“It’s me.” Maya’s voice rang out from the hallway. After a moment, she opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. “Nathan, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“There’s been a lot of that these days,” Nathan said drily. Then he realized that it sounded like he was upset with Maya, which he wasn’t, and quickly asked, “What’s up?”
“I think you should talk to Zoe,” Maya said. “She’s still in town, at least for now, staying at the B&B. It’s booked through the weekend — she told me in an email when we were discussing logistics for the shoot — but I’m not sure if she’ll stay now. You should go… if you want to see her.”
Nathan was on his feet in an instant. There was nothing to consider — he had to see Zoe. At the very least, he had to apologize for how he’d treated her.
“Can you reschedule my appointments for the day?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Maya.” He patted her shoulder, then hurried past her and out the back exit. He strode towards the B&B, his heart racing. Now that his anger with Zoe was gone, he remembered how much he cared about her and how much he’d missed her. Islingburn didn’t feel the same without her.
A month ago, Nathan had told Zoe their night together was a mistake, because he’d been too scared of what might happen. Now, everything he’d worried abouthadhappened — the show had crashed and burned, and they had stopped speaking to each other — even though Nathan hadn’t told Zoe how much she meant to him. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Nathan hurried up the path to the B&B door. Iris opened it, and, as soon as she saw Nathan, she smiled.
“She’s upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
Nathan slipped past her and took the stairs two at a time. He remembered Zoe’s room from last time, and he went straight to it. The door was open, and Zoe was knelt on the floor, folding clothes into an open suitcase. She’d pulled her hair back into a bun, and she still wore the professional outfit she’d had on this morning, when Nathan had told her to leave Islingburn. His heart clenched. How could he have been so mean to her?
“Zoe?”
She turned slowly towards him. Her expression was shuttered.
“Nathan? What are you doing here?”
“I heard that the show is canceled.” He crossed to her and reached out to help her to her feet. She stood on her own, not accepting his help. “I had to see you.”
“You aren’t mad about the show being canceled, are you?” Zoe asked. “It was the only way to keep the pregnancy reveal out of it.”
“I’m not mad,” Nathan said quickly. “I’m relieved, actually. Very relieved. I know that the show being canceled is a disaster for you, but it’s great for me, and I appreciate so much that you did that.”
“Oh.” Zoe managed a thin smile. “Well, good. I’m glad I could start to make things right. Listen, I can’t really talk. I have to drive to Burlington and catch a flight back to the city.”
Nathan’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t let Zoe leave, not without apologizing. Not without telling her how he felt.
“Don’t go,” he said.
“What?” Zoe’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t go,” he repeated. “Zoe, I am so sorry. I’ve treated you absolutely terribly, and you’ve only been trying to do the right thing. I shouldn’t have avoided you this last month. I shouldn’t have said our night together was a mistake — it was the best night of my life.”
“Really?” Zoe’s brown eyes widened. “I… But I lied. You said you couldn’t trust me.”
“I was an idiot.” Nathan shook his head. “I should have let you explain.”
“Icanexplain,” Zoe said. “I lied about working with other doctors because my career was on the line. I was worried you weren’t going to work with me, and I do have a lot of experience with similar clients — just not doctors. You were already so hesitant, and I was sure if I told you the truth, you would have walked away. I’m sorry for lying, though. I was an idiot.”
So, it had been just one lie. One small, easy-to-forget lie. It didn’t matter.
“No,” Nathan said. “Iwas the idiot. I just… I closed my heart off to love a long time ago. I thought I would be a bachelor forever, and I was okay with that. Iwas— until you came into my life. You changed everything, Zoe.”
Zoe bit her lip and placed one hand on her collarbone. She looked uncertain, and that broke Nathan’s heart.
“You have every right to be angry,” he said. “But I want you to know that I trust you. I care about you. And there’s nothing I want more than you — you and our baby.”
