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Nick could feel his heart hammering faster and his throat went dry as he waited for a response from Elisabeth. He had gone out on a limb, yes, but he knew she felt the same way; it was written all over her face. Biting his lip, he felt Elisabeth’s hand, still placed over his heart, curl into a fist underneath his hands. He watched as she shifted her weight on the bench as she began to think about the confession he had just given her.

He felt his heart sink as Elisabeth stood up without saying anything. He assumed she was going to go back into the restaurant and leave him sitting there feeling like a complete fool. When she reached down and took his hand in hers, he looked up to search her soulful brown eyes. Maybe I’m not such a fool after all… Lacing their fingers together, Nick let Elisabeth lead him to his car. Wordlessly, they got in and began to drive, willing to go where ever their hearts were leading them.

***

Elisabeth opened her eyes and tried to get a hold on her whereabouts. Smiling, she remembered that she was at the Madison Inn with Nick. They had not said anything during the drive, but there were no words needed. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable or tense; it was very relaxed. They had driven for a while when they reached the cozy little inn just outside of Southport. Now, Elisabeth was waking up in Nick’s arms feeling very much in love for the first time in years. I could get used to this.

“Hey, you,” Nick’s sleep coated voice caused her to smile as she rolled onto her stomach and rested her chin on his chest so she could look into his eyes.

“Hey, yourself,” she whispered and placed a soft kiss on his chest. “Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yeah, I had very nice dreams,” he grinned and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her even closer, he placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

Elisabeth sighed and enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in the arms of the man she loved. Suddenly, she sat up and wrapped the sheet around herself.

“What’s the matter?” Nick asked anxiously. A million and one scenarios flashed through his mind before her smile convinced him that there was nothing to worry about. Sitting up, he scooted closer to Elisabeth and tucked a few wild strands of hair behind her ear. “You know, I have never felt so right about something in my entire life. This is the way it should be.”

Elisabeth lifted Nick’s hand and kissed each of his fingertips before she placed his hand over her heart. “If my heart could speak, it would be screaming how much I love you.” When Nick cocked his head to the side and smiled, she placed her hand gently on his cheek. “I love you, Nick.”

Just hearing those words caused Nick’s heart to pound again. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her down across his lap and began to kiss her softly. “I love you, too, Lizzie. God knows how long I’ve been waiting for you.” Rolling over, Nick propped himself over Elisabeth and began to leave delicate kisses on her neck and shoulder. “I wish this could last forever.”

***

“Well, where could she be?” Kaitlyn growled as though a mother waiting for her daughter would. She hadn’t seen her mom since about 6:15 the previous evening and she had not come home. “She doesn’t even act like my mom!”

“Katy, hush right now,” Abigail called and picked up the telephone. Luckily, Elisabeth left Greta’s home and cell phone numbers in case something happened. “May I please speak with Greta? Oh, good morning, Greta, this is Abigail Butler. I’m just wondering if you’ve seen Elisabeth. She didn’t come home last night and I’m terribly worried. Oh, you haven’t? Since after dinner? Okay, well, if she calls or goes by there, please tell her I’m worried sick. Thank you.”

Kaitlyn watched her grandmother as she paced around the living room.

Suddenly, Robert appeared in the door way. “Abby, hon, I’m going to the hardware store, do you need anything from anywhere?”

“No,” she waved him off. She hadn’t told him about Elisabeth and she wasn’t going to. He would only tell her that their daughter was a grown woman and there was nothing they could do. There’s always something I can do.

“Papa, can I come with?” Kaitlyn asked before he could get out the front door.

“Sure, sweet pea. Let’s go,” he smiled and opened the door to reveal a cloudy, rainy day.

Kaitlyn climbed into the black Ford F-150 and scowled at the thought that her mother was acting like a teenager herself. Thinking back to earlier in the week, she remembered the blonde guy from the hardware store. Elisabeth had been acting like a school girl, blushing and giggling like an idiot. I bet she’s with that jerk. “Papa, who was that guy at the hardware store?”

“Which one?” he asked as they pulled onto Main Street.

“That young blonde guy,” she tried to sound as sweet as possible.

“Oh, that was Nick. He’s a nice boy. A bit too old for you though,” he winked at his granddaughter.

Kaitlyn tried not to gag. If he only knew how much she detested Nick right now. Putting on her prettiest smile, Kaitlyn followed her grandfather into the tiny hardware store and looked around for Nick. She stood back and watched as a couple people stood at the front talking to the man behind the counter.

“Good morning, David,” Robert greeted with a friendly smile.

“Mornin’ Bob. How’s Abby?” David asked.

Kaitlyn tuned out the conversation between the two men as she began to walk around the store. “This place is a dump.”

She continued her survey until she made her way back to the front and found that her grandfather was now at the other end of the store. They were the only ones left in there. Quietly, she walked over to the counter and stood there waiting for David to notice her. When he didn’t look up from the paper he was writing on, she let out an impatient sigh and threw her hands on her hips.

Finally, David looked up and peered at her over the top of his glasses. “Can I help you young lady?” his voice was gentle and patient.

Before Kaitlyn could come up with a smart mouthed reply, the bell on the door jingled as someone came in.

“Well, hello Graham. How are you doing today?” David smiled and placed his pen on the counter.

“Oh, I’m pretty okay,” Graham replied with a lopsided grin. “You haven’t, by any chance, seen Nick this morning have you?”

“No, Graham, sorry. He didn’t come home last night, but I think he called Winnie and said he would be home sometime today.”

As soon as the words came from David’s mouth, Kaitlyn began to fume. Nick had been out all night and so had her mother; that was no coincidence. She may have been 13, but she could put that puzzle together.

“I bet he was with my mom,” she blurted suddenly causing Graham and David to look at her strangely. “She didn’t come home last night either and I know they had to be together. Nick is like, stalking her.”

“Excuse me?” David asked with an amused expression and looked at Graham who could only shrug.

“Did you know my mom is married? And now she’s probably sleeping with Nick. When my Dad finds out, he’ll be down here to kick Nick’s ass,” her voice was rising with each word.

“Katy, what has gotten into you?” Robert came to see why his granddaughter was having a fit in front of David and Graham.

“Nick didn’t go home last night just like mom,” her voice was shrill and she stomped her feet. “Daddy’s not gonna be happy about that, Papa.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Robert was quickly losing his patience with Kaitlyn.

“But Papa, you have to do something…Nick is sleeping with mom…”

“That’s enough,” his voice boomed, causing Kaitlyn to jump slightly. “I am taking you home and I don’t want to hear another word about any of this, do you understand?” Kaitlyn nodded and Robert turned back to David. “Sorry about this. I don’t know what caused her to throw such a fit, but I’m sure her grandmother will find out.”

***

Nick rolled over and reached out to pull Elisabeth closer to him, but found her side of the bed empty. Alarmed, he sat up and looked around the room to see if she had snuck out; he let out the breath he was holding when he saw her clothes on the chair across the room and heard the shower going in the bathroom. Before he could get out of bed and go and join Elisabeth, the shower shut off and she emerged from the bathroom.

“Well, if it isn’t sleeping beauty,” Elisabeth laughed as she wrapped her long hair in a towel. “It’s about time you got up.”

“Yeah, well, I was tired. How long have you been up anyway?” he rubbed his eyes and stood up to stretch. Checking the clock on the bedside table, he saw that it was just after noon.

“Oh, only about thirty minutes,” she smiled meekly and let him wrap her up in his arms. Standing on her toes, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. “But that’s thirty minutes longer than you.”

“Oh, so you wanna be like that?” he scooped Elisabeth into his arms and tossed her on the bed, bouncing along with her.

Elisabeth laughed and tried to push him off the bed, finally succeeding after her fourth attempt. She giggled harder as he landed with a thud on the hardwood floor. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, you aren’t,” Nick laughed and rolled his eyes as he rubbed his backside. Walking over to the window, he looked out to see that it was overcast and had been raining. He smiled to himself when he felt Elisabeth wrap her arms around his waist from behind.

“This is the perfect day to spend inside under the covers,” she said softly and kissed his shoulder. She placed another kiss on his shoulder before going across the room and pulling Nick’s shirt on and unwrapping her hair from the towel.

Nick turned and watched as she gently combed her hair and pulled it up into a sloppy ponytail. Her eyes seemed to sparkle like never before and she asked, “So, what do you think?”

“I think I would stay here forever with you, Lizzie,” he smiled and sat down in the chair by the window. He motioned for her to come over to him and when she did, he pulled her across his lap. “I know it seems crazy; I have never done anything like this before. I’ve also never felt quite like this about a woman. You’re different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I feel the same way about you, Nick. I tried so hard to deny the way you made me feel, but that’s impossible. You’ve made me realize that everyone gets a second chance if they look hard enough. Thank you,” she whispered as tears glistened in her eyes.

Reaching up, Nick lovingly wiped away the few tears that had begun to travel down her cheeks. “You deserve a second chance; you deserve the world. And I’ll try my damnedest to give it to you.”

Elisabeth smiled and pressed her lips to his mumbling, “I love you” over and over.

***

“You know, Robert, Elisabeth has been acting very strange lately and she still hasn’t come home or bothered to call. She’s been seeing that boy, too,” Abigail said and crossed her arms over her chest as she thought about what he told her Kaitlyn had said to David Gaines. It was nearly midnight and they were both still up hoping Elisabeth would be home soon. “What if she is sleeping with him?”

“Abby, that is absurd and you know it,” Robert said as he flipped through the newspaper. Surely, his wife didn’t actually believe their granddaughter. “Elisabeth is a grown woman and she’s not stupid; she knows what that could do. So she went on a couple harmless dinner dates? God knows Joshua has been doing a lot more than just having dinner. You and I both know he isn’t faithful to her, and I could kill him for that, but Elisabeth isn’t the type to stoop to his level.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right, but I can’t help but wonder. I worry about her so much,” she let out a tired sigh. “You know she lost her job?”

“What?” Robert put down the paper to look at his wife. “How did that happen?”

“Elisabeth said it was because of Joshua, but she didn’t give me details. Robert, I’m so worried about her,” Abigail said as she broke into tears.

“Shhh, honey, Lizzie’s strong and stubborn like you. There’s no need to worry.”

***

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as her grandfather defended her mother. “What a crock,” she mumbled to herself as she hid in the kitchen stairwell, eavesdropping on her grandparents’ conversation. She scowled when he began to talk about her father. Mom even has Papa lying about Daddy. When her grandmother began to cry, Kaitlyn quietly crept back up the stairs to her room.

Walking over to the window, she saw an older model mustang convertible pull into the driveway. She watched in disgust as her mother leaned into Nick for a kiss; they seemed so wrapped up in one another that nothing could have gotten their attention. “God, Mom, why don’t you just undress for him right there.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kaitlyn closed the curtains and let out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah, a couple dinner dates. Right.”

***

“Is it me, or did this day just go by way too fast?” Nick asked as he pulled Elisabeth in for a kiss. The day had been perfect and he had begged her to stay one more night with him at Madison Inn, but she insisted that they come back to Sunset Beach.

“Yes, it did,” she said between kisses. “This has been so perfect, Nick.”

“I love you,” he whispered and crushed her lips against his. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her.

“I love you, too, Nick,” she said and tangled her hands in his hair. After one more kiss she reluctantly pulled away and got out of the car. Before she went inside, she turned and blew him a kiss then turned and quickly disappeared into the house. She didn’t stop until she was safely in her bedroom with the door locked. Everything had been perfect so far and she wasn’t going to let her mother and daughter ruin it. After all, if her heart could speak, it would be telling her that everything was right and she shouldn’t worry about what they had to say.