Fair Catch (21 page)

Nick stepped in. “I think what you’re trying to say is it would be a good idea to have Cade with us.”

“Exactly.” Grinning, he added, “By the way, Betsy is gloating right now. I just thought I should warn you.”

* * *

Ellie still reeled from the lip exchange as she got ready for bed. The kiss had been incredible, but it was so embarrassing to have been caught by her pastor. As she washed her face, she noticed her lips were still a little swollen. She placed her fingers against them, and the memory of Nick’s kisses warmed her cheeks.

When they had gone to get Cade from the Stewarts’, Ellie could hardly look anyone in the eye. Certainly Betsy had witnessed her public display of affection, but thankfully she didn’t say anything about it.

Ellie, Nick and Cade all stayed for dinner. As they ate and visited, Nick touched her as often as possible. Their eyes met frequently, and she blushed every time. Still, she wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers again. Maybe Owen knew that because when it came time to put Cade to bed, he and Betsy followed them outside.

Nick walked her and Cade home, and then gave her a short, sweet kiss goodnight. He promised to call her after Cade was asleep.

That was an hour ago. She climbed on top of her bed, clutching her phone and waiting for the call. Feeling very much like a teenager, she let out a nervous giggle when his name appeared on the caller ID screen. “Hello.”

“Hey, I miss you.” The low timbre of his voice made her insides quiver.

“You do?” It still blew her mind that this was real.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Um…”

“Because if you don’t believe me, I can come over there and show you.”

She twisted a finger in her hair and wondered exactly how he would show her. “No. I… believe you.”

He sighed dramatically. “Hmm. I was really hoping you would need some proof.”

Her face felt hot just thinking about the passionate kisses they’d shared earlier. “Nick, I’m so embarrassed. I’m not really that kind of a girl. I just think it had been so long since… well, you know, since I’ve been kissed.”

“Ellie, please don’t apologize. I really liked the way you kissed me.”

She moaned. “But in front of a preacher?”

“Well,” he said with a chuckle, “you have a point. Next time can we be somewhere a little more private?”

“Nick!”

“Ellie, I think it’s perfectly normal for two people to kiss each other when they’re in love.”

She took another deep breath, and her voice sounded shaky. “Wow, this is so crazy. Are you sure about this? You do realize you could have any woman you want.”

He made a low growl in his throat. “Do I need to come over there? Because I want you to understand that I want you. Not Miss Colorado or some model. I want you.”

“That reminds me, I was going to ask you about Miss Colorado. She’s a beautiful woman and very talented and—”

He emitted another growl. “Okay, that’s it. I’m on my way over.”

Was he serious? The phone went silent and a minute later, she heard someone knocking on her door. Grabbing her bathrobe, she tied the sash around her waist which covered her nightgown and ran downstairs.

* * *

Nick waited on her front porch, his bare feet a testament to how quickly he had left his house. He grinned when he heard the sound of the locks being turned. Slowly, the door creaked open. Ellie wore a thick white bathrobe, her face washed clean from any makeup. She looked adorable and stunned all at the same time.

“You actually came over here?”

In an attempt to keep his hands off of her, he folded his arms across his chest. “Let’s get something straight. You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever met.” He slanted forward. “And I’ve met a lot of women.”

He reached out his hand and took hers, pulling her forward until she stood in front of him. “You are beautiful in every way—inside and out—and I love you.” He leaned down and kissed her quite possessively. When he pulled away, he asked, “Do you understand?”

She looked dazed and couldn’t seem to formulate an answer. Finally, Ellie drew in a deep breath and nodded her head.

He released her and edged back, giving her a satisfied smile. “Good.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Now, I better get home before Pastor Stewart sees me.” He winked and turned, striding purposefully away.

* * *

The next morning, Nick whistled while he shaved. He scraped the razor across his jaw, trying not to grin. It was hard to believe that after all these years he had finally found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Raising his chin, Nick checked for any spots he’d missed. Confident he was finished, he placed the razor on the counter and rinsed his face with hot water. Just as he reached for a towel, Nick heard his cell phone.

Patting his face dry, he went into the bedroom and picked up his phone, glancing at the screen. It was Alec. Nick wasn’t so sure he wanted to talk to him this early in the morning, but since he felt so great, he decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Hi, Alec.”

“Well, at least I know why you’re in such a good mood,” Alec said dryly. “No wonder you said your neighbor was so nice.”

Nick suddenly didn’t feel as good. “What are you talking about?”

Chapter Sixteen

"Log
onto
Celebrity Weekly
.” Alec gave a low chuckle. “Somebody got lucky, and I don’t mean you.”

Nick’s stomach plummeted as he grabbed his laptop. “Just tell me this: Is Ellie identified?”

“Sorry sport, but they have her name and even spelled it correctly.” He whistled softly. “I’ve got to hand it to them, this is the first time anybody has actually ever caught you in a passionate moment since you reaffirmed your Christian faith.” He chuckled dryly. “After seeing your neighbor, I can’t say that I blame you. She really is a knockout.”

Nick rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed. Finally, he found the website. Sure enough, the intimate moment had been captured with a succession of photographs. He felt heat creep up his neck. “Wow, and that was only our second kiss.”

“I honestly didn’t think you still had it in you.”

“So you’ve said.” Nick gritted his teeth, seeing Ellie’s name next to the caption:
Nick Coulter scores on home turf
. “This really bites. Ellie won’t be ready for this kind of thing.”

“Ready or not, she’s on her way to going viral.
Celebrity Weekly
posted the shots early this morning, Eastern Standard Time, and already both of you are edging up for the top twenty hottest searches on Google.”

“Great.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I was being ironic.”

“I know.” Alec laughed again. “Lighten up. Chicks love this stuff.”

Nick let out a big breath. “Could you please not refer to my future wife as a chick?”

“What?” Alec squawked. “Dude, I know she looks great, but seven kids?”

Nick sniggered. “Ellie only has one child. She just wanted to shock Miranda.”

“Hmm. What about her ex-husband? If I remember right, he wants you for one of his clients.”

“He won’t be congratulating me, but I don’t think he’ll cause any problems.” Nick knew that was the understatement of the year. Thomas was not going to be happy about this.

“Well, I suggest you talk to your, um, neighbor and find out if she’s willing to let our people release a statement along with some photos where the two of you aren’t lip-locked.”

“Very funny. Look, I better go and talk to her before someone else does. I’ll call you back.”

“You better. I have a feeling Miranda isn’t going to be the only female who won’t like this bit of news.”

Nick ended the call and closed his laptop. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he quickly dressed, all the while praying Ellie could handle the situation. It would’ve been nice if they could have had at least a little more time before dealing with the Hollywood gossip.

Anxious to get this over with, he quickly crossed the street, scanning for lurking paparazzi. It was time to get serious about security. He would make a few calls after he talked to Ellie.

Nick stepped onto the porch and pushed the doorbell. His neck felt warm when he remembered the kiss he’d given Ellie late last night. It was a good thing the photographer had gone home—kissing Ellie in her bathrobe would’ve needed a lot of PR work.

She opened the door and Nick felt the electric sparks without even touching her. “Morning,” he said as his eyes skimmed over her. She wore a pair of denim capris with a cream colored tee. Her feet were bare, her toenails painted bright pink with a tiny white flower adhered to the polish.

He watched the slow curve of her mouth lift into a tantalizing smile. “Good morning to you too.”

Nick’s pulse leaped. Oh, yeah. He had it bad. “Can I come in for a minute? I need to talk to you.”

Two faint lines dented her brow. “Sure.” She stepped back and allowed him inside.

She followed him into the living room where he took a seat on the couch. “Come sit by me,” he said when he saw her hesitation about what to do.

He opened the laptop, but didn’t log in. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

Her face paled. “Tell me what?”

“Alec called this morning. I’m sorry, Ellie, but someone got a picture of us together. It’s on the Internet.”

“Seriously?” She visibly relaxed. “I thought you were going to tell me you’d changed your mind about me.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “No. But hopefully you won’t change your mind after you see the pictures.”

She leaned in close to his shoulder as he logged on. “Mmm, you smell nice.” Her warm breath tickled his ear.

Nick looked at her sidelong, her lips close enough to kiss. “Thanks.” He held back until after she saw the pictures for herself. Before hitting enter, he said, “Just to warn you, it’s a few shots of us kissing.”

With their heads close together, they waited as the website loaded. Seeing it again, Nick realized it wasn’t that bad. Sure it looked like a great kiss, but it wasn’t scandalous.

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. After a long pause she said, “My hair is really getting long.”

Nick started to laugh. “Yeah, it is, but I kind of have a thing for women with long, curly hair.”

She tipped her head and smiled coyly. “Well, judging from the way you’re kissing me, I might have guessed that.”

Throwing his head back, he laughed. “Who was kissing who?” Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought she would be this understanding. Maybe he’d finally met someone who truly wasn’t affected by his fame.

Her smile widened. “I guess this means our relationship isn’t going to pass as platonic.”

He sobered and wound his finger through one of her curls. “I love you.” He slid his hand down the length of her hair. “I was so worried you wouldn’t want anything to do with me after seeing this.”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong.” Her eyes were soft as she took one of his hands. “I love you, and unless you tell me to take a hike, you’re stuck with me.”

He gave into the desire and leaned down to kiss her. Cade came in just as their lips touched.

“Hey, you’re kissing my mom.”

“That’s because I love her.” Nick hooked an arm around Ellie’s shoulders and pulled her close.

Cade stood in front of them, eyeing both of them. “Does this mean you’re getting married?”

“Yes,” Nick said.

“No,” Ellie said at the same time.

Ellie gasped and looked at Nick incredulously. He just shrugged. Ellie looked back to her son. “We haven’t decided that just yet.”

That’s what she thought. Nick had already made his decision—now all he had to do was convince her.

Cade grinned. “I like Nick.”

Ellie slanted him another glance. “I like him too.”

By the look she was giving him, he figured the wait might not be as long as he’d originally thought.

* * *

“This is so weird,” Ellie whispered to Betsy as they watched the camera crew busily transform her family room into a photography studio. Ellie sat at the bar in the kitchen watching the whole thing come together.

“I think it’s kind of fun.” Betsy’s eyes gleamed with animation, taking it all in. She kept Cade upstairs and out of the way, but every once in a while Betsy would sneak down to see what was going on.

Fun was not the word Ellie would have used. “I wish you could do this then.”

Betsy rolled her eyes. “You are so silly.” She patted her on the head before going back upstairs. “Try to enjoy this.”

Part of Ellie was tempted to follow Betsy back upstairs to Cade. Nick had tried to prepare her for this, but it was just so bizarre to think people would really care about where she was born, where she went to school and other useless facts. Bryan, the PR guy interviewing her, was a nice person and tried making this easy.

“Okay, only a few more questions. These are a little more personal, so try to be honest.”

How much more personal could he get? If he wanted to know how much she weighed or her bra size, she was drawing the line. “Okay.”

“So, any skeletons in your closet you care to disclose before you’re exposed?”

Ellie started to giggle, then realized he was dead serious. “What do you mean?”

Bryan grinned and leaned in close. “You know, any DUI’s, extramarital affairs, anything scandalous you don’t want people to know about.”

Did toilet papering the high school principal’s yard her junior year count as scandalous?

“To be honest, the picture of me kissing Nick showing up on the Internet is going to seem pretty scandalous to my brothers.”

He looked at her dumbfounded. “You’re kidding, right? You’ve never been arrested for drug use, shoplifting—nothing? ”

She felt her face go hot. “The only drugs I’ve ever used are the kind they give you after giving birth to a baby or having a root canal, and my only run-in with the law is the speeding ticket I got six years ago.”

Bryan started laughing. “Wow, I heard you were squeaky clean.” A woman named Shari started messing with Ellie’s hair while Bryan finished the interview. “So, you’re divorced and have one child?”