I looked into his eyes. “This was inevitable, wasn’t it?”
“Like fucking death and taxes.” He kissed my forehead. “We’ll figure it out together.”
I brushed my finger along his stubble. “My handsome man. I missed you so much.”
Tate smiled. “From the moment we left each other at the resort, I never stopped thinking about you, Blair. I need you to know that. Never stopped hoping that phone would ring. But I never allowed myself to imagine an actual future with you, certainly not a child with you.” He paused. “I will be eternally grateful for the gift you’ve given me. It is beyond my wildest dreams.”
“I wish we could be together without having to hurt anyone,” I said.
“Me, too, sweetheart. Believe me. But I’m done denying how I feel about you, which has nothing to do withyou being Nicholas’s mother. This is about you and me—the connection we have that never died. It’s been there all along, even before we found each other again.”
“That’s exactly how I feel.”
My phone chimed, interrupting our moment.
I reached for it on the nightstand, and my stomach dropped. “It’s Taylor,” I whispered.
Tate’s expression grew dark, the light in his eyes fading.
I looked down at it.
Taylor: How did the date with Adam go?
“Shit,” I muttered.
“What does it say?” he asked.
I faced the screen toward him.
“Well, that’s a slap in the face from reality.” Tate exhaled.
I put the phone aside.
“You’re not going to write him back?” he asked.
“Not right away.” I shook my head. “I hate lying.”
“What are you going to tell him?”
“I guess I’m just gonna say I’m not feeling it for Adam the way I should.”
He nodded, and I could tell his mind had gone to a guilty place.
I sighed. “I certainly won’t be telling Taylor I can’t like Adam because I can’t get over his father, no matter how hard I try.”
“I don’twantyou to get over me.”
“Is this the part where you tell me you want meunderyou, not over you?” I teased.
“Well, that too.” He groaned. “Nothing felt worse than when you went out tonight, and I thought there was a chance you could fall for someone else.” He pressed his forehead to mine.
“That was never gonna happen.” We stared into each other’s eyes. “God, I love looking at you. You’re freaking perfect, Tate.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “I love the way you look at me. I love knowing how much you want me. I love everything about you, Blair.”
He stopped short of saying he lovedme, but it was pretty damn close.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” I asked.
