Wild Nights With My Brother’s Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 158

ROMAN

I crack an eye open and immediately search for Nikki, but she’s not beside me and I’m pretty sure she isn’t in the room.

Where is she? Has she left?

I sit up quickly, my heart beating faster. Last night was the craziest night I’ve ever had in my life, but I’m glad about how things turned out for us.

This is definitely a lesson I’ve learned—no more lying.

Hell. I’m not going to lose Nikki for anything in the world.

That was a close call, and I don’t want to go through that again.

As I rise from the bed, coming to terms with the fact that Nikki probably left, I’smell bacon and coffee, and a smile stretches across my face as I head out of the room.

Seeing Nikki standing in my kitchen, wearing one of my shirts, makes me hard. I come up behind her, wrap my arms around her frame, and pepper the side of her neck with kisses that make her squeal.

“Roman! I’ll burn the eggs.”

“I thought you left.”

“I wouldn’t have done that without waking you.”

She turns her head to look at me, holding the spatula in her hand. I think she reads the hidden meaning behind my words, because her expression softens and she presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. Alright?”

“You promise?”

“I do.”

I touch my cheek to hers, and she catches my beard before saying, “I like the beard. Keep it.”

“You sure?”

Maybe trim it down a little. But just a little. I don’t want it gone completely.”

1 smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

She takes the eggs off the heat before putting the spatula down and facing me completely. “Wait a minute. I never noticed this before. You have some…some gray on your temples.”

She runs her fingers through my hair, looking mesmerized.

“You look a little too happy that I’m getting old.”

“Old? What’re you talking about? I think you look sexy.”

“Sexy, huh?” lask as I pull her closer to me, holding her hips. “It’s all the stress you give me.”

Nikki bursts out laughing. “What about the stress you giveme?”

“Are you the one graying prematurely?”

” could be. It’d be harder to see because my hair is, well, blonde.”

“I still don’t see any grays.”

We joke around like this, and honestly? I feel fulfilled. My soul is happy. I clean up quickly before we sit down together at the kitchen island to have the breakfast she prepared. Everything’s so delicious.

Laughing and joking around with her like this are the only things that give me life. Without her, I’m nothing. This

– past month was terrible. All I did was drink and think about all the ways I messed up.

After eating, Nikki puts her fork down and sighs. She has stopped smiling and looks a little more serious now.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have to go to work.”

My heart sinks in the same way she does. I curse and finish my coffee. “Angus won’t leave us alone. He’s the one who gave you those photographs, right?”

Nikki rubs the spot between her eyebrows. “He doesn’t want us together. He’s made that clear before. He wants Sebastian and me together.”I square my jaw and she shoots me an apologetic look.

I’m only repeating what he wants.”

“What do you think?”

“You know what I think.”

We get ready as quickly as we can, and once I get in theshower, that’s when all of it starts sinking in.

We’re getting married.

Married.

Nikki didn’t even blink an eye, even though we just got back together after a month of so much uncertainty. I didn’t even know if she would want me back and now, we’re getting married.

As soon as I leave the shower, I make the necessary calls, then it’s done. All sorted. Nikki is standing by the door, wearing what she wore last night. Watching me.

“It’s done,” I tell her.

“Yeah?”

I walk up to her and we hold each other. She’s peering into my eyes with an expression I can’t quite read, and it makes me wonder what she’s thinking about.

“What is it, baby?”

“ljust…can’t believe it.”

“I know it’s happening so fast.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you wanna change your mind?”

“No,” she says decisively. “No, we’re not going to change our minds. This is the right thing to do.”What about Mason? Don’t you want to invite him?”

She makes a face. “Let’s just keep it between us for now.”

It’s time for us to go, and I have to admit that my heart is nearly beating out of my chest. When we get to the car, I tell her we have to stop by someplace to get the rings. “Do we really need them?”

“Yes. We’ll change them as soon as we get the chance, but first? We need them. To make it all official.”

Nikki smiles and doesn’t dispute it. In a few hours, she’ll become my wife, and my chest swells with pride because this might just be the best thing I’ve ever done.