his entire life, and he had an audience. Well, what the hell. He was good at tuning out the bad shit. He’d been able to tune out unfavorable foster parents, nosy teachers, menacing bullies… everything. It was a unique gift. So he used it now, and looked only at Mia.

  But she’d craned her neck and was watching Tara and Ford walk across the yard toward them. Perfect. Now everyone was here to witness this.

  Mia was wearing sweats—his, he was relieved to note—and her hair was piled precariously on top of her head. She had a sleepy-eyed look to her, one that he knew well. Normally, the heavy-lidded look was accompanied by a sweet yet sexy-as-hell smile as she woke up, stretched, and then climbed all over him.

  She’d clearly just very recently woken up—hopefully not with the tall, dark, and attitude-ridden Carlos, who was still standing too close at her back.

  Nick wanted to be alone with her to talk, but apparently she didn’t have ESP because she looked at him for a long beat, then gestured to the couple who’d just crossed the yard. “I’m assuming you met my parents, Ford and Tara.”

  They shook hands. Nick noted that they were watching him with guarded sympathy.

  “And you’ve met the rest of my family?” Mia asked him as she swept a hand toward the B&B.

  Nick nodded.

  “And Carlos?”

  Carlos sent Nick a narrow-eyed glance that said, You screwed up.

  There was no doubt.

  Nick’s life had been only what he had made of it. He was used to being responsible for his own emotions, just as he was well used to controlling them tightly. But he hadn’t slept for two days now, and his control was slipping big-time. Plus, Mia wasn’t showing much. Since she’d always shown him her feelings before—no holding back—this was a bad sign.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  She arched a brow. “You came across the country to talk?”

  “I came for you. Look,” he said, all too aware of their company, “I know I suck at this, but can we talk? Please?”

  It may have been wishful thinking, but her eyes seemed to warm. “Okay.”

  Nick let out a breath and eyed their avid audience pointedly, but not a single one expressed any embarrassment at shamelessly eavesdropping. Finally, one of the aunts took mercy and stepped in. “All right, show’s over,” Maddie said, soft-spoken though her voice was laced with steel as she turned and gave the entire gang a shooing motion.

  To Nick’s relief, everyone actually listened to her and began to move off.

  Except Carlos. He grabbed the shovel from against the porch railing and leaned on it, staying right at Mia’s back.

  “You’ve had a long trip,” Mia said to Nick. “Though why you made it when you so clearly didn’t want to, I can’t imagine.”

  “I was hoping we could discuss that. Privately.” This last word he directed at Carlos.

  Carlos didn’t move.

  “Nick,” Mia said quietly.

  Christ, he thought, she was going to turn him down.

  “It’s a really busy day here,” she said. “There’s last-minute fittings, and the rehearsal dinner, and I have to help.”

  “I’m not leaving,” Nick said.

  “You’re leaving if she wants you to leave,” Carlos said, and set aside the shovel.

  Nick stared at him. “This is none of your business.”

  “Did I say that to you when you waited like a vulture in New York to swoop in and pick at the bones?” Carlos asked.

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” Mia said. “This is ridiculous. Both of you need to—”

  “She was mine then,” Nick said, stepping closer. He could feel Mia’s surprised reaction at this, and couldn’t blame her. It was the first time he’d laid public claim to his feelings for her. He was surprised as hell, too. But oddly enough, it felt natural.

  And right. “She’s mine now,” he said.

  “Hey,” Mia said with a frown, “I’m—”

  Carlos stepped up to Nick so that they were toe to toe. “You need to go. I’m going to stand here and watch you. Then I’m going to pick at the bones this time. How’s that?”

  “You have a real problem,” Nick said.

  “Yeah,” Carlos said. “It’s you.” And he punched him.

  Perfect, Nick thought, swinging back. A fight was just what he needed, and the next thing he knew, he and Carlos were in a tangle, rolling around on the ground, fists flying.

  Carlos landed a few good hits, but so did Nick. In fact, he was getting the best of the fight when they were suddenly blasted with icy water.

  He and Carlos rolled away from each other, flat on their backs, gasping for breath. Nick swiped dirt and water from his face and blinked as an old lady came into view. She was in a pink velour sweat suit with white sneakers, and she was holding a hose.

  “That’ll do it every time,” she said to Mia.

  Mia’s mouth was pinched tight. “Thanks, Lucille,” she said. Then, with one long, hard glare at both Nick and Carlos, Mia stormed inside the B&B and slammed the door.

  The sound of the lock clicking into place was unmistakable.

  Lucille tossed the hose aside and brushed off her hands. “Hello,” she said to Nick. “Nice to meet you. I run the art gallery down the street.” She looked at Carlos. “You two are good now? No more silly boy stuff?”

  “Yeah,” Carlos said and sat up, rubbing his jaw. “We’re good.”

  Nick sat up, too, rubbing his aching ribs as he nodded.

  “Great,” Lucille said. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of them. “Behave now.” And then she was gone.

  Nick glanced at Carlos. “She for real?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “You going to tell me what the hell that was about?” Nick asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  Nick thought about it. “No.” Taking a careful breath, he rolled to his feet. “We are done, right?”

  Carlos gave him a long, considering look. “Depends on how stupid you are.”

  Nick shrugged. He tried hard not to be stupid, but apparently where Mia was concerned all bets were off. Wet, dirty, and off center, he walked around the B&B until he came to the back. As he suspected, there were steps leading up to the wraparound porch and a sliding glass door, which was thankfully unlocked.

  Inside, Mia sat on the couch with her smartphone, working on a word puzzle. “I have a problem,” she said when Nick walked in. “I need a three-letter word for asshole, and I don’t know if it’s M-E-N or Y-O-U.”

  “Either, no doubt.” He walked over and crouched in front of her, his hands on her thighs as he looked into h
er face. “Am I too late, Mia?”

  Chapter 6

  Mia was startled by Nick’s question. “That’s an odd thing to ask,” she said carefully, “for a guy who was too afraid to come to a wedding with the girl he’s been with for six months.”

  “I wasn’t afraid.”

  She just looked at him and he grimaced. “Okay, maybe a little.”

  Carlos appeared at the slider, as dirty and wet as Nick, and Mia narrowed her eyes at him as well.

  “Hey,” Carlos said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m just working here.” But he didn’t go anywhere.

  Mia stood between the only two men she’d ever been with. The only two men she’d ever loved. “We need a moment,” she said to Carlos.

  “You going to dump him?” Carlos asked. “Because if you are, I should get to watch. It’d be nice to be on the other side of the fence on that score.”

  “You dumped me,” she reminded him.

  “Yes,” he said. “So that you could go live your life.” He looked at Nick. “Not to get hurt.”

  “Carlos,” she said, and knew he heard the warning in her voice because he sighed.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said. Ignoring Nick completely, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, taking his sweet-ass time about it, too. “Give him hell,” he whispered against her ear. “Neither of us deserves you.”

  And then he was gone.

  She drew in a deep, steady breath and looked at Nick. “So. You want to talk?”

  “Not here,” Nick said, and pulled Mia to her feet. He knew damn well her uncles hadn’t gone far. Maybe Carlos didn’t intimidate him, but Jax and Sawyer sure as hell did. He wasn’t scared of much, but this—Mia’s family—terrified him. They’d loved her a hell of a lot longer than he had, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t made a great first impression.

  Or a second…

  Mia led him through the inn. There was mistletoe hanging in various spots, and he longed to shove her beneath it and kiss her until she melted against him and remembered that she liked him.

  But since steam was still coming out her ears, he resisted.

  She took him to the kitchen, where Sawyer stood against the counter drinking a coffee. He didn’t express surprise at the sight of Nick all dirty and rumpled from the fight. “Nice right hook,” was all he said.

  Mia let out a sound that managed to perfectly convey her annoyance, probably with the entire male race, then went to the freezer. She grabbed a small bag of frozen peas and brought it up to Nick’s right eye with exactly zero gentleness.

  “Hold it there,” she said tightly when he winced. “You’re swelling.”

  Nick took some heart in the fact that she hadn’t offered Carlos a bag of peas.

  “We’re making a getaway for a few,” she said to Sawyer. “You going to have our backs?”

  “Sure.” Sawyer looked down at her, his eyes softening. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

  “Come on,” Mia said to Nick, and tugged him outside. They walked across the yard to the marina and into a small building, where she snatched a set of keys off a desk. From inside a closet, she grabbed two life vests and carried them with her.

  Because she didn’t look like she was ready to talk, he followed her to the docks to a rickety old houseboat that had definitely seen better days.

  “It came with the marina,” Mia said. “My dad taught me how to operate it several summers ago.”

  Nick eyed the shabby houseboat and then the dark, choppy water. “It’s December.”

  She glanced over at him, her eyes showing the slightest amusement and also the hint of challenge. “So?”

  “The water looks cold.”

  “Yeah. Don’t fall in,” she said.

  He rubbed his jaw and studied the death trap. “Is this thing seaworthy?”

  “Mostly.”

  What the hell. He boarded behind her, watching as she tossed the life vests down but within reach, and then turned on the engine compartment blower and checked the outdrive and propeller.

  “Untie the mooring lines,” she said, “and FYI? You’re my rear lookout.”

  “My pleasure,” he responded, and checked out her rear.

  She rolled her eyes but let out a low laugh that was music to his ears. “The boat,” she said. “Make sure we’re clear.” She went inside the houseboat to the controls, leaving the door open so she could hear him as she started the engine. “I’ve got to run this for two minutes at 1500 rpm,” she called to him. “Time me.”

  Two minutes later, he told her “time,” and then was amused when she began barking directions at him like a drill sergeant.

  “This bossiness is a new side of you,” he murmured, entertained. “I like it.”

  “Just keep your eyes on the water. Pulling this bad boy is tricky, and I don’t want to clip the dock. Jax hates it when I do that, because he’s the one that fixes everything around here. Oh shit, am I close? Stop checking out my ass and go look! Hurry!”

  “I’m not much for hurrying,” he said, doing as she asked and moving to where he could see their hind end. “I’m more a fan of the slow and thorough.” He slid her a look through the door. “I’m going to remind you of that you when it’s my turn to be in charge.”

  She stopped moving, nibbling on her lower lip as her eyes went a little glossy.

  “Mia?”

  “Yeah?”

  “The boat.”

  “Oh!” She jerked back to attention.

  When they cleared the marina safe and sound, he joined her inside. She wiped her brow and turned to him. “Slow and thorough?”

  “Have you forgotten?”

  She blushed. “No. I remember.”

  “Do you?” He liked the look of her standing at the bridge. He came up behind her, a hand on either side, caging her in. “I was starting to wonder…”

  She closed her eyes when he leaned over her and brushed his mouth along her jaw. Taking that as a good sign, he concentrated on the sweet spot beneath her ear. She let out a shuddering sigh, but gave him a nudge back.

  “I need space,” she said. “I can’t think when you’re so close. I’m not going to run this thing into the ground because you’re distracting me.”

  The sensation of needing more room had figured prominently in Nick’s life. He’d always needed far more room than he’d been given. Then he’d turned eighteen, been free of the system, and made sure to never be cornered again. That she needed room from him sucked. “I never meant to hurt you, Mia.”

  “Is that what you came all the way across the country to tell me?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Partly.”

  “You could have said that much on the phone.”

  “You didn’t answer your phone,” he pointed out.

  “I was on a plane. And I called you back, and you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “Because I was on a plane,” he said.

  She sighed. “You shouldn’t have come.”

  There was something terrifying in her voice. A distance, he thought, and felt the licks of a newfound and very unwelcome emotion blocking his throat. Panic.

  She apparently didn’t have the same problem. “We’ve said all that needed to be said,” she told him.

  “Not by a long shot.” Turning her to face him, he pulled her in close, which took some doing because she was stiff as a board. “I didn’t come out here just to apologize, Mia,” he said, cupping her face. “I wanted to be with you. I’ve wanted to be with you since day one, when you saved my ass.”

  “You’d have figured it out. That class wasn’t hard.”

  “I don’t mean the stupid class,” he said. “I mean life. You saved my ass in life. And you’ve been saving it ever since. Keeping me on track when no one else ever gave a shit, encouraging me to go after what I want. And what I want, Mia, is you. I want you in my life, in a relationship with me.”

  She searched his gaze for a long beat. “When I asked you to this wedding,” she finally
said, “I really just wanted your company. I wasn’t asking for—”

  “I know. I was an idiot, Mia.”

  She rolled her eyes again but definitely warmed toward him. “Look at us,” she said. “Two ridiculously scared peas in a pod.”

  He shook his head. “Scarred, maybe. Not scared. I’m not scared of this.”

  “Well, that makes one of us.” She let out a breath. “I thought I knew what and who we were. But I was wrong.”

  “I screwed up.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “No one can blame you for not being ready for a relationship. I thought I was ready, but the truth is, I’m not even sure what a real relationship is.” She paused, and a frightening solemnity came into her eyes. “We were both given away once. I’ve made peace with that. I grew up loved, so I know what it feels like. Now I have my birth parents in my life, too, and have had nothing but acceptance. I even had a teenage love that I have nothing but fond memories of. But the fact is that I picked these relationships. I found my birth parents. I forced my way into their lives. Hell, I forced myself on Carlos, for that matter. He had no choice; he never knew what hit him. I’ve always done the picking, Nick, and—”

  “—And for once you want to be picked,” he said softly. “I know. I’m picking you, Mia.”

  “No, listen to me… that very first day when you strolled into class? There were two girls sitting in the seats on one side of me and my backpack on the other. I saw you come in and my heart stopped.” She put a hand to her chest as if it ached. “I told the girls that James Franco was in the back row, and when they scampered off to check, I quickly kicked my backpack beneath the seat in front of me, making it look like I had nearly a whole row to myself so you’d take one of the seats. And then…” She sucked in a breath. “Then I broke the cardinal girl rule.”

  Nick was confused. “Girl rule?”

  “I didn’t wait three days to see if you’d contact me. I made sure to run into you the next day with brownies. I threw myself at you, Nick. Don’t you see? You had no choice.”

  He stared at her for another beat and then laughed.