Page 23 of Once Upon a Beast

“If you’re still angry at me, if you need more time and space or to talk about our past, we can. But we need to be happy tonight. We need to play the part. I’m sorry if that is too much to ask but I hope you can do it.”

“Nic, I’m not still angry at you. Ella and Ara are, and might be until the end of time, but that’s what best friends do,” I said.

“If I were in their shoes, I would hate me until the end of time too and would help Ella make sure no one found all my parts either.”

I laughed. “That’s an interesting and yet sweet way of putting it.”

Nic gave me a strange look as if he didn’t like what I had said, before I could question him, the look was gone and he said, “I’m glad you feel that way and hopefully you’ll consider me sweet, too. Are we ready to go out there and have a good time?”

I smiled and gave him a brief nod. There were many things I was feeling toward the man but him being sweet wasn’t one of them. But it felt like we had crossed a hurdle and I was going to take it as a win. “Sure partner. Let’s go out there and show what we’re made of.”

Putting my hand out, I gave him a questioning look, waiting to see if he would take it. He hesitated for a second but moved over to me. Hand-in-hand we walked into the event.

Chapter 13

Nicodemus

For the rest of the night, I struggled between wanting to be as close to Layla as humanly possible and needing to be as far away from her as I could. It was wonderful to be able to stand next to her, to tilt my head down and look at her. She did look incredible in her dress and I tried to be appreciative of the approving looks she got from the other guests. There were some guys who looked a little too long at her and I had to suppress my urge to go over and punch them in the face.

While it was wonderful to spend the time with her, it only reminded me of all that I had missed. It only showed me how great she was and how much I wanted her in my life. We were on such shaky ground I had to be happy with having her friendship. But being around her only made me long for so much more.

Layla knew enough people from past events and from her work to keep the conversations and interactions consistent. There might have been a few people who came up to us because they wanted to see us together. I was fine with it as that was the whole reason why I was there. Well, I wanted to support Layla and spend time with her, but it was also to make everyone believe that we were a legitimate couple.

The congratulations, for the most part, seemed heartfelt, though there were definitely some questioning looks. It was especially the case when Sandy Holstrom, Layla’s boss, came up to us.

“Layla, you look amazing. I see being engaged agrees with you. I can understand why when you have such a handsome man on your arm,” Sandra said.

I looked down at Layla and saw her blushing. I put my arm around her and smiled at Sandra. “I pale in comparison to the beauty of the woman next to me,” I said.

Layla tensed up slightly next to me and I ran what I hoped was a reassuring hand up and down her arm. Sandra watched and smiled bigger. I could feel Layla relaxing ever so slightly. I wasn’t sure if she had been nervous about Sandra coming over to us or having me touch her. Whatever it was, it had passed. I left my arm around Layla not just because I thought I should, but because I wanted to. Her light vanilla scent filled my head, making it hard to concentrate on what Sandra was saying. It was just another one of the moments that I loved and hated being so close to Layla.

“It’s nice to actually have a face with the name that I’ve heard so much about,” Sandra said.

“Is that so?” Layla asked and looked over at me and then back at Sandra.

“Nicodemus didn’t tell you? He’s been one of our biggest donors for years. Every quarter, he’s given generously and even more so right before this event. It really is quite wonderful all that you’ve helped us accomplish, especially in the rare book collection. I always wondered why you insisted the money go to that department but now I can see why,” Sandra gave us a knowing smile.

Layla put her hand on my chest and gave it a few pats. It was soft at first and then increasingly got harder. She didn’t look at me as she said to Sandra, “That’s my Nic, so generous and kind. It’s one of the many things that I love about him.”

Hearing Layla say the world love when talking about me made my insides turn. I took a deep breath and said, “Anything that Layla is involved in is a worthwhile cause. I was glad to help and know she has done good work.”

“She’s one of our best. If you get a chance, you really should go over and talk to Hamilton Reynolds and his wife Patricia. They are fascinated with Jane Austen and would love to talk to you about the restoration work you’ve been doing,” Sandra said to Layla.

“Certainly, I would love to,” Layla said and looked around as if she was trying to find them.

“I don’t believe they’re here yet, but if I see them, I will tell them to come and find you. You two have a lovely evening, and congratulations again,” Sandra said, and with a light squeeze of Layla’s arm, she walked away.

As soon as Sandra was gone, Layla turned and gave me an angry look. We were in a crowded ballroom. We should have been talking to other guests, making our rounds, but as I looked at Layla, all I saw was her. If I had my way, I would spend the rest of the night just looking at and talking to her. It didn’t matter to me that she was looking at me like she wanted to kill me, I still loved looking at her.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You’ve been donating to my department?” she asked.

“Maybe.” I wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Why would you do that? Why wouldn’t you tell me you were?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

“Considering you weren’t talking to me; it would have been hard to tell you.”