Page 60 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“You should adopt me,” I joked once I calmed down.

I lay my head on her lap, feeling her run her fingers through my hair. “I could.” She laughed. “I’ve always wanted a daughter. Are you feeling better now?”

I nodded, wiping my face with my hands. “I held it in as long as I could.”

“You did. I could tell even by the way you were walking.”

“You could?” I asked.

“A mom always knows.” She smiled. I sat up, pulling my hair up to a bun. “When you two arrived, I could see the weight you carried on your shoulders. My son doesn’t look any better.”

I knew I needed to fix things with Nathan before he got the wrong idea.

“Thank you so much, Deb,” I whispered, squeezing her hand.

Once again, I hugged her, cherishing every second with her, knowing that she would make a wonderful grandma just like Nana.

With so many things to discuss, I walked to the bedroom Nathan and I would be sleeping in. I opened the door only to find him lying down in bed scrolling through his phone. He raised his head to see me, and I felt my heart break a little more at his troubled expression.

I sighed, closing the door behind me and locking it before I stepped inside. His eyes followed my every movement as I walked towards the bed, removing my shoes, and then climbing in. I snuggled up against him, his arms wrapping around my body with ease despite the circumstances.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For loving me like you do.” I smiled, glancing up at him. His gray eyes stared down at me intently, and I caressed his face, memorizing the way he felt against my touch. So much had happened the past few days, new people in our lives, people that left.

And through it all, he was my constant.

There could be millions of men in the world, but only he could make my heart soar even without wings.

Chapter 23

Nathan

The door slowly opened. As always, my attention was on her.

But I knew there was someone else on her mind.

The way Derek held her, the way they’d looked at each other, was something I wouldn’t forget. It wasn’t the time to ask her anything or to start an argument, so I remained quiet, but I knew what I saw.

For the past few days, being around Evie had been like walking on eggshells. I didn’t know what to say, what to fucking do to make her feel better. Nothing I did helped.

She shut the door behind her, locking it, and then climbed into bed with me. Her eyes were swollen and red. Evie rested her head on my chest, and my arms wrapped around her; it was automatic; there was never any thinking about it.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The two words surprised me.

I frowned. “For what?”

She looked up at me, her eyes shining with another layer of unshed tears. Her delicate hands went up to my face as she caressed it quietly. Finally, she answered, “For loving me like you do.”

“There’s no other way,” I murmured, brushing a strand of her hair back.

With a small smile, Evelyn pressed her lips to mine. Warm and tentative, she kissed me like it was the first time. Like she was shy and hadn’t done this before.

“Let’s get you out of this.” I raised her dress up slightly. As soon as the dress was gone, she laid back, pulling me on top of her.

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