Nex

by Cheryl Douglas

  I raised an eyebrow at the mention of my brother’s ex. “You wanna bring Riley in on this? Brody may not like that.” I had no idea where things stood with them, but my brother’s stubbornness coupled with his possessiveness had probably already made a tenuous situation worse with Riley, possibly driving her right into the good doc’s arms.

  “How can we not?” Mac asked, sipping her cocktail. “Riley is one the best wedding planners in the city. Now that we’re going to be expanding the business to include wedding and shower cakes, it would be crazy not to ask for her help.”

  Ryker rubbed his hand up and down his wife’s back as he spoke. “Babe, I know how close you and Riley were back in the day. You were like a big sister to her when she and Brody were dating, but don’t you think we have to consider his feelings? It might be weird for him if you were working with his ex.”

  “Too bad,” Mac said, lifting her chin. “He’s just going to have to deal with it. You know how much I love Brody, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s his fault they’re not together anymore.”

  Ryker sighed, pulling Mackenzie back into his arms. “What am I going to do with you, sweetheart?”

  Mac looked up at him, smiling. “I can think of a few things.”

  “They’re so cute together,” Jaci whispered in my ear.

  “Yeah, it used to make me sick seeing them like that.” I grinned. “But now that I have you, I totally get it.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Jaci

  It had been three months since my last visit to Hartwell, but it felt like everything had changed. My mama had started to make positive changes in her life, including the move Nex and I were helping her prepare for. I’d completed some amazing cake decorating courses and would be continuing my studies in the fall with intensive courses to become a pastry chef. The renovation at the shop was well underway, and Mac, Mary, and I were gelling better than I ever could have hoped for. But the highlight of my new life was definitely Nex. Waking up in his arms every morning was a blessing I promised myself I would never take for granted.

  “Where would you like these books, Virginia?” Nex asked my mother.

  “Just put them with the others from my bedroom, darlin’,” she replied.

  Since this was the first time they’d met, I was shocked at how well they were getting along. It normally took my mama a while to warm up to people, and I assumed the fact that we were living in sin would be a definite strike against him, but she seemed to have made up her mind to like him even before they met. I had to assume it had something to do with the numerous conversations they’d had on the phone when my mama called our house looking for me.

  Even the ink wrapping around Nex’s powerful biceps only slowed her down for a second during the introductions, making us all laugh when Nex promised her he wasn’t as scary as he looked and the tattoos were all for show.

  When Nex left the room to get the box, Mama sank down in her easy chair for a rest. I couldn’t believe how much better she looked compared to the last time I’d seen her. She’d lost a few pounds, her eyes were brighter, as were her clothes, and she was even wearing a bit of makeup for the first time in years.

  “Are you gettin’ tired, Mama?” I asked, wrapping some of her precious knick-knacks in tissue before placing them in the designated box. “You don’t have to worry about doing any more today. Nex and I are here for the whole week. That’ll be more than enough time for us to get this place all packed up and get you settled into your new home. Are you excited about the move?”

  Her blue eyes sparkled, almost as though she was trying to keep a secret. “I sure am, sugar.”

  “That’s nice,” I said, smiling. “I think it’ll be great for you, living right next door to Aunt Bea and Uncle Roy.”

  “I am happy about that,” she said, nodding. “But, uh, I’m kind of excited about my other neighbor too.”

  “Your other neighbor?” I asked, reaching for my damp rag to clean off the shelf I’d just cleared. “Who’s that? Someone you know from the church?”

  “As a matter of fact, he is.” She smiled, looking suddenly coy. “We’ve known each other a long time, but he just asked me out for lunch a few months ago, and we’ve been seeing each other ever since.”

  I gaped at her, totally shocked I hadn’t heard about the new man in her life before. Sure, she’d mentioned the possibility of a lunch date during my last visit, but since I hadn’t heard any more about it, I’d assumed she’d changed her mind. “Why didn’t you tell me? Who is he? Will I be able to meet him? Does he have any kids? Is he divorced or a widower?”

  She laughed, raising a hand as though she was trying to shield herself from my rapid-fire questions. “His name is Nick Weiss. He used to own a car dealership in Atlanta, but he moved here when he retired a few years ago. Said he was getting tired of the city rat-race and wanted to settle in a nice quiet town where everyone got into everyone else’s business.”

  I laughed at his characterization, thinking he’d best be careful what he wished for.

  “He has two boys and two girls, all grown with families of their own. They still live in Atlanta. He lost his wife about five years ago.”

  I sat down on the coffee table facing my mother. “So is it serious?”

  She laughed, waving me off with her hand. “We’re just keepin’ company, darlin’, but I will tell you it sure is nice to have someone to spend time with.”

  I reached for her hands. “I am so happy for you. Seriously, Mama. Just knowing that you’re getting back out there and looking for fun and exciting things to do again is such a relief. I hated to think of you living here all by yourself, giving up on life just because you’d been dealt a tough blow.”

  She raised her chin, looking me in the eye. “It may have knocked me down, but I finally decided to get up and start fighting again thanks to you and Bea. That stubborn old sister of mine told me she was sick and tired of seeing me mope around, feeling sorry for myself, and if I didn’t stop it, she was gonna kick my oversized fanny.”

  I laughed, thinking that sounded exactly like something my aunt would say. “Well good for her and you too.”

  “I think I just always assumed we’d be taking care of each other, just like we’d always done.” Her smile slipped just a little before she said, “But Bea helped me realize I was just being selfish, expecting you to sacrifice your life for mine. You deserve to be happy, just like I do.”

  She nodded her head toward the kitchen, where judging by the sounds of clattering pots and pans, Nex was either packing or putting the cooking skills I’d taught him to use preparing our dinner. “And now that you have a man like that, I have no doubt you will be happy. And I don’t need to worry about you anymore.” She kissed my hands, her lower lip trembling slightly. “You’ll have Nex to take care of you now.”

  I leaned forward to hug her. “Mama, I’ll always need you in my life. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  “I know you will, sugar,” she said, patting my back. “But it’ll be different now that y’all are gettin’ married.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. “Oh darn, I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

  Marriage? He’d talked to my mama about marriage? I was ecstatic to think the man of my dreams wanted to marry me, but he hadn’t said a single word to me about it since I moved in with him, so I assumed he was content to wait a while before we made it official.

  “When did Nex talk to you about marrying me?” I whispered, leaning in, just in case my sexy boyfriend was eavesdropping.

  “When you went out to pick up the boxes, but you mustn’t say anything to him about it. He wants it to be a surprise.” Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed, obviously trying to keep her emotions in check. “He wanted to ask for my blessing.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “What could I say?” She sniffled before reaching for a tissue from her chairside table. “Anyone can see by the way he looks at you that you’re the center of his world. Tha
t’s all I ever wanted for you, baby. To find someone who would love you as much as I do, who would realize how special you are.”

  I reached for my own tissue, dabbing at my eyes as we both laughed at ourselves. “I didn’t even know what I was holding out for when I broke up with Scott,” I admitted. “But then I met Nex, and I knew. It was him.”

  My mother nodded. “It was him, sugar. He was the man you were meant to be with.”

  I winked. “Could it be you found the man you were meant to be with too?”

  She giggled like I hadn’t heard her giggle in years. “Don’t be silly. We’re too old for that nonsense.”

  “You’re never too old to fall in love, Mama.”

  ***

  Days later, Nex and I were both tired after helping my mother get settled into her new house and sharing a pizza with her and her new beau, but he asked me to take a walk with him, claiming he could use a breath of fresh air.

  We’d walked a fair distance, talking about my mama’s move and new relationship before I realized we were headed toward the lake. “What’re we doin’ here, babe?”

  “It’s a nice night, just felt like taking a stroll with my beautiful girl.”

  “Didn’t get enough exercise lugging all those heavy boxes?” I teased, squeezing his muscular bicep.

  “I’ll tell you the kind of exercise I miss,” he said, blocking in my path. Thrusting his hands into my hair, he kissed me so passionately it prompted a carload of teens passing by to honk and suggest we get a room.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, hugging him. “But we got stuck in that room right next to Mama. I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get home.”

  “You better.”

  I looked up, only to realize we’d found our way to one of my very favorite streets in town with houses that overlooked Lake Hartwell. “Oh my gosh, I loved Rowland,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I used to tell my aunt Bea I’d love to have a place here someday.”

  “I know.”

  “How would you know that?” I asked, laughing.

  “I called your aunt Bea a couple of months ago when I started thinking about the best way to surprise you.”

  “Surprise me?” My heart started racing as I thought about the question Nex had asked my mama. Was he going to propose here? In one of the places I loved most?

  “Yeah.” He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a silver heart keyring with a single gold key hanging from it.

  I realized we’d stopped at the end of a drive, and I felt a little self-conscious, wondering if the homeowners would be spying on us, but then I noticed the house was in darkness and there were no curtains on the windows. It looked like a newer build, and it made me wonder if anyone had ever lived there.

  “What’s this for?” I asked, my heart hammering in my chest as I started fitting the pieces together.

  He turned to face me. “Baby, you walked into my life and lit up my world. I know you know how important family is to me, and you’ve embraced my family like they’re your own. I want you to know that means everything to me.”

  “They’re easy to love, like you.”

  He grinned as though he questioned my statement but wasn’t prepared to argue. “But I need you to know your family is just as important as mine.”

  He kissed me, prompting the tears I’d been trying to hold back to spill down my cheeks. I didn’t even know why I was crying, only that I loved him so much I couldn’t contain it.

  “I never wanted to take you away from your family. I just wanted to share you with them.”

  I thought I’d loved him before, but his comment expanded my love for him tenfold. Not that I could tell him that. The emotion was choking me, making it impossible to speak.

  “My family is obviously going to be an important part of our lives and our children’s lives.”

  Children? Every time he made comments like that, I got giddy with excitement. I couldn’t wait to have Nex’s baby.

  “But I want your family to be an important part of all that as well.” He swept his arm out, gesturing to the house in front of us. “So that’s why I bought this place. I want us to have a place to stay when we come to visit.” He grinned. “Your mama’s great and all, but I really don’t need to be in the bedroom next to her.”

  “Oh my God, you didn’t!” I jumped into his arms, grateful he was strong and had good balance or we would have taken a tumble on the gravel drive. “Our very own vacation home right here in Hartwell.”

  He laughed. “Probably not a traditional spot for a vacation home, right? But who the hell cares about tradition? If it makes my baby happy, I’m all for it.”

  “You’ve made me so happy—you have no idea!”

  He set me down gently, making sure I had my footing before he released me. “I want us to take a tour of the house, but there’s something else I need to do first.” He reached into his pocket, extracting a ring before dropping to one knee.

  I wanted to pull him up, to remind him the gravel was going to hurt his knee, but I was too stunned and overcome with emotion to speak.

  He blew out a breath, looking at the ground before glancing up at me. “Every once in a while we meet someone who changes us.”

  I nodded, letting him know I understood that sentiment completely.

  “You were that person for me, Jaci. I’m not the same man I was when we met. I’m more understanding, more compassionate, more forgiving, more loving, and that’s all because of you.”

  I wanted to tell him he’d been all those things when we met and that’s why I’d fallen in love with him in the first place, but I wouldn’t interrupt this for anything in the world. I’d been waiting my whole life for this moment.

  “You don’t just give me a reason to haul my butt out of bed in the morning. You give me reason to want to be my best in everything I do because that’s what you deserve. The best.”

  “You are the best,” I whispered, unable to hold back any longer.

  “I’d argue that you are, beautiful.” He chuckled. “But the only thing that matters to me right now is seeing this ring on your finger,” he said, holding up the two-carat solitaire. “And hearing you promise you’ll wear it forever.”

  “I promise,” I said, barely able to contain the urge to jump up and down while he moved the trinity ring he’d given me back to my right hand so he could replace it with my engagement ring.

  “That’s all I needed to hear,” he said, standing up before pulling me into his arms and sealing our deal with a kiss. “Now, how about we get in there and have a look at our new home away from home?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” I said, gripping his hand so hard, I was surprised he didn’t wince. Before we made it to the front door, I leaned into him, whispering, “Thank you for making all my dreams come true, Nex.”

  He winked. “I haven’t made all your dreams come true just yet, gorgeous, but I sure as hell am gonna have fun working on the others.”

  I had a vision of beautiful babies with their daddy’s piercing blue eyes wrapping him around their little fingers. And I couldn’t wait.

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