Island Sisters, page 34
She raised an eyebrow at his question as she sat behind her desk. “We’re all just looking out for my sister.”
“It’s great the way you take care of each other,” he said, before gently adding, “but you know Rachel can look out for herself, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” Emily replied, “but knowing that doesn’t stop you from being protective when you care about someone.”
“It doesn’t,” he agreed. He already felt incredibly protective toward both Rachel and Charlotte and knew he always would, because he loved them both.
She gave him a small smile. “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind, Nicholas? I’ve got as long as you need.”
It was easy to see what a great guidance counselor she must be—Emily was ready to listen and help. She also clearly wanted the best for her sister, just as the rest of their family did. Which meant that it wouldn’t be a good idea to do anything to hurt Rachel or Charlotte. Not unless he wanted the whole Walker clan coming after him.
Of course, he would never want to hurt them. Not in a million years.
“I’m in love with Rachel.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Emily said with a wide grin. “After working in a high school for so long—and having four younger sisters—I can tell when two people are falling in love from a mile away.”
Nicholas thought about Michael. Did Emily have any idea that he’d been madly in love with her for years? But he had more sense than to say anything. Right now he needed Emily’s help, not to get her back up by interfering in her love life.
“So if you’re in love with my sister,” she said, “does that mean that you’re going to be staying on the island?”
“If I thought that was what Rachel really wanted, I’d do it.” And if, in the end, staying here truly was what Rachel and Charlotte needed him to do, he would reduce his surfing competitions and other travel commitments. For them, it would be worth it to change his entire life.
“You don’t think Rachel wants to stay on the island?”
He wasn’t surprised by her slightly defensive tone. Not when he’d seen how much Emily loved Walker Island and how much she loved having her sisters close by.
“Of course she loves the island, but I think Rachel has only stayed here because it feels like the safer option,” he explained. “I saw the way she came alive every time we were out on the water or climbing during filming. She loves adventure, but has been smothering it because she believes that’s the only way to do the right thing for Charlotte.”
“There are plenty of adventures to have here on the island,” Emily insisted.
“I agree. And I promise you I’m not attacking Walker Island. It’s a beautiful place to grow up, and to live, but there’s so much else out there. So much that I want to share with Rachel and Charlotte. So much that I know the two of them would love to discover with me. Do you really think that she’s happy here, working as an actuary? Because as far as I can see, the only things in her life that truly make her smile are her family and Charlotte.”
And him. He’d made Rachel happy. Just as happy as she’d made him.
For a few moments, Emily looked like she was about to argue with him. But then she suddenly said, “You’re right.” She sighed. “I know you’re right. Rachel hasn’t been truly happy since she moved back to the island. We’ve all tried to be there for her, but it’s like one version of her went out into the world, and another one came back. When she was a kid, she was so adventurous. We used to argue sometimes because I thought she was being irresponsible, setting a bad example for our younger sisters. But now I see that she was just having fun. Being who she needed to be. Maybe she overdid it a little sometimes, but all teenagers do at some point.” She paused for a moment, looking pensive, before she continued. “After our mom died, she became even more adventurous and wild. But then, when she got pregnant and came back to the island, she ended up swinging all the way to the other extreme, always so concerned with making sure everything was safe. Never wanting to take a risk at all. It was as if the adventurous woman inside of her was just…gone.”
“It’s not gone,” Nicholas assured her. “Trust me, if you’d seen her face when she was climbing the cliffs with me, you’d know that. From the very first moment I met her, I saw a smart, exciting, adventurous woman. Yes, she wants to know that she and Charlotte are going to be okay, but any mother would feel that way. Especially one as devoted to her daughter as she is.”
Emily looked closely at him. It was a look that reminded Nicholas of being in the principal’s office as a kid, about to receive a lecture on not surfing so long that he forgot to come to school on time. “Will my sister and niece come out of this okay?”
“I love both of them. Which is why I’m here to learn more about homeschooling so that I can show Rachel that Charlotte will not only be okay, but will thrive.”
Emily stared at him for a long moment, as if to fully take his measure. Finally, she smiled and reached into a large desk drawer, pulling out some brochures and some printed sheets she’d obviously put together herself.
“There are a lot of requirements and forms. Deciding to homeschool is a big commitment. It’s recommended that both you and Rachel take a parent qualifying course.”
Nicholas kept listening as he read through the top set of papers. It was indeed a complicated process, but honestly, was it any more complicated than the design development at his company when they were trying to come up with better safety equipment? There were always plenty of tests, forms and legal requirements to fulfill, and the well-being of Rachel’s daughter was far more important than anything else.
“Of course,” Emily said, “there are things like setting curricula, deciding what to teach and when. And you’d still have to meet with accredited teachers regularly to make sure things are on track. Which is where it helps that my father is a teacher.”
“Don’t worry, we will come back here often,” he replied to her unspoken question. “And not just to check in with your father about our homeschooling progress. I promise that I’m not trying to take your sister or niece away forever. I’m just trying to give Rachel and Charlotte the kind of lives they would love.”
“I know,” Emily said with another smile, one that told him she was now as sure of him as she needed to be. “I’ve put together all the details you’re going to need to get started. Would you like me to help you draw up a plan?”
“Thank you, but I think Rachel and I should create Charlotte’s homeschooling plan together.”
When it had just been him, he often went off to his next event without planning anything, knowing that he would find somewhere to stay and that the surfing competition would work out great, too. Now there would be all kinds of considerations to take into account, from declarations of intent to homeschool to more basic things, like how the three of them were going to get to his next competition or filming location together. They would need to find time to teach Charlotte, but again, that wasn’t a problem. If anything, Nicholas had a better lifestyle for that than someone trying to work a nine-to-five job. They would also have to sort out things like making sure Rachel and Charlotte had passports, planning an itinerary, and working out where to stay in each new part of the world.
There were no problems that were insurmountable, as far as Nicholas could see. Better than that, there were no problems that he couldn’t prove were easily solvable. Having Rachel take it on trust was great, but being able to actually show her that it would be fine was even better.
Responsibility had crept up on him when he wasn’t looking…and the best part was that he was totally okay with that. More than okay with it, actually, he thought with a big smile. It felt right.
Completely right.
Emily’s phone rang, and when she looked at the name on the screen and smiled, he knew exactly who was calling even before she picked up and said, “Rachel, I was just thinking about you.”
At the sound of Rachel’s name, Nicholas wanted to leap up and take the phone out of Emily’s hand so that he could tell her—again—how much he loved her.
“Hold on, you did what?” Emily looked a little stunned, then pleased, as she listened to her sister’s response. “Wow, it sounds like you’ve had quite a day, haven’t you?” She paused to listen again, then nodded. “No problem, you shouldn’t have to wait too long. Bye.”
“Is Rachel okay?” he asked the moment Emily hung up.
“I think that depends on your definition of okay,” Emily said with a shake of her head, but he could tell she was still more than a little pleased by whatever had transpired. “She was just telling me a story about chasing after the ferry on a Jet Ski—all because she thought you were leaving.”
Rachel had come after him!
Relief—and joy—were both coursing through his veins as Emily continued. “And then, when she found out you weren’t on the ferry, she called Morgan to see if you were with her in the TV studio. Our sister didn’t pick up, so Rachel was heading there in her car in the hopes that Morgan was filming and had turned her phone off. Halfway to Morgan’s place, one of her tires gave out. She just asked me to pick Charlotte up from school first, and then get her from the side of the road where she’s waiting.” Emily reached into her pocket for a set of keys and handed them to him.
“You’re really okay with me going to pick up your niece and your sister? You’d trust me to do that?”
The smile Emily gave him was bright and warm, with no more of the wariness in her eyes that he’d seen when he’d first walked into her office. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone I’d trust more at this point. And more importantly, I know there’s no one Rachel would trust more. I’ll call Charlotte’s teacher to let her know you’ll be picking her up. After that, you know the way from here to Morgan’s house so that you’ll actually be able to find my sister?”
“Rachel is the woman I’ve been looking for my entire life. Don’t worry,” he promised, “I’ll find her.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Rachel stood by her car, still more than a little stunned that she’d been felled at the same spot for a second time. She’d known about the pothole, but she’d been in such a hurry to get to Morgan’s studio to see if Nicholas was there, that she’d forgotten about it until it was too late.
As she stood on the side of the road again and stared at yet another flat tire—one she couldn’t even fix this time because she hadn’t yet had a chance to replace the spare after the first flat—she couldn’t help but think about how different she felt today compared to the day she’d met Nicholas when she’d popped her tire on the way to pick him up from the ferry.
She’d been wary at first. Then attracted, despite herself. And now, she was in love.
Wholly, totally, completely in love.
Which was why she needed Emily and Charlotte to get here soon so they could track down Nicholas—and she could finally tell him what was in her heart. She knew she could have called him and told him over the phone, but she wanted to be able to look into his eyes when she told him. And she wanted him to be able to read her boundless love for him in her expression, too.
Hearing the sound of an engine, Rachel was extremely glad to look up and see Emily’s car. But as the car came closer, she was surprised to see that it wasn’t her sister behind the wheel.
It was Nicholas.
Her heart was leaping as the car pulled to a stop. Oh, how she loved him. And how she wanted him to know it. But before she could get to him, Charlotte got out of the car and barreled toward her.
“Mommy, Nicholas came and got me from school!” Charlotte’s arms came around Rachel’s middle and held on tight. “He said we had to look for you on the side of the road, and I spotted you first!”
“I’m so glad you found me, sweetie.” She drew her daughter into her arms and held her tight. “I’m so glad both of you found me.”
Nicholas moved forward then, and when he put his arms around both of them, nothing had ever felt more right.
Only one thing could have made it better.
“I love you, Rachel.”
He had no idea how much she’d needed to hear those words again. Just to know that they were still true. And that she hadn’t blown her chance to be with him.
She stared into his beautiful eyes and finally told him what was in her heart. “I love you, too. So, so much.”
“I guessed that when I heard about the Jet Ski,” he said with a wide, and very impressed, smile.
Rachel smiled back just as big. “I wasn’t going to let you go without a fight.”
Charlotte kept a hold on them both as she asked, “What did you do with a Jet Ski, Mommy?”
Rachel looked down at her daughter, smiling. “I went for a ride on one because I thought Nicholas was going away.” She looked back up at Nicholas, letting all the love she felt for him shine through as she said, “And I really didn’t want him to go.”
“Nicholas wasn’t going away,” her daughter replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world that he’d be there for both of them. “He was getting me from school.”
Rachel moved to kneel next to her daughter. “Charlotte, I know you love living here on the island, but what do you think about the two of us joining Nicholas on his adventures around the world?”
“Would we get to go on airplanes?”
“Yes,” Rachel replied, “and trains and buses and boats, too.”
“Would I still get to see everyone? Grams and Grandpa and Aunt Emily and Paige and Morgan and Hanna?”
Kneeling beside Rachel, Nicholas said, “Absolutely. We’ll come back for lots and lots of visits.”
Charlotte asked Nicholas, “Will you teach me how to surf?”
Rachel ran a hand over her daughter’s soft hair. “I’m sure he will. And I’m sure you’ll be brilliant at learning how to do it. We both will.”
Charlotte beamed at her. “Okay.”
It must be wonderful being six, Rachel decided, when life really was that simple. Although right then, everything seemed pretty perfect for her, too. She wanted to be with Nicholas…and he wanted to be with her and Charlotte.
“Are you and Nicholas going to kiss now, Mommy?”
Rachel nodded. “I hope so.”
“Kissing is icky.” Charlotte made a face. Apparently, the thought of kissing boys still hadn’t lost its ew factor for her, Rachel thought as she moved more closely into Nicholas’ outstretched arms.
She let herself enjoy the feel of his strong, warm arms around her for a few wondering moments before she said, “Soon, you’ll have to tell me all about how you came to be picking Charlotte and me up in Emily’s car rather than my sister. But first—”
She tipped her chin up for a kiss just as he lowered his mouth to hers for a sweet yet sexy kiss that had her longing for more than just one. She didn’t even care when a horn sounded behind them and a car shot past with teenagers whooping at the sight of them kissing in public.
Pure love was written all over Nicholas’ face as he told her, “I went to see Emily to ask for information on homeschooling. This isn’t some temporary thing for me, Rachel. I want us to be a family. And I wanted to show you that we could do this and that Charlotte would be okay.”
“Something tells me that she’s going to be better than okay. And I want us to be a family, too. Wherever we end up.”
“We’ll have such fun coming back to the island for visits, too,” Nicholas reminded her. “Adventure is always so much sweeter when you know there’s a home waiting for you to come back to when you’re ready for it. Plus, there are all kinds of requirements about meeting with teaching professionals and making sure Charlotte’s schooling is running smoothly.”
Rachel was so overwhelmed with love for him that she gave him another kiss, a slow and deep one this time. Whatever happened out there in the world, whatever places they visited, whatever adventures they had, they would do it together and love every moment of it.
“Let’s get out of here.” Rachel smiled, as happy as she’d ever been as she hugged both her daughter and the man she loved close to her. “The three of us have places to go.”
EPILOGUE
It wasn’t easy to organize a big bon voyage party in such a small amount of time, but fortunately, Paige was used to putting together large productions at the dance studio. At least this one didn’t require choreography for thirty students.
Then again, from the way Morgan was looking at her…
“It’s not going to happen,” Paige told her sister.
“Oh, why not?” Morgan pouted. “Just one small dance number in the middle of the going-away party would be so much fun.”
“You know I won’t be able to get any students to help out on such short notice.”
“Then why don’t you do it? You’re such a great dancer, Paige. You’d knock everyone’s socks off—and Nicholas has never seen you dance before.”
But Morgan knew that Paige didn’t do the limelight. She never had. She could make anyone look good on stage, but she avoided the spotlight like the plague. Besides, this party was all about Rachel, Nicholas and Charlotte. They might not be “shuffling off to Buffalo,” but they were heading off on a trip that would take them a lot farther than that.
It was going to be so strange not having her little niece running around the dance studio. At least not until Christmas, when the three of them were due to come back from…where was it again? Australia, then Japan was what she’d heard most recently. Paige was sure that Emily was working on getting their complete itinerary written down so that she could call in the rescue teams if they didn’t check in often enough. And she knew that Morgan would be keeping in touch with Nicholas just in case he needed any help with his new TV show.
Ah, TV. She had one sister directing for it, another starring in her own segment, and now a third who was in love with a guy who was very likely going to become a huge TV star in the next month or two.
