She stared at the phone, waiting for a response, when a knock sounded at the door. Could it be Nate? Jumping to her feet, she took a few steadying breaths and went to answer the door.
Nate stood under the dim yellow glow of the veranda light, and her heart tripped at the sight of him. The nerves dancing around in her stomach a moment ago now took over her body.
“You were fast.” Her voice shook a little.
He frowned with confusion.
“I just texted you to come over.” She smiled. Then she noticed the cat cage he held. Her heart sank. This wasn’t a good sign.
She gestured for him to come inside. Once in the living room, Nate put the cage on the floor and opened the latch to let Dorito out. Jade watched as the cat carefully stepped out and took a long look at his surroundings, wandering around the room until he found a dark, sheltered spot under an armchair.
If Jade took a big interest in the whereabouts of Dorito, it was because she didn’t know how to say what she wanted to. Toby said Nate was thinking about staying, but obviously he’d made up his mind. And his decision didn’t include Jade.
But she couldn’t let it end like this, not without him knowing how she felt. It was now or never. And if she didn’t tell him, she’d regret it for the rest of her life. And maybe, just maybe, once he heard her out, he’d want to stay.
“Can I get you anything? A coffee?” She had to say something. The silence was crushing.
“No, thanks. I should get going. I’ve got an early flight in the morning.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans, not looking like he was ready to leave. But not looking like he wanted to stay either.
She took a couple of steps closer to him, and with a calm voice that belied her quivering emotions, she said, “I need to tell you something.”
She wanted to reach out and touch him, hold him in her arms, and let the emotions trembling through her heart pour into him. And she wanted to feel them back from him. But he stared at her with an unreadable expression.
Taking a deep breath, she wrung her hands in front of her. “All these years I’ve been wrong about the curse. It doesn’t exist.”
His eyebrows rose. “I’m glad. How did you figure it out?”
“My mother explained the story I believed in since I was a kid was an old diary written by a crazy relative. Apparently, there are dozens of stories like it. None of them true. And I guess I needed a reason for why my father left. Because why else would he leave my mother? They loved each other—or so I wanted to believe. How could he leave his family? But my mother told me she’d left him. I guess they weren’t as in love as I thought. I’ve wasted years believing in that stupid curse. It was the way I dealt with the separation. My dad wasn’t home often so the story had to be true. I should have let it go once I was old enough to understand. If I’m being honest, deep down I knew it sounded crazy—was crazy.” She shrugged. “But I needed to believe in order to cope.” She exhaled a long breath. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest now that the curse had released its binding hold on her. “And I’m glad I did.”
He gave her a confused expression. “Why do you say that?”
“Because if I didn’t believe in the curse, I could’ve been in a serious relationship by now or maybe even married.”
“That would be a good thing.” But he frowned like it wasn’t good at all.
She shook her head. “No, not a good thing, because then I would never have met you.” His shoulders slumped, and he looked away for a moment. But she continued on anyway. “I tried using the curse as an excuse not to get close to you. Tried to shield my heart so when you left it wouldn’t get broken. But it didn’t work. I still fell for you.”
“Jade—”
“I need to finish.” She held up her hand. “I want you in my life. I can’t imagine you not in it, and I’m hoping you want me in yours too. Please stay.”
Rubbing his hands over his face, he then blew out a long breath. “I can’t stay. The band… I need to keep it going.”
She didn’t miss that he didn’t tell her he wanted her too. Cracks were forming in her heart. “Is that what you want? Does it make you happy?”
He scrubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “It doesn’t matter if it makes me happy. It’s something I have to do. I’m sorry.”
“What about us? What about what we’ve had these last few weeks? Surely I haven’t imagined the connection?”
He dropped his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. Sadness clouded over his. “What I feel for you is more than I’ve ever felt for anyone.”
Hope shot through her veins. “If the band is so important, then I’ll go with you.”
He let his arms fall to his sides. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I’m offering.”
“It would never work.”
