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Authors: TERESA HILL
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that,” Nick said. “Come on. Go to Lily’s house. Get her girls and ask them to come outside.”
Jake hesitated. “You’re sure.”
“Oh, yeah. This jerk can explain things to them himself, if he has the nerve,” Nick said.
“But—”
“Go on. I’m right behind you. I’ll handle him.”
With pleasure, Nick decided.
With great pleasure.
Lily didn’t see Nick or Jake until Jake walked past her and went in her kitchen door. She was starting to ask him where he was going when Nick walked up to her side and slid an arm ever so casually across her shoulder, like he belonged there, like he greeted her this way every day.
“Hey, Lily. Everything okay?” Nick asked, dropping a light kiss on her temple.
And then it was like he just took up too much space or sucked up all the air or something, because Richard backed up three steps. His stupid finger disappeared altogether, too quickly for Lily to reach out and snap it off, which she’d wanted to do ever since he stuck it in her shoulder to make a point. And then as she watched, it was like Richard just shrank or something, looking smaller and more pathetic every second.
Lily was so happy with the way Richard backed off, she forgot all about needing to take care of this herself and wanting to both scream or maybe throw something at Richard’s four thousand dollars’ worth of dental work or his perfect suit.
She remembered that everything had been up to her for so long and that no one had helped her with anything in months, and that she was tired and frustrated and exhausted and decided she could have reached up and kissed Nick Malone right then and there on the driveway and enjoyed it very much.
Enjoyed Richard’s reaction to it, too, she thought.
But Lily resisted, settling for letting herself lean into Nick’s side, like she did it every day, and smile as she said, “Just a little difference of opinion between me and Richard. He says he won’t be able to take the girls for the weekend, and here they are all packed and ready to go.”
“Oh,” Nick said, like he belonged in this discussion, too. “Must be something really important to keep a man from being able to see his daughters. Especially this weekend.”
Richard finally came out of his stupor and stopped staring at Nick and how cozy he seemed to be with Lily, and said, “Who are you exactly?”
“Nick Malone, Lily’s new neighbor.” He called himself a neighbor, but the hold he had on her said something else entirely.
Richard frowned and looked confused. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone, Lily.”
“Well, I didn’t know you still cared, Richard,” Lily said as sweetly as she could, finding a smile easy to come by in that instant, leaning against a truly gorgeous man who made her ex look as insignificant as a fussy, pouty, scrawny boy.
Richard looked even more confused then, like he couldn’t quite believe another man was attracted to Lily? Or that this particular man was?
Lily really wished she had something to throw on that suit then.
The door opened behind them, the girls walking out, and Nick let her go and moved a step away. Brittany gave her father a big hug and a pretty smile, but Ginny hung back, still cautious around him since he’d moved out.
Brittany started talking about a trip to the zoo, something Richard had promised them, and Lily wanted to strangle her ex, who looked like he wanted to strangle either Jake or Nick. She realized Nick had made sure Richard at least had to face them before disappearing on them. Either way, it was going to hurt, that he wasn’t going to keep his promise to them, and Lily wasn’t sure how she felt about Nick deciding to make Richard do the telling.
She started to jump in and try to explain, but Nick’s hand settled against the small of her back. He leaned over and whispered, “He should at least have to face what he’s doing to them, Lily.”
And then Richard finally started a fumbling explanation.
Lily
Jake hesitated. “You’re sure.”
“Oh, yeah. This jerk can explain things to them himself, if he has the nerve,” Nick said.
“But—”
“Go on. I’m right behind you. I’ll handle him.”
With pleasure, Nick decided.
With great pleasure.
Lily didn’t see Nick or Jake until Jake walked past her and went in her kitchen door. She was starting to ask him where he was going when Nick walked up to her side and slid an arm ever so casually across her shoulder, like he belonged there, like he greeted her this way every day.
“Hey, Lily. Everything okay?” Nick asked, dropping a light kiss on her temple.
And then it was like he just took up too much space or sucked up all the air or something, because Richard backed up three steps. His stupid finger disappeared altogether, too quickly for Lily to reach out and snap it off, which she’d wanted to do ever since he stuck it in her shoulder to make a point. And then as she watched, it was like Richard just shrank or something, looking smaller and more pathetic every second.
Lily was so happy with the way Richard backed off, she forgot all about needing to take care of this herself and wanting to both scream or maybe throw something at Richard’s four thousand dollars’ worth of dental work or his perfect suit.
She remembered that everything had been up to her for so long and that no one had helped her with anything in months, and that she was tired and frustrated and exhausted and decided she could have reached up and kissed Nick Malone right then and there on the driveway and enjoyed it very much.
Enjoyed Richard’s reaction to it, too, she thought.
But Lily resisted, settling for letting herself lean into Nick’s side, like she did it every day, and smile as she said, “Just a little difference of opinion between me and Richard. He says he won’t be able to take the girls for the weekend, and here they are all packed and ready to go.”
“Oh,” Nick said, like he belonged in this discussion, too. “Must be something really important to keep a man from being able to see his daughters. Especially this weekend.”
Richard finally came out of his stupor and stopped staring at Nick and how cozy he seemed to be with Lily, and said, “Who are you exactly?”
“Nick Malone, Lily’s new neighbor.” He called himself a neighbor, but the hold he had on her said something else entirely.
Richard frowned and looked confused. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone, Lily.”
“Well, I didn’t know you still cared, Richard,” Lily said as sweetly as she could, finding a smile easy to come by in that instant, leaning against a truly gorgeous man who made her ex look as insignificant as a fussy, pouty, scrawny boy.
Richard looked even more confused then, like he couldn’t quite believe another man was attracted to Lily? Or that this particular man was?
Lily really wished she had something to throw on that suit then.
The door opened behind them, the girls walking out, and Nick let her go and moved a step away. Brittany gave her father a big hug and a pretty smile, but Ginny hung back, still cautious around him since he’d moved out.
Brittany started talking about a trip to the zoo, something Richard had promised them, and Lily wanted to strangle her ex, who looked like he wanted to strangle either Jake or Nick. She realized Nick had made sure Richard at least had to face them before disappearing on them. Either way, it was going to hurt, that he wasn’t going to keep his promise to them, and Lily wasn’t sure how she felt about Nick deciding to make Richard do the telling.
She started to jump in and try to explain, but Nick’s hand settled against the small of her back. He leaned over and whispered, “He should at least have to face what he’s doing to them, Lily.”
And then Richard finally started a fumbling explanation.
Lily
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