Page 122 of She’s Worth the Risk

Nick’s mouth pops open in surprise. “She’s giving you her house?”

I nod. God, I still can’t believe it. That beautiful old brownstone is mine.

My own home.

Nerves pinch my belly as I glance at Nick. “Would you…” I shift my weight anxiously. “Would you ever consider living there, with me?”

“Move into Sylvia’s house?” He hesitates briefly, like he’s measuring the weight of it. “That’s not something I’d take lightly.”

I pause, understanding his hesitation when he phrases it like that. He knows Gran through work. I can see why that might make this… complicated.

“It will be my house when Gran leaves,” I remind him, and he gives a slow nod of acknowledgment. “It’s where I want to live, and I want you there with me. I know you love this place,” I say, motioning around us, “and you’ve been here forever, but it’s your apartment. I want a place that’s ours.”

He softens, leaning closer, and it gives me the courage to go on.

“The brownstone is really nice. It’s on Fruit Street, near the community arts center. It probably needs a little work,” I add with a grimace, thinking of the crack in my ceiling, the curling wallpaper in the entry hall. “But we could do that together. And it’s four floors, so there’s enough room for an office for you. We could turn another room into a library, or—”

“Zinnia, honey.” Nick reaches out to cup my face, his fingers warm on my skin. “You’re staying in the city. You’re putting down roots for me. I can relocate to Brooklyn Heights for you.”

“Really?” Hope whispers through me at the thought that he might actually be prepared to do this. To move for me.

He gives a firm nod. “Of course. It makes sense. You need to be nearby for Sylvia. Besides, I love the neighborhood, and it will be good to be closer to Marcus and Priya.”

“That’s true,” I say.

“But…” He shakes his head. “The main reason is that I want to be with you. I want to be where you are.”

“You wouldn’t mind giving this place up for me?”

He leans forward, pressing his mouth to mine. “If I get to keep you—keep us—I’m not giving anything up.”

My heart fills my chest, but I remind myself this isn’t all he has to do for me. He still has to put his job on the line. Just the thought of it twists my insides, and my mind races as I try to come up with an alternative. Maybe he wouldn’t have to do that if I dropped out of his class or left NYU altogether. He’s already risked so much for me, and I don’t want to ask him for more. It’s time I gave something up for him.

“So, about telling the university,” I begin, and Nick’s expression shifts. “I don’t think you should.”

A groove sinks between his brows. “Why not?”

“I can’t ask you to take that chance, Nick. This matters too much to me.”

He huffs a small, ironic laugh, glancing down at his hands. “That’s exactly why I already did.”

My heart stops. “What?”

“I told them this morning.”

“But…” I blink, thinking of the way I left yesterday. “I walked out.”

“Yes, but I knew what I wanted. What mattered to me.”

“What if…” I swallow. “What if I’d decided to leave?”

His eyes lift to mine, that denim-blue brighter than ever. “I didn’t need to wait for that certainty to choose you.” He strokes my cheek, feather-soft. “You’re worth the risk, Zinnia. You’re worth the risk every time.”

A tear slips from my eye as I gaze at him. This beautiful, strong, passionate man. A man who never used to let himself feel anything, and now feels so much that he risked his career for me.

Risked his heart for me.

“What did they say?” I whisper, almost afraid to ask.