Page 110 of Heartsick & Lipsticks
NICK
“How are you feeling?”I slapped my hand on Alex’s shoulder as we waited in his guest house minutes before we walked out for his wedding.
“Good.”
“I’m so happy for you, man. Sadie is the best.” I hugged him.
He nodded. “She is.”
Alex was a man of few words, which I’d never understood before the past few months. It had been the only time in my life when I hadn’t wanted to talk to every person I saw because I’d had so much going on that I was trying to deal with that no one knew about.
I wondered if that was what being Alex was like all the time. Or if he was just happier not having to talk to people. If that was the case, today was not going to be fun for him since fifty of his and Sadie’s closest friends and family were gathered to celebrate their love.
Their wedding was being held in their backyard. It was a small, intimate affair. Maddox and I were standing up as his best men. Hannah, Lexi, and Bella were all flower girls. As excited as I was to be here for my friend, I couldn’t help wishing that Skye was by my side.
All my life, I’ve loved weddings. I’d never been tempted to bring a date to one. Like the saying goes, why bring sand to the beach? Even though this wedding was on the smallish side, there were still a handful of attractive, single women in attendance. Old Nick would have been like the kid in the candy store. Now, I couldn’t care less about flirting or dancing, much less going home with anyone. It was as if every other woman on the planet had completely lost their appeal. Skye broke me.
In the past week that she’d been at work, we’d barely spoken. I’d been so happy when she’d come to my office, but since then, there’d been a shift in our relationship. Her walls were back up, and I wasn’t sure why.
At first, I’d thought it was because she’d felt guilty about Lola leaking the story, but the two times we had talked, she’d assured me it wasn’t that. I’d tried to press her further, but she always made an excuse to cut our conversation short.
I was trying to do the right thing and respect her boundaries, but it was proving more difficult than I’d expected. I missed her so much. Not just the physical aspects of our relationship, either. I missed talking to her. I missed hearing her laugh. I missed seeing her smile after a long day at work. I missed the little crease she always had on her right cheek in the morning or after she’d taken a nap in the afternoon because that was the side she always slept on. I missed the way she sipped her coffee, even when it was too hot and always burned her mouth. I missed the way she made everything, every day, and every person better.
Unfortunately, she didn’t return my affection. She seemed more than happy for our relationship to be purely professional. It was hard not to take that personally.
“How’s Naomi doing?” Maddox asked.
His question was a rubber band snapping me out of my melancholy musings. “She’s seemed really tired lately.”
We’d gone down to the beach earlier today. It hadn’t been the same without Skye, Lola, and Callie, but I was trying to make the best of the situation. We’d stayed for two hours, and she’d slept the entire time. Every day, she seemed weaker and weaker.
“How are you? With the story coming out and everything,” Maddox asked.
I hadn’t been able to speak to the guys about things since the story broke on Monday. We’d texted about it but hadn’t gotten a chance to speak. Things had been busy for Alex with the wedding, and Maddox was in the UK on business until last night.
“Good. I’m actually glad it came out.” It was a weight that was lifted off of me. For so many years, I’d hidden my origin story, as it were. But now it was out in the world, and everyone knew.
When I told Naomi, her only concern was that it would upset me. Other than that, she wasn’t bothered by it, which was a huge relief. Bella was too young to really understand what the information being leaked was. Out of precaution, I took her to see her therapist, who assured me that Bella was very well-adjusted when it came to Naomi’s past and her health condition, and she didn’t see the story coming out as something that would negatively affect her.
“I saw the video response on the flight home yesterday,” Maddox relayed. “It was really good, man.”
“Thanks.” I’d been honest about everything. Naomi took the law into her own hands, but she was also a victim. Sam Locke had been a predator. If he hadn’t had a badge, he would have been arrested for his crimes which included domestic violence, attempted murder, and statutory rape.
The response online had been overwhelming in support for Naomi. In fact, so many people had shared their stories in the comments of the video that I had already gotten the ball rolling on starting a foundation for women who found themselves in Naomi’s situation.
The door opened, and Alex’s longtime assistant and now business partner, Mia, walked inside. “It’s time.”
Mia was stunning, with dark hair, green eyes, and a body that didn’t quit. For years, I’d flirted with her to no avail every time I saw her. Today she wore a flowy green dress that highlighted her eyes, but I felt nothing for her. Not even the slightest desire to flash my smile or work my charm.
Maddox and I followed Alex into his backyard, where he waited for Sadie to appear. Within just a minute or so, Peyton and Sadie’s best friend Charlie walked down the aisle, before Sadie was escorted down by Mr. Burke.
As I watched Alex and Sadie declare their love for each other, all I could think about was Skye. I pictured her walking down the aisle toward me. I imagined holding her hands as we said our vows. I envisioned leaning down and pressing my lips to hers as the officiant pronounced us husband and wife and I was given the green light to kiss my bride.
I wasn’t actively trying to play the movie of our wedding in my head. It was the opposite. I wanted to be present, andnotthink about her. She’d made it clear that the two nights we’d spent together were anomalies. No encore performances could happen. There had been no wiggle room when she’d turned down my invitation to attend the wedding with me.
We couldn’t happen.
So why the hell couldn’t I stop thinking about her?
