Nic sat staring at the empty wall in his room. He had taken a shower, but had yet to put anything on, other than the towel that was wrapped around his waist. After they had gotten rid of Eddie, he had barely gotten any sleep. He thought figuring out who had caused Veronica harm would have made him feel better...but it didn't. He thought that torturing that son of a bitch would have made him feel good...it hadn't. Because even after all of this, sure she was safe, but she wasn't with him. She had asked that he stay away from her. But there was no way in hell that was even possible for him now.He sat staring at the wall, but looking beyond it, as images of Veronica's face flooded his eyes. Her beautiful smile and long, wild curly hair. He had memorized every contour of her face and body. His favorite expression of hers was right after she came, she would slowly open her eyes to look at him. If he could freeze that look, he'd carry it with him always. That look caused his heart

The next morning, Veronica pried her eyes open when she smelled the sinful aroma of French toast. She freshened up in the bathroom, grabbed her black dress and put it on, then walked into the kitchen."Good morning, beautiful," Nic said, placing her breakfast on the counter, as she entered."Good morning. And do you ever get any sleep?" Veronica asked, as she stood on her tip toes to deliver him a kiss."Sometimes," Nic admitted.Veronica looked at her food. "This whole domestic side of you is still such a surprise. I'm trying to get used to it." She placed a forkful in her mouth, and wanted to moan with how good it was, when she noticed he wasn't eating. "Are you not eating?""No, I don't like French toast.""Then why did you make it?""Because I know you like it. I'm not really big on sugary foods first thing in the morning," he stated, as he opened the morning paper. Veronica watched him as she ate. He looked as though he had a lot on his mind."Are you okay?" she asked."Yes," Nic

The next day, Veronica couldn't stop smiling, even as they cuddled on the sofa watching some mystery romance movie on Lifetime. She was practically in his lap with her head leaning back against his solid chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, while her fingers mindlessly stroked the top of them, loving the feel of the smooth delicate hair that lightly covered his masculine limbs.Every few seconds, she would stare down at her diamond ring. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever owned, and definitely the most expensive. She had debated on asking him how much it cost, which was tacky, but she couldn't help it. But she decided against it, telling herself that it would make her even more self-conscious than she already was.Telling Marianna earlier that morning had been fun. She screamed through the phone into Veronica's ear, almost causing a slight r

"Hey Vicky," Olivia said in her usual tired tone."Hey mama, how are you?""I'm okay. Am I disrupting you from anything?""No, you're not. I'm just packing our clothes," Veronica said, as she kicked another box out of her way. Nic had told her about selling his home and buying a new one in California. He had said it while they were lying in bed, so matter-of-factly. That was Nic, though. There hadn't really been any discussion about it, and she wanted to be mad, but she couldn't. She really wanted to go. So instead of blessing him out, she went down on him. So much for feminism."So when do you officially leave?""In two days," Veronica said, still not really believing how quickly this all happened. Her mother got quiet.

Nic was pulling into their neighborhood, when he noticed a rental car parked awkwardly on their street. He had been involved in his old lifestyle too long to look at things like that as coincidence. He pulled up beside the car, and noticed it was empty. He got out and peeked inside. He saw a blue file sitting on the seat and at the bottom of the file written in ink was Nicolas Andretti IV.Goddamn that asshole. What the fuck did Marsh want?!Nic got back into his car and pulled into his driveway. He got out and entered the house, trying to calm his temper. He walked into the kitchen to find Marsh staring at Veronica. When Marsh finally noticed him, he took a noticeable step back from Veronica."Nic!" Veronica yelled, as she ran over to hug him. He returned her hug tightly while keeping his eyes on Marsh. After a few