I'm Not Going To Kidnap You

Months passed quickly. After discussing our feelings with one another, Nicholas and I both felt at ease and relished our time together. We had numerous romantic weekends at his several homes across the world.

To visit each new location and truly experience Nicholas' world was fascinating and wonderful. I nearly didn't want the journey to end.

But as soon as I came through the front door and gave Laura a big hug, I knew I was home.

Home.

Though I had called Atkins home for many years, the feelings evoked by living with Nicholas and Laura far exceeded what I had felt there.

We also had to adjust to the fact that I was starting my first semester of college classes. I reached a compromise with Nicholas. I was enrolled in four introductory courses, which took up three days out of the seven days of the week while I finished the requirements for graduation. I had also agreed to let John drive me to and from college every day.

"Would you like to drop by the coffee shop this morning?" John questioned as I slid into the car.

I nodded and offered him the biggest smile I could muster at that early hour. Every morning when I complained about awakening at the break of dawn, Nicholas would laugh.

He was one to tease me! He was just as bad in the morning as I was.

After trying for the first few days, Laura waved the white flag on getting me to eat breakfast before class. Instead, she packed snacks in my bag for when I got time in the day.

Not too long after, we stopped in front of the cafe near the university, and I got out to grab my morning dosage of caffeine and sugar. I smiled as I looked down at my tennis shoes, slacks, and t-shirt. I wanted to laugh about the dressy clothing Courtney and I had spent the summer looking for. Attending school gave me the justification to dress comfortably.

I should have paid attention because I almost bumped into a wall and stumbled. As I fell, someone grabbed hold of my waist and steadied me.

I quickly apologized while looking up to see what or who I had ran into.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Are you alright?"

The man grinned broadly as I wriggled out of his hold and nodded at him.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm thankful for your help though." I wriggled free of his hold since I didn't feel at ease having a random person's hands on me.

At my discomfort, he instantly backed off, and I calmed down by taking a long breath. He seemed kind enough, and given his features, he likely would have been handsome if I hadn't already been hitched to the most attractive man on the planet. His fancy suit and tie were expertly cut to accommodate his tall frame.

"I must have gotten in your way." He motioned me to stand in front of him in line. "Please allow me to make it up to you by treating you to coffee this morning."

I shook my head. "No, that's alright." I couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling I was getting from him. John was still seated in the car when I took a quick look outside.

"Hey, no big deal." I turned around to face the man as he laughed. "You appear to be scared that I'm going to kidnap you or something," he added casually.

After exhaling, I grinned. He was correct. I was being a fool. I had been the one to bump into him before.

Why was I being so sensitive in this matter?

I apologized. "I suppose I'm just jittery this morning."

Again, he laughed. "I am not sure if caffeine will help with that, though."

I forced another grin, grateful that the crowd in front of us had thinned out. I complied with his request that I place my order before him, not because I wanted to, but because I didn't want to talk to him for longer. No sooner had the barista placed the order in front of me, than I turned to leave.

"It was wonderful meeting you." I shook his extended hand. "I'm H. I might run across you at some point again."

I felt a chill go through me. "Yes, possibly."

He let go, and I hurried back into the car and out the door.

"Everything okay?" John questioned me as I entered.

I blinked. "Yes. Sorry for the delay."

As John sped away, I popped open the lid of my coffee. Usually, the aroma of freshly brewed deliciousness gave me as much energy as the coffee itself.

But this morning there was a problem. It absolutely smelled off.

In fact, after a sip, I started to feel a little queasy.

I closed the lid and waved to John when he pulled in front of my class building. I threw the coffee in the trashcan and sped inside so that I could make it to class on time.

I took my seat beside Melody, Haven, and Russell. They were in a few of my classes, and we started to walk and sit together as much as we could. Even though there were many students in the lectures, the small pool of classes I was taking demanded greater social contact with people around me.

When I presented myself as Willow Rowe during the first week, I noticed several individuals giving me strange stares. As if they were already aware of who I was.

It was also plausible that they did.

Even though Nicholas' name continued to be included alongside mine in the gossip sections, I stopped letting it affect me as much. I made an effort to be inconspicuous and attract as little attention as I could.

But it was nice having some acquaintances in some of the classes.

It gave me comfort to know that I had a few individuals to talk to, work on assignments with, and just act normally about campus, especially Melody, who had been extremely sweet.

Despite the challenging nature of my class schedule, I made an effort to have fun. I found my introductory psychology class to be particularly interesting, and I considered furthering my studies in that field.

As soon as my phone rang, I grinned and took it out.

[I love you.]

I still had a few heart-fluttering moments a day because of Nicholas. I hoped that sensation would remain no matter how many years passed.

As I rapidly finished another handful of chips, I instantly responded to him. They were the only foods available at the time that tasted decent. Even seeing the sandwich that Laura had tucked into my bag made me want to hurl.

"Did Nicholas just text you?" Melody inquired.

I nodded and grinned across the table at her. Haven and she both laughed at me.

"What?"

"Every time he messages or you mention him, you have this expression on your face. I wish I could meet someone who could make me smile like that." Melody patted the place over her heart and grinned.

Haven sighed. "I still find it hard to believe that you are married to Nicholas Rowe."

Despite the fact that I was close with them both, if they brought up Nicholas in conversation, I would usually change the subject gently. Although I thought they had good intentions, I wanted to keep my personal affairs away from everyone.

"Yeah, how is he?" Melody inquired.

I looked down at my notebook. "He's wonderful," I gave a short reply. I tapped the pen a few times before looking back at them. "What was your answer to question five?"

They immediately took the hint and the tension eased. We went back to discussing our assignment.

.

I got a call from somebody I had been missing on the way home from campus. "Courtney!"

"Hey, stranger." She laughed at my enthusiasm.

"I know. It's been so long since we last met. I miss hanging out with you." We didn't have time to go shopping because Nicholas and I had been on our weekend trips. "How is your new job treating you?"

"About that. I love it, Willow. I am so grateful that you spoke with Nicholas about recruiting me."

He had fulfilled his promise to me by employing Courtney to act as the internal marketing contact between his business and third-party companies.

"I'm glad that it's going well. What was Sandra's response? Does Geoffrey enjoy your company around the workplace?" I rapidly fired the questions.

She chuckled. "Sandra was overjoyed. She may have become a genie and given Nicholas three wishes to ask of her."

I grinned. Sandra and I had only really spoken to one another on the phone up until that point; we had only met once at the reception. But Nicholas admired her—in a manner that made her seem like the favorite elder sister—and I was certain that his employing Courtney pleased Sandra just as much as it did me.

"I am so busy with work that I rarely see him during the day. He does insist on taking me out to lunch as often as possible, though. Our offices are not even in the same building but he makes it work," she said enthusiastically.

"We need to meet soon. I really want to see you." I also wanted to see Geoffrey. It had been a long time since they had met. Everyone was getting so busy.