Ava:It’s official. I want to marry Nate and have his babies. Cancel, reverse that. I’ll let you marry him and have his babies. You’re finally trying to write your book?
Me:What do you mean by finally?
Ava:Elle, this is all you talked about as a little girl. I’m not an idiot. I didn’t think that dream just disappeared once you graduated college. I figured you just wanted to get some writing experience under your belt. WOOO HOOO! I’m so proud of you.
Me:Don’t get too excited. Who knows if anyone will want to read it.
Ava:Silly girl, no one can read it if it’s only in your head. I’m ready to cheer you on. You will rock this.
Me:Thanks, Ava. Now I need to go. Making dinner for Nate.
Ava:We’ll talk about this sweet and domestic scene later. What are you making?
Me:Chicken Divan.
Ava:Whoa. Pulling out the big guns. I’ll let you get to it and tell Mom to start booking the church for next summer. Love you.
I shook my head at her message. My grandmother had apparently made this dish for my dad the first three times in a row that he visited them. She had liked to joke that it was what got him to decide to stick around. What I knew for certain, however, was that my parents were perfect for each other. It wouldn’t have mattered what my grandmother served.
That being said, this casserole was comfort food from growing up. And part of me wanted to give that to Nate tonight. I wanted him to come home, be able to smell this cooking in the oven, grab a beer together, and just be able to talk about our days.
I already had the chicken and broccoli cooked and in the casserole dish. I poured the sauce on top and sprinkled it with cheese. Sliding it in the oven, I moved to set the timer. Looking at my watch, I was excited to see that Nate should be back soon. Grabbing a sponge, I wiped down the counter and moved the rice cooker closer to the stove, flipping the switch to let it do its thing.
The door opened, and I turned to see Nate walk in, shedding his coat and hat to the hooks by the door. I drank in the view. He had on faded black jeans with a red-and-black flannel shirt, a white T-shirt under it. And my favorite part, he was wearing his black-rimmed glasses. He didn’t always wear them, but when he did, yum.
Nate turned from hanging up his coat, and his eyes found mine. “Damn, Elle, have to say I like coming home to you.” His stride was long as he moved across the room to come to a stop in front of me.
“You do?” My heart felt like it skipped a beat.
Nate looked almost embarrassed for a moment as he looked away, then met my gaze again. “I need to share something with you because it’s important and because Gabby, Emma, or Kate might tell you if I don’t. I had a bit of an emotional crisis at work today.”
My stomach sank and worry kicked in. “What? What happened?”
Nate stepped closer, wrapping one hand around me to rest on my hip. His other hand came to my jaw as his thumb trailed up and down it. A flush spread across his face. I watched, trying to place what emotion it looked like he was struggling with, and then my worry dissipated when I realized it was embarrassment.
“Nate… Do I need to call Gabby?” I asked to get the ball rolling.
He shook his head and smiled at me. I noted the stubble on his face. I didn’t think he’d had time to shave this morning, and I had to say, I was a fan.
“Nah. I’m going to own this. I freaked because Ivy came in and said your place was ready.”
I tilted my head as I looked up at him. “What? Why would that make you freak?”
He bit his lip. I reached up and gently tugged it down with a finger. Then I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. No idea why, I just felt like he needed it.
His expression softened, and he pressed a kiss to my temple. Gahhh.
“It’s like I said in the text, Elle. I didn’t want you to leave.”
I pulled back in surprise. Here I was thinking I had possibly overstayed my welcome, that maybe he’d only offered to let me stay out of kindness. I mean, I knew he liked me, but liking someone and having them move in were two different things.
“Really?” I said with a small gasp of surprise. “I was worried I had interfered with all your routines.”
“Oh, you absolutely did,” Nate said. “After living alone for some time, it’s weird for things to not be where I normally put them. But the thing is, Elle, I also liked it. I liked having you in my space. However, the girls pointed out today that you going back to your place doesn’t mean we’re moving backward.”
“No, we’re definitely not moving backward.” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him. “I want to move forward with you, Nate.”
He ran his hand through my hair, then dropped both hands to my hips. “Excellent, Elle, because I want to move forward with you too.” He took a deep breath, then let it go and leaned down to brush a kiss over my lips. “After listening to you on the phone today, your dream of candles, chickens, and houseplants, I knew I wanted all that with you.” He paused and took a breath, letting it out slowly. “Elle Robinson, I realized today that I love you. I want a future with you.” His warm eyes met mine.
