Harry looked hopeless as Amelia scoffed. "You're his guy. How the hell am I supposed to believe anything that comes outta your mouth?" she snapped. There was no way she could buy into the idea that Nick, the same man who'd called out another woman's name—Olivia's—while in a coma, had suddenly become faithful to a marriage that had been built on anything but love.
Once, Amelia had loved Nick, but that unreturned affection had drained her. She eventually decided to give up. Sure, they'd had good times together, but those moments were fleeting—mostly spent in bed. To Nick, their relationship had been nothing more than sex.
Harry, terrified of losing his job—especially with a pregnant wife to support—begged harder. "Please, Miss, you gotta believe me. I've seen him stare at your pho—"
"Shut your mouth, Harry!" Nick shouted, storming over. "This is so not cool."
Harry looked like he was about to cry as he made one final plea. "Miss, I'm begging you. My wife's expecting a baby. Don't let me lose my job over this. You wouldn't want some hot, young secretary replacing me, right?"
Nick grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him out of the room while Harry continued to plead. When Nick finally came back inside, he looked awkward, not quite sure how to face Amelia. "Sorry about that. Please, just forget everything he said. I'll hire someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing."
Amelia didn't respond right away, savoring the sight of Nick—who was usually so composed and arrogant—looking flustered and out of sorts. His cool exterior had cracked, and for once, she saw him without that mask of confidence.
"You should get some rest," Nick said eventually, clearly eager to leave the room. "We're going to visit my dad at the hospital tomorrow."
Amelia stopped him in his tracks. "Nick, don't fire Harry."
"That's not happening," Nick shot back. "He's a walking disaster."
"If you fire him, you'll find me on the next flight back to MA tomorrow."
Nick opened his mouth to argue but knew he wouldn't win this one. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"
***
That night, both Nick and Amelia found themselves struggling to settle their minds. Being back in the same house together—under the same roof—was stirring up emotions and memories neither of them was prepared for. Nick had hoped it would be a simple reunion, just going through the motions, but he hadn't anticipated feeling this... anxious.
Amelia tossed and turned, trying to sleep. After what felt like hours, she finally managed to drift off.
Nick, on the other hand, fell into a dream. In it, he was back with Amelia—intimately. It was one of those dreams that felt so real it made his heart race, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
He was on campus at the time. Then, Amelia stormed up to him, slammed her bag on the table, and pushed him up against the wall, coming in hot. She was about to kiss him, lips all soft and wet. "Amy, you have no idea how much I've missed this. But we're on campus—"
"I actually *want* us to do this on campus, with my professor watching," Amelia teased wickedly.
Then, there was a knock on the door, snapping Nick out of his dream with an annoyed grunt.
He couldn't believe how ridiculous his dream was. He figured he must've gone too long without touching a woman. Like, seriously, just having a woman in his house had him all nervous.
The knock came again, louder this time. Was he the only one feeling this worked up?
He groaned, assuming it was Amelia. With a lazy, satisfied grin, he opened the door. "Amelia, I knew you wanted me too—"
"Can I sleep in here?" It was Sean, not Amelia. The kid stood there, looking unimpressed. "I'm fed up with Maddie sleeping like some kinda princess. That pink room's making me wanna puke."
Nick's smile dropped in an instant. His dream shattered like glass, and his irritation flared. "What are you doing out of bed? It's late, kid."
Sean shrugged. "Maddie's snoring, and I'm not about to spend another second in that girly room. Besides, I don't know where my mom's room is. Haven't exactly gotten a tour of this place yet."
Nick's jaw clenched. He didn't want to deal with this. Why the hell was he stuck babysitting someone else's kid? If it weren't for his father's insistence, Nick wouldn't even be here, let alone playing house.
He let out a long, frustrated sigh and opened the door wider. "Fine. Get in."
Sean walked in, dragging his blanket behind him, and plopped onto the bed. "You know, this is more like it. Way better than that pink nightmare."
Nick just stared at him, internally screaming. Why, of all nights, did this have to happen? He climbed back into bed but stayed far from Sean, his mood completely ruined.