The Neighbor Favor(83)

He kissed her forehead. She moved her head to rest against his chest. She fell asleep, lulled by the sound of his heartbeat.





21


Sleep had notoriously evaded Nick for most of his life. but that night, with Lily wrapped in his arms, he slept so hard he didn’t even dream. Instead, for the first time in years, he was able to simply rest and feel at peace.

The sun peeked through the blinds when he woke a little after six the next morning. Lily was curled into a ball with her back resting against his chest. She was still asleep, her face a mask of tranquillity. Nick propped himself up on his elbow and gazed down at her. He couldn’t believe that she was here with him in his bed. That she wanted to be together too. He had to prove to her that she’d made the right decision by choosing him. He’d have to hold on to her with all that he had.

An alarm sounded on her phone, which lay on the ground by his bed. Lily began to stir and let out a frustrated grumble. Nick quickly grabbed her phone and turned off the alarm. She rolled over to face him and wiped her eyes. She burrowed deeper under the covers and smiled at him. It caused Nick’s breath to catch. She was so beautiful first thing in the morning, even while slightly cranky.

“Hi,” she mumbled.

“Hi.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“Not that long.” Unable to help himself, he reached forward and began to trace soft circles on her bare shoulder. “You have to get ready for work?”

“Unfortunately.” She inched closer, leaning into his touch. “I think you might be the second-best cuddler in the world.”

“Who’s number one?”

“Tomcat.”

He laughed quietly. “A worthy competitor.”

They fell silent, taking each other in. It was the first time since last night that they were able to slow down and really see each other. Nick felt that overwhelming sense of peace again that had permeated him while he slept. Everything about this moment felt right, like he and Lily had finally fallen into place.

She reached up and lightly touched the scar above his top lip. “How’d you get this?”

“I was running away from someone my dad robbed, and I fell.”

Her eyes widened. Softly, she said, “The things you tell me . . .”

“What about them?” He kept her hand against his lips and placed a kiss against the inside of her palm.

“I just wish I could go back in time and protect you.”

That made him smile. He lowered her hand to his chest, and she spread her fingers against his warm skin.

“So . . . you have a TV deal with HBO?” she asked.

He smirked. “I do.”

“You’re a big deal around the M&M office, you know. There are lots of rumors and theories about you.”

“Really? Like what?”

“That N.R. Strickland isn’t just one person, but multiple people writing under one pseudonym.”

He snorted. “I wish that were true. Then I’d have more help writing this sequel.”

“And there’s a rumor that the real N.R. Strickland died shortly after The Elves of Ceradon originally published and they hired someone else to write the second book.”

Nick shook his head, grinning. “For real?”

“Yeah,” Lily said, laughing. “And people say that you’ve never seen or spoken to your editor before.”

“That one’s half-true. I’ve spoken to her and hadn’t planned to ever meet her in person, but I’m having lunch with her and Marcus next week.”

Lily tilted her head. “What made you change your mind?”

“I don’t know.” He paused. “I just want someone at M&M to know who I am and that the book is mine. Even if I’m still uncomfortable with sharing the information with the whole world. Telling the truth to you made me realize how I didn’t want to keep lying to other people. Well, most people.”

She was quiet for a moment. Her fingers drifted back and forth across his chest, giving him goose bumps. “You’re nervous about your dad finding out,” she said. “You mentioned that in your email drafts.”

“I’m not ready for him to know yet. My life finally feels good. I don’t want him to come along and ruin everything.”

“He won’t be able to if you don’t give him the power.”

Nick didn’t want to talk about his dad, not right now and in this moment with Lily that felt sacred. She must have picked up on his mood because she smiled and said, “I guess that means you’ll skip M&M’s big party in a couple weeks. They invite all the big authors. It’s very elitist and I’ve never been able to go, but I hear that the food is good.”

“Definitely skipping that.” Their hands were intertwined between them now. He ran his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. “So your interview is pretty important, right?”

She nodded, smiling. “If I get this job, I can finally work on the kind of books I’ve been dreaming about editing. And things with my boss are reaching a real breaking point. They want me to assist her and someone else soon.”

“Are they paying you more?”

“Nope.”

Nick frowned. “That’s some bullshit.”

“Right? I just need this interview to go perfectly, and with the pay raise, I’ll be able to move out of Violet’s sooner.”