Page 118 of Wild Abandon

“I’m not pregnant, Nate. If that’s what you came all this way to find out, then you can turn around and go home.”

I start to close the door, but he puts his hand up.

His forearm rises up to the door, and his body leans in as he holds it open. “Wait—”

“How did you know I was here?” I ask before he can say whatever it was he was about to say.

Getting a good look at him, I see that his appearance, as handsome as it might be, is quite distorted. His hair is unkempt, shaggy, and falling. His eyes have dark circles under them, and his jaw hasn’t been shaven in a day or two.

“I asked Naomi where you were. She gave me your parents’ address.”

“You spoke to Naomi?”

“Yesterday.”

“You spoke to Naomi yesterday and are here this morning?”

“Booked the first flight I could get on. I had two layovers and a terrible case of needing to see you as fast as possible. I went to your parents’ place, but they told me you’d be here. Do you know how complicated it is to get from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn? I would have taken a cab, but your dad said the train would be faster. I was in the Bronx before I realized I had gone the wrong way. Then, I went to Queens, and now, I’m just so relieved to have found you.”

“Oh.” Yes, that’s the witty response I have to the fact that Nate flew all the way out here and spent the morning trying to track me down.

Nate lightens his hold on the door and stands up straighter. Stepping closer, his body is inches from me as he says, “Now, can I please come in? I have something very important to say to you.”

I stare back at him for way too long before I realize I’m not breathing.

Yes, let’s start breathing. Now would be a good time for that.

“I’m going to put Isla down. I’ll be right back.” I rush down the hall and place Isla in her crib. Then, I take a moment to gain my bearings. Adjusting my blouse, I do a mini pace about the room.

“Nate’s here,” I say into the open air. “He is actually here. What does this mean? Does he want me to go back to Napa? Does he want to stay here? No, he can’t. He has Ellie. Oh God, Ellie. I can’t do this. I can’t—no, I can. Crystal Reid, you can do this. You never got to say your good-byes. He’s here for closure, and that’s what you are going to do. Say good-bye. Yes, I can do this.”

I can?

I can.

Goddamn it.

I square my shoulders and walk out of the nursery.

When I get to the living room, Nate is standing by the sofa. His peacoat is off, showcasing a soft gray sweater, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His feet are spread apart, his arms are crossed on his chest, and his chin is up and commanding.

He might be tired as hell, but he looks like a man on a mission.

“I’m not here to say good-bye,” he says with his eyes trained hard on mine.

What? How the hell does he know my inner thoughts?

Nate holds up the baby monitor, and I slap my forehead with my palm.

God, I’m such an idiot.

“I love you, Crystal Reid, and I’m not leaving here without you.”

My head snaps up, and my lips part to breathe. Tingles, chills, shivers—the whole nine runs through my body.

I open my mouth to speak, but Nate halts me by taking a step forward and continuing, “Just in case you didn’t hear me, I will say it again. I love you, and I am not leaving here without you.”

My eyes moisten at the feeling his words are eliciting. I don’t want him to say these things.