Healing Nicole (The Maynard Series Book 1), page 7
He waves at me and I do the unthinkable. I grab a banana from the fruit basket and wave it like a mad woman. His eyebrows shoot up just as Connor looks my way.
Did I just... Why did I... Why am I still... Oh fuck my life!
"Why are you wielding that banana like a weapon?" Angela asks, suddenly standing beside me.
"I..." What the hell am I supposed to say?
"Nikki?" Connor questions, a grin playing on his and Mace's lips.
The banana falls from my hand on the table and the soft thud makes the blush creep faster up my cheeks.
Can I just crawl under my desk and hide from this embarrassment for the next infinite time?
"Nikki agreed to help plan for Abby's party this weekend!" Angela says excitedly, saving me from the embarrassment that seemed to just have no freaking end.
"That’s great!" Mace and Connor say at the same time.
"Thanks Nikki, my brothers and I wouldn’t have a clue where to start organizing a party for a little girl," Connor tells me, his smile transforming his features. I have never noticed how incredibly attractive he actually is. With green eyes like Mace, thin lips, straight nose, not too short dark hair that's always styled to perfection, strong jaw line with a stubble trimmed Tony Stark style, Connor really is an eye-catch, but in my opinion he has nothing on the Adonis that's Mace.
"No worries," I reply, happy that everyone seems to have forgotten my awkward banana moment.
"I gotta run. Nikki, I'll come over to your place to start planning after you knock off?" Angela asks.
"Sure"
"Great! Come on Mace I need you help with some stuff," Angela says as she hooks her arm into Mace's.
"Bye banana girl," Mace teases as he winks at me.
"Oh no!" I unintentionally groan out loud, causing everyone to burst into a fit of laughter.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MACE
"Who are you sexting?" Connor asks before sipping on his coffee.
"I'm not sexting, jack-ass!" I shoot back.
"Really?" Chase chimes in. "It's 7AM on a Saturday morning and you're grinning like an idiot at your phone and there are no talks of wet panties? I call bullshit!"
"It's Abby's birthday, I have a reason to be grinning like an idiot as you so bluntly put it," I defend. They don’t need to know who I'm texting and why.
"I bet Nikki is the one brightening his morning like that," Connor says, hitting the nail right on the head.
I haven't seen Nikki since Tuesday because I've been crazy busy with work and she has been busy organizing today's party with my sister every night. So, we have been texting back and forth because I kind of get annoyed if I don’t speak to her in some form and that just means my employees have to walk on eggshells around me, which is not healthy for anyone.
Me: Need me to come pick you up?
I decide to text her instead answering my annoying brothers.
Banana Girl: Nope, Angela is picking me up in a few
Yes, I totally changed her name to Banana Girl after that incident of her waving at me with a damn banana on Tuesday. I have no idea why she did it but it was hilarious to watch and I loved seeing that blush creep up her face.
"I take your silence as confirmation," Connor laughs.
"Shut up and coffee me," I say while typing a response.
Me: Okay see you in a bit Banana Girl 😉
I burst out laughing when I glance down at her immediate response which is three little hand gestures. Did she seriously just flip me off?
"You got it, you got it bad..." Chase starts singing the Usher song out loud and Connor- the traitor that he is starts singing along.
"What in the actual fuck is wrong with you!?" I groan into my hands.
A little while later, my sister and Nikki arrive with a shit ton of decorations and we all get to work decorating the backyard. I have to say, Nikki and Ang thought of everything, Abby is going to love everything and have a lot of fun on those jumping castles and water slides.
By ten, everything is set and ready for the party that starts in about an hour. Connor walks out of the house carrying Abby, to show her the backyard and she squeals in excitement as she takes everything in. I swear I can see little stars of excitement swirling in her eyes.
"I love it daddy, I can't wait till all my friends come," Abby says, kissing Connor on the cheek.
"Come on princess, I want you to meet someone," Connor says as they approach Nikki and Ang who is standing by the table where the presents are supposed to go. Chase and I are standing not too far from them.
"Abby, this is Nicole, she and aunt Angy organized everything for today," Connor introduces Nikki who smiles at Abby.
"Thank you!" Abby says as Connor puts her down. She rushes to Nikki's side and gives her a hug.
"You're welcome," I can hear by the slight shake of Nikki's voice that she’s kind of nervous and caught off guard by Abby's hug. "Oh and happy birthday," she says, grabbing one of the presents that's already lying on the table beside them.
"Thank you!" Abby squeals again, accepting the wrapped gift. "Are you going to be my new mommy?" Abby asks out of freaking nowhere. Connor and I choke on air while Chase and Angela burst into a fit of laughter. And Nicole? Well I'm not sure if she remembers how to breathe.
"Um, n-no honey," Nikki's stutters her response.
"Aww," Abby says looking up at her father. "Daddy, can I have a mommy for my next birthday?" She continues to ask.
I know I shouldn’t smile, let alone laugh at my brother's expense but I just can't help it. It feels so damn good that the embarrassing and awkward question is not directed at me for a change.
"I...um... well," Connor stutters. "We'll see princess," he finally says.
"Mr. Maynard, the guests are starting to arrive," Jacky, the babysitter I just want Connor to fire says, suddenly standing behind us. Where in the hell did she come from and when did she get here?
"Okay sure, take Abby inside and show everyone in," Conner tells her.
"You still haven't fired her?" I ask my brother as soon as Jacky and Abby disappear into the house.
Connor groans before shaking his head. "Not yet,"
Nikki's phone rings and she fishes it out of her pocket before excusing herself to go answer at the far end of the backyard.
At first she looks confused when she checks the caller ID but then her face immediately transforms, sporting a look of utter pain. Her face has lost all color and I'm starting worry she's going to pass out or something.
I'm torn between going to her and finding out what the hell just happened and leaving her be. I quickly decide that I want to find out what's wrong or at least be there to try and bring a smile to her face.
With quick strides I approach her; "I'm happy for t-them," I hear her say to whoever she's talking to, her voice breaking at the last word.
After a slight pause, she speaks again. "I need to go ma, we'll talk later okay?" Oh, so she's talking to her mother? Did she just give her bad news?
"Hey, you okay?" I ask as soon as she ends the call.
"Shit sticks!" She curses softly, probably because I startled her. I love her weird way of cursing.
"Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,"
"No worries, and I'm fine," I'm anything but convinced. The shining of those tears in her eyes tells me otherwise.
"Hey, Mace!" My eyes widen at the feminine voice calling me.
"Fucking shit!" I curse under my breath causing Nikki to look at me like I just said pigs can fly. "Please save me," I whisper to a confused looking Nicole.
"Huh,"
"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend," Her eyes widen at my request but she doesn’t have the chance to answer because the she devil that makes my blood run cold has already reached us.
"Mace, hi." Caroline says in a voice she must think is seductive. She doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that I am standing with someone.
"Caroline," I nod, shoving my hands into my pockets because I'm not quite sure what the hell to do. Caroline is one of those persistent women who just doesn't want to get it through their damn head that I'm anything but, interested. I'm not even sure why the hell she is here today, she doesn’t have a kid.
"So, I waited for your call last week," she says in that NOT seductive voice that just creeps me the hell out.
"Babe, I think I'm going to need some help carrying some of the presents I brought for Abby, will you come help?" Nikki says beside me as she places a hand on my bicep suggestively. A wide smile tugs at my lips because she’s playing along
The she-devil finally looks at Nikki. The scowl forming on her face makes me nervous, will she do something stupid? One can never know what these crazy women can do sometimes.
"Babe?" Caroline's tone is full of disgust as she asks. “I wasn’t aware you were seeing someone Mace,”
"Well now you are, this is Nicole, my girlfriend." I tell her as I wrap my arm around Nikki's waist, pulling her closer to my body.
Fuck, she fits perfectly into me. My dick jerks a little at the thought.
"Girlfriend?" I swear, the word sounds like a damnation coming from this woman's lips.
I'm about to say something when Nikki beats me to it. "You have a problem with that?" Nikki's challenge shocks the hell out of me.
"I-"
"Oh wait, I don’t really care," Nikki cuts whatever Caroline was going to say short.
Holy shit! Nicole Parker has got some feistiness! Fucking HOT.
"You coming babe?" Nikki asks, getting out of my hold and walking past a stunned Caroline.
"Yeah," I answer chuckling a bit.
The backyard is now full of kids playing everywhere and some of their parents sitting on the garden set, that was set up especially for them. Nikki and I make out way into the house and I lead her up the stairs.
"Thanks for that," I tell her, rubbing the back of my neck as we stand in front of Abby's bedroom door.
"You're welcome," she says, looking up into my eyes. My smile falls when I notice the cloud of emotion in her blues.
"I didn’t know you could be that feisty," I smile.
"Was it a bit too much?" Her eyes widen as she asks.
"Nope, it was just enough. I'm just impressed and happy to have learned something new about you," I tell her honestly. She is wearing a white blouse that hangs down one shoulder so it’s easy to spot the blush creeping up her neck. I follow the blush trail to her face and my eyes land on her light pink colored lips.
Damn, do those lips look inviting. I bet they're soft and she tastes divine. I'm about to lean in when a soft frustrated groan comes from within Abby's room. Nikki and I both look at the door before I open it.
"Princess, why aren't you out partying?" I ask.
"Cierra gave me these weird thingies and I've been trying to open this one but I can't, so I came to my room so the other kids don’t think I'm stupid," she huffs.
"How about you go play with the other kids and I'll have it open for you before bed?"
"Thank you, uncle Mace!" She says skipping out the room.
"What is that?" Nikki asks studying the plain white cylinder in my hand.
"No idea wh- Motherfucker!" I curse when I finally pop the lid of the cylinder open. Some type of spring shoots out followed by a shit ton of glitter right in my face. Nikki jumps back.
"Oh my, is that..." She doesn’t even finish her sentence when she bursts out laughing.
"This is not funny Nikki," I tell her, trying to dust the glitter from my face and hair but it’s like I'm just rubbing the damn sparkling little fuckers all over me.
Fuck!
"It looks like a unicorn farted all over your face," She says, her hysterics refusing to die down.
Without meaning to, I join her in her laughter. What can I say? Her laughter is beautifully contagious, I can't help it. I can't help feeling a sense of accomplishment either, seeing that there is no sign of sadness anywhere on her face.
"What's going on?" Chase asks as he stands in the doorway. One look at me and he's also losing his shit laughing so hard that he clutches his sides.
"Mace. Just got. Glitter bombed!" Nikki tells my brother through her laughter, causing Chase to laugh even louder.
It's going to be frustrating as hell to get all this glitter out of my hair but I think I would totally do it over and over again if it means Nicole will laugh like that every time. Her laughter makes it all worth it!
CHAPTER TWELVE
NICOLE
The day is finally over, all the kids and their parents have left and I am exhausted. All in all this day turned out not too bad. Except for the phone call I got from my mother about Donald and Gabby expecting their first child, I rather enjoyed myself. The big fat cherry on top of a wonderful day was the fact that Abby enjoyed her party and that Mace got glitter bombed.
"I wasn’t sure what to get Abby, so I got her the SIMS game. Hope that's okay," I say looking at Connor as we all sit in the living room with some drinks and leftover snacks.
"Really? That’s actually awesome, she has been nagging for one for some time now but I just haven't had the chance to go get it for her," I breathe a sigh of relief at Connor's answer because I wasn't sure if Abby was allowed games like that.
"Great," I say. "I should probably get going, thanks for having me." I grab my purse before standing.
"I'll take you home," Mace offers, quickly standing up as well.
"No, thank you for helping organize the party, Abby really had a lot of fun." Connor says, also standing from his seated position. He surprises me by embracing me in a hug. I awkwardly hug him back. Chase also stands and embraces me in a hug, so does Angela.
"You ready?" Mace asks.
"Yip, bye guys." I wave at everyone else as Mace and I make our way out.
"Bye!" They all say in unison.
Mace and I are quiet for the first few minutes of our drive back to my place. I decide to break the silence.
"Can I ask what happened to Abby's mom?" I finally ask the question that has been on my mind since that gorgeous little girl with brunette long hair and bright green eyes asked me if I was going to be her new mommy.
I have to say, I was not expecting a question like that, I had no idea what to answer and I was so embarrassed because no kid has ever asked me that before.
"Um short version is that, Connor got his ex-girlfriend pregnant and she just wasn’t ready to become a mother." He says. "I'm sorry, it’s not really my story to tell."
"Oh," I can hear the disgust rolling off my tongue. There are so many people out there who lose their babies when some of those who get to keep them find it so easy to just up and leave. A single tear rolls down my cheek when I think back to my own loss.
"Hey, you okay?"
I wipe the tear away before answering; "Sorry, yeah I'm okay." Mace seems to think about it for a minute.
"Thanks for helping earlier with crazy Carrie," he smiles.
"Crazy Carrie?" I'm confused and have no idea what he's talking about.
"Caroline,"
"Oh, yeah sure no worries." I say.
We finally reach my house and Mace jumps out of his SUV and runs to open my door for me. He's such a gentleman. I don’t remember any man except for my father opening the door for me. Donald never did that or anything remotely romantic, hence I was sure he was going to propose to me when I got the text he wanted to take me to dinner. He never took me anywhere.
"Thanks," I say, climbing out. He walks me to my door and I unlock it.
"Thanks again for helping Nikki," he says standing inches from me in front of my now open door.
"It was my pleasure," I reply, looking up to find his emerald eyes full of fire, like they were when we stood in front of Abby's room earlier. The way he's staring at my lips, it’s like he's dying just to kiss me and to be honest I'm not sure I don’t want him to. Although we have only been texting this whole week, I can feel him knocking down all my walls piece by piece just by being who he is. The texting back and forth this past week has been absolutely amazing and has become the highlight of my days. I enjoy spending time with him so much because he just makes feel alive again.
"I should get inside," I say, my head inching toward him as his descends on mine instead of taking a step back like I know I should.
"Yeah," he answers, his hot breath tickling my lips as he gets closer and closer. I thought he was going to kiss me but his lips pass mine and lands a kiss on my cheek.
"Goodnight, Nikki," he says slightly pulling away, his lips are now dangerously close to my mine.
"Goodnight, Ma-" I don’t even get to finish saying his name when his soft lips lock with mine in a soft sensual kiss that make my toes curl. For a brief moment I kiss him back. He pulls back just as I begin asking myself what the hell it is I'm doing. This was not part of the plan!
"Goodnight," he says again before turning and leaving.
I step inside the house, closing the door behind me and absentmindedly touch my tingling lips. Did that really just happen? Why did I let it happen? It can never happen again, I will never survive a repeat of my heart getting shattered and the best way to make sure that it never happens again is to put a stop to it before it goes any further. It’s one thing to fantasize about Mace but making those fantasies a reality is a big NO.
My phone starts ringing at the exact time I pull it out of my purse to text Mace. Its him.
"Hello," I answer.
"Hey banana girl," he sounds kind of nervous. Does his nervousness mean he regrets kissing me? "About tonight, I'm sorry I-"
"Don’t worry about it Mace. I agree, it shouldn’t have happened and we can't ever let it happen again," I cut him off before he could tell me he's sorry for kissing me. I know I said that it was a mistake but deep down I enjoyed it and it felt just perfect. I just can’t let myself fall for him it goes against the promise I made myself before moving here.
Gah! I'm contradicting myself so much that I'm not even sure what I want anymore.
"Shouldn’t have happened?" Mace's voice is so low that I almost miss it.
