Page 63 of His Off-Limits Christmas Gift

“Because I think we might be.”

She gawked at me. “What? No. Why?”

“Because she said she was in love with me.”

Julie waited. And waited. For a long moment, she stared at me nonplussed. “Shouldn’t that be a good thing?”

I showed her the ring box I bought while they were getting their dresses and having their hair done earlier. “I want it to be a good thing?”

She gaped at me, stunned. “You want to propose to her?” she hissed. “But you can’t tell if her admitting she’s in love with you is a good thing?”

I sighed and quickly explained my concerns. That it could be a trick. That I wasn’tsureabout her intentions. That she could just be using me as a coverup for having to say why Kyle dumped her.

“No.” Julie didn’t hesitate, shaking her head. “No, Nate. She must love you.”

“Must?” I retorted with a huff of a laugh.

“Yes. I’ve seen you two. You never needed me to matchmake or meddle. The second you two saw each other in your office, it was done. It was decided. You and Rachel work.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “I can see how much she cares about you, Nate. And it’s beautiful to witness you two falling in love. At last.”

Lowering my head, I sighed. “I want to know.”

“Then ask her!” she exclaimed. “My God. What is it about all you young people that you can’t grasp the importance of direct communication?”

“Not here.” I would ask her. I deserved some clarification, but not here. Not like this. I couldn’t handle another public letdown at this holiday party if she was just making it up that she was in love with me.

I’d spent so long wishing for this night to come so it could be over with. Done. Finished. No more dreading it coming.

Now, I wanted the party to wrap up immediately. I wanted the last calls to be made and everyone to head out.

Because as soon as I could get her alone, I would insist on an explanation for whether she could possibly feel the same for me that I did her.

Love.

23

RACHEL

“Fuck,” I whispered in the bathroom stall. I snuck away to have a break from acting like everything was fine and dandy. It was not. Nothing felt good or right tonight.

Ever since Nate heard me telling my family that I’d been in love with him forever, he’d been distant.

He was at my side. We were together. Holding hands, schmoozing, laughing. The works. He didn’t look like a loner to laugh at here. He looked like a man enjoying himself with his date.

That was what he projected. But I knew better. I could tell that he was surprised and confused, and maybe even a little cautious.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Taking in another deep breath to steady myself and calm my nerves, I tried to understand how this could have impacted him like this.

Would it be so terrible to know that I loved him? Would it?

We’d joked about my having a crush on him, and he hadn’t seemed bothered that we were starting a mature connection now.

I don’t understand!

If he was worried about me causing drama or something, then that was understandable. This night was an important event for him. It triggered him to think back to when Yasmin’s infidelity had been exposed to him, when she accused him of being a lousy husband she wanted to leave.

He needed me to be his support, and I damn well was. But only on the surface, and that stung.

I wanted to go back to mattering, to being the woman he wanted and cherished. Not this plus-one to use as a prop.

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