Chapter 327

Nina

The night air had grown chilly by the time Enzo and I arrived at home. I put our pickup truck in park in the driveway and glanced over at Enzo, whose cheeks were red from one last drink at the bar with his teammates.

“Your cheeks are rosy,” I teased, nudging him with my elbow.

Enzo grinned and brushed me off as he hopped out of the truck. “I couldn’t leave the bar without one last toast with my team,” he said. His voice was cheerful, but there was a hint of melancholy behind it that I could tell he was trying to hide.

Maybe it wasn’t so obvious to everyone else, but it was obvious to me. Enzo was more sad about the end of his time with his hockey team than he was letting on. But I decided not to push, figuring that if he needed to talk about it, he would in his own time.

We headed into the house and flicked on the lights. It was so much cozier inside now that we had renovated the place, and I knew that Richard and Enzo’s mother would have liked it.

Instead of harsh gray walls and sparse furnishings, we were greeted by warm tones and plush furniture. A vase of flowers sat on the dining room table, and photographs of us with our friends hung on the walls.

“You know, I’m gonna be real homesick when I have to leave this place, and I never thought I’d ever admit that,” Enzo said, sinking down onto the large sectional couch.

I couldn’t help but grin. When I had first gotten to know Enzo, he despised this house. Now, thanks to our renovations and new memories, it had become a haven for us. The ocean view below through the large windows no longer felt harsh and cold, but rather warm and inviting.

“I’ll make sure to tell everyone how much you’re pining away for home while you’re gone,” I teased as I lowered myself onto Enzo’s lap, feeling his muscular, warm arms wrap themselves around me.

Enzo scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I grinned and pressed my lips to his neck. “Oh, but I would. I’ll even tell them that you can’t stop calling me and complaining about the lack of good food, too.”

“You bitch.” Enzo’s lips twitched up into a smile, his voice dropping to a husky tone. I felt my body become electrified as he pressed his lips to mine, his tongue pushing its way into my mouth to explore it like new territory.

Without meaning to, a soft moan escaped my lips as his fingers began to work their way up and into my shirt. His hands were cold, but it was soothing against the heat from everything that had been going through my mind recently.

“You know,” I murmured into his ear, “you say you’ll miss the house. But I think you’ll miss this more than anything.”

Enzo drew back slightly and shot me a half-puzzled, half-amused look. “That goes without saying.”

Before I could answer, his arms wrapped tightly around me again, and I felt him lowering me down onto the couch. His strong body pressed itself between my legs, his hand wandering my thigh as he began to kiss my neck.

I wanted to relax. I really did. But I just couldn’t hide the tenseness in my body, the stress from the past day. For a moment, as I closed my eyes, I pictured two things in sharp contrast from one another: a little life growing inside of me, and something else. Something more sinister, always lurking at the edges of my vision, waiting for the right moment to…

“Stop.”

My voice came out sharper than I intended, and I found myself pushing Enzo’s hands away, causing him to sit up with a puzzled expression on his face.

“What’s wrong? You okay?” His voice, usually a soothing balm, seemed to sharpen my stress.

“Sorry. Just… I’d like to shower first if that’s okay,” I lied, averting my eyes. His hand, still lingering on my waist, seemed to question the authenticity of my reply.

Enzo shot me a confused look, but said nothing. I tried to hide my ragged breath as I gently untangled myself from him and made my way upstairs, where I turned on the shower, peeled my clothes off, and jumped in before the water even had a chance to warm up.

The biting cold of the water sent a shock through my body, but as I washed myself, I felt as though the chills running beneath my skin served as a distraction from everything.

The truth was, I wanted to be okay—for him, for us. But a mountain of uncertainties loomed in my mind, clouding my ability to relax into the intimacy we both craved. Memories of the bathroom conversation with Lori and Jessica, their pointed questions and concerns, still resounded in my head, and all the while I felt as though I was being watched by the shadow entity.

By the time I came out of the shower, the steam had risen into the high ceilings of the bathroom and fogged up the mirror. Enzo was sitting on the edge of the bed when I emerged, that same puzzled look on his face.

“If something is wrong, I’d like you to tell me,” he said before I had the chance to say anything. “This isn’t like you, Nina.”

My heart caught in my throat, torn between the urge to confess and the fear of how that confession might alter our lives forever.

“I’m just… tired. And not feeling great,” I managed to say, my words edged with a vulnerability I couldn’t hide.

Enzo looked at me for a few moments, his soft brown eyes searching my face. Then, as though deciding not to prod, he simply nodded and held his arms open for me.

…

The smell of eggs and fresh coffee jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see the first rays of the morning sun spilling through the window as Enzo carefully navigated the bedroom door with a tray in his hands.

“Thought you could use some pampering,” he said with a loving smile, laying the tray across my lap. “You said you weren’t feeling well last night.”

“That’s… really sweet of you,” I murmured, sitting up. “But you didn’t have to do that.”

Enzo shrugged and ran a hand through his curls. “Of course I did. And hey, I was thinking later we could go to that mall you really like, do a little shopping and grab lunch. Just you and me.”

Enzo’s words made me smile. The idea of spending the day together was comforting, and much needed. But as the aroma of scrambled eggs wafted up to my nose, my stomach churned violently.

With a gasp, I bolted out of bed and dashed toward the bathroom, my hand clamped over my mouth. The food tray toppled over, spilling its contents across the bed and floor.

I barely made it to the toilet before I was violently sick, the scent of eggs now a nauseating reminder of my body’s recent changes—or possible changes.

When my stomach finally stopped its revolt, I leaned against the cool bathroom wall, catching my breath. I felt trapped in my own skin, my body betraying me while my mind swirled in a state of emotional distress.

Steeling myself for the scene I had left in the bedroom, I took shaky steps back, ready to confront the mess, both literal and figurative.

I found Enzo silently cleaning up the spilled food, his brow furrowed, and a solemn look on his face. The sight pierced through me, a painful reminder that, despite our closeness, there was a growing chasm of unsaid truths between us.

He paused his cleaning, finally looking up at me. The smile was gone, replaced by a searching, almost pleading expression.

“Nina, you need to tell me what’s going on.”