Has he lost his fucking mind?
Frank and Penny hop out from the truck, along with Ava and Natalie and two other women I haven’t met, but who share the same dark hair and similar features as Nate.
‘Go on, my son!’ Frank cups his hands over his mouth as he shouts over the music.
The neighbours flock from their houses and onto the street. The recently dispersed paparazzi return in full force. Cameras flash from a million different directions, but I can’t take my eyes off the half-naked man powering up my pathway.
‘Oh. My. Word,’ my mother gasps, blessing herself with her right hand.
Nate strides purposefully towards me, his torso rippling like a warrior as he walks. Liquid green eyes zero in on mine, the trace of a smirk evident on those plump delectable lips.
An ache throbs in my chest, a longing so powerful it physically pains me.
What is he doing?
The rapidly growing crowd cheers, bopping along to the music. My feet are glued to the spot in the doorway. When Nate reaches my front step, firm hands on my shoulders shove me out of my own front door to meet him.
At six-foot-four, he towers above me.
‘Nate, what are you doing?’ My cheeks flush at the commotion, but Nate just grins at me and continues singing, grinning through the lines like he’s determined to embarrass himself.
Clarity hits me like a train. He’s evening the playing field. Matching my humiliating video with one of his own.
His deep velvety voice continues booming out Mariah’s famous words and I hide behind my fingers as a grin splits my face in half.
Nate prises my hand from my face, taking it in his without breaking eye contact. The heat from his fingers sets electricity sparking through every single cell in my body. Emotion surges through my veins, heating me from the inside out.
He’d embarrass himself so publicly, just to take the attention from me. His gesture is so grand, it trumps any Hallmark movie I’ve ever seen.
As he belts out the rest of the song, cameras burst into a flurry of flashes from every angle. My cheeks burn brighter than his Santa hat. Not with embarrassment, but with a love so powerful it transcends the previous shame, public opinion, and any trace of social anxiety.
Savannah and Ashley holler their approval from the back of the room. My mother stands shell-shocked six feet away, clinging on to my father like she’s liable to keel over at any second. Clarissa grins next to Conor, the two of them swaying to the music.
As the song reaches its climatic finale, Nate inches his face forwards, his lips brushing over mine in a gesture that’s so sensual it sets goosebumps ripping across every inch of my flesh.
I rest my forehead on Nate’s perfect pec and plant a kiss over his heart. The rest of the world melts away.
Nate turns to address the crowd that’s congregated behind us. A number of people have their mobile phones out and are filming every single second. ‘Don’t forget to upload your videos to TikTok with the hashtagall Nate wants for Christmas is Holly.’
He drops the microphone to the ground and sweeps me up into his arms. ‘I can’t take away the hurdles we’re going to face, but Icanensure we jump them together.’
The crowd burst into another deafening round of applause and suddenly we’re enveloped by my mother, father, brother, Clarissa and Savannah. Even Uncle Richard’s serious face is carved into a smile.
Penny and Frank charge up the pathway with their daughters behind them. Nate and I are bundled by our families, surrounded by a support system I never dreamed I’d ever have.
‘Now we’re even,’ Nate whisper shouts into my ear as we’re squashed in a noisy, jostling family embrace. ‘Don’t ever sneak out on me in the night again. I decide who is good enough for me, not the public.’
‘I won’t.’ I wrap my arm around his bare waist. ‘But I think you should put a top on before you give my mother a heart attack.’
ChapterThirty-Seven
NATE
My security detail lines Holly’s street, ready for any crazy fans who might rock up.
‘We can’t stay here, sweetheart,’ I tell Holly, as she drags me into the hallway. Maybe we could check in to the K Club, Conor’s wedding venue, a night early. I’d have preferred a private house, but it seems there is literally no availability.
Holly’s house is cute. Bright, abstract artwork lines the walls. Nothing of her own creation, though. That’s going to change when I get her to my house. I’m going to display her paintings all over my place.
