"Okay, so now tell me I’m healed and send me my final bill. I’m done." Click. God that felt so good. After all the times I wanted to walk out in a middle of a session but couldn’t because I felt obligated to stay. Oh well. I’ll just pretend it was a bad connection.
"Who was that?" Nick asked as he walked in from the bathroom. Wrapped up in that towel like he was.... Wait, what was the question?
"My therapist in Santa Monica. I told her I’m healed."
Nick merely chuckled as he towel-dried his hair. "Sexual healing."
"No! It wasn’t just that. Not entirely."
"The hot chocolate?" he joked.
I rolled my eyes and folded my legs up on the couch. "Maybe it was you." I fidgeted with the sheet wrapped around my body. I was nervous. Had to admit it.
"Me?"
"You. Nick Hudson. I think you were the key to my success this whole time. And all this time I thought you were the thorn in my side."
"Glad to help."
"I’m serious Nick. I can’t tell you how much clearer I’m seeing the world this morning. It’s like I’ve woken up from a coma. And I’m ready to start living again. With you."
Nick sat down next to me and put a hand on my knee. "You know, what you said last night..." He stopped to look away and clear his throat. And when he finally looked at me again, he looked so grown up. So manly. So mature. "About me not wiping my tears away. I’ve never had anyone say that to me before."
"Most people never do."
"But you said it to me."
"And I meant it. Don’t try and hide from me Nick. Because I love your imperfections. I love that you feel you can cry in front of me. I was always too stubborn to cry in front of you. But when I did, it just made me feel so much closer to you."
"I feel closer to you." He bumped his shoulder into mine and smiled. "So now that you’re healed what’s the first thing you’re going to do?"
"Send you out to get me a pair of clean clothes."
Chapter Sixteen
Someone once asked me how I can possibly enjoy only ever having sex with one man in my life. I remember laughing and shaking my head. They didn’t understand. They never would. They’d never come to realize the perfection of loving only one man. And all that comes with it. The way his touch makes you weak in your knees. The way he kisses you like you’re the only two people in the world. The way he fits perfectly inside you. All of this and more.
My time spent with Nick in New York, so far, has been perfect. Absolutely perfect. We haven’t fought once. Just smooth sailing. No clouds. Just pure sunshine. And now here we were, one day before our one year anniversary. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.
Nick was right. Things are back the way they used to be. Before we were married. Before we were fucked up. And I couldn’t help but think that this is the way it would be from this day on. Okay, maybe once in a while we’d have our road bumps. And certainly when the paternity of Vanessa’s baby was determined we’d have some sort of altercation, in some form or another. But all in all we are just perfect.
Maybe it was New York. That old fashion feeling of getting dressed up to go to dinner and a show. Whatever it was, it was good. And that’s exactly what we were doing. I was wearing a brand new dress, which, by the way, put a major dent in my American Express, and I felt like a queen. Now all I needed was my king. Where was Nick?
I crossed my legs and tapped my fingers on the bedspread. He’d better get back soon if we’re going to make our reservation on time.
And just like magic, the lock on the door clicked and in he walked with a huge bouquet of flowers.
"What are all those for?" I asked. I stood up and met him halfway in the room.
"Who do you think they’re for?" He handed the flowers to me.
No ‘who’, but ‘what’? "Why did you do that?"
"Because I wanted to."
"You didn’t have to."
"I know." He looked so proud of himself. In all the ways our relationship failed over the years, he never once failed at expression himself through a gift.
"Then why did you?"
Nick laughed and placed the flowers in my arms. "Because I can. So, are you ready to go?"
"Yes." I inhaled the scent of the flowers and smiled. It’d been so long since I’d received flowers I almost forgot what it was like. What they smelled like.
"You look amazing."
And that made me smile even more. "Thank you." I admired his, what he liked to call "relaxed suit", and nodded my head appreciatively. "You don’t look half bad yourself."
"I tried."
"I can see that."
"The car is waiting downstairs for us. Shall we?" He held out his elbow, waiting for me to take it.
I looked at him, totally amused.
"What?" he asked.
"I was just thinking that we should take a picture of us."
"Right now?"
"Yes! Right now!" I retrieved my cell and took a picture of him behind his back.
"Hey! No surprise photos!" Nick turned around and flashed me a crazy smile. God I love this man.
"You mean like the ones you took of me last night when I was in the bathroom?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him, waiting for him to even try and deny it.
He had a cocky grin on his face and looked away. "Guilty."
"Since when is the act of taking off panty hose worth a picture?"
"Since you looked damn sexy doing it, Layla."
"Well lookie-loo who’s got the camera now, Nicky-poo."
Sometimes I think Nick laughs like a maniac. Now was no exception. "Are you gonna take a picture or not?"
"Yes. Come here." Nick wrapped an arm around my waist as I held the camera up in front of us. "Say cheese."
"Cheese?" he asked.
I snapped the picture. Dear Lord, I caught him right in the middle of saying ‘cheese’. His face looks all screwed up. Nice work, blondie.
"You messed it up! Do it again. No faces Nick!" I smiled and took another picture. But when I looked at the display Nick’s face was still messed up, with his tongue sticking out and his eyes crossed. "Dude. Ever pose for a picture before?"
"Never," he joked. Jerk.
"One more time!" I exhaled.
"Let me see that thing!" Nick grabbed the phone and pointed it in my direction.
"No! Not of me! Of us!" He started randomly snapping pictures of me scolding him. Of me laughing. Of me rolling my eyes.
"Oh wow, that’s sexy Layla."
"Ha-ha," I joked back.
"All right. Come here girl. Let’s do this right."
I wrapped my arms around Nick’s waist and waited for him to snap another picture. And he did. But then I felt his lips at my neck.... And heard the camera snap again.
"Nick...."
Another picture taken. He was nibbling on my ear, still taking pictures.
"Wouldn’t it be funny if these found their way on the Internet?"
Nick stopped kissing and looked at me, his eyes wide. "Girl, don’t even joke about that."
I laughed as I grabbed the phone out of his hands and held it securely in mine. "Well if we’re going to get all Tommy Lee and Pamela about it, then let’s do it the right way."
"Now that would be fun!" Nick’s eyebrows wiggled up and down.
"I don’t think your fans would appreciate it, Nick. And on another thought, I think they’d find out just exactly how naughty you really are."
Snap.
"Bet it’d be a best seller."
"Yeah. Your fans could get a one-of-a-kind look at all of your tattoos. And how your hair isn’t always perfect. And how white your ass is."
Snap.
"What is it with you and white asses? That’s the one part of your body that’s not supposed to be tan."
"Mine is."
"What?" His eyes travelled down my body, a slow smile splaying across his lips.
Snap.
"How could you not have noticed?"
"I was
n’t exactly paying attention to the color of your skin, Lay."
"No, but you were pretty busy down there."
Snap.
"Let me see."
"Now?" I asked. What does he want me to do? Lift up my dress and flash him my cheeks?
"Yeah. Hike that dress up girl!"
Snap.
"I’m not going to show you my ass."
"How come?"
"Because I haven’t done Pilates in over a week!"
Snap.
"Are you afraid you’ve lost your ass that fast?"
Snap.
"No."
"Do it!"
"Nick! You pervert!"
Snap.
"Want me to do it for you?"
"No!"
"Come on. Look you started this, now finish it."
"I’m not showing you my ass. It’s one thing when we’re in bed, but it’s quite another when we’re not in bed."
"There’s a dining room table in the next room," he joked, winking at me.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "One more picture before we’re late."
"All right. Let’s make this one count." Nick leaned in and kissed me. Snap. Oh yeah, that one definitely counts.
We probably should have known better. We should have realized that we were going to create a commotion. But did we think about it? No. And now we were in trouble.
It was one thing when everyone in the restaurant turned around to look at us as we were seated at our table. It was another when several fans came up and asked for autographs. Some of them were polite. Some of them weren’t. But when people started taking pictures, thinking we wouldn’t notice... That’s where I drew the line.
"Just ignore them, Lay."
I fidgeted with the napkin in my lap. I had lost my appetite completely. And my good mood was quickly dwindling. "I don’t like this Nick. We can’t even go out to dinner without someone making something of it. I mean come on! That guy over there is taking pictures of us!" I shook my head and swirled my fork through my pasta.
"Don’t worry about them. I’m here with you. Okay? If they want to make it their business, let them. We don’t have to acknowledge them if we don’t want to."
"I know. But I’m just thinking about what’s going to be in the media tomorrow morning. God only knows."
"Well then let’s give them something good to write about."
I looked up just as Nick placed a small, black velvet box in front of me. What the?
"What is this?"
"Open it."
I took a quick glance around. People were looking at us. Wanting to know what was in the box. Wanting their glimpses.
I looked back at the jewelry box and couldn’t help but smile. "I hope this isn’t an engagement ring. Because I’m already married."
Nick smile and pushed his plate of food away. "What a lucky man your husband must be."
"I hope he thinks so," I joked. I picked up the box. But I didn’t open it. I looked up at Nick. "What is this for?"
"You have to open it first." He slid his chair over until he was sitting next to me. He was waiting for me to open it. But I was hesitant.
Finally I did open it and was nearly blinded. There, nestled in the safety of black velvet padding, sat the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen in my life. A large, princess-cut yellow diamond sitting perfectly on top of a gold band. And I was completely speechless for the first time that night.
Nick picked up the ring with his fingers, then took my right hand and slid it on my bare ring finger. "Layla Hudson, it would mean the world to me if we could renew our wedding vows. Give us a new start. A new start to another year of marriage. Only this time, together. No separations. No screwing around. Just us."
I stared down at the ring, still speechless. Nick wanted us to renew our wedding vows. That was the last thing in the world I was expecting.
"And, just for the record, the entire restaurant is staring at you right now, waiting for you to say something."
I looked up at Nick. His eyes were twinkling and he had an easy smile on his face.
"Nick. Oh my god."
"What? Too yellow?" he joked.
"No. It’s not too yellow. It’s too perfect."
" A perfect ring for the perfect wife."
I frowned a bit. "I’m far from being perfect."
"Well, in my eyes at least. So what do you say?"
I didn’t have to think about it. I already knew my answer. "Yes."
It was like the first time he asked me to marry him. I was completely overcome with emotions. Love. Want. I was unsure. I was hesitant. But I wanted it.
We just had to make it work this time. Because honestly, if it got all fucked up again, I don’t think I could go on.
Chapter Seventeen
I love New York. Maybe Nick and I should just move here. There’s so much happening all at once. And it’s not as culturally flat as Los Angeles. It’d definitely be something to discuss over dinner tonight.
After last night’s fiasco at the restaurant, not to mention seeing our faces plastered everywhere this morning, we decided to spend our anniversary ordering room service and just hanging out. Why should the rest of the world be invited in on our special day?
Nick had some last minute things to take care of at the studio so I decided to do what I do best: shop for Nick. I love shopping for myself, don’t get me wrong, but there wasn’t a thing that made me happier than shopping for my husband. I had stumbled across Ralph Lauren and fell in love with everything I laid my eyes on. A nice young man named Paulo was holding my Nick purchases for me and had encouraged me to head upstairs to check out the new women’s line. I couldn’t refuse. Just a peek couldn’t possibly hurt. Right?
Wrong.
I was in a dressing room trying on a new swimsuit when I started to overhear a very interesting conversation somewhere in the room. It sounded like juicy gossip, so of course I listened in. It sounded like two women.
"Did you see the look on her face?" asked the first.
"Yeah. She looked really surprised," said the second.
"I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting him to pull that stunt last night. And she said yes! I’m having an even harder time believing that."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"Nothing. We’re sticking with the plan. Believe me; those two will be over before they know it."
Ouch. This was better than soap operas.
"But what if they don’t break up?"
"Vee, I don’t want them to break up. I want them to get divorced. I want her to know what kind of man she‘s married to."
"He really did a number on you, didn’t he?"
"Believe me. Nick Hudson is not as nice as people think he is."
What the hell? I stopped dressing and stood completely still, trying to hear more of the conversation.
"But this is really messed up. And what did Layla do to deserve this?"
My breath caught in my throat and my body temperature increased.
"Never mind about the details, Vee. Let’s just stick with the plan. Trust me, you’re doing great. God and calling them when you knew Layla would answer the phone? Talk about priceless. I would have paid anything to see the look on her face when she found out that the woman that’s pregnant with Nick’s child was on the phone."
"I actually feel sorry for her. I mean, how many times has Nick slept with other women?"
"Believe me, you don’t want to know."
Oh, but I sure as hell do. I slammed open the door and was immediately faced with none other than Vanessa Carrington and Missy Page. They both turned around at the same time and looked at me, their faces white as sheets and their eyes wide, like deer-in-headlights.
"Go ahead Missy. I’m dying to know as well. Exactly how many women has Nick slept with?"
"Layla. Oh my God. I had no clue..."
"No, you never have a clue, do you Missy? So go on. Continue with what you were saying. You want to split up me and N
ick, telling me what you know is a good way to do it."
"Layla," Missy started.
"Come on Missy. You obviously know. I don’t know how you know, but you better start telling me. Right now."
"I don’t think this is the time or place."
"Oh, but it was all right when you didn’t know I was here, right? So come on Missy. Why don’t you finish what you started?" I was so fuming mad I was sure steam was going to come roaring out of my ears at any moment.
"Layla, believe me this has nothing to do against you personally. It’s all on Nick."
"Bullshit. You’ve never liked me." Not that I cared.
"That’s not true. I’ve felt sorry for you."
"Liar!" I spat at her.
"I’m not lying! I’m sorry you put up with that bastard for so long. If you only knew half the things he did behind your back."
"Stop trying to put me off and just tell me. What is this big plan you’ve got cooked up against us?"
Missy sighed and put down a dress she had been holding. She looked at me and for the first time ever it was as if I was looking at someone else completely.
"Nick never told you that he and I dated, did he?"
Holy. Shit. "Excuse me?" That can’t be true. Nick would have told me that.
"In fact, he and I were still dating when he met you. We were pretty serious for a while. God, he told me he was going to Santa Barbara that weekend to do some press for his latest album. I had no idea what was really going on."
My mind flashed back to that day when Nick and I first met. It was in Santa Barbra. I could remember everything perfectly. Every moment we spent together was permanently etched into my brain.
"I didn’t find out the truth for another couple weeks. I had suspected he was cheating on me. But I never really wanted to believe it. That was, of course, until I overheard him on the phone with you."
Oh my God. She heard that? God, I could only imagine. The things we said that night. Jesus Christ.
"That was the night everything came out. About his affairs. About you. You were the worst of them all. God, he was so in love with you. He didn’t care that I was in love with him. He said he loved me. That lying bastard. And ever since then...."
"You’ve been trying to destroy him?"
Walk Away, The Romance of Nick and Layla (Part 1) Page 10