“I love you. I love you, Skylar. I love you today, I loved you yesterday and I’ll love you tomorrow.” He says it again and again.
I finally inch toward him and let him wrap his arms around me. “Nick?” He kisses my brow and snuggles into me.
“Yes, my love?” he kisses the top of my head and strokes the hair away from my eyes, before looking down at me.
“I love you, too.”
CHAPTER 35
The next morning we both shower and head back to the studio. I flinch when I see his car out front. “How’d that get here?”
“I had someone bring it.”
I glance at him. “How? I mean, I don’t want to pour lemon juice on your circumstances, but didn’t that cost a lot? How’d you pay for it?”
He laughs. “I’m not poor, Sky. I’ve been saving my own money for a long time, cash I earned myself. I’ve been working since I was fourteen. I invested some of it and as you said, I was over here rent free. The old man made me sign a lease and actually wrote $0 on the line. However, he did not say I couldn’t sublet the space, so I am—to you. There are two years left, and it’s all yours.”
My jaw drops. “Are you still Ferro-filthy-rich?”
He laughs. “No, no private jets for us, but we can get an apartment, buy clothes, and eat. What’s that called? Middle class?”
I nod and smile, watching him as he walks around and pulls our gear out of his trunk. “Come on, let’s process what we have from Sophie’s wedding.”
“Nick, I can’t take your store.” But he doesn’t listen. He walks inside, sets things down and starts turning on lights before turning to see me standing in the parking lot, gaping like a fish.
He holds out his hand, “Well, then let’s make it our store. Work with me, shoot with me, live with me, love me…” Nick’s hand dangles in the air as he reaches out to me.
My stomach twists because this will change everything, but it’s a good, warm, feeling and I’m not scared anymore. Reaching for his hand, I say, “Yes,” and allow him to hold onto me tight. Nick kisses the top of my head, and then my temple, and finally my lips. He lingers there, kissing me softly and making the butterflies in my tummy swirl with glee.
“Come on.”
-----
We work together for the next few days, sleeping in our studio until we find a little apartment down the street. It’s closer to the water and it’s on the second floor, so it’s nice at night, when the moon is full. You can see the lake and watch starlight ripple on the surface. Nick finds me at the window sill, leaning out.
He slips his arms around my waist and kisses my cheek. “There’s a text message from someone I know you’ll want to see.”
“Oh?” I turn around and take the phone. The smile fades from my face. I can’t really tell what kind of message it is based on the first few words. Actually, it looks like she’s texting me from her honeymoon to tell me off. I hesitate, not wanting to know if I’ve lost her.
Nick pulls me to the bed, our bed, and says, “Open it. You wanted to know; now you’ll know.”
Shoving my fear aside, I flick the screen and read her message. It starts with how disappointed she was when I asked for the glue. That was the part I could see on the screen before I opened it, and then the message apologizes for taking such drastic measures, but I mattered to her, and she couldn’t let me become that kind of person. She was aware of the costs and the possible outcomes. When she heard my store was flooded, she sent the text. The last line of the message says: I’M SO SORRY. I HOPED THINGS WOULD WORK OUT AND YOU GUYS WOULD REALIZE HOW YOU FELT. IS NICK WITH YOU?
I type back three letters: YES
Nick is affectionate and touches me the way I’ve always craved. He takes the phone from my hand and pushes me back on the bed. “Please tell me you’re done working. I have plans for us.”
I laugh and push him off. “I have a few more shots to edit. I want them done by the time Sophie gets back.”
He nods. “Can I see the one you’re working on? Every time I walk by you shut off the screen.”
Watching him for a moment, I consider his request. We pooled the wedding photos and have been editing them together, but I haven’t let Nick see the boudoir shoot even though Sophie is clothed in all of them. I shot those based on how I felt about Nick, and it lets him see a little bit further into my mind than I’d like right now. “Maybe, but I don’t think you’ll like it. It’s too dark, with an odd amount of juxtaposition.”
He takes my hand. “Show me.” Eagerness fills his gaze and I know he’s excited about it for the same reason I’m frightened. Art is weird like that, it’s a direct line to the soul. When someone doesn’t like my work, it’s hard not to take it personally. I’m not sure he’ll like this. It’s very different than the things I’ve done in the past.