Nate pulls me to him and holds me tight. Feeling his warm body pressed against mine ignites a fire in my soul.I’ve needed him more than I thought.
“Jesus, Ria, if I’d have known…” He pauses, dragging a shaky breath. “If I had any idea you were going through this, I would have been there. No question.” His eyes lock onto mine, fierce, unwavering. “You know that, right? I’m not some clueless kid who’s going to panic and run. I’m not gonna walk away just because shit got hard. I may be younger than you, but thatdoesn’tmean I don’t know whatIwant. And whatIwant, what I’ve always wanted…you.” He takes a step closer, his voice lower but just as sure. “Iwillbe with you for everything.”
I pull back, looking into his watering eyes. “I know. Don’t worry, I know. Alex was there. She helped a lot.”
He exhales and nods. “That’s good, but not the point. You know I’m not letting you out of my sight now?”
Smiling, I nod. “Good, but this willreallytest us. This is a new relationship, and we’re throwing an advanced maternal age pregnancy into it and then a baby at the end of it all.”
“Ria, there’s more than just a baby here. We have so much, sofuckingmuch to talk about.”
I gnaw on my bottom lip with a nod. “I know. I’m such an idiot for letting this go on for so long. I should’ve never shut you out. I should’ve trusted you’d be able to handle this.”
Nate’s entire body sags, and his eyes drop to the floor. “I have to admit it hurts that you’d think I wouldn’t be there for you. Did you think Iwouldn’tfind out?” He scrubs his hand through his hair. “I just don’t get it, Ria. We were happy. Even then, I loved you. I would have jumped for joy if you’d told me. I would have come to all your appointments and held your hair while youpuked.Fuck!Ria, I would’ve painted the nursery for our child. Youhaveto know that, right?”
Tightness forms in my chest as I let out a small sob. “I’m sorry, Nate. I was unwell. The stress of the tour and my family got to me, and I thought that throwing a baby into our relationship would be bad for you. You’re just starting to get on track… your art, your music, everything’s heading in the right direction for you. I really felt like you didn’t need the added stresses of being bogged down with an older woman, locking you into a relationship for the next eighteen years.”
He grunts and shakes his head. “Are you fucking kidding, Ria? Fuck the music! Fuck the gallery! I’d burn the world to the ground if it meant I’d be left standing with you and our family. And if you think I’m gonna be sticking around just until our kid hits legal age and then bail on you, you have another thing coming, honey…”
His forehead creases in evident anger. “Ria, you’re it for me. You were since the moment you strutted into the boardroom demanding lemon water with a fucking straw.” Nate smiles, and his eyes twinkle with love and understanding. “You, me, little nugget in there. You two are my whole fucking world.”
He moves in, pressing his open palm to my stomach, and butterflies flurry right through my very existence. He knows, he finally knows, and he’s being so amazingly great about it.
Why the hell did I wait?
I sniff and step up, throwing my arms around his neck and taking him into an embrace. His body shifts against mine, and we hold each other so tightly I can feel every inch of him. “I love you, Nate. I can’t apologize enough for not telling you. I want you and pray that you never leave my side again.”
He pulls back and nods, sweeping a strand of hair behind my ear and caressing my cheek. “Ria, you and our little… boy? Girl?” he asks.
“I’m not sure yet,” I tell him.
He smiles like he’s so happy I didn’t find out without him. “Okay, you and our little nugget areallI need. I don’t want to spend any more time away from you, especially since you’ve been so ill. I don’t want to be one ofthosedads who aren’t there for every single part of their child’s development. I know what it’s like not having a parent. You do too. Our kid isnothaving that,not ever. You with me?” he asks.
It fills me with such joy that tears spill from my eyes as I nod. My bottom lip trembles, and I blurt it out before I even have time to think it through. “Nate, move in with me,” I ask, but it comes out more like a demand.
He smiles, resting his forehead on mine with a sigh. “I was hoping you’d say that. Your house is much better for a family than living with Matt and me. Plus, I’m not sure Matt could handle a screaming nugget.”
“Canyouhandle a screaming nugget?” I chuckle.
“Baby, when it’s a part of you and a part of me… this will be the best nugget the world has ever seen. Talk about celebrity babies.”
I smirk. “Wow! The world doesn’t even know we’re a couple, and now they’re gonna know we’re not only together but having a child. Talk about instant headline news.”
Nate raises his brows and nods. “I’ll get Tillie drafting up a press release, that is, if you’re ready to come out of the closet with me?”
“I want the world to know you’re mine, Nate Levine, and that we’re madly in love…” she trails off, then continues, “But, there’s probably one person we need to tell before the world knows.”
He tenses up and looks into my eyes with a nod. “Your Mom?”
“Mmm… Mom knowing we’re together should be fun times. Her knowing why I’ve been so sick, yeah, this is going to be a shit storm.”
Nate pulls me close, looking into my eyes. “Honestly, with all the shit we’ve been through, we can get through this little hurdle. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish together, right?”
I let out a small laugh. “So true.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
RIA
