Page 19 of Waiting on You

“I’ll call you back,” I say and then hang up, needing to check out the tattoos that are peeking out of the sleeve on his left arm.

He glances down at his toned forearm and then lifts his sleeve, exposing the gorgeous ink on his arm. At first glance, it looks like a beautiful forest with the sun peering through. There’s a body of water with a reflection of the trees on the surface. But when I look closer, I see three hands, all joined together, hidden in the water.

“My brothers and I got these when we were younger. Dustin had just turned twenty-one, so Carmine and I were taking him out to celebrate with a bunch of our friends. Because we’re close in age—me being the eldest, Carmine barely a year younger, and Dustin less than a year younger than Carmine—we hung out with the same group of people.”

“Wow, your mom must’ve been brave to have three boys, all less than a year apart,” I note.

“Yeah.” He chuckles. “Carmine and I were in the same grade, and Dustin was one grade behind. Mom is tough, doesn’t put up with our shit, but she loves us hard.”

“She sounds like a good mom.”

Nate nods in agreement. “The best.”

“Sorry, I got us sidetracked. So, Dustin’s birthday celebration?” I prompt for him to continue.

“That night, I was driving,” Nate says, his tone solemn. “A drunk driver flew through a red light and hit us, and we were all rushed to the hospital. Carmine had nothing more than a few bruises since he was on the passenger side. But Dustin and I required surgery. My blood type is rare, so my dad and Carmine had to donate, and then Dustin had to have a kidney transplant because he had already lost one when he was younger. Carmine was a match, so he ended up donating it to him, which saved his life.”

“Oh my God,” I breathe. “Your parents must’ve been a wreck. All three of their babies in an accident.”

“Yeah, my mom swears it took ten years off her life.” Nate chuckles softly. “Afterward, we went and got these tattoos to symbolize our bond. My brothers are my best friends. We made sure they were where they couldn’t be seen unless we wanted them to be. I also have one on my chest.”

He lifts his shirt without warning, and I damn near hyperventilate when his abs are exposed, one by one, until all six of them are on display, along with hischiseled chest.

Strength is what we gain from the pain we survive.

The words over his heart are simple, a contradiction to the deep meaning.

“After the accident, Dustin couldn’t work because he had some issues with the transplant.”

“Is he okay now?”

“Yeah, he’s perfectly healthy, driving his wife, Valerie, insane.” The way Nate smiles tells me just how fond he is of his family.

“But at the time, it was touch and go, so I took on his job on top of mine.” He drops his shirt and scrubs his hand over his face. “I felt guilty because I had been driving even though it wasn’t technically my fault. At one point, I was working eighty-hour weeks.”

“And that’s when you caught your girlfriend cheating,” I say, remembering what he told me about his ex and how she slept with his best friend when he was working long hours.

“Yeah,” he confirms. “She said I didn’t give her enough attention.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, placing my hand over his heart.

“Part of me blames myself because I did what she accused me of. I neglected her. But she never once mentioned it. If she had told me…”

“I get it,” I tell him. “I knew John moving here without me wasn’t a good idea, but I let him go.”

Nate nods in understanding. “After I caught her cheating, I lost myself for a while. I was drinking andpartying. I hit rock bottom, but my family was there to pick me up. They’re my strength. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

“I love that,” I say, swallowing down the ball of emotion lodged in my throat. “That’s what I want. A family. A home. I felt it when my mom was alive, but when she died, it’s like she took the magic with her. Now, I have no one but me.”

“You could have me,” Nate says softly, framing the sides of my face.

“Only temporarily,” I murmur, torn between wishing I’d never met Nate and wanting to simply enjoy every moment I have with him.

He releases a harsh breath and nods.

“But we have London,” I point out, forcing a smile to lighten the mood.

“And Bath,” he adds, his eyes filled with want as he looks down at me.

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