"Hey, shh," he soothed, rubbing a giant circle on my back as he whispered into my ear.
His hands were cold and it seeped through my sweater into my skin, but I clung to him.
"Nate, oh my God. I knew this would happen." I was trembling, crying so hard my nose ran wild and smeared on his shirt, and he didn't seem to care as he guided me across the room to the couch where he sat and pulled me onto his lap.
"This is not happening, okay? I'm here, and I'm going to make all of this stop. What they're doing is not okay." He held me so tightly, I almost couldn’t breathe through it, but I found it comforting.
What I wouldn’t have given to have someone like him holding me together when Brad unleashed his toxic venom into my life the last time.
"I need to leave. I want to go home, away from here, anywhere…" The frantic feeling in my chest told me to run, to pack everything I had and just vanish.
Leaving San Diego had been the only thing to make the gossip and news stop, and I didn't want to face it again.
It'd followed me here to Boston where I thought I was starting over.
Yeah, Nate knew about my past because I'd told him, but he couldn’t protect me from the disgusting media who just wanted ratings and clicks.
"No, hey," he said, cupping my cheeks fiercely. "You're done running." His eyes were determined, locked on mine and full of fury.
I could tell he was ready to punch someone out for the way they were treating me, but I also knew if he marched out on his lawn and decked someone, it'd only make things worse.
"I have to go, Nate. I can't do this." I pushed away from him but he grabbed my biceps. "Can't you see? Once they get the full details of what Brad did to me, they'll twist it.
Just like they did in San Diego.
It won't look like him cyberbullying me. It'll look like a leaked sex tape, and that will ruin you." I stood, forcing him to let go of me because he was way too much of a gentleman to keep holding me like that.
"Amber—Ember," he hissed, realizing his mistake, but I was already moving toward his bedroom to get my things.
"I want you to take me to my place and let me get my important stuff, and then I'll book a flight to my mom's, okay?" The pain was too great.
I couldn’t see reason at all outside of my being here in Beacon Hill meant this panic and trauma would only get worse.
The doctor's words about reducing stress came back to haunt me.
The entire reason I'd taken this short leave of absence from work was so I could reduce my stress level.
This new explosion of hatred and ugliness in my life was doing the opposite.
I wanted out.
And I wanted it now.
"Stop it!" he shouted, and it was the first time I thought I'd ever heard him yell.
I stopped, three strides into his bedroom as he followed me, and I turned slowly, thinking he was angry with me.
"Just stop, please," he said much softer now.
He took both of my hands and pressed his lips to them firmly, then closed his eyes and just held my hands to his chest.
"I'm not going to let this continue, and I'm going to make them stop everything they're doing."
"Nate, you're one man?—"
"One man who loves you more than anything on this planet, Ember Harrison, and those people are horrible people. The thinking members of our community will see all of this for what it is—slander."
I almost wilted. "But it's not slander if it's true. I did change my name."
