go home.”
“You’ve turned very boring! I don’t know when that happened.”
“I’m not sure it’s a bad thing.”
“I like you whether you’re boring or a party animal.” Leana bumped her shoulder against Lexie’s and grinned.
“How much wine did you drink?” Lexie asked, laughing.
“Just enough!”
Leana was pretty giggly on the way home and the drive went quickly. When Lexie was back home and tucked up in bed, she called Nick.
“I thought you were out with Leana,” he said.
“I was. Now I’m home.”
“That can’t have been a wild night then.”
“No. We just went for dinner.”
“And? Did you tell her about us?”
She hesitated and shifted her head on the pillow. “No.”
“Lexie,” he said on a sigh.
“I know. I was going to …” Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling. “Can I tell you about it when you get back? I’m tired. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of sympathy.
“Yes.”
“You sound upset.”
She shook her head and fought off tears. Why hadn’t she just told Leana? If her friends had a problem with it, it was their problem, not Lexie’s. It shouldn’t matter what anyone else thought.
“I’m okay. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Yes. I won’t be late back. Shall I come over when I get home?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m only working over lunchtime tomorrow.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
When she opened the door to Nick the following afternoon he barrelled straight in, wrapping his arms around her waist as he kissed her.
“Hi,” she said, grinning. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes,” he muttered between kisses.
“I missed you too.” She wriggled out of his embrace and led him into the living room. There, he kissed her again and pushed her onto the couch, covering her body with his.
She laughed as his kisses tickled her neck. “You really missed me.”
“Mmhmm.” He looked her right in the eyes, beaming at her.
“How was your weekend?” she asked while she trailed her fingers through the hair at his temples.
“It was fine. But it just got better.”
“It’s nice to see you.” When he was there with her, all her doubts vanished and she felt perfectly content.
Nick shifted his weight off her and propped himself on an elbow. “So what happened with Leana?”
Lexie blew out an exasperated sigh. “I wanted to tell her, but she and Elspeth are really obsessed with the idea of setting you up with Meghan.”
“Surely that’s more of a reason to tell them.”
Lexie frowned. “They think Meghan is perfect for you.”
“Ah, really?” His voice oozed sarcasm. “In that case I should probably ditch you and get together with Meghan instead.”
She gave him a playful nudge. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
“Sorry. It’s a little difficult. You’re not being very rational about this.”
“They’re my best friends,” she said in a rush. “And I don’t think they’re going to be happy when they find out we’re together. I hate the thought of them disapproving.”
“They won’t.”
“They all think you can do better than me,” she said, her voice laced with self-pity.
“I definitely can’t do better.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “The Mackenzie women are all taken. You’re all that’s left. I’m stuck with you.”
She managed to glare at him for a moment before breaking into a laugh. “You’re so mean.”
“You were asking for that.” His features turned serious. “I don’t understand why you suddenly care so much about what other people think. Not long ago you’d have shouted at anyone who looked at you the wrong way. Why are you so worried about what anyone might say about us?”
“Because they’re my friends.” She pouted. “And I might have gone a bit soft.”
“Just tell them, please. I don’t like the secrecy.” He trailed a finger down her cheek and she pulled him closer to kiss him. “Now I feel as though you’re kissing me to distract me from the conversation.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “Is that a problem?”
“No. Carry on.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Nick spent the next week preparing for the quiz night. After seeing his mum doing well, he’d decided it would be fine to go back to Fort William every second weekend. Lexie had heard him on the phone to his dad, telling him to call if they needed him to go back and help at all. It seemed his parents were happy that he was getting on with his life again. Secretly, Lexie was also happy that he wouldn’t spend every weekend away.
She kept a low profile that week, purposely avoiding being alone with Leana or Elspeth so she could tell herself the reason she still hadn’t