Addie laughed softly. "No, he's not. I mean, we look out for each other, but he knows I'm an adult and can make my own decisions. We've been through a lot together." She knew Silas was more worried about Nick's job, considering what they harbored in their basement. But Addie didn't want to think about that. There was no reason to believe that Nick would ever find out about Elijah. And Silas knew all about Addie's romantic history. He was probably assuming she would scare Nick Cooke off in record time anyway, so she doubted he was that worried. Smiling, Addie lifted her face towards his. "He says you look like a heartbreaker. I can't argue with that." She nipped playfully at his jaw. "I think you'll get along. You don't have any scary siblings I'll have to worry about, do you?"
All of that was good to hear -- Nick was too old to have a lot of patience for guys who thought they owned their female relatives. Adalyn was cool enough that it was a safe bet that Silas was cool too, but it was still nice to have the confirmation. He rubbed lightly at Addie’s back, idly appreciating how soft her skin was. He already felt spoiled, having her in his bed. Nick looked down at her and let out a soft laugh when she said he looked like a heartbreaker. Maybe he did. Maybe he was, but it was never intentional. “No, only child here. You don’t even have to worry about handling an overbearing Italian mother, she passed away several years ago,” he said, his smile still intact. It had been over five years back now, and Nick had dealt with his grief. He was pretty sure his mom would’ve liked Addie though. She’d always pestered him to get married, but it had just never happened. “A heartbreaker though, huh? I’ll do my best to defy my looks.”
Settling her head back against his chest, Addie stroked her thumb slowly over his skin. She could hear his heart beating against her ear and she found it extremely comforting. "I'm sorry about your mother. My mom passed away when I was eight." She said it simply, having been fairly young when it happened and so many memories she had of her mother were vague, like a dream she couldn't quite remember. She and Silas had dealt with a lot of family tragedy, but they still had each other. And maybe someday her dad would wake up and they would be a unit again. Smiling, Addie traced small patterns along his abdomen. She thought about telling Nick that she had told Silas he looked more like a bed-breaker, but opted to keep that to herself. "Have you ever had your heart broken before?" she asked instead, aware that it was probably a personal question, but she didn't think it was entirely off limits either.
“I’m sorry about yours too,” Nick murmured first. He’d at least been an adult when both of his parents had died, he couldn’t imagine losing a mother at eight. Addie at least still had her dad for a long time, and her brother. Nick only had cousins and a few scattered aunts and uncles left. Sometimes when he was down, he thought that he’d missed his chance to build his own family around him and would die alone ... but Nick usually kept too busy for that nonsense. He couldn’t predict the future any better than anyone else. Addie’s question gave him pause, and he thought back as he kept lightly petting her in return. This was really nice, just relaxing and touching each other and talking. “Not in a major way, not in my adult life,” he said finally. “I’ve had disappointments of course. Had some teenage heartbreak, back when my heart was more fragile. But there was never one big lost love. I’ve never really had a relationship that serious, I guess.” He let out a little scoff. “Probably sad, at my age. Work was always my priority.”