001: The Reunion

NICOLE

The second I made eye contact with Roman Hayes, I should've grabbed my purse and my little pamphlets and gone home.

But no.

I chose to stay.

In my defense, something in me has always liked to play with fire, and this situation is definitely the perfect example of that.

Slowly, he makes his way toward me, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Roman Hayes, my brother Mason's ex-best friend. I haven't seen him in over seven years. Might not seem like much, but there was a time when I'd see his face every single day.

But that all came to an end when he and Mason fought. They parted ways and I never saw him again. 

I bring my own glass to my lips, hoping to mask the nervousness coursing through my blood and making me queasy. I take note of his appearance with one quick sweeping glance. His dark hair, which used to be really messy and tousled in his teens, is now brushed back and away from his face. He's dressed in a fitted black suit that hugs every inch of him perfectly. And his eyes...my God. They're still as mesmerizing as ever.

Roman stops only a few feet away from me, narrows his magnetic eyes, and tilts his head to the side. "Nikki? Nikki Monroe?"

A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips. My chance to run away undetected has just jumped out the window. "The same."

"I can't believe it," he proclaims as his eyes rake over my body. He seems genuinely amazed and shocked that I'm here, in this high-end gala that only the ultra-rich like him attend. "It's really you. What are you doing here?"

I gesture at the pamphlets in my hand and calmly say, "I'm here to find sponsors for my mother's charity. It's called Wings of Grace. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"No, I haven't," he replies as he leans against the bar behind him. His drink remains untouched. "How is Mrs. Monroe, anyway?"

"She passed away three years ago. Breast cancer."

The light in Roman's eyes genuinely dims, and he looks sad. "Fuck, I had no idea. I'm sorry to hear that, Nikki."

"Yeah, it was a really sad moment," I say, ignoring the knot forming in my throat at the memory of my mother. God, how I miss her. "She dedicated the last years of her life to this charity, so I'm keeping it alive. It's a way of keeping her alive, you know?"

"Of course. I think that's beautiful."

"Hm," is all I can think to say. "Well, now you know what I've been up to. What about you?"

I'm asking this as a mere formality—I know exactly what he's been up to. In fact, the whole world does. Roman Hayes is a name everyone knows. He was named Forbes' youngest billionaire in the world two years ago, and his face is splashed across magazines and blog posts. He's had countless dating scandals.

He's a renowned bad boy if there ever was one.

"Oh, I've been keeping busy," he answers, flashing me a row of neat, straight white teeth. He knows I know—always a jerk, Roman. "But of course, the details of my life bore me. Trust me, it's not as exciting as it all seems. I want to know about you, Nikki."

"Nobody calls me that anymore," I mention.

His smile widens. "Well I'm not nobody, am I?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

I shove a pamphlet at him. "Whether or not you're coming to our upcoming charity event. We just need the word to spread around. It would be nice to have people attend the meeting. There'll be testimonies, and an experienced oncologist on site. Food. Lemonade."

He arches a brow. "Lemonade?"

"Low sugar, healthier than sodas."

"I see," he answers before browsing the pamphlet. Now, this part here is where I really messed up. Making eye contact with him and exchanging a few words was okay. Slidable.

Asking him to come to our charity event? Now that's crossing a line.

I think I've had a little too much to drink. In my defense, the champagne they're offering here is free of charge.

"I can do more than just that," he declares before folding the pamphlet and shoving it in the pocket of his blazer. "I'll be your sponsor."

My eyebrows touch my hairline. "What?"

"You heard me. I'll be your sponsor. That's what you're doing here, isn't it?"

"No."

"Nikki, you just told me that's what you were doing here."

"Did I?"

What the hell is wrong with me?

He gives me a look. "Look, I know that things between me and your brother ended in this terrible, fucked-up way, but that doesn't mean I can't fund your charity."

I inhale deeply. "I know, but I think it's best if we don't cross that line. I live with Mason, and he's my brother."

Roman narrows his eyes at me. "Do you even know what happened that night?"

"No, but I'd be super grateful if you told me."

After their 'break-up' as I like to call it, Mason refused to even mention Roman. Whenever I asked, he'd get aggressive about the whole thing. "Just forget it, Nicole. Jesus. What, were you fucking in love with the guy or something?"

That's what Mason would always ask me when I went too far with the pestering.

And the truth?

I was.

By God, how I was.

Roman waves his hand dismissively. I take note of the golden ring on his finger with his initials. "Well, if he didn't tell you, I won't be the one to do it."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What did you do?"

"You think your brother's a saint, huh?"

I shrug. "He's always been reasonable, at least."

Roman chuckles. "And I was the wild one, hence the one most likely to fuck things up?"

"That's about it."

He shakes his head at me. "Hey, you didn't give me an answer."

That's because I have no idea how I'm supposed to proceed here. Though Mason isn't generally interested in the charity—he thinks I should've shut it down the minute Ma died—Haley, his girlfriend, is. And she helps me out there all the time. She'd notice a huge donation; I wouldn't be able to keep Roman's involvement a secret forever.

Then again, why am I assuming his donation will be something big?

The truth is that if I don't find a sponsor soon, the whole operation will have to shut down. I don't have the funds to keep it running anymore, and it would kill me to go down that route because I've invested so much in it.

I've put my blood and sweat into Wings of Grace. I've given it all I've ever had.

It would suck for it to shut down because I'm too proud to ask for help.

"Have you had any luck finding sponsors?" Roman asks, filling the silence.

I opt for the truth. "Nope."

"Then there's no reason why you should say no to me. You know what? I have a better idea. Why don't you think about it and give me a call when you've decided?" He smoothly retrieves a business card from his pocket and hands it to me.

"What, I have to call your secretary?" I joke.

"Of course not. That's my personal number."

"You have it on a card?"

"Pretty much," he smiles. His look intensifies for a moment, and my whole body heats up like a switch has been flipped inside of me. Roman's eyes move from my eyes to my lips, over and over again. He does this slowly, too, like he's taking his sweet time.

I clear my throat and decide to break the silence. He seems amused. "To tell you the truth, I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Why the hell wouldn't I? Nikki, I've known you my whole life."

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe you'd blatantly ignore me."

"Why?" he asks after a beat. "Because the money got to my head?"

I burst out laughing. "Maybe. But also because of you and Mason and how things turned out."

He leans closer to me. "No, I would never forget you, Nikki Monroe."

That means he didn't forget the almost-kiss we shared the last time we ever saw each other. And I know that's what he's implying just by looking at his face.

My cheeks redden, and I'm the first to look away and break this soul-tying, will-breaking eye contact.

This has been the most unexpected night of my entire life, hands down.

And what it will lead to...well. I guess I'll find out eventually.