Georgia’s POV
As expected, we were late!
An hour behind schedule, we finally pulled up to Nick’s mom’s estate, and my jaw instantly dropped. The place was breathtaking. A wide stretch of land welcod us, frad by flowering bushes and tall, graceful trees that swayed with the breeze.
The white wrought iron gate swung open automatically after Nick placed his hand on the sleek scanner, and it felt like we were entering so private paradise.
"Wow..." I whispered, practically glued to the window as we drove in. "Your mom’s property is amazing. Look at those flowers, so full and vibrant. And the security system? That’s straight out of a movie. Is this where you grew up? The house you told about?"
Nick’s lips tugged into a small smile as he kept his eyes on the road. "No, that house was much smaller, closer to the city. We sold it years ago. When Vicky and I started working, we pooled our money together and bought this place for Mom.
Then she sold the old house, and the money went into building this one. She’s just like you and Ella, she loves gardening, loves animals. Out of all the places we saw, this was the one that made her light up."
I couldn’t stop smiling. That image of them, two kids working hard just to give their mom a dream ho, ward my heart. "Great choice. Honestly, I would’ve picked the sa. This feels like the perfect place to raise children."
I hadn’t ant anything by it. Just a casual comnt, an honest observation. But the way Nick’s hand flexed on the steering wheel told I’d accidentally opened a door in his head.
"Yeah," he said, his voice steady, but his eyes glinted with sothing more. "It is the perfect place to raise our children. Weekends here, sumrs too. Running around in the garden, climbing trees... they’d love it."
My heart did a full sorsault. His words wrapped around , warm and teasing but also so real that my cheeks heated instantly. I turned toward him, only to find him focused on the road like he hadn’t just said sothing that made my whole chest flutter.
"That’s sweet..." I muttered, but my voice betrayed , soft and embarrassed.
I snapped my gaze forward, trying to calm the storm inside , only to spot Oliver and Liam’s car already parked near the front. Beside them sat a sleek luxury vehicle I didn’t recognize, which was enough distraction to keep my blush from spreading any further.
But Nick’s hand found mine on my lap, squeezing gently, as if to say he knew exactly what effect his words had on . And damn it—I couldn’t stop the giddy smile that curved on my lips.
Nick let out a heavy sigh, his eyes flicking toward the sleek luxury car parked beside Oliver and Liam’s. "My dad is here," he murmured, pointing it out.
I blinked at him, confused. "Wait... your dad? He and your mom are... on good terms?"
"They’re... together," Nick said simply.
My jaw nearly hit the floor. "I—I don’t understand. Isn’t Violet married to your father?"
"Yes," Nick replied, his tone calm but edged with sothing that sounded almost resigned. "But it’s only on paper. They show up together in public, keep the appearances. At ho? They live separate lives. My dad spends weekends here—with Mom."
I gaped at him, trying to process all of that, but before I could push further, Nick parked the car and cut off my confusion with a small smile. His hand caught mine, bringing it up to his lips as he pressed the lightest kiss to the back of it. My stomach flipped.
"Don’t worry about him," Nick said softly. "Whatever you saw from him last night won’t be what you see today."
My brows furrowed. "And how can you be so sure?"
His smile curved into that maddeningly confident one that always made both nervous and giddy. "You’ll see," he promised, and before I could argue, he was already out of the car.
I inhaled deeply several tis, bracing myself, then stepped out. But of course, Nick was faster, already at my side, closing my door for like the gentleman he always managed to be.
His hand slid to the small of my back, warm and steady, anchoring as we walked toward the front porch together. That little touch had blushing again, and I hated how much I loved it.
The house before us was stunning, a modern farmhouse with white cladding, cozy cream and brown brick accents, and a bold black roof. The wide wraparound wooden deck gave it the kind of charm that made you want to curl up with coffee on a lazy morning. It wasn’t just a house. It was a ho.
And as Nick guided up the pathway, I couldn’t help thinking... this was the kind of place you’d want to be welcod into, the kind of place you’d dream of belonging.
On the porch stood Benjamin... and beside him, the woman I’d only seen in frad photos at Nick’s place. His mother.
She didn’t wait for us to reach her. With a radiant smile and arms wide open, she ca down the steps to et us halfway. The warmth that rolled off her was instant, like sunshine wrapping around .
Before I knew it, she was hugging , tight, genuine, the kind of embrace that spoke more than words ever could.
"Welco to my ho," she said brightly, her voice full of joy. "I’m so glad to finally et you. I’m Prudence Carter, Nick and Vicky’s mother. Vicky’s been telling all sorts of things about you, while this man here—" she reached over and pinched Nick’s side playfully, earning his chuckle "—only wants to keep you to himself. So selfish!"
My cheeks ward as I tried to steady the tremble in my voice. "I’m happy to et you too, ma’am..."
She imdiately pouted at , almost adorably. "Oh no, don’t call that. Vicky already told everything. From now on, call Mom. Actually, I insist."
Her insistence was so full of affection that I couldn’t help but nod, smiling back at her. My heart did a funny little flip at how easily she made feel like I belonged.
But when I glanced past her, my eyes caught Benjamin still on the porch, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable as he watched us. A shiver of nerves rippled through , rembering how he opposed being together with Nick last night, but Prudence’s presence cald .
"Happy birthday, my dear," she said, turning to Nick.
And then, to my utter shock, she smacked his arm with the bamboo fan she was holding. I gasped, covering my mouth, wide-eyed.
"Why on earth are you late?!" she scolded, though her eyes sparkled with teasing affection. "I was worried you wouldn’t co at all and that I wouldn’t et Georgia. And now the food’s gone cold!"
Nick just grinned, completely unfazed, which told imdiately this was just their mother-son banter.
"We stayed up to welco midnight together," Nick explained smoothly. "Georgia made blow a candle and make a wish before eating cake."
Then he shot a sideways glance, his grin curving darker, more devilish. "It was so delicious, I couldn’t stop eating it. I kept going back for more until it was done, and it was already so late."
My face burned as I realized he wasn’t talking about the cake at all, but , with frosting everywhere. I wanted to smack him with that fan, too. Thankfully, his mom only smiled, completely oblivious to his wicked double aning.
******
Thank you for the Golden Ticket!
hrai
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