"Marry me, Nicole."
Nicole could have sworn she didn't hear right. She was still swimming in the throes of passion and her mind had decided to play tricks on her, make her hear things that weren't there. With that resolution, she kept her eyes closed.
"Nicole, I know you can hear me."
This time, she flew her eyes open. She and Alexander were cuddled up against each other, naked under the sheets after another round of sex while they showered. She looked at him in confusion, "You really said that?"
He nodded, his deep brown eyes holding no trace of frivolity - he was very serious. She chuckled anxiously while lifting herself slightly, "But, your wife..."
"Ex-wife." He corrected.
She shook her head in disagreement, "I can't, Alexander. I'm not ready to be a mother."
Alexander sat up and held her shoulders, "You've been doing a good job so far."
"Are you scared of her? You know she can't actually take Violet away from you...you have higher chances of winning custody of her than she does." Nicole reasoned.
Alexander nodded, "I know that but you can't deny that my baby girl needs a mom, can you?"
She agreed a hundred percent but what she wasn't sure of was if she wanted to be that mom. Being a mother was a big responsibility that she wasn't so sure she could handle at this point in her life.
"Yes, but..." She argued.
"Please, Nicole...I love you..." He confessed.
She looked at him in surprise. She suddenly felt overwhelmed and knew she would most likely have a panic attack at the rate at which her heart was beating.
"I...I need to go." She tried to pull his hands off her shoulders but he was stubborn and let them remain there.
"Nicole..." His voice held a silent plea. He needed her to accept him and his child and she could see it as clear as broad daylight.
She forced a smile, placed her palm on his cheek while he leaned into it, "I just need to take a break...go think, please okay?"
She watched his resolve break and he nodded slowly. He watched her silently as she left the bed to go pick her clothes up. The tension between them was so thick that it could have been severed with a knife. She didn't know what else to say and tried to wear her clothes as quickly as possible.
"I'll be waiting for you." He told her at last, when she was done dressing up.
She didn't reply and just walked out of the room.
As soon as Nicole got home, she called Georgia. Theo had gone back to Alabama and since he wasn't present physically, she would have to chat him up later. She told Georgia to buy pizza on the way coming.
At first, she didn't want to tell anyone and thought to outrightly say no to Alexander but then she realized she loved him back and most of all, she loved Violet like her own. She couldn't say no, no matter how much she wished she could. What she needed was a way to manage the situation and her sister was going to give her options.
Georgia arrived with the pizza in hand. Today, she went a bit away from the usual and threw on a chic pink gown, and even let her hair down. Nicole couldn't help but be curious at the way she looked, "What happened to baggy clothes?"
She received a glare in response.
Nicole laughed as she went to the fridge while Georgia sat down. She took out two chilled beers from it and went to sit beside Georgia.
"So, what's happening?" Georgia asked without missing a beat. When it came to gossip, she was always very straight to the point.
Nicole exhaled as she opened their beer, "Today, Alexander asked me to marry him."
Georgia's eyes widened like saucers. "Get out of town!" She exclaimed in surprise.
"And what did you say?"
"I haven't given him an answer...was thinking of saying no." She told her.
"I will disown you if you dare tell him no." Georgia told her bluntly while unboxing the pizza and taking a slice off it.
Offended, she looked at her in annoyance, "And why would you do that?"
She shrugged, "Come on, Nics, you obviously love this guy, you love his child, he's rich...should I list out more reasons?"
Nicole took a large gulp from her beer, "Every other thing made sense apart from the rich part."
Georgia scoffed, "Trust me, money is very important, Nics."
She sighed and lifted her legs from the ground to rest them on her sister's thighs, then she laid her back down on the couch's armrest so she could be comfortable.
"His wife has returned, she wants him back and you know how much I hate drama."
Georgia gasped and held up her hand in surprise, "His wife has returned?"
Nicole nodded.
"Damn, bitch just wants to ruin things for you, doesn't she?"
She chuckled and shook her head, "I don't care about her though. I just care about Alexander, too much if I might add."
Georgia nodded, "I perfectly understand. I love Seth with all my heart and it scares me sometimes."
They kept silent for some seconds before Georgia spoke up again. "Wait a moment, why am I here instead of Theo?"
"Um...what do you mean?"
She looked at Nicole suspiciously, "Since he came back into your life, you have been keeping all the juicy details from me and telling them to him first. So, it's strange you called me to tell me this some hours after it happened or have you told him already?"
"No, I haven't. Theo has gone back to Alabama and I have told you for the umpteenth time, I wasn't keeping stuff from you. I just wanted to build back my bond with my bestfriend, that's all!" She raised her hands in exasperation at Georgia's refusal to believe her own side of the story.
Georgia rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Right..."
"Fine, don't believe me." Nicole said nonchalantly and silence settled between them.
"So what are you going to do now?" Georgia asked.
"Look for a job. I can't keep being Violet's nanny all my life if things are going to get that serious..."
She smiled, "So you're going to say yes?"
"I don't know."
Georgia frowned at her unmotivated attitude. "What is the issue again?" She asked.
Nicole sighed deeply, "Nothing. I just wish his wife didn't show up, would have made things a bit easier for me."
She shrugged, "Maybe it's a good thing she did. Who knows?"
Nicole kind of agreed with her.
"So, how's dad doing?" She changed the topic.
Georgia smiled, "He has been quite the sweetheart, helping out with the kids. I think he has had a change of heart, Nics."
She shrugged like it was none of her business and put a cheesy slice of pizza into her mouth. "So you think we should give him another chance?"
Georgia nodded quickly.
"Well shit, I guess he really has won you over." She pointed out. "Okay, but if he messes up again..."
"We'll be done with him for good." Georgia interjected.
She nodded in response, "Good. Fine by me."