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“Thank you for helping us, Thalia.” Nick smiles at her, then hugs me and yells after his brother, “Chris, where are those drinks? I want to go home with my fiancée already.”

“You just arrived,” Noah points out, a knowing look on his face.

“Yeah. And now I want to leave.” Nick smirks as he takes a glass of champagne from Chris.

“Impatient much?” Chris teases him, raising an eyebrow.

“I haven’t seen my woman in almost two weeks. I want to… spend time with her. Alone.” He winks at me, and just like that, my panties are soaked, like always.

“Jesus. Stop doing this in front of us,” Zayn shudders.

Chris clears his throat dramatically and lifts his glass. “Alright, enough. Let’s toast—“ he pauses, looking around the room at all our brothers, “— to a happy life together for Sierra and Nick.”

“Cheers,” everyone shouts in unison, their glasses clicking in the warm light of the room.

There’s a chorus of laughter, a soft chime of crystal meeting crystal, and for a moment, everything feels suspended in celebration. I glance around and see nothing but smiles—some wide and teasing, others small and full of emotion.

“Thank you, guys. I’m really happy right now. And I’m glad that you—“ I turn to Liam, my voice softening, “—are okay with this. I didn’t want to be a problem between you and Nick. And seeing you here, supporting us, means a lot to me.”

Liam steps forward and pulls both me and Nick into a tight hug, his voice low and genuine.

“I’m very happy for you. I don’t like it at all—“ we all chuckle, “—but I want you to be happy. And I know he needed someone like you in his life,” he says, looking at Nick with brotherly affection. “I didn’t lie when I said I trust him to take care of you, Sierra.”

“Thanks, man.” Nick hugs him back firmly, and there’s nothing but the mutual respect in their silence.

The warmth of the moment lingers in the air, but Ryan, ever the one to shift the mood, breaks it with a grin.

“If we’re done with all this sweetness, let’s go have some fun.”

He opens the door with a dramatic gesture, like he’s announcing the next act of show.

“Yeah. Let’s go home and have some fun, baby.” Nick’s voice cuts through the room, deliberately loud. The cocky smirk on his face says it all.

A wave of groans and chuckles erupts.

“NICKOLAS.” Liam slaps him hard on the back.

“Nick.” Zayn glares at him, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth betrays his acceptance.

I roll my eyes at them, but I can’t stop smiling. Nick grabs my hand and we head toward the door together, leaving behind a chorus of mock protests and laughter.

TWENTY

Nick

“I can’t believe you came all the way from London just because I sent you those pictures,” Sierra says excitedly from the passenger seat of my McLaren. “And to bring me flowers in person this time…” She smiles. “You’re insane, Nick. Who sends one hundred and one peonies every single day?” Laughing softly, she adds, “God, I love them. They make me so happy every morning I receive them.”

She grins at me and leans over the centre console to kiss my jaw.

“Baby, I couldn’t spend another day without seeing you,” I confess, looking at her for a few moments.

She’s so beautiful, so precious… and I’m the lucky bastard who gets to call her mine.

“I needed to touch you. I missed you so much, Ser. This isn’t normal. I can’t function without you. And the flowers are just a reminder of these insane feelings I have.”

My heart swells at the way she blushes and smiles at me. It knocks the air out of my chest.

“This is mutual, Nickolas. I missed you like crazy.” She drops her head on my shoulder, lips trailing down my neck, kissing and licking the skin as her hand slides onto my thigh—gently massaging it—then moving higher.