Page 85 of The Right Kind of Wrong

CHAPTER 31

Nathan

Evelyn stirred, sighing sleepily and shifting yet again. If she didn't wake up within the next few minutes, I would have to do it as much as I hated waking her up.

We had spent a large part of the previous night sitting out in the cold while we talked about the endless possibilities. She talked. I was there to give my opinion only, though I was still cautious. With my previous confession, I didn't want her to think that I was interested in what her grandmother had left her.

She trusted me and I cherished that trust more than she'd ever understood.

“I want to live in the city,” she confessed sleepily. I smiled at the sound of her voice, leaning my cheek on hers. Waking up with her was one of the things I most valued now.

“Mmm. Any particular reason for that?”

Her eyes fluttered open and she met mine with a sleepy smile. “I had a dream it was Christmas in New York, and we walked hand in hand through the city on a snowy night to our apartment. That's what I want.”

My chest tightened. The way her eyes sparkled in retelling such a simple dream; something relatively insignificant to other people meant so much to her. She meant everything to me.

“What?” she asked shyly when I stared at her. Her cheeks took on a rosy color and I smiled at her innocence. Her strength was admirable; I was a lucky man to have someone like her lying in my arms, looking at me with so much care.

“You're just beautiful.” She rolled her eyes, giggling helplessly when my fingers brushed her waist. “And ticklish,” I chuckled, kissing her neck as she threw her head back in laughter.

I reveled in the sound; it was so genuine and feminine. So her. She didn't try to have a perfect girly laugh, she was just herself, always had been.

I sat up and she attempted to flee, but I caught her, setting her on my lap so that she straddled me. She pouted adorably yet still wrapped her arms around my neck.

“You've made me a better man,” I confessed, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her doe eyes lit up as she nibbled nervously on her bottom lip.

“Really?”

I nodded, holding her close to me, as close as possible. “Everything makes sense with you around, even those that don't. You're just…I…you're all I've ever wanted.”

She flushed, leaning in and kissing me.

“You're one of the reasons why I'm still standing.” Her voice was nothing but a mere whisper, but I knew there was more to the words that left her lips, just like she knew the deeper meaning to mine.

With us there was never the need to voice everything we felt, the other just knew. I never had that connection with anyone else and to have found it with her despite the circumstances surrounding us was beyond perfect. But I wasn't stupid. She was strong without me. She always had been.

“That's not true,” I said with a small smile. Evelyn frowned, clearly not understanding what I meant. “You don't need anyone to be strong, Evie. You're strong on your own, and I respect that. That's what makes me lucky to have you by my side; you don't need me, yet you've chosen to be with me. There's nothing that means more to me than that.”

Her throat moved as she swallowed, eyes shining with tears.

“Nathan, I don't-”

“You don't need to say anything,” I whispered. “Just let me show you.”

“But Carter-”

“Carter's gone,” I said, laying her down on the bed. I captured her lips with mine, kissing her with passion, my hands exploring her body. Evie moaned softly, arching her back. I brought my lips to her ear, asking the one thing I wanted from her at that moment. “Let me make love to you.”

She smiled then, happy to know that to me it wasn't just a simple fuck. And it wasn't, it had never been.

***

“I hate doctors’ offices,” Evelyn complained again. We were waiting in the exam room for the doctor to arrive. She sat on the exam table, swinging her feet like a child. The most amusing part was that with the large blue shirt she wore along with the jeans and Converse, she really did look like a child.

“We have to make sure you're okay,” I replied nonchalantly. Evelyn rolled her eyes as she faked frustration.

After the morning we had spent together, I could tell she was truly happy. She was no longer tense and worried, but instead slowly going back to her usual self. It was as if she had come to terms with everything that had happened.

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