章 33: Accidental Touch
Nick froze, lost in thought, unable to respond to Aiden's jabs. Aiden smirked, sensing Nick's inner turmoil. "Look, man, I know you're not gonna stay clueless forever. I can tell you treat Amelia different than Olivia. You seem to genuinely care about Sean and Maddie, even though—"
"They're Amelia's kids," Nick cut him off, his tone sharp. "Of course I care about them. I'm not a coward like their father."
Nick's glare only made Aiden laugh harder. He understood Nick's anger but also knew it wasn't entirely aimed at him. Aiden had played his part as an outsider long enough.
"Amelia!" Aiden called out, standing up from his chair by the pool. "I miss the kids. Mind if I play dad for a day?"
Amelia, who had been watching the children splash around, walked over, clearly hesitant. "I'm coming with you," she said, her voice cautious. "Where do you plan on taking them?"
"To that Italian place down the street," Aiden replied, glancing sideways at Nick. "You don't have to come, though, Nick. Just wait here."
"But what if someone sees them with you?" Amelia asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Don't worry," Aiden reassured her with a smirk. "You don't trust me?"
Nick could only stare in disbelief as Amelia packed the kids' change of clothes into Aiden's bag, repeatedly warning him to be careful. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders as she fussed over the kids, reminding Aiden to call if anything came up.
As Aiden led the kids away, Nick's mind was spinning. Why had Aiden given him time alone with Amelia? His thoughts circled back to Aiden's earlier words: *Instead of guessing what others are thinking, why don't you figure out what you want to do?*
Nick sat down on a nearby lounger, reflecting on his choices. When Amelia had left him, he'd been angry, heartbroken, and more alone than ever. The months after had turned into a haze of alcohol and cigarettes, desperately trying to drown out the pain of losing her. But now, with her so close, he questioned why he had let it go so far. What had it all been for?
"Nick!" A gentle slap to his cheek jolted him out of his thoughts. He blinked, realizing Amelia was standing right in front of him, a concerned expression on her face. "I've been calling you for the past minute."
"Oh," Nick stammered, his heart pounding as he tried to collect himself. "I wasn't paying attention."
"You've been distracted lately," she pointed out, her voice soft but worried. "You seem distant, like you've got a lot on your mind."
"A lot of things, yeah," Nick muttered, his voice thick with uncertainty.
"You know," Amelia said, sitting down beside him, "you can talk to me if you need to. I might not know much about business, but I'm not clueless."
Nick's throat went dry. He hadn't been expecting her to offer support, not like this. He felt completely out of his depth. "The kids are gone," he blurted suddenly, desperate to change the subject. "How about we grab something to eat?"
Amelia huffed in amusement, giving him a sideways look. "Sure, but I'm not in the mood to go out. Let's just eat here."
She stood up, intending to find a bench to relax on, but as she turned, her foot slipped on the wet poolside. Amelia let out a startled yelp as she stumbled, teetering dangerously close to falling into the water.
Without thinking, Nick sprang up and caught her just in time, wrapping one arm around her waist. In a swift motion, he pulled her into his arms, her petite frame almost vanishing against his strong chest.
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