Page 31 of Almost Paradise

“You never set a date because of Nia.”

“Hannah, Nia and I have been over for four years. I wasn’t ready to get married,” I tell her.

“Then why did you propose? Why did you slip a ring on her finger if you weren’t ready to get married?”

“The answer should be obvious,” I tell Hannah.

“You’re right. It should be, but I don’t see it. Not with you and Scarlett. You and Nia are another story.”

I roll my eyes at her and let out a breath. I stand to leave, but she jumps in front of me.

“You’ve never seen me and Nia together other than a couple of pictures. You didn’t know she existed until a few minutes ago.”

“You’re right, and what I saw in those pictures, Drake?” She fans herself. “On you and Scarlett’s best day, you two are like a bowl of lukewarm soup.”

I chuckle at that. I won’t tell her, but I’ve never shared the kind of passion I shared with Nia with anyone else. Not before and not after. That kind of inferno can only happen once in a lifetime.

“Lukewarm soup? Okay, Han.” I step around her and head for the door but she runs ahead of me and leans against it.

“But you and Nia? A volcano waiting to erupt.” I put my hands on her waist and lift her out of the way. “Answer me this. Why did you finally set the wedding date?” She takes both of my hands in hers and waits. “Be honest with me.”

“When I told Scarlett about Carter, she insisted. She said it’s unfair to ask her to play the role of stepmother if we’re not married.”

Hannah nods in understanding. “Ah, yes. Leverage,” she says.

“She wants to get married now in a civil ceremony,” I confess. “But I—”

“You refuse,” she finishes for me. “What she’s asking for is not unreasonable, Drake. What you need to ask yourself is why you’re refusing to give her what she wants. Answer another question for me,” she says.

“What is it?”

“If it was Nia who ran out of here upset the way Scarlett did, would you have gone after her?”

Chapter 21

Drake

Would I have gone after Nia? That question is still mulling around in my head the next morning. I would. I have. Those first few weeks after she broke up with me, all I did was try and go after her, but she was gone. Gone on a work retreat that suddenly happened. I was ready to abandon the project I was leading in Berlin to get to her, but I had no idea where she was. No one would tell me. It was as if she had disappeared.

All I got from her were a few emails saying it was over and what we had, had run its course. I was still going to go, but Dad showed up the night before I was to leave due to an emergency on the project. Two weeks later, she resigned, but before that, she sent a text saying she was done and didn’t want me to contact her again.

Hannah was right about one thing. Being with Scarlett is like being stuck in a lukewarm shower. It does what it’s supposed to do, but you don’t enjoy it as much. Being with Nia was too hot. Too much steam. Too much fire. It consumed us both, so maybe we were doomed to fail. No fire can burn indefinitely.

Scarlett stirs next to me. It’s the wee hours of the morning, and I haven’t slept at all. She started the night in the guestroom, and when she came to bed a few hours ago, I pretended to be asleep.

Hannah’s thoughts weigh heavy on my mind, and I’m brought back to our first time.

Then

I’ve been thinking of her nonstop since she ran from my office last week. I’ve only gotten a glimpse once since, and I couldn’t focus on her like I wanted to. She was ahead of me and running into the building. She was with a group, but her rich laughter reached my ears and stayed with me all day.

Dad insists we eat lunch in the company cafeteria. He thinks that will make him approachable. Just like one of the guys, he joked earlier that day. Of course, he makes us sit in the middle of the damn lunchroom after getting our food.

I stop mid-chew when I see her. She’s on the other side of the large room using the microwave. She’s with two other women I remember meeting on my first day, and they all work in HR. She’s giggling at something one of the women says. She’s in a pair of white tailored pants and a bright blue jacket.

“What are you looking at?” Dad asks. He cranes his neck to look behind him, but luckily her back is to us, and there’s a big group of people congregating around the microwaves.

“Nothing. Just thinking of everything I need to do.”

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