The Tycoon's Proposal(32)

He was ready to head home and take back what was his. He couldn't get her off his mind, so the next best thing was to go home and see where things were going to lead. He had a real problem though because he'd gotten really attached to Patsy. Hell she was still a kid, even if she was a teenager.

The first time she said 'I love you' to him, so casually, his heart had jumped in his throat. There was no way he wanted to kick her out of his home. She seemed to be doing so good and her grades were thriving. He refused to think about any of that right then. His only thought was getting home and taking Nicole to his bed, where she belonged.

Nicole stretched as the sunlight filtered through the window, waking her up. She'd been living at Ryan's for three months and she'd fallen in love with the place. He'd been gone over the past month and she would never admit it but she missed him like crazy. He'd called her a few times and she would get off the phone aching to be held by him again. She was angry with herself for being so weak.

Her room was a dream and larger than her old apartment. She lay there, enjoying the softness of the mattress and yet filled with an emptiness to be in it alone. She couldn't believe how attached she'd gotten to Ryan again in such a short amount of time. She figured she'd never really stopped loving him in the first place and being around him again was like a knife through her heart.

Nicole jumped from her bed, quickly showered, got dressed and headed outside. She spent every moment she could outside, when the weather allowed. The morning was starting off beautiful and warm, which was highly unusual for Seattle, home of the rain.

She took off down one of the trails on a jog, enjoying the little bit of heaven, not far outside of the city limits. When she jogged along the trail, she felt like she was in a park, instead of a yard. She ran out of steam quickly, which was normal lately and she didn't understand it. She was used to going and going day in and out and didn't know why her energy levels had been so depleted lately.

As Nicole walked along, she thought about her baby sister. She loved how well Patsy was doing. She was back in school and healthier than ever before. She'd fallen in love, at the better high school, which Derek had insisted she attend. She had new friends who'd been at the house a lot and was even getting ready for her first dance.

Nicole had felt guilty about spending more of Ryan's money but when he'd found out about the dance, he'd insisted she buy Patsy the best dress out there. Jasmine and Trinity were far more knowing of the latest fashions than she herself was so she'd asked them to come along with them and they'd enthusiastically agreed.

Pasty had the best day ever, as the girls not only picked out a dress but new shoes and accessories and even a small tiara to wear. The girls had then dragged them both from shop to shop, where Patsy had been loaded down with an entire new wardrobe. The girls had snuck several items in there for Nicole as well and she was cringing to think what the final bill had tallied out to.

She hadn't had the heart to say no to Patsy though as she hadn't seen her little sister's eyes light up with pleasure that intense ever. The day hadn't been completed until they all went in for pedicures and manicures. Patsy had even gotten fake nails put on for her dance. She'd been prancing around the house ever since.

That night when Ryan called, Patsy jumped on the phone and talked to him for about fifteen minutes. She went through her entire day and all the amazing clothes she'd gotten. She didn't have any clue he was the one fitting the bill. As she got ready to hand the phone over to Nicole, she told him she loved him, as only a teenager could and Nicole had to fight back the tears.




 

 

She knew she would be considered the most evil person ever if she tried to take Patsy away from the home where she'd made new friends. But wouldn't she have to leave eventually, when Patsy was done with school, if not sooner. Whenever Ryan was sick of her, they were out. She had a feeling he would allow Patsy to stay though, as he seemed attached to her.

Nicole felt a stinging in her leg, which snapped her back to the present and looked down to see red running downward. She panicked for a moment, thinking something had bitten her and she was pouring blood but as she looked closer she realized it was paint. She smiled, as she realized the kids were out having a paintball gun fight again. She'd run into them several times.

"Hey, I'm an innocent bystander," she called out good naturedly.

"Nicole, sorry we didn't know you were out here," the oldest boy, Jacob said, as he came running up to her, looking very guilty. He had several friends trailing behind him, all with the same expressions of guilt on their faces. "I heard a noise over here and thought it was one of the guys," he said, as a slight blush stole over his cheeks.