“He’s a good kid,” Nick whispered over to her.
“He is,” she gulped. “Really smart, too.”
“That’s great. You raised him well. He even wanted to get the pizza you like.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Rosalinda blushed. She was a little shy, not meeting his eyes while she thanked him.
“It’s the least I can do,” Nick said, and glanced at the boy. “After all, you are an amazing mother.”
She smiled softly. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
“It should. It means a lot to see how happy you both are.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Look at you guys. You have a great life.”
She laughed lightly.
Dominick’s head shot around. “Shhh. Quiet.”
Rosalinda’s voice quieted, and they went back to watching the movie. “Sorry.”
Nick smirked and turned back to the screen. “It’s a good movie.”
“I never saw it,” said Dominick
“That’s because it’s old. Shhh, this is a good part coming up,” Nick pointed at the screen.
The boy’s head turned around so that he could watch the screen as the doorbell rang. Nick got up to answer it, delivering the pizza to the coffee table for everyone to share.
It didn’t take long for the two pizzas to be half gone, and Rosalinda carried the boxes to the kitchen to put the rest away. Nick followed her with the popcorn.
“Are we going to eat that already?” Rosalinda asked, smiling softly.
“I figured I would pop it in, just in case anyone gets peckish.”
“You’re going to spoil him,” she teased.
“I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You’re not in the way.” Rosalinda looked down at her feet. She didn’t know what to say, but it was a conversation that had to happen eventually.
“I kind of feel like I am. I should have been here. I should have called you.”
“I could have told you. I should have told you.”
“It must have been terrifying,” he frowned. “To face this alone.”
“I didn’t tell a soul who the father was.”
“I still can’t believe it,” he shook his head. “I want to be a part of his life.”
“I’ll have to explain it to him.” Rosalinda couldn’t look at him.
“We’ll worry about that later. Just let me get to know him for now. Let’s make it easier on both of you.”
“He’s asked about his father,” she said, and froze for a second.
“What did you tell him?” His hand brushed over hers.
She sighed heavily. “I told him that he didn’t have a father. And he just accepted it.”
“So telling him is going to make you into a liar.”
“Yeah, I know.” She brushed her hair back out of his face. “But it’s my own fault.”
“Hey. Let’s go watch the movie. We don’t have to answer everything right now.” Nick smiled. “It’s going to fine. And it will all work itself out.”
“It’s not that easy,” she sighed. “I never told a soul about what happened.”
“I didn’t either.”
“I couldn’t explain it. You were my brother’s best friend.” She shook her head. “It would have led to nothing but trouble.”
“And then I got married.”
“And then you got married, yeah.” Rosalinda nodded.
“We should go back out before he notices we’re missing.”
She nodded and led the way out of the kitchen. Whatever was going to happen, it was going to be a difficult thing to explain or deal with. She had no idea what she was going to do about it all, but there would be a point eventually when she had to come up with something. Especially when she realized the warmth radiating from the spot on her hand where Nick’s fingers had brushed across. Her own hand crossed the spot, and she sighed heavily.
Nick looked over at her at the noise but didn’t mention it.
12
Movie Time
Nick got lost in the movie for a while before he noticed the boy, who was asleep on the floor in front of the television. “Look,” he smiled softly.
Rosalinda had her own smile taking over her face. “It’s been a while since he’s done that. He must have been more excited than I thought.”
“Should we leave him there?”
She shook her head. “I’ll get him to bed.”
“Do you want some help?”
She paused for a moment, worry crossing her face. That had been happening a lot lately, but she eventually nodded. “Sure.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just not used to having help, I guess.” She blushed slightly. “I’ve been on my own.”
“Never dated?”
She shook her head. “Never wanted to. Dominick is my entire world.”
It made Nick’s heart flutter in his chest. “Do you think you’ll ever date again?”
“I don’t know. It depends on if the right guy shows up or not. I’m not going out and looking, though.”
“Why not?”
“Because I never wanted to.”
He held his hands up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you upset.”
“I’m not upset,” she sighed. “I just don’t talk about it much. I’ve never been much of a person for dates, I guess.”
“You were always so quiet, tucked off alone and avoiding people.”
“I’m a little shy.”
“Are you still as shy?” he asked with a smile.
Rosalinda blushed slightly. “I have more friends now.”
“From the school?”
“Yeah. I hang out with the girls when I get a chance.”
“You must not have a chance to do that very often.”
“Not all the time, no. I don’t like getting a sitter to take care of Dominick when I should be home. It makes me feel a little guilty.”
Nick nodded. “You do need to take time for you sometimes.”
“That’s harder than it sounds.”
He smiled softly. “My dad used to make my mom take breaks after weeks without a single one.”
“That’s sweet of him.”
“I didn’t realize how much it meant to help her get out of the house every so often. Let her do things.”
“Nobody does, until they’re in that situation. Your dad must have been great.”
“He was.” Nick nodded.
“What about you? What kind of father are you?” She bit her lip like it was one of those questions she never thought she would have to ask.
“I don’t know yet.” Nick looked over at her. “I’d like the chance to find out.”
She visibly gulped. “I know you would.”
“I won’t push too hard. You’ve been doing this on your own for so long, but I’d like the chance to get to know him. And spend time with the two of you. You can be around as much as you want, and I won’t say a word until you’re ready to have the conversation.”
“Even after what I did?”
“You did what you thought was best. And you love him. That much is clear,” Nick sighed. “I’m not gonna lie and say it didn’t hurt at least a little bit, but I get why you would stay quiet.”
“If it hurts, you’re probably gonna end up resenting me.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“You have every right to.”
“But it won’t accomplish anything,” Nick sighed. “Let’s not focus on that.”
“I can’t help it. It kinda scares me,” Rosalinda admitted.
“There’s no reason for you to be scared.”
“You can’t really say that.”
“I really don’t know yet what anyone can say. We’re all just kind of feeling our way through this whole mess.” Nick shook his head. “We’ve got time to figure everything out.”
“I feel like shit,” she sighed. “I shouldn’t have done this. I should have told y
ou. I should have done something.” She dropped her head to her hands.
Nick gently picked her head up. “Hey. Calm down. I know, it’s scary and it’s new. And you never handled that stuff well. You must have been terrified.”
“And a little heartbroken.”
His heart skipped when he heard that, but he chose not to focus on it. “I won’t push for anything you don’t want. I don’t want to hurt you or Dominick.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s just focus on the here and now and watch the movie.”
“Are you sure? I would talk about it.”
“I’ve got questions, but we’ve got time. I’m working here, and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon. So, I was hoping that we could maybe get together on a regular basis and spend time together.”
“You mean with Dominick?”
“I mean with you and Dominick.”
She blushed. “Thanks.”
She had shifted closer to him during the conversation, but he hadn’t noticed until her hip bumped against his. He considered putting his arm around her shoulders, but decided against it. That would be too far to push things. Rosalinda was clearly happy with her life the way it was, and he wondered if there was actually a place for him in it.
Nick was scared. There was no denying that, and a little bit of him was hurt that she didn’t feel that she could trust him with everything that she was going through. He would have been there. He would have canceled the wedding so it could all be figured out, and then he might have ended up just focusing on the family that had fallen through his fingertips.
He also blamed himself for rushing off to marry someone else because he felt that Rosalinda was off limits to him. The way that she had avoided him after that night made him think that he had screwed up his chances with the woman, and that caused a deep pain to form in his chest.
Nick had left early for college, and decided to drown his sorrows in the arms of a beautiful classmate. His broken heart had taken control of everything, and he had begged to marry the young woman. Janice was beautiful, but he wasn’t in love with her. He never had been, and the woman must have sensed that. The distance only grew between them. It wasn’t his fault she had cheated, but it was his fault she felt lonely. It was the reason he had returned home. And now, returning home had presented him with this. A second chance, maybe? There was no way to tell.
They fell into an easy silence with the movie playing. Then he put in another one from Rosalinda’s collection while she carried the boy to bed and tucked him in. She was a well-practiced mother with a lot of love in her. Nick smiled as she carried his son to his room and tucked him into his bed. His first instinct was to help, but there were boundaries in place that he didn’t know how to get past.
It was going to be a challenge to get a woman that had closed herself off from the world to let go of them and let him into her life. It was going to be a challenge, and he couldn’t push things too fast. Instead, he sat on the couch and waited for her to come back out. “Do you mind if I stay for a while? We can watch another movie, and maybe talk a little more?”
She nodded. “Sure. I’d like that.”
“I’m glad I got a chance to get to know you again.”
She smiled weakly. “Thanks. Me too. I missed you.”
Nick’s heart seized in his chest. “I missed you, too.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You have no idea,” Nick laughed lightly. “But let’s not worry too much about that. It was best not to share too much when things were so delicate between them.
She sat down close to him on the couch as they silently watched the next movie. As time passed, her body grew closer to his, leaning against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, pulling her against his body. It felt amazing, and the touch of her body seemed to awaken the feelings that he had felt in her office earlier when he had kissed her.
Nick was sorely tempted to kiss her, but decided that would be a bad idea. Instead, he adjusted and felt her head lay against his shoulder. He smiled before glancing over at her. She was there asleep against him.
It felt beyond perfect, and he wanted to stay right where he was until the sun came streaming into the windows. But he knew better than to do that. There was too much on the line to risk pushing things too far.
Instead, he carefully laid her down on the couch with her clothes still on, gathering a blanket and throw pillow for her from the couch. “Mmm?” She barely opened her eyes.
“You fell asleep,” he spoke quietly.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t be. Just gonna get you a blanket.” Nick was sure she wasn’t actually awake, and probably wouldn’t remember much of any of this the next day. It made him smile to know that some things never changed. He remembered hearing about her having entire conversations in her sleep when she was a kid. He vaguely considered asking her a few personal questions, but decided against it.
Instead, he got a few moments of seeing her peaceful face before he left a note on the coffee table and gathered his things. He was out of the door within a few minutes, locking it behind him.
Nick’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted to see more of this life. He felt like he was leaving the one place that he belonged, and it just felt wrong. But he stopped himself from thinking that way. It wasn’t going to do any good to start worrying about what was going to be. He had to take it a step at a time. Things were beyond delicate between them.
13
Couch Surfing
Rosalinda stirred on the couch, awakened by her son tugging on her shirt. “Mom!”
“Hmm? What?” She pried her eyes open. “Something wrong?” The light stung. It was more than uncomfortable, along with the natural soreness of sleeping on a lumpy couch. The sun was streaming from between the curtains.
“No, Mommy,” replied Dominick. “Why are you sleeping out here?”
“I guess I just fell asleep out here,” she said. Rosalinda stretched and climbed off of the couch. It was time for coffee. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Nick is really nice,” Dominick grinned at her. “Will he come back later?”
“Not today, but probably sometime soon. Is that a problem?”
“I really like him. Are you going to marry him?”
She paled, and shook her head. “I don’t think so, honey.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“Can he be my daddy?”
She sighed heavily. “Can we talk about it later?”
“What do you mean?” Her son looked very confused about what she had said, as though he didn’t know what to make of it. And Rosalinda was trying desperately not to lie. She couldn’t respond. There really wasn’t anything good to say in this situation.
Her son must have sensed the discomfort, and took it upon himself to change the subject.
“What’s for breakfast?”
“What do you want?”
“Cereal?” he suggested, looking hopeful.
“Sure.” She made her way into the kitchen. “I can get you a bowl. Go get your spoon.”
“Yay!” the kid shouted, and darted off ahead of her.
Rosalinda giggled a little, walking into the small kitchen and pouring a bowl of cereal before covering it in milk. It wasn’t the greatest breakfast, but single mothers didn’t need to cook elaborate meals all the time, even if that twinge of guilt was there because of it.
Dominick sat at the table as he was served, and she headed back to the kitchen to make herself her normal cup of coffee. Loading the pod into the machine, she let her mind and eyes wander. It was then that she found the note from Nick.
Rosa, it read,
Sorry. I didn’t want to stay after you fell asleep. I did some clean up then let myself out. I had a really great time and was hoping that you would text me soon so we can do something like this again.
-Nick
She couldn’t help but smile at the
fact that Nick said he had a really great time. Beyond all of the awkward moments, she’d had a great time as well. Her mind wandered over the night before, and she tried to decide exactly what she was going to do about the man. How much did she want him in her life?
He definitely seemed interested in her; like he still wanted her, even after all this time. She didn’t know what to make of it. A part of her still wanted him, but there was still this fear that seemed to wash over her whenever she thought about it. The same fear that had nearly drowned her when she found out she was expecting his child.
And now, all of that was bubbling back up to the surface. She wanted to message him, but she froze.
It was the same as before. Except that this time, she fought through it and reached for her phone, tapping out a text message.
How’s it going? She hoped he had her number saved from when they shared it. A crazy fear. There was no way he didn’t have that done already. She forced the irrational fear from her mind.
The response was immediate. He must have put her name in after all. Unless he was playing it cool and not admitting that he didn’t know who was messaging him. She forced that thought out. It didn’t make any sense at all.
Pretty good, you?
She actually took some time to think about how she was going to respond to his note. After all, there was a lot that she wanted to say, but she didn’t know exactly how much of it she should say. Finally, she got up the courage. Got a good night’s sleep. Dom is having breakfast.
That’s great. Hope you broke out the good stuff for him.
Nah, just some cereal today. Kinda stayed up later than normal last night.
Are you an early bird?
Kinda have to be, with a young kid. She smiled at her phone as she took her coffee and grabbed one of the muffins she kept in the fridge. Store bought, but that was just fine for her. She wasn’t a stay at home mother, and she tried to spend as much time with her kid as possible.
After a few minutes, the response came. Do you think we could do it again? Or maybe meet up to talk about stuff?
We can probably do that.
She got distracted by her son turning to her. “We have muffins?”
The Alpha's Second Chance Page 17