Page 55 of The Story of Us
Nate tapped his foot against her leg gently, as if touching her would be a tangible reminder that he was right here with her, trying to share more about himself. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew what Cobie had done to him. And even they didn’t know his deepest, darkest secret.
“I’m not that mysterious.”
She ignored his reply. “You’re young, super successful and hot. Kind and loyal. You try to do the best for everyone and give so much of yourself, expecting nothing in return.”
Nate’s mouth reacted before his brain could catch up. “You think I’m hot?”
The blush staining Eloise’s cheeks was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. So was the way her gaze dipped from his face to the bottles in front of them, like she was blaming the drink for loosening her tongue.
Eloise fiddled with the collar of her shirt. “That’s what you got out of that? You’ve seen yourself in a mirror. I’m not going to say it again.”
She didn’t need to. Nate would never forget the time they were spending together.
“You have everything going for you. I bet anyone would be thrilled to be with you. Even someone super famous like, I don’t know, Jemima Jenkins.”
Well, here was an opening that he could share. Just with Eloise.
“Do you want to know a secret?”
Eloise leant forward, her head tilted in question, and Nate loved the idea of sharing this with her. It was another little nugget of trust that was just theirs and only theirs. “Jemima Jenkins wants to turn my books into a television show.”
Her eyes widened, and her hand landed on his knee. Knowing the need to touch each other went both ways was more thrilling than running onto the field while thousands of people screamed his name. “Holy crap, that’s awesome.”
“Yeah, it is …” Nate scratched at the stubble that lined his jaw.
“… but?”
Another thing he loved about Eloise? How she knew there was something holding him back.
“It’s hard to let go of control. They’ll change things. I don’t always love change.”
Nate ignored her soft snort.
“I think you should go for it. Take some of your own advice for once,” Eloise said.
“Oh yeah? Which bit?”
Eloise sat up and their gazes locked together. “Never be afraid to bet on yourself, Nate.”
* * *
The clockon his phone said it was after two in the morning when Nate stood and stretched, walking over to his desk. Echo blinked sleepily at him before she tucked her nose under the pillow on her bed. Eloise was stretched out on the couch, eyes closed, sketchbook resting on her chest, fingers smudged with charcoal. A streak of black crested over one of her cheekbones.
An overwhelming urge hit him. To press his own charcoal-covered finger onto her skin and leave his mark on her when no one was watching.
It’d just be for him.
And it would be real.
No wonder she was such a good social worker. She’d managed to draw him out of his shell and get him talking. Sharing things he’d only ever told his family.
But you didn’t tell her everything,a nasty voice whispered in his mind.
It was cruel, really, to keep it to himself. He blinked rapidly and tried to stop the memories, but it was pointless. They avalanched all over him, his chest tightening as the room tilted under his feet.
He’d never forget how the hard lines of Cobie’s face became sharper and more angular when she’d laughed at him. Her expression twisting into a cruel sneer, poison he’d never expected spewing from her mouth. That it was his fault. He’d made her cheat because he’d failed to get her pregnant. For two years, she lied about taking the pill, trying to secure a meal ticket for the next eighteen years.
When Nate had gone to see the team doctor afterwards for a standard medical evaluation, he’d asked for a full fertility workup. Just to put the nagging voice in the back of his mind to bed once and for all.
