“Yes, thank you. And no, thank you. I’ll stay behind the camera. I’m so proud of you,” she told him.
“Us. We did this. You’ve helped every step of the way.” His arms squeezed.
Maisie shook her head. “Nope. You used your powers for good because you’re incredible.”
Nick lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly, taking his time even though he needed to go greet the reporter, who was not only a friend of his but a colleague.
He’d been doing weekly appearances as a sports analyst onSeattle Sounds Off, a local television show. In addition to that, he had two other guest spots as an analyst, but both of those were remote, so he did those from the room he’d turned into an office. It was right next to the room they’d turned into a studio for her. In their house. That they both loved.
Nick pulled back and smiled at her, his eyes filled with love, and Maisie knew she’d never get tired of seeing it. It amazed her that this man was all hers and that he returned her feelings. She supposed anyone who found their person felt this way, but sometimes she’d just sit and stare at his photo in her studio, the first one she’d ever taken of him. He teased her for putting it up, but he had several of her in his office.
“You’re part of everything I do. You made me feel like this was not only possible but a good idea.”
“Nick,” Ethan called from across the lawn.
“Go,” she whispered to Nick, kissing his chin. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
She watched his long stride eat up the grass as he walked to greetthe reporter and camera man. Natalie came up beside her, handed her a water.
“You know you wake up next to him every day, right?” her sister asked with a smile in her tone.
Maisie took the water but leaned in and kissed the top of Mari’s—her sweet baby niece—head. Only six weeks old, she smelled of baby powder and goodness, her down hair soft against Maisie’s lips.
“Your mommy acts tough but she’s just as obsessed with your daddy,” she told her niece.
“You’re not wrong. Kyle gets up every night with me just to make sure I’m settled and his girls have everything they need. Sometimes he just sits beside me and waits so we can go back to bed together. How could I not be obsessed?”
Maisie tipped her head onto her sister’s shoulder. Her family had all shown up today for Nick’s event. Ellie and Asher were visiting for a few days as well, but they’d head out tonight because Ellie promised her son a trip to The Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark. She was on the other side of the lawn, chatting with Lexi’s mom, which made Maisie happy.
Today had been in the works for months and so many of his athlete friends were here, supporting the amazing cause. Nick had started what he hoped would be an annual golf tournament with all proceeds going to Sports Mind, a foundation that offered guidance, counseling, and workshops for high school athletes. One of the reasons Nick became a spokesperson for the foundation was that he felt like he’d have had a better chance facing his anxiety as an adult if he’d recognized the symptoms and signs, learned strategies to deal with them, as a teen.
Maisie just remembered Nick telling her that when he made a decision, he was all in, and today was one more example of that.
“Hey,” Lexi said, walking toward them in a flowy, floral-patterned dress. Her hair was loosely and elegantly piled on top of her head.Her diamond sparkled in the sunlight. She and Will had set a wedding date for November. Maisie would be the maid of honor. Lexi stopped in front of them, running a hand gently over Mari’s head. “She’s such a good baby. You should be taking photos, not standing around mooning over your niece, staring at your boyfriend and wondering when you’ll have his babies.”
Natalie’s snort laugh startled the baby but she rubbed a hand over her back in the front carrier. Maisie poked Lexi in the shoulder, adjusting the strap of her camera.
“Someone is bossy. And closer to riding the baby train than me.”
A smitten smile graced Lexi’s face as she looked around for Will. He was standing with Ethan, watching Nick give his interview. It was great promotion for Side Tap as well. Not that they needed it. With the second location, Lexi was spread thin and they were in the process of hiring more staff.
“Yeah, I am. How’d we get here?” Lexi asked, her gaze still on Will.
“Luck,” Natalie said, staring at Kyle.
Timing, luck, connection. Who knew what the formula was for meeting the one. Maisie hadn’t thought it was in the cards for her but she was so grateful to have been wrong. So grateful she’d gone to Hailey’s wedding and taken a chance on a one-night stand just over a year ago. Sometimes it was the least-likely path, one a person didn’t even know they were wandering down, that led them home.
MAISIEPULLED ON Apair of sleep shorts and a tank top. It’d been a perfect day. And now, she and Nick had a date with the big-screen television he’d insisted on mounting over the fireplace in their bedroom. They’d been trading off movie and show favorites. He’d gotten her to watchYellowstone, the Transformer movies—she liked the one with Mark Wahlberg—andMystery, Alaska. Her picks, sofar, includedSuits,The Rookie, andDefinitely, Maybe. Tonight they’d rock, paper, scissors who got to choose next.
Rubbing lotion on her arms, she let herself sink into the happiness she felt. Over the last several months, they’d attended events for the foundation and other commitments Nick had previously made. Maisie loved dressing up, especially with Nick at her side, and always enjoyed people watching. However, of all the things they did together, her favorite was just snuggling up to each other in their ginormous bed, the sound of the water lapping outside the patio doors off their bedroom, watching a show and just being together. Simple. Sweet. Perfect.
Nick was sitting in bed when she came into the room. His hair looked darker in the dimmed lighting. His worn Guardians shirt made Maisie smile.
“How was your shower?” He sat back against the padded headboard.
“Not as good as when you’re in it but pretty wonderful. You get everything done you needed to do?” She crawled up onto the bed and made her way to the crook of his arm. When they’d gotten home, he told her he had a few things he needed to deal with.
