“You did this for me?”
I nod.
She slowly walks over to me and slides her arms around my waist. “This is way too much,” she whispers and buries her head into my chest.
I draw back and put my finger under her chin, urging her to look at me. The tears welling in her eyes is all the appreciation I need. “It’s not. I wanted you to have this.”
“But you know that I didn’t need this? I would have managed.”
I shake my head at her. “I know and that’s exactly why I wanted to give this to you. I know you’ll make your show a success. I’ve always believed in the adage ‘begin as you mean to go on.’”
“Thank you,” she murmurs into my chest, squeezing me tight.
“You’re welcome.”
I hold her as long as I can, already missing her, and I haven’t even left the damn state yet.
There’s a knock on the front door and I overhear Nikki answering it. “Hey, Pauline, come on in.”
I’m upstairs, packing my bags and wishing Nikki could come with me, but she has her job at the radio station and can’t give up her spot just to follow me around while I work on my career. I’d never expect her to do that.
“Are you going with him?” Nikki asks my mom.
I have no idea what my mom thinks of Nikki and me. Ever since she showed up here, she’s spent more time away from me than with me. I assumed she’d be all up in our business. While Nikki and I have gotten together with my mom a few times a week since she arrived, it feels to me like she’s carved out her own life here. Which seems odd, given that she’s only visiting.
“I think I might stick around here. I really enjoy your town,” my mom says.
“That’s great. Mandi said you’ve been a huge help to her.”
“I need to keep busy. I used to waitress some when Logan was growing up, so I don’t mind pitching in when she’s busy. Come by and I’ll read your tarot cards.”
That’s my cue to get downstairs. Who knows what those tarot cards will say, and I’m not about to put any more doubts in Nikki’s head just because some card that can be interpreted different ways turns up in her shuffle.
“Hey, Mom.” I drop my suitcase on the floor and catch Nikki’s gaze, diverting to it for a second. Yeah, this sucks.
“You’re leaving, I hear,” Mom says.
I nod. “I leave and the press comes with me.”
“You know, I did one of their tarot card readings the other night. I’m not sure who these people are, but they didn’t even know I’m your mom. How dense is that?” She shakes her head. “I may have fibbed a little about their future outlook.”
Nikki laughs. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You’re my daughter-in-law and they’re being intolerable.”
“Well, thanks.” Nikki glances at me. “Craig going too?”
“Yeah, the whole training group. I need them in Vegas.”
“Don’t go on one of those strict diets and turn into skin and bones. You need some fat on your body to block those punches.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
My mom runs her hand down Nikki’s arm. “Can I have a moment with my son?”
Nikki nods. “Of course, I’ll just be in the kitchen.”
Once Nikki’s gone and out of earshot, my mom signals for me to step farther away. “Are you sure you’re making the right decision? Just leaving like this?”
“They won’t bother her if I’m not here.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You can’t guarantee that. Plus, if she’s going to be your wife, this is a part of your life. Whenever you have something going on, she’ll have a camera in her face, pictures taken when she has no makeup on, and yeah, lies spread about you both. She might as well get used to it now.”
I tug on my mom’s sleeve to step even farther away so Nikki can’t hear me. “She will get used to it, but we haven’t even known one another that long. Trust takes time to build, and I’m trying to do this with baby steps to ease her into it. I’m not going to push her into the deep end of the pool and say sink or swim.”
“You’re protecting her.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “I am, and I’m not ashamed. We’ll get there, but not right now. This is the best decision for us at this point.”
She wraps her arms around my shoulders. “Okay, if you think so. I’ll be at your fight in a few weeks then.”
I understand what my mom is thinking, but things have progressed so fast for Nikki and me. If I let the press eat her up now, I might as well sign the divorce papers. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” She runs her hands down my back.
Craig comes to the door, the other trainers all loading their bags into the truck behind him.
“I’m going to say goodbye to Craig. I think Zoe might miss him.” Mom winks. I can already see her matchmaking skills hard at work.
“Remember, Craig lives in the lower forty-eight.”
“So, do you?” She raises her eyebrows, and I shake my head.
“Hey, Nik?” I call after my mom leaves.
She walks in, and I can already tell from the look in her eyes that this is going to suck.
I take her in my arms and kiss her forehead. “You’ll be so busy you won’t even notice.”
“Um… did you miss that we’re in Sunrise Bay, Alaska?”
“What did you do before me?”
She rests her chin on my chest and stares up at me. “I don’t remember. It feels like a lifetime ago.”
I nod. “I know how you feel. Going back to Vegas doesn’t seem like a good fit anymore.”
She rests her hands on my chest. “It is. It’s where you make your living.”
I cover her hands with mine. “So I’ll see you soon, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope you like phone sex, because it’s going to be a struggle without you being an arm’s length away.”
She giggles. “Maybe abstinence will help your training.”
I shake my head. “Nah. Overrated. Done it before. Just makes me angry.”
“Which is good for the ring, right?”
“You don’t want to be responsible for the death of Rinaldo, do you?”
She laughs and I wish I could record it to play it over and over again. I’m not prepared for this separation ahead of us. “Go. We can’t do a long, teary goodbye. Besides, it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon.”
I stare at her, trying to memorize everything about her even though I snapped a picture of her sleeping last night, wondering if I’m making the right decision. The press can twist things around, and I’m counting on Nikki not to read into things she may see or hear. Distance can do crazy things to the most well-established couples. It could be suicide to our relationship.
I lean down and capture her lips in a kiss I hope conveys all my feelings for her. She moans when I slip my tongue in her mouth, and she grips me harder, her body flush to mine. Damn, I’m going to miss her something fierce. She’s the one who ends the kiss, and we take a moment to catch our breath.