Page 73 of Never and Always
Epilogue
Eight monthslater
The fresh,languid air filled Mia’s lungs as they sped along the highway. It was a wonderful day and the summer breeze brought with it that sense of relaxation andtranquility.
They had The Red Hot Chili Peppers latest album playing. Nick said it was good road trip music, and she definitelyagreed.
She just wished she knew where he was takingher.
He often came up with these wild ideas and she’d end up somewhere amazing. The last time she thought they were going on a weekend break to New York, the man took her to Paris. He did all sorts of things like that for her and she got the feeling today would be nodifferent.
They’d been driving for a few hours now, but the drive was great because they always enjoyed each other’s company. They’d both gotten very busy with work. Him more than her because his business took off the minute he got more organized. Sometimes he’d be travelling all over the country working on differentcases.
As for her, she was probably about another two years away from reaching her goal. When she started looking into things properly and got an idea of cost, she realized she was going to be working a little bit longer than she hoped. But it wasfine.
Her family annoyed her daily with their offers to help, but she still refused and insisted that she didn’t want to fall back into old habits. It was better this way and she’d feel like she’d earned it. She still didn’t have any idea where she’d base the business, but the constant thing in her mind was she knew what shewanted.
Nick knew, too. She enjoyed talking about her dreams with him. He kept her going and, surprisingly, Glenn didtoo.
Things improved dramatically between them all after the night he came to apologize. It was clear that what was missing before was respect. With that added element, it made him a better brother to her and a better friend toNick.
However, she could still see that there was some element of hurt that Nick felt when they were all together. He seemed to be working on it, though, because he made the effort to see Glenn, regardless of how busy hewas.
She looked over at him, sitting next to her with that sexy grin on his face. He’d had the same self-satisfied look since yesterday, keeping some sort of secret he wouldn’t share. He’d simply came up to her and told her they were going on a roadtrip.
It wasn’t how they usually spent their Saturdays but she thought hey, why not? They were always doing differentthings.
“Are we going to Canada?” she giggled. They were inMichigan.
The gorgeous lake was to their left. She’d had the privilege of admiring it from about two hoursago.
“No, baby, we are not going to Canada,” helaughed.
“India, are we driving to India? You crazy man.” She widened her eyes and looked at him. He laughed evenmore.
“Baby, I told you I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise. If I tell you I’ll spoilit.”
“Nick, we’ve been driving for three hours. I’m going crazy.” She winced. “Do you want me to go crazy and lose my mind. I could end up doing weird things like collecting carrots, or toothpicks.”
“Baby, you’re already crazy, over me,” hechuckled.
“Yes I am,” she smiled. “Nick, come on, give me a hint. At least tell me how much farther we haveleft.”
“Okay, we’re nearly there.” He smiled widely, enhancing his gorgeousdimples.
“Nearly?” She looked around and wondered how far nearly was and where were they going. Where they were now was absolutely beautiful. She’d never driven this way before. It had that cool vibe she felt when she did her work, like back in Florida but with a more chilledpace.
“Twentyminutes.”
“Okay. I’ll survive for twentyminutes.”
Twenty minutes later they verged off the highway and into the country roads that verged out to the woodlands, closer to the lake. The place was so beautiful she forgot the long journey and focused on thesurroundings.
Nick stopped in a park area surrounded with oak wood and those foreboding sequoia trees. She smiled as they got out of the car and went over to him to take hishand.
“What is this placeNick?”
“Come on. This is just the start of it. You’ll love it,” he promised, tugging on herhand.
