Page 41 of To Love and Protect
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Yeah, so one thing Nico wasn’t about to do was go days without laying eyes on Remedie. That shit was all the way dead. When he woke up yesterday morning with a text from her saying she was at Isla’s and that she just needed a minute, he lost his mind. He had a bone to pick with her, and then he had a bone to give to her so they could make up and live their happily ever after. But first, he had business to take care of.
After checking in with Gramps, he wasted no time calling his realtor. It took all day and a ton of money, but he finally accomplished his mission. Now, it was early as hell in the morning, and he was on his way to get his woman.
“She really thought this shit was cool,” Nico mumbled as he took a right down Isla’s street. He had been muttering to himself nonstop since he got that text the previous morning. Frustration had him laced up tightly, but he swallowed it down. “It’s gon’ be aight.”
He quickly put his car in park and then turned it off before getting out. His knuckles rapped loudly on the door, and he pulled the little bit of patience he had left up out of him as he waited for someone to answer the door.
When he heard the locks twisting, he relaxed slightly. Isla appeared in the doorway, and after a brief moment of shock, she smirked. “Aw shit. Someone’s in trouble.”
Nico nodded curtly. “Where she at?”
“Come on.” Isla waved him in, and he followed behind her. He appreciated that she didn’t appear to be afraid of him after what she’d witnessed. He made a mental note to thank her for being there for Remedie when he couldn’t and for helping with the cleanup after he murdered a man. Isla was a real one. He was glad Remedie had her in her corner. “Rem, you got company.”
Remedie lay on the small couch with a box of Kleenex sitting beside her. She watched the TV absently, but her eyes closed tightly when Isla spoke. He knew she knew exactly who was there for her.
“Nico . . .” she whispered with her eyes still closed.
“Get your stuff, cookie. I gotta show you somethin’.” It was all Nico could say. He had been irritated that she left him without having the decency to have a conversation with him first, but when he laid eyes on her, his anger evaporated. Remedie always had a way of centering him. One look at her reminded him that he had no space to be irritated with her for how she chose to process his actions.
Remedie didn’t put up a fight. He watched as she opened her eyes and slowly got up. She didn’t make eye contact with him, but she gathered her things and then disappeared down a short hall.
Isla chose that moment to speak up. “Go easy on her. She’s been goin’ through it.”
“It’s whatever she needs. I just needed to lay eyes on her. I can’t handle this distance shit.”
Isla snorted. “It’s only been a day.”
“I’m barely able to handle an hour.”
Silence stretched between them before Isla shook her head, but he saw a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “You got it real bad.”
“Like Usher.” Nico agreed. There was no use in denying it. He needed Remedie like a homeless man needed to wash his ass. Real bad.
It didn’t take long for Remedie to come back out into the living room with a bag. Nico walked toward her and grabbed it. He wanted to demand she look at him, but he played it cool. He didn’t want to force her into anything. He just wanted things to go back to how they were. He didn’t have to force her into falling for him, so he wasn’t about to force her into anything else.
He stood back while Remedie and Isla said their goodbyes. They whispered among each other before they separated, and Remedie glanced up at him before brushing past him.
Isla gave him a pointed look. “Take care of her.”
Nico nodded.
Outside, he helped Remedie get into the car before he put her bag in the backseat and got in as well. The ride to their destination was silent. Nico was okay with that because the silence didn’t feel tense. It just felt like neither of them knew what to say.
When they pulled up into the driveway of the house next door to his, Remedie looked around in confusion before she finally spoke to him. “You pulled into the wrong driveway.”
Nico leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Thank you for sharing your voice with me.”
He didn’t wait for her response before he got out of the car. When he let her out, he didn’t allow her time to ask any questions. He guided her toward the front door and used the key to get in.
Once inside, he looked around with pride as she looked around in confusion. “Nico, what’s going on?”
“I ain’t good with all this space and distance, Remedie. Since you came into my life, all I think about is you, man. I don’t know what kind of voodoo you put on me, but I can’t handle not having you around. This ain’t the ideal situation, but it’s the best I can think of. You need space? You got it. This home is yours.”
Remedie’s jaw dropped. “Oh, no . . . Nico?—”
“I’ll have a key so I can come lay eyes on you from time to time,” he continued, like he didn’t hear her speak. He paced the length of the foyer as he rambled. “I promise not to abuse the shit, but I need to know where you are at all times, and I need to be able to see you, cookie. When you decide you’re ready to come backhome, then I’ll have a skyway built.”
