“I went to the doctor because of you.”
“I can be very convincing.”
He snuck in another bite of food, swallowing it down before continuing. “It wasn’t that, although you’re scarily good at convincing me to do things.” One side of his lips tugged up briefly before returning to a flat line. “I’ve avoided facing this because I don’t want to lose baseball. I love it, but also… I didn’t have anything else in my life to look forward to if I lost it. Then my father, of all people, brought you back into my life.”
My heart galloped in my chest. I understood why he flew here to have this conversation face-to-face.
“I hated him at first, Bren. I watched you agree to marry another man, and my father trapped us together? Talk about a fucking nightmare.”
Tears stung the corners of my eyes. “I hate that you saw that.”
“I don’t. Ineededto see it. To realize my feelings for you hadn’t gone anywhere. I hated seeing that ring on your finger and that look on your face, like you’d rather be anywhere else than trapped in Middlebury with the person who had broken your heart, made your life hell, even if I thought it was the right thing—”
Every instinct shouted to smooth his pain. “Nathan, it’s okay—”
“It’s not—”
“It’s all in the past.”
“Ever since the night of the snowstorm,” he continued, “I started to hope I’d have another chance at a life with you. Bren, these last three months—I’ve never been happier.”
Tears streaked down my face as I heard my thoughts echoed in his words. “You remember the day I fell off the treadmill and you caught me?”
“It’s not every day you save someone’s life.” Nathan broke into a smile, his face losing some of its seriousness.
“You were frustrating that day too.” I laughed through my tears. “It all came rushing back. It hurt to see you, knowing whatwe used to be and no longer were. When I learned I had to stay in Middlebury with you, I knew it was only mattera of time…”
“Until?” He rose from the table and approached me.
“Until I was in love with you again.” I stood on wobbly legs, taking his outstretched hands. I took a steadying breath. “And I was right.”
“I’m so fucking in love with you, Brenna. That’s why I’m here, to tell you I’m all in. I will build my life around you and Molly. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
When real life ambushed the fantasy we’d lived these last three months, I worried we’d break under the pressure. But here he was, ready to bend to make our life work.
“You mean that?”
Nathan wiped away my tears with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. His fingers lingered on my jaw, tracing back and forth. “I meant every word. But which part?”
“About Molly.” I sniffled, trying to calm my emotions. I loved that it hadn’t fazed Nathan. He’d been one of the only people in my life who accepted me, sensitivity and all. “You’d be okay taking care of her?”
His fingers moved to my hair, playing with the ends. “Christmas with both of you was the most at-home I’ve felt in years.”
“Kathy agreed to sign over custody of Molly to me,” I whispered, still shocked at the turn of events.
Nathan straightened. “What? She did?”
I leaned forward, not wanting to risk Molly hearing. “I offered her my part of the profit from the sale of the house. I was going to use it to fight for custody anyway. It’s a small price.”
Nathan shook his head. “It’s not a small price. You have no idea how rare you are. I don’t deserve you.”
“I don’t think there are any two people in the world who deserve each other more than us.”
Nathan pressed his lips to mine, placing both hands on the small of my back. I melted into him, savoring the urgent way his mouth moved. Nathan held me close without an inch of space between us, the way I liked it. Warmth bloomed in my chest, happiness to the point of pain.
Not many people found lasting love at such a young age. We’d gone through so much to get back to each other, but maybe it’s what we needed to do to make it work. Relationships without fight died. Nathan and I learned that the hard way.
His teeth raked over my bottom lip as he pulled back, sending a delicious zap of desire deep into my gut.
