Chapter 174 - How do I love you enough?

Michael pushed open the door to the presidential suite and carried Diana in. He carried her calmly to the room and laid her on the bed, tucking her in. He straightened himself as his eyes stared at her. She was beautiful in all ramifications; he couldn't believe someone as beautiful would let herself become so vulnerable.

What must have made her want to ruin herself? Michael wondered as he watched her. After some time he turned around and walked away from her. Suddenly she whimpered;

''Don't leave me… '' Michael froze on his spot and he turned to look at her; her eyes were shut but she was crying. His throat tightened and he hesitated before going back to check on her;

She was gripping the quilt as tears dropped from her eyes; Michael felt a tug on his heart as he stared at her. He lifted his hand to her face and wiped her tears.

Diana held his hand to her face and she spoke again; '' don't go… '' She was a stranger, but Michael didn't know why he wanted to stay. He wanted to comfort her.

He stared at the woman on the bed for a minute before he sighed, then lay down beside her, supporting his head with his elbow, he watched her sleep.

Diana's brows softened and her hold against the bed eased. Michael pushed her hair away from her face as he continued to look at her.

…

Nicklaus closed the drawer and turned to Tiana who was smiling at him;

''Welcome home. '' He drew closer to her and kissed her forehead. ''I wish we could stay together in the same room, but since this is what you want, I can't change your mind. ''

Tiana laughed; she knew he was indirectly saying that he wanted her to stay with him.

''You can sleep over sometimes if you want to. '' she peeked at him with puppy eyes and he pinched her cheeks;

''Silly ''

Tiana laughed, suddenly she remembered something; ''Can you still not sleep without me? ''

Nicklaus sighed; ''I don't know, but I think I can. I think why I couldn't sleep before was because I was never actually at rest, I was always troubled, but when you came into my life, I had a cause to be happy and that's why I could sleep, I think I can sleep without you by my side now because you're here now and I am happy. ''

Tiana smiled; ''I'm happy that you are okay now; I'll never give you a cause to be sad anymore, okay? ''

''Okay. ''

''So, what's for dinner? I'm famished! ''

''Follow me, I have a surprise for you. '' Nicklaus said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.

''A surprise, what is it? '' She asked, her eyes wide in expectation.

''Be patient, love. It won't be a surprise if I tell you. '' He smirked as he led her out of the house through the back door.

''Alright, I wonder what the surprise is…'' She spoke as Nicklaus led her out to the estate, her words hooked in her throat as her eyes fell on the view in front of her.

It was past seven and the sky had darkened; in front of her was a beautifully decorated spot. There were flower petals on the floor, making a pathway for her to the venue.

At the entrance was an inscription, 'Welcome home Beautiful…'

The glitter bulbs sparkled in the dim night, making the place look like heaven. Tiana turned to look at Nicklaus, her hands over her lips;

''Oh my god… '' her eyes glistened with tears; she was not expecting it at all.

''I wanted to celebrate your coming home, so I made this… '' Nicklaus had not finished talking when Tiana jumped into his arms, hugging him as though her life depended on it.

''Thank you! '' She exclaimed happily. This man, where in the world was he all her life?

''I'm glad you like it. '' Nicklaus hugged her back, kissing her forehead.

Tiana leaned away from him, ''let's go eat, the food is getting cold. ''

She smiled as she took him to the tastefully decorated table with dishes on it.

After they sat down, Nicklaus took a plate and served her;

''Hmm! Did you make this yourself? '' She asked as the piece of chicken melted in her mouth, her eyes wide;

Nicklaus nodded; ''Yeah, I took a day off today. ''

''Oh, you're so sweet! how do I love you enough?''

Tiana groaned; Nicklaus was showing her sides she had never seen, she wondered what more was in store. She took another piece of spicy chicken and ate; Nicklaus poured her a cup of wine and she downed it immediately. He watched her eat for a while before he served himself;

''I ended things with Liam today. '' Tiana said; ''I was surprised he wasn't angry, maybe he's not a bad person after all, is there any news about his identity yet?''

Nicklaus shook his head; ''Not yet, but I think there'll be something tomorrow. ''

Tiana nodded;

''So how did you get into the modeling industry? ���'

Nicklaus asked and she laughed; ''that's a really funny story. A fashion designer saw me in a restaurant and boom I was signing a contract in a few days. ''

''I'm not surprised though, you have the looks and body. I'm proud of you. ''

Tiana beamed; ''Thank you, baby. Oh now we're still on it, I have a shoot next month in France. ''

Nicklaus's eyes widened; ''what?! '' He was happy a few seconds ago, but it wasn't the case anymore. Going to France meant that she would have to be away for a while.

Tiana laughed as she saw his shocked expression. ''It's just for a few days, maybe a week or so, it's not as though I'm going to die. ''

She tried to calm him down but Nicklaus was not smiling at all;

''One whole week! I just got you back and you're going to be away for seven days? ''

Tiana pouted; ''I'm sorry, I'll make sure to come back as soon as I can, okay?''

She stretched her hand and rubbed him on the palm soothing him, Nicklaus sulked but suddenly a thought entered his mind and he smirked.