Page 37 of Mateo & Nicole

And he’d been the one to make that happen.

17

Nikki

It had been a month of Mateo outwardly showing her affection.

Thirty days of attention from the man she’d secretly had a crush on in her formative years.

And no sign of him changing his mind—no sign of him losing interest.

As much as Nikki had been waiting for Mateo to prove he was like most of the men in her life, she had to admit he wasn’t showing any signs of heading in that direction. He wasn’t as shallow as she’d thought. Even though he’d dated women who could have been models in another life, he genuinely seemed to care for her despite her not being anything like those women.

It had gotten to the point that Nikki couldn’t deny that Mateo was even more perfect than she’d built him up to be in her mind.

And the way he was with Paxton?

She could have thrown herself at Mateo and begged him to be hers forever just for that alone.

Every time she turned around, she found her son watching Mateo with awe and a smidge of determination. Nikki could see just how much Paxton looked up to this man—this cowboy who had become a sort of superhero all on his own—and she suspected he didn’t even know.

Her eyes locked with his across the small expanse of property as he sat beside Paxton on a bale of hay. They were working on knot tying, which was more than a little difficult seeing as Paxton still struggled with his arm to his chest. The good news was that his bone had healed rather quickly. Apparently, children’s bones could do that better than those of an adult. Nikki couldn’t be more grateful.

Mateo smiled at her, and a rush of heat rippled through her body. He wasn’t outwardly affectionate with her more than their quiet moments of chatting, but there had been more than one occasion where she’d met him in the kitchen after Paxton had gone to bed. And she couldn’t forget the way he’d pulled her into the kitchen when no one was there so he could steal a kiss.

When he smiled at her like that, all she could think about was how good it felt to be wrapped in his arms.

There was just one thing holding her back, and she wasn’t proud of it.

Mateo still wouldn’t confide in her about Caroline beyond what he’d said at the Country Club. He didn’t want to hear about her or talk to Nikki about anything related to her. Nikki couldn’t help but wonder if he still harbored feelings for Caroline. Was there a chance he was suppressing those feelings for Nikki’s benefit? For him to hold onto that pain for so long had to mean something.

The thought made Nikki’s stomach twist uncomfortably. She could imagine all her organs bunching together and cowering from the part of her that knew they needed to air out those memories. It would be smart, right? Mateo should be capable of telling Nikki he was past the pain and heartache.

And if he wasn’t?

She pushed down the negative thoughts as she tore her eyes from the man she had grown to love more than she wanted to admit. She hadn’t told him—mostly because she was terrified. She didn’t want to jinx what they had that was going so well.

The more she thought about Caroline, the more the woman haunted her. Nikki hadn’t heard from the woman in so long, and yet she still infiltrated her thoughts and made it difficult for Nikki to truly enjoy what she had.

She could already imagine what Caroline would do if she heard about Nikki’s budding relationship with her ex. She’d make a scene. Even though they weren’t friends anymore, Caroline would pull the “sisters before misters” pact they’d made in high school.

A sigh built up in Nikki’s chest. She wasn’t going to go there. Thinking about Caroline would only poison her heart, and she’d left that part of her life behind her. If Mateo wanted to keep Caroline out of their lives, who was she to argue?

“Hey,” a soft, deep voice murmured behind her ear. She gasped as two arms wrapped around her waist.

Nikki’s first thought was to look around them to make sure no one was watching, but apparently, Mateo had no such concerns. He pulled her back against his chest, and his warm breath sent goosebumps pebbling across her skin.

“Is everything okay?”

She pulled at his hands, breathless. “Mateo, you… what are we…” Her voice was lost when she felt him nibbling at the skin of her neck. “We… is this smart?” she whispered. “Anyone could see—Paxton?—”

“I’m tired of hiding what I feel for you,” he responded without hesitation. “We’ve been dancing around this relationship of ours, and I’m certain everyone knows anyway. No one has lodged any complaints. We might as well make it official.”

“What does that mean?” Her breath hitched in her chest as her grip on his arms relaxed and she allowed herself to lean into him. Whatever it was, she was ready. He was right. While sneaking around had its merits, she was more than willing to move on to the next phase of their relationship.

“My family is having a game night tonight.”

She stilled, attempting to turn in his arms, but his hold on her tightened. “Okay,” she drawled. “Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”

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