Page 25 of To Love and Protect
“What about for dessert?” Nico asked, looking directly into her eyes as he sat back and cocked his legs slightly.
Remedie’s eyes widened, and he bit back a laugh. He loved toying with her. He didn’t swoop in to save her to make her more comfortable. Nico was the type to sit back and watch them squirm a bit.
“Uh . . .” She flipped the menu over, obviously searching for the dessert. When she didn’t find any, probably because it was on a fancy cart somewhere for them to present later, her face flushed. “I’m . . . not sure.”
Nico hummed his response while maintaining eye contact. Remedie was lucky. The server saved her when he stepped up to the table to present the specials and take their drink order. It didn’t surprise Nico that Remedie ordered wine. He opted for the top shelf whiskey on the rocks. Since it was his last day before training started again, he figured he’d go crazy that night.
“What got you into boxing?” Remedie quickly asked as soon as the server left.
She wasn’t slick. Nico knew she was only trying to control the conversation.
He smirked. “Gramps, honestly.”
“How old were you when you met him?”
“Too young to be in the streets, I’ll tell you that much. Only sixteen. I grew up seeing how hard my ma worked to make sure me and Ree was straight, and I wanted to help out. I startedhustling when I was young, but the hood don’t care about age. If I hadn’t met Gramps, I would still be huggin’ a block or some shit. What I do might still be illegal, but it gave me purpose.” Nico shrugged.
He’d never told anyone that before. He never felt the need to. The people closest to him lived it with him, but Remedie was different. He implored her to get to know him. Just because he’d never been in love before didn’t mean he thought he was unlovable. There was a lot to love about him, and he wanted her to see it all.
“What purpose?”
He liked that she didn’t ask her questions in a judgmental way. She genuinely looked curious, which only fueled his desire to be open with her.
He released a long breath and leaned forward. He pressed his elbows onto the table. “I grew up with a lot of anger. Nothing happened to me as a kid. Gramps thinks it’s ’cause I never knew my pops. I don’t know. Gramps must have sensed it within me, because he helped me channel it. It might not be legal, but it’s saved my life. Gramps saved my like, if I really think about it.”
Remedie mimicked him and leaned forward as well, pressing her elbows against the table as she rested her face in her hands. She looked fascinated with his story, which only made his head feel bigger. He loved when a pretty woman hung onto his every word. He loved it even more that the pretty woman was Remedie.
“How did Gramps know so much about underground boxing?”
Nico chuckled. “That nigga is the old champ. I got that shit honest. He passed everything he knew down on to me.”
Remedie’s eyes damn near bucked out of her head. “No way.” She giggled. “Gramps was the champ?”
“Hell yeah. Nigga might be old as dirt, but he had a whole lot of fight in him back in his day. Don’t ever get him started on the good old days. Fair warning. He won’t shut up for hours. Might even pull out some old tapes he carries around, even though nobody owns a VHS player anymore.”
Remedie giggled. “Oh my God, stop. He does not carry those around.”
“You think I’m lyin’?” he asked with a wide smile. “Take a peek into that briefcase next time you see him.”
She shook her head as she laughed. “Aw, poor man. He just wants to relive his youth.”
Nico nodded, and then his smile faltered. “Yeah, man. I don’t know what I’m going to do when he transitions. I love that man.”
Remedie reached across the table and grabbed his hands. “Hey, don’t think like that.”
“Kind of hard not to.” Nico squeezed her hands, loving the feel of them in his. They were so soft and dainty. “It’s a part of life, you know? I think about the shit with my mom too. I feel like it’s dumb not to think about things like that. Makes me appreciate the time I have with them.”
Remedie’s brows knitted as she zoned out. He watched her, wondering what she was thinking about. He wanted to ask, but he also didn’t mind watching her pretty mind work as she strung together her next words, so he waited patiently. Somehow, he knew she would speak about whatever had her go silent for a moment, and she did.
“I guess I never really had to think about it before. I never really had anyone to love. I mean, I have Isla, . . . but I never had parents or grandparents, people older than me that force me to think about those kinds of things, you know?”
That broke Nico’s heart. Nobody should grow up not having anyone to love. Nobody should grow up never knowing love. Maybe that was why he felt the need to give Remedie everyounce of his. Something in his soul connected with hers the moment he laid eyes on her and recognized that she’d been deprived. He wanted to be the one to fill that gaping hole she didn’t even know she had.
“Wine for the lady.” The server interrupted their moment as he placed the red wine down in front of Remedie. They pulled their hands apart, and Nico instantly missed the connection. “And whiskey for the gentleman. Are we ready to order?”
Remedie eyed Nico, and he nodded at her. “Go ahead and order for the both of us.”
When her eyes lit up, he knew he made the right call. He made a vow to allow her to order for him forever if she wanted. If it made her happy, he would sacrifice his comfortable eating habits.
