Page 92 of The Story of Us
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Joanie. And you’re meant to be resting,” Eloise said.
“Does Nate not want children?”
“I don’t know, Joanie. We haven’t talked about any of that.”
“As I lie here on my deathbed?—”
“Mum!” Mary exclaimed.
“What happened to being fine? A little heart attack?” Eloise said at the same time.
“—you’d deny me the peace of knowing my beloved granddaughter”—someone snorted, Nate guessed it was Charlie—“was finally happy? With her true love? The guy she’d always imagined would be her husband? The father of her children?”
Nate closed his eyes. Told himself to walk away. No good would come from hearing Eloise’s reply. So much of his adult life had been about pretending.
That he enjoyed the attention that came with being famous.
That the comments everyone made about his life choices didn’t matter.
That there was a chance Eloise would want him if she knew the truth.
Charlie’s voice pulled Nate from his thoughts. “Jesus. He’s such an overachiever that he’ll probably knock you up with triplets the first time, too.”
“Oh my God. Would you all stop?” Eloise said, but it was impossible to miss the giggle at the end.
“I think he’ll be a great dad,” Mary said.
“Yeah,” Eloise said wistfully. “He will be …”
This was all wrong.
“One day. Hopefully.”
The joy in her voice hit him like a sledgehammer. Nate closed his eyes and tried to block out the squeals from inside Joan’s room.
Shame crept over his skin, and he shook his head. In a different world, hearing those words would’ve lit him up, sent joy fizzing through his veins. Their future would’ve been wide open, full of unlimited possibilities and adventures.
But he couldn’t give Eloise what she wanted. What she’d literally just said she wanted.
It was only fair to let her go now rather than lead her on until she had to leave.
Slowly Nate came back into himself, dimly registering the excited chatter inside the room.
He was going to disappoint them all.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Nate took the coward’s way out, sneaking down the hallway and sending Eloise a text explaining that he’d had to leave. Asking if she could find her own way home when she was ready.
Home.
He’d known this moment was coming. When it would be impossible to keep living in fantasy land. The pain he expected blossomed in his chest before becoming deeper, sharper with every step he took away from Eloise.
He didn’t know how he was going to face his house. Echoes of Eloise and their time together would be all throughout what he’d already started to think about as their home.
I’ve got to get out of here.
29
Asuitcase was waiting by the door when Eloise got home. Nate’s laptop case was sitting on the sideboard, his passport and a handful of American money scattered next to it.
