“Everything okay?”
Pocketing his phone, Nick looked up to see Maisie standing in the little archway that led to the kitchen. Fuck, she was so pretty. She could be beautiful—truly stunning—like the night he met her at Wes and Hailey’s wedding. She’d been in her element, dressed in a pale-green gown, all that gorgeous hair tucked up in a fancy twist, weaving in and out, taking her own photos unobtrusively. She could be cute as hell, like she was in a reindeer onesie or in a puffy jacket with her hair bundled under a hat and her cheeks rosy red from the cold.
But right now, standing in his shirt and a pair of loose-fit jogging pants, her hair down around her makeup-free face, there was such a light and sweetness to her it made his chest ache in a not-so-awful way. In a way that he wouldn’t mind feeling a lot more often.
She stepped closer.
“Nick?” His name was a whisper on her lips.
“Yeah, baby?”
Walking to him, she wrapped her arms around him, held him tight, and burrowed in. His arms went around her automatically, like that was their sole purpose in life, holding Maisie Smart.
“I know you have a lot going on,” she said quietly, somewhat muffled with her face against his chest. “I don’t want to add to the weight you’re carrying—”
He cut her off by pulling her away from him, still keeping her close so he could see her face. “You don’t add to it, Maze. Don’t think that. Don’t say that. I don’t think I’m an easy guy to be with on a good day but right now, these last several months, I’m the opposite of easy. Being with you, seeing you again and having you in my life this week has made me feel like I can breathe finally. The weight is still all there but it’s like seeing you helped me shuffle it around, put it in more manageable boxes. If I’m distant, if I’m difficult, it’s not you.”
She bit her lip like he knew she did when she was nervous. Putting his hand to her cheek, he used his thumb to pull it free, kissed that spot.
“I have to be at the arena day after tomorrow. I’d like to go out with you and your friends tonight. I’d like to see what you love about Seattle. And I’d like you to spend New Year’s Eve with me.”
She gazed up at him like she didn’t believe he was real. “Aren’t you working?”
“Whether I’m on the ice or not, it’s time. I need to be there. But it would mean a hell of a lot to me if you were there too.” Even as he said it, his phone buzzed again but he kept his focus on Maisie. He might be out of practice, or out of his depth with relationships in general, but he knew she needed to see the truth in his eyes.
Sliding her hands up his chest, she nodded. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
He lowered his head and took her in a kiss that pushed away everything around them. Everything but the two of them and the way they made each other feel. Nick could guess how he made Maisie feel, but as to how she affected him? It was like she’d found a way to shine a light into the darkness and it was helping him find his way.
Chapter Twenty-Three
MAISIE WATCHEDNICK’SREACTIONas he stepped out of the elevator car onto the glass deck at the top of the Space Needle. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d been here and still, it left her breathless. Watching someone else see it for the first time was thrilling. Also thrilling? Him holding her hand the entire ride up, keeping her next to him like he didn’t want to be too far away. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, imagining ways this could play out in her favor. There was so much they had to sort through and sort out if they had a chance. She wanted that chance more than she could remember ever wanting anything.
Nick whispered under his breath. She didn’t catch the words, but she caught the tone, and it said everything she felt when she looked out at Seattle. The sun was shining, giving the city she loved an extra glow.
“This is unbelievable.” He kept her hand in his as they moved to the outer edge.
There was so much to take in: the water with the sun glittering off it, the mountains glistening with fresh snowcaps, the city itself, laid out like a concrete maze. Sometimes, when she was feeling lonely or uninspired, Maisie came up here and just listened to others, while taking in the view.
“This is extremely underrated,” Nick finally said. He pulled her in front of him, fit her back to his front like she was made to be in that spot. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
“It’s not the Louvre or Empire State Building but it’s pretty remarkable,” Maisie said, leaning into him. “What’s your favorite place you’ve ever visited?”
His chin rested on her head and it felt like such a couple moment, she wanted to do a little dance but she settled for doing it only in her head.
“I love Colorado. It’s beautiful. There’s a little island off of Spain I spent a couple weeks on. That was amazing. How about you?”
“I was pretty partial to New York. I lived there for a year, did the fashion circuit. The city is incredible and just never stops. But I’m happy here. Not that I wouldn’t jump at spending a few weeks on a beach somewhere warm, but Seattle has been good to me.”
Nick hummed low in his throat, the tip of his nose traced the outer shell of her ear. “On this beach, are you wearing a very barely there bikini?”
Maisie snort laughed before she could stop herself. “Highly unlikely.”
“Way to stomp on my fantasy,” he said, his chin dipping so he could kiss just under her ear.
Tilting her head to give him more room, she ran one hand along his jacketed forearm. “Okay, we’ll combine fantasies then. I’m in a bikini but I look like Margot Robbie.”
Nick’s arms tightened. “You’d look gorgeous in a bikini just as you are.”