“Oh. You still putting in six days a week?” Joe flips the burgers as he speaks and I see the flames start to shoot higher.
“Yeah.”
“Well then shit or get off the pot, bro.” Joe’s wife Lily walks over and yells at him to turn down the flame and he begrudgingly listens to her.
“It’s not that easy, Joe, and you know it.”
“Sure it is, asswipe. You open the cage door and you get in it. Then you kick the crap out of the idiot standing in the other corner of the ring.”
“Oh, is that all you do? Why didn’t you say so sooner?” The sarcasm dripping from my voice. I chug my water bottle and stare at my brother.
“Maybe I should kick your ass to get you warmed up.” Joe almost sounds like he thinks he really could.
I grin at Lily who walks up behind Joe and hands him a plate for the burgers he’s just massacred for us. She rolls her eyes at her husband’s threat. “Think that ship sailed a long time ago, honey.”
Joe turns to his wife. “You don’t think I can take that pretty boy anymore?”
Lily pats her husband on the chest, patronizing him. “Sure you can, baby.” Lily turns her attention back to me. “Nico, I have someone at work I’d like you to meet. How about you come over next weekend for a barbeque and I’ll invite her?” Lily looks down at the plate as Joe finishes loading it with charbroiled burgers. “On second thought, I’ll cook.” She winks at me.
Normally I’m open to meeting women. I don’t even ask the typical questions people want answered when they’re offered a fix up. I’ve always been an equal opportunity man, I like them in all shapes and sizes. “Can I get back to you Lil? I sort of met someone.”
Lily is surprised at my response. “You mean you’re seeing someone exclusively?” She emphasizes the word exclusively as if the concept was foreign to me.
“Not yet.”
“Well what’s stopping you?”
“She is.”
“Why don’t you just use your usual seek and conquer charm that you always do?” Lily is only half kidding with her comment.
“Because this one you have to earn.”
Lily shakes her head and mumbles something I can’t hear as she walks away laughing.
“Shit, bro, you’re screwed. The one’s you have to earn own you.”
Preach brings up the Kravitz fight at the table again and I endure another half hour of lectures and name calling from my brothers. It’s the first time that I’m seriously considering getting back in the cage in a long time. But Preach pissed me off, rallying my brothers on his side, so I don’t tell him. I’ll let him suffer a little while longer.
Chapter 11
Elle
As I drive to the restaurant to meet William, I regret agreeing to dinner so soon. Two days wasn’t enough time to sort out my head. I’m more confused now than I was a few days ago. I’ve made a mental checklist of reasons I should be with William. He’s every mother’s dream, tall, handsome, polite, smart, well educated, and kind. I even tried to make the same checklist of reasons I shouldn’t be with William, but after hours of trying to come up with something, that side of the page is still empty. At first I thought it was Nico clouding my judgment on William, but then I realized I’ve been at the same place with William since long before Nico Hunter stepped foot inside my office. Maybe I just need to put more effort into whatever it is William and I have.
As usual, William is at the same table we always sit at when I walk in. He’s surprised to see me on time. I smile at him, but put more effort into it than usual. Maybe this won’t be so hard to do. The look on his face tells me he’s happy to see me too. He tells me I look beautiful as he kisses me on the cheek and gives me a warm, be it quick, embrace. He’s a good man, I know he will make a good husband and father some day.
We order our drinks and William takes my hand on top of the table. It’s a bit outside of his norm. Public displays of affection aren’t something he prefers, which has always been just fine with me. Softly, his thumb caresses the top of my hand. I look at where our hands are joined and watch as his thumb strokes back and forth on the top of my hand. It feels...what does it feel like? Nice. Comfortable. What it doesn’t do is make my heart rate speed up. And it definitely doesn’t make the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up at attention.
My phone buzzes and I excuse myself to look at it. I lie that I’m waiting to hear from Regina about a call. But I’m stalling. Waiting for a sign on what the right decision is at the last minute of my self-imposed deadline.
I can’t stop thinking about you. Nico. My pulse quickens and I feel my palms start to sweat. I finally realize that all the lists I’ve made didn’t help me decide because they’ve been about William and the problem isn’t with William. It’s me. I don’t feel what I should feel about him, no matter how hard I want to.
I set my phone aside and don’t respond to the text. William reaches for my hand and I pull it back. I force my eyes from the table and look up at William. He sees what I’m thinking in my face. He’s a good attorney, knows how to read people, especially me. I finally stop stalling and make my decision. Even if Nico isn’t the one for me, William isn’t either and I’m not being fair to him.
Twenty minutes later I’m back in my car. Of course William was a perfect gentleman about it when I told him I couldn’t see him anymore. I’m not sure if it just didn’t upset him or if he’s good at covering his emotions. Either way, I’m wearing mine on my sleeve tonight. I’m going to put myself out there emotionally for the first time in ages. I’m scared, but excited at the same time.
In my car, I take out my phone to respond to Nico, but then put it away and decide to take a leap of faith. The restaurant is only ten minutes from Nico’s place. I drive with my head in a cloud, thinking about what I will say when I get there. He can’t stop thinking about me. I can’t stop thinking about him. Where it will take me I’m unsure, but maybe I can really give it a try. It’s the first time I even want to try.
I’m happy and excited the whole drive to his place. But when I arrive, I’m suddenly nervous. I think about sitting in my car for a few minutes and regaining my composure, but I know I’m stalling and if I give myself time to overthink it I’ll probably leave. I’m doing this. I walk briskly to the door and ring the bell and wait. Long minutes pass and I’m just about to turn around and chicken out when the door opens.
“Did you forget your key?” Nico is buttoning the top of his pants as he speaks and doesn’t look up right away. His hair is wet and he has no shirt or shoes on. I’m silent and I don’t move. My feet are stuck to the ground as I take in his naked chest for the first time.
“Elle?” Nico looks up and finds me standing there instead of whoever he was expecting.
I open my mouth to begin to speak, but a voice from behind me takes me by surprise. A woman’s voice. “Hey.” I turn. She’s beautiful. The woman standing behind me is smiling and beautiful. My chest tightens and I feel a huge knot in my throat. Then she turns to Nico. “You going to just stand there, or are you going to be a gentleman and take the packages so I don’t drop one?”
Nico takes the bags and the woman turns to me. “Sometimes you have to hit this one over the head to get him to snap out of it.” She smiles and tilts her head to the side, assessing me. “I’m Lily.”