Page 84 of Fractured

“Kat, you’ll go broke tipping me every time I come. You’re too generous.” He starts to laugh. “But if you really want to, just double up tomorrow.” Winking at me, he gets back into his van and waves goodbye. This kind young man of about twenty has been to my home nearly every day for weeks. His deliveries always come with a smile and add to the opulence that now decorates my home. I’ve seen more of Bernie and Nick than anyone else lately. I’d asked everyone I knew to give me some space. They were hesitant until I shared Nick would be with me, and then they suddenly agreed, wanting me to have the time I needed with a man they respected.

As I walk through my front door, I start to look about my small home. Where is there left to put these?

“Hey, beautiful.” I hear as someone sneaks up beside me and wince, not at the voice but the statement. I’ll never be able to shake its connection to Gabe. It was his typical greeting, both in person and over the phone, and knowing how insincere it was, unconsciously makes me cringe. I look up to see Nick staring down at me with a myriad of emotions painting his handsome face.

“It’s starting to look like a funeral parlor in here.” I laugh.

“No. It looks like a rose garden.”

I briefly gaze up at this generous, over-the-top man before returning to my hunt. “Ah.” I sigh, having found a spot on a small library table near the fireplace to place his latest fragrant gift. I feel him come up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

“I love seeing you surrounded by them. It reminds me of my mom and dad.”

Surprised at the statement, I rotate in his strong arms so I can see his stunning face. “What do you mean?”

“Mom loved roses. She had a beautiful rose garden. You could always find her there. It was like her special place.” He leans down to kiss me on the head. “My dad said there was nothing more beautiful in all the world than my mother surrounded by her roses.”

“Oh, Nick, that’s so sweet.”

“Kitten?”

“Yes?

“What was that look for?”

“What look?”

“Earlier, when I first came in. Have I done something?”

Clutching this thoughtful, insightful man tighter, I place gentle kisses on his throat. “Of course not.” I take his hand and walk him to the couch. “Nick, my ex was a real tool. Well, all of them were, but he took the prize by a mile. We were together for years. He was always super charismatic, but I found out it was all for show. He was cheating on me the entire time, right under my nose. He’d lie straight to my face, having been with someone right before coming to me. Anyway, that was his standard greeting for years. I know you aren’t him, but whenever I hear it, well…”

Swiping my hair from my face, Nick lifts my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Kat, we both deserved better than what we got. I’ll try not to say it again. But it’ll be tough.” He moves his hand to stroke my hair. “How am I supposed to tell you how beautiful you are if I can’t say it?”

“You show me every day, Nick. Trust me.” I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his muscular torso. “Besides, it’s just that phrase ‘Hey, beautiful’ I can’t stand. I’ve never minded when you called me beautiful girl or any of the other ways you’ve said it.”

“Good to know.” We sit, holding each other. It honestly feels like a dream. Or something from an over-the-top Hallmark movie. Resting in his strong arms, listening to his adoring words, surrounded by what seems like thousands of roses in a variety of colors and presentations. Some are in full bloom, while others have tight buds. There are tiny rose bushes and single stem vases.

“You know you can’t keep this up, right?”

Pulling back from me, he looks into my face. “What?”

“The flowers. You can’t keep this up. I’ll either run out of room, or they’ll run out of roses.” I can’t help but snicker at this conversation.

“Ah, Ms. Kelly. No one has informed you. I’m the last person you want to challenge on anything. It’ll be my personal mission to see to it that I keep this up. We’ll just have to start transplanting them into your yard.” He winks. Bending down, he places a kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Now, get up and make me some lunch, woman. I have to get back to work.”

* * *

“Hey, I know we still have a few weeks, but Christmas is coming. Have you thought about what you want to do?” Nick asks as we scroll through Hallmark Christmas movies on Prime. It’s the weekend, and he has elected to spend it with me around a quick lunch date with his dad and Gavin for pizza tomorrow.

“I’m not really in the holiday spirit.”

“I know, Kat, but things are getting better day by day.”

I take a fortifying breath, put down the remote, and turn to him. “Nick. I need to tell you something.”

I observe his relaxed facial features become taught.

“December isn’t my favorite month. A few years ago, I somehow became pregnant despite using the pill and condoms. I not only lost the baby, but that’s how I lost my first ovary. I had an ectopic pregnancy, and they tried but just couldn’t save my ovary.

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