Page 7 of Nick: His to Claim

Up came the dark carpeting and down went the hardwood floors. She’d stripped the walls herself and now delicate flowered wallpaper covered three of them. The king-sized bed had been replaced with a double brass one, and an antique mahogany rocker now sat next to the window. The only things she’d left unchanged were the fireplace made of gray stone and the dark beams that ran the length of the ceiling. The antique bureau and the night stand had been her Grandmother’s. Digging them out of the attic and refinishing them had helped her throughmany sleepless nights. Now the room was perfect. From the lace curtains to the white scatter rugs, it was a woman’s room.

At first she’d felt guilty, making the changes so soon after Jim’s death, but eventually she began to see it as therapy. Her life had taken turns she had never expected and she’d been forced to adjust. She was a single mother, working in a typically male profession. Struggling to make ends meet, sometimes by the skin of her teeth, she never regretted what she had spent on this room. It was her haven.

Slipping into her nightgown, Maggie snuggled down into the rocking chair. She reached for the phone three times before she forced herself to dial Nick’s number. If he hadn’t been staying in Mason’s apartment, she actually might have lied to the kids and told them she didn’t know how to reach him. Soft light from the lamp on the side table glowed around her as she waited for him to answer.

“Hello.”

Maggie was instantly sorry she hadn’t called from downstairs. Even over the phone, he intruded into the room.

“Hello,” he tried again, the tone of his voice rough.

Maggie cleared her throat. This is ridiculous she thought, as the receiver threatened to slip from her sweating hand.

“Nick, it’s Maggie. We need to talk.”

“Well, it’s about time,” he said, torn between relief and suspicion. “Do you want me to come over?”

“No,” she gasped, a hand going to her throat. For a moment she pictured Nick in this room and began to tremble. He was too big, too masculine, and too powerful. It was even difficult to sit on the couch in the evening without remembering how he’d looked in the soft glow of the fireplace. The way the flames danced across his glistening muscles—if he ever came into this room, it would never truly be hers again.

Nick sighed.

“Obviously, this isn’t the call I’ve been hoping for, so why don’t you just say what’s on your mind. It’s late.”

Maggie took a deep breath. Nick’s voice irritated her to no end. It was a command and she almost complied. She’d been taking orders from men all her life—her father, her brothers, her boss, and she’d be damned if Nick was going to join the parade.

“If this is a bad time for you, Nick, we can put it off,” she finally responded, the chill in her voice freezing him.

“There is no good time, Maggie, unless you’re going to tell me you’ve reconsidered.”

“We’ve been over this before, and I think I’ve made my feelings perfectly clear,” she answered, trying to sound stronger than she felt.

“Then why the call, Maggie? I meant everything I said today, and I meaneverything,” he continued.

She could almost hear the smile in his voice.

“Unless you’re willing to let me into Jason’s life, I guess I’ll see you in court.”

Maggie trembled with fury. He really meant to take this all the way.

“Not only have I not changed my mind about Jason, but I want you to stop trying to infiltrate this family.”

“What?” he demanded incredulously.

“You heard me. Caitlin can’t talk about anything but ‘Nicky’. The boys are waiting for you to take them to the arcade, which by the way you never bothered to ask me about. I’m damn sick of hearing Nick this and Nick that,” she gasped out, revealing far too much.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. Sorry you can’t handle the fact that I like your kids and they like me. I can’t help it if they feel the need for a little male attention, and I won’t build a relationship with Jason and ignore Todd and Caitie, nor would I want to. They’regreat kids, and if you would stop whining and carrying on for five minutes, you would see?—”

“I do not whine,” she informed him, insulted. “And another thing, how dare you tell Caitlin I have too much sass!”

“Because it’s the truth. You’ve never known when to shut up. As a matter of fact, your best arguments are usually when you’re in the wrong and you know it, as you are in this case. I’m picking the kids up Saturday to take them to the arcade,” he informed her sharply. “I promised. Christ, Mason has more freedom with Jason than I do. I can’t see why you?—”

Emotion raced through her. It took her a moment to identify it, but when she did, she cut him off immediately.

“You don’t see anything. I’ve had a man telling me what I could and could not do for most of my life, and I refuse to let that happen again. I’m independent Nick; do you even comprehend what that means to someone like me? I make my own money, raise my kids, run my life, and the last thing I need or want is some man telling me?—”

“I’m not trying to run your life; I just want to be part of it.”

“The hell you’re not. You, Nicholas Kord, are probably the most domineering, arrogant man I’ve ever met. Just look what you did to me today, coming to my workplace, making me look like a woman?—”