Irreplaceable
By Laura Schiller
Based on: Stravaganza
Copyright: Mary Hoffman
"Georgia, I want to ask you something."
Nick's dark eyes were troubled as he spoke; the two of them were sitting together on the Mulhollands' couch, and the worry she had seen in his face all day finally burst out.
"Do you still have feelings for Luciano?"
Earlier that day, when Luciano had shown up to help them reverse Matt's evil eye spell, Georgia had hugged him as a greeting; it hadn't occurred to her that, several months into their relationship, Nick would still be jealous.
"What? No!" Georgia flapped her hand as if to wave his doubts away; since he was still frowning, she explained.
"Look, I know I thought I loved him for a long time...but that wasn't real. That was just my fantasy. I was in love with this perfect Luciano in my head...I didn't really know him. Not the way I know you."
"So you didn't just settle for me? Like Vicky and David settled for me, because they couldn't have their real son?"
"Aw, Nick..."
So that was what had been bothering him. More than jealousy, he was afraid of being second best. It was like his life before the accident – being the youngest Chimici son who 'didn't really count', who would never rule a city or be of any use to his father. She had thought he'd left this insecurity behind, but it still haunted him.
Georgia put her arms around him and gave him a kiss.
"Don't you ever think that," she whispered fiercely. "Vicky and David love you – not because of who you look like, but who you are! This is your home now, Nick. You belong here."
The darkness faded slowly out of his eyes, replaced by a look of content as he leaned against her shoulder. She ran her hands through his glossy black curls, feeling how soft they were, and smiled.
"And what about you?" he asked softly.
"I love you too," she replied in the same voice. "You know that. Your passion, your strength, your crazy stubbornness – "
"Hey!" He shot a glare at her, which was quite a failure as it turned into an affectionate grin.
"It's true! I've always known you were special to me...now I know why. We belong together."
She kissed him again, a kiss that recalled countless sun-drenched hours on the grass in Devon, the wind in their hair as they rode side by side. They were Stravaganti, horse lovers, best friends – two halves of one whole, irreplaceable to each other.