Page 10 of Waiting on You

“Show me,” Nate says, snapping me from my thoughts.

“What?”

“Show me,” he repeats. “You said your asshole ex cheated, so you have a few days before the wedding, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I have a few days as well, so how about you show me London through your eyes, through yourmom’seyes? And I’ll let you know if it’s magical or ifit’s all in your head.”

“Seriously?” I choke out, wondering why the hell this guy would want to spend his time exploring the city with a stranger.

“Yeah.” He places his hand on mine, and a warmth I’ve never felt before seeps into my skin and heats up my body. “Show me the magic.”

When his bright brown eyes meet mine, I pull my hand back, overwhelmed by the intense connection I feel with him.

Maybe it’s because I’m filled with a myriad of emotions—between my life feeling up in the air and being in the city my mom once loved—but I feel exposed, and as much as I want to let this man in, I can’t risk being hurt again. We’re both nothing more than two strangers who happen to be in the same place at the same time, and once we check out of this hotel, we’ll go back to our lives and never see each other again.

And then it hits me…

“Are you in a relationship?” I ask, needing to know.

Before John cheated, I wouldn’t have even thought to ask. But now, I feel like I can’t assume anything. My trust has recently been destroyed, the wounds still fresh, and while I shouldn’t take it out on Nate, I can’t help how I feel.

“What?” He looks at me like he’s been slapped.

“Are you dating anyone? Engaged? Married?”

“No,” he bites out. “If I were, I sure as hell wouldn’t be sitting here with you, hoping you’ll spend the nextfew days with me.”

“Sorry, I had to ask.”

“I get it,” he says. “Unfortunately, I experienced almost exactly what you went through.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” He sighs. “I dated this girl throughout college, and when we graduated, I went to work for my family’s business. Some personal stuff was going on, so I was working a lot of hours, and I thought she understood. Until I came home early one night to surprise her and take her to dinner and found her in bed with my best friend.”

“How did you get past it?”

“With time,” he says with a shrug. “But also, I was glad I found out then, before we got married and had kids.”

“Yeah,” I agree, having thought the same thing earlier. “The last thing I’d want is to put my kids through a divorce. I know divorce rates are high, but my hope is that I’ll find someone who will want meforever. Before my mom got sick, I felt what it was like to have a family. Even though I hated moving around, no matter where we moved, I had my parents. Now”—I exhale a harsh breath—“I feel like I have no one.”

“It’ll take time,” Nate says, giving my hand a squeeze. “But one day, when you’ve met the man you’ll spend your life with, you’ll look back and be grateful that asshole showed his true colors so you could move forward.”

“You haven’t moved forward,” I point out since he said he’s not in a relationship.

“No.” He smiles sadly. “I’d like to. I’d love to meet someone I can share my life with. My parents have been married for over thirty years and are still madly in love.”

“But…”

“But sometimes, I think maybe I’m destined to be married to my job.”

“Or maybe you just haven’t met the right woman yet.”

“Maybe.”

His eyes lock with mine, and butterflies, which have no business being anywhere near me, attack my chest.

---