Everyone bobs their heads in that way that means I’ve wandered out of comfortable small talk and fallen into too much detail. I wonder how they’d react if they knew that when I said I’d do everything I can for Mom, that includes pretending to date their cousin.
Nathan stares for a long moment, his dark eyes bouncing across my face like he’s seeing something he didn’t expect. Hopefully, he’ll take the conversational ball and give me time to remove these stupid feet from my mouth.
Alas. I should know better than to expect help from a villain. All he seems capable of doing is glaring. At me. His cousins. His drink. Just a ray of sunshine, that one.
“But that’s enough of that,” I say, giving Nathan a withering look. “I didn’t embarrass myself too badly with your parents, did I? I mean, considering I can sing every one of their songs…”
“Do you sing?” asks Angela.
“Badly.” I chuckle. “I’ve heard babies who sound better than me. And cats.”
“Speaking of kids and music,” Micah says, swatting Nathan on the arm. “Nell said she saw you at the talent show this afternoon.”
Wait…
This afternoon? That was the super important meeting he couldn’t miss? A talent show?
Nathan glares at the spot his cousin hit and arches an annoyed eyebrow. “One of my kids was performing.”
Micah pulls his lips into an exaggerated frown. “I didn’t know you got that involved with your students.”
Across the room, someone laughs loudly, then turns up the music. I want to hush them because I don’t want to miss one word of this explanation. Nathan West, The Prince of Darkness, has students? There are people who actually let him near their children?
“I usually don’t,” Nathan says. “But this guy is incredibly talented and has the worst self-esteem. He started to panic and was going to pull out of the show. He texted me for help. What was I gonna do? Leave him high and dry?”
“That’s so you.” Angela beams with nothing short of adoration. “You’re always the one who drops everything to take care of the world.”
That’s so him?
We know very different versions of Nathan West.
“You were at a talent show this afternoon?” I ask, incredulously.
“Yeah.” Nathan frowns, eyeing me like he wants to beam information into my brain. “You know. I told you about Ricky. He’s in my guitar class at the foundation?”
So much to digest.
Nathan plays the guitar…
He shares his knowledge with underprivileged kids…
He makes house calls when they’re nervous…
And here I pegged him as one of those guys who hates all things creative and growls at passing children. I stare at the man across from me, trying to fit this new puzzle piece into the image I’ve built. He’s rude. He exploits small infractions like an accidental text message for big financial gains. He’s willing to fake a relationship and lie to his family rather than make better choices.
And he’s a role model?
I guess even villains have a tender side.
“Oh. Right. Yeah. Ricky.” I clear my throat and search for words that might form an actual sentence. “Of course I know all about Ricky. How could I have forgotten Ricky?”
“Nell said he was really good.” Micah gives me a funny look, probably because he’s wondering how many more times I’ll say the name Ricky. “You must be doing something right.”
Nathan holds out his hands and feigns shock. “You all heard it, right? Someone mark the calendar. Micah actually gave someone else credit for doing a good job.”
“Uncle Nator Tot!” A little girl with golden blond hair bounds up to the group and leaps onto Nathan’s back. He grunts, then twists back and forth, waving his arms like he’s trying to brush her off.
“What the…?” He spins wildly, then stops, craning his neck to look over his shoulder. “Is there something on my back?” he asks me, his eyes gleaming, his smile wide and toothy and absolutely stunning.
Look at me, breathless again.
Wow. I mean, just, wow.
The little girl giggles, burying her face in his neck. “There’s no kids here and I’m bored. Will you play with me? Grandma says there’s strawberry ice cream, just for us.”
“Strawberry ice cream just for us?” Nathan asks excitedly, pivoting back and forth like he’s looking for something. “Where? Point me to it!”
The girl digs her heels into his side, pointing to a table set up on the other side of the room. “That way, Cap’n!”
Dear God. Ovaries have exploded. Cuteness overload disabling common sense. Stop me before I do something stupid. Desperately, Mina Blake.
“That’s enough, Nell,” says Micah. “Hop off Uncle Nathan and let him say hi to everyone before you commandeer him for the evening.”
“Nell Bell?” Nathan cranes his neck to meet the giggling girl’s eyes. “Is that you?”
“Who else would it be?” She slides off his back, then stands in front of him, her little chin lifted. “You knowed it was me the whole time.”
“Maybe,” he says with a grin, then shakes his head as Nell skips away and disappears in the crowd.
“So that’s my daughter,” Micah says to me before turning to his cousins. “She’s desperate for a cousin or seven, if any of you would like to get on that it would be very helpful.”
The group chuckles and cracks a few more jokes while I acclimate to a Nathan who doesn’t feel like The Prince of Darkness.
“I’m gonna finish saying hello to everyone,” he says, during a lull in conversation. “So Mina can meet the whole crew.”
We say our goodbyes and make our way around the room. He introduces me to so many people I’m dizzy with names and faces. Dinner is delicious, the cake is huge, and damn if the smile on Nathan’s face when he blows out the candles feels like sunshine. We sing. We eat. We help ourselves to cocktails from the bar.
And then, we dance.
Nathan’s arms are draped around my waist, his eyes locked on mine. I’d almost buy that he adored me if I didn’t know the truth. And if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t mind being adored by the man I met tonight. I don’t know which version of him is real. The grumpy rich asshole who charges obscene amounts of money for a favor? Or the man giving piggyback rides to his niece and making house calls to nervous students because he’s the guy who drops everything to save the world?
“You are uncomfortably good at this,” I say with a sigh.
“At what?”
“Pretending to like me.”
He cocks his head and grins like I said something to melt his heart. “I’ll admit, it’s taking more energy than I thought it would.”
