Page 12 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“You should have told me Nathan was here,” I said to Carter as soon as I saw him downstairs.

“Would you have avoided the meeting?” Carter asked with a knowing smile. He squeezed my hand tenderly, pride shining through his eyes. “You look happy, Evelyn.”

I nodded, interlocking arms with him. “I feel happy, Carter. Thank you.”

The drive to Nathan’s parents’ house was a little over half an hour long.

Carter was excited to see the family he now considered his own. I on the other hand, feared they wouldn’t be too happy to see me after I left everything behind, including their son.

“Don’t worry,” Carter said, bringing me out of my thoughts. “You’ll be fine.”

“I think I messed up by not being with him for the past year.”

Carter snorted, actually snorted at me. I knew what was coming. “Hate to say it, darling, but I told you so. We had this exact conversation the very day we left Pennsylvania, didn’t we?”

Like a scolded child, I nodded. He was right.

Leaving Pennsylvania hadn’t been a mistake. My mistake had been leaving the man I loved and who loved me back behind.

I had wasted time without Nathan when I could have been happy already. Hell, we could have been living together, even have a home of our own.

“It’s okay.” Carter smiled. “You did what you thought was best for you. Now that you know it wasn’t, you shouldn’t let your fears stand in the way anymore. Don’t let fear dictate your future, Evelyn. You’re young. You have a whole future ahead of you.”

When we arrived at the Maxwell household, both Carter and I were surprised. It wasn’t a huge house, but it was much, much more elegant than described. Elegant, yet homey. Everything Hannah’s house hadn’t been.

I knocked on the door timidly, and it flew open, as if they had been standing just behind it. Deborah met us with a beautiful and sincere smile. Her arms wrapped around me almost immediately, and she squeezed me tight. Laughing, I hugged her back, leaning my cheek on the woman’s shoulder.

“Well, you’ve been in New York for over a year and haven’t visited once. Don’t mind this very, very long hug.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, embracing the woman who had been there when my family hadn’t.

“Nonsense. You’re just going to have to eat everything I serve you. Maybe spend the night? I need another woman here if I’m going to be surrounded by Nathan and his dad.” She scrunched up her nose as her husband walked up behind her.

Frank grinned at Carter, shaking his hand before pulling him into a hug.

The house was incredibly cozy, the type of house in which you have family reunions that you never want to leave.

“You have a lovely home,” I said to Frank. He squeezed my shoulder, chuckling.

“I’d like to take credit for the decor and all that nonsense, but who am I kidding? My wife did it all.”

“Men have no sense of style,” Deborah said, rolling her eyes.

I heard footsteps approaching and tensed, knowing exactly who it was.

“Look who’s early.” Nathan grinned, rolling back his sleeves.

God, how I love when he does that.

He cupped my face in his hands, catching me off guard and pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was brief but full of promise.

His mom grinned.

His dad raised his eyebrows.

Carter stared.

And I didn’t know what the hell to do.

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