Page 111 of Fake

“Why didn’t I know you were afraid of the teacup ride at carnivals?” Nathan’s eyes are warm like springtime and feel like coming home.

“Why didn’t I know you were friends with my mother?” I ask in return, then glare at Mom. “And why are you telling him the teacup ride story? So I was scared and hugged a tree when the ride ended. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Mom waves off my concerns about a story she finds charming and I find mortifying. “Nathan stopped by to introduce himself and let me tell you what, you have yourself a wonderful man here.”

Hold on.

Wonderful?

I have a wonderful man?

“How did we get to wonderful?” I wander a little deeper into the room, still epically confused. “Wasn’t it just yesterday you were sorry to be right about all his red flags?”

“We talked about those.” Mom pats Nathan’s hand with the motherly understanding I came here to receive. “And now that I understand, well, my last statement stands. You have a wonderful man.”

The last I heard, I didn’t have anything.

I pull up a chair and sit at the table, my hands in my lap, my heart in my stomach, and my eyes on Nathan. “I thought we called a time out until I got my finances in order.”

“We did.” He nods confidently. “But that shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

Suddenly, Glenda’s not-so-poker-face makes sense. “Did you pay my mother’s medical bills?”

I don’t know whether I’m frustrated or relieved. Knowing Mom is taken care of is a weight off my shoulders, but I was in the middle of solving the problem myself…to prove to Nathan I wasn’t using him for his money, no less. How does him paying off her medical bills get us any closer to okay?

“I spoke to your mom about it first,” he says, like that clears it all up. “I didn’t want to overstep.”

“Oh, well.” I throw up my hands and sit back. “That fixes everything then.

Mom cradles her mug with a knowing smile. “After he explained, I really couldn’t put up much of a fight.”

“Anyone feel like sharing that explanation with me?” My gaze bounces between two smiling faces before I finally settle on Nathan’s. “Walking out of your office, not knowing if I would see you again, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was right. I know that down to my core. I needed to solve my financial problems myself to prove your friend was wrong about me. Why are you solving them for me anyway?”

Nathan takes my hand, elbows on knees, eyes on mine. “Last night, with my family, it was hard. Nick’s hurt pretty badly and his parents were an absolute mess, trying to make sense of it all. Then my uncle Lucas showed up. He spoke calmly. Acted decisively. His brother needed him, and he stepped right up and took care of everything. That’s just what my family does. We protect. We provide. We do for others when they can’t do for themselves. And that’s the way it should be, as long as you have the right people in your life. If I’m being true to myself, that’s who I want to be for you.”

“But the whole Blossom thing, and then the Fallon thing, making it look like I was doing the whole Blossom thing…”

“This is nothing like that.” Nathan brings my hand to his lips. “Blossom is a user and a taker. You are a giver. Even down to the space you keep giving me to get my shit together. I’m better with you. You feel like sunshine, like warmth and goodness and I can be true to myself with you. While everything about our break made logical sense, it didn’t take those details into account. I love you, Mina. I can’t spend another day without you.”

“See what I mean about you having a wonderful man?” Mom pats my hand in that motherly way I’ve been craving.

Tears well in my eyes. The room shimmers before one rolls down my cheek. My hands are still. My heart pounding. My brain filled with the static of confusion. And then I meet Nathan’s eyes and see his love for me shining through.

“I don’t know what to say. I love you too. And I miss you. But I can’t let you pay for Mom’s treatments. It’s just not right.”

“I only paid for the next three months. Just enough to give you some breathing room while you decide what you want to do. If I had my way, you’d quit the waitressing job tonight, but I’m going to leave that up to you.”

“I can pay you back as soon as?—”

Nathan puts a finger to my lips. “Let’s not worry about that. Not yet. Let’s just agree that we’re good for each other and be happy we’ve survived our first fight.”

“I’m not sure I can stop worrying about that,” I mumble against the weight of his finger. “This is all happening too fast?—”

Nathan presses his palm to my mouth. “I overreacted, Mina. You’re jumping through hoops to prove something I already know, so it’s really not too fast at all. If you ask me, it took way too long for me to get here and I’m sorry for that.”

I glance at Mom who bobs her head, then back to Nathan.

“When I remove my hand,” he says, “I’m going to kiss you, something I’ve been wanting to do since this all happened. Will you please stop arguing with me and kiss me back?”

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