Page 113 of Romancing the Grump
“Hey, man, sorry,” Flint says, stepping aside with a good-natured laugh. “I was just messing with you. Come on in.”
Finally, the Hawthornes shift out of the way, and there he is.
Nathan.
He’s wearing dress pants and a button-down shirt, tucked in and looking oh so perfect as it stretches across his broad chest.
His eyes scan the room, landing on Lucy, who is standing closer to him than I am, but then they immediately shift to me. When his gaze meets mine, he smiles. The big smile. Therealone. The one I saw through the plexiglass when Nathan and I were first pretending at the game.
Heat spreads through my chest.
Take that, Dr. Eric. Nathan knows who I am with one glance.
“Hi,” I say, my voice a little breathless.
“Hey.”
We stand there awkwardly, staring,not talking,long enough for everyone else to start looking at each other, probably wondering why, if this is my boyfriend, I haven’t walked over to him yet.
But this isn’t just a regularHello.ASo happy to see you after your weekend away.
This is a beginning.
At least I hope that’s what it is. I guess it’s possible he called my sister and came all this way just to reject me in person. But based on the hopeful smile on Nathan’s face, I don’t think that’s the case.
Finally, Lucy steps closer and nudges me, startling me into action. I walk slowly at first, eyes never leaving Nathan, but then he starts moving toward me, and I break into a run, launching myself into his arms. He picks me up, spinning me around while I bury my face in his neck.
He’s here.
He’s here, and he’s holding me, and he’s warm and solid and good, and he’s mine. He doesn’t even have to say it for me to know. I can tell by the way he’s holding me, pressing his face into my shoulder.
“You’re here,” I say as he lowers me to the floor.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming,” he says, his voice low. “It killed me not to text you. But I wanted to surprise you. I hope it was worth it?”
I sniff and wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. “Definitely worth it.”
He looks over my shoulder, his eyes darting around, and I suddenly remember the crowd of people behind me. The moment I was in Nathan’s arms, everyone else completely faded from my mind.
“I hate to pull you away from the party, but is there somewhere we can talk?” Nathan asks. His lips quirk into a grin. “Maybe an empty pantry we could hide in?”
I look behind me. My parents are watching closely, their smiles wide, and I would love for Nathan to meet them andLucy, and Audrey and Flint. But not yet. If Nathan wants to talk, that has to be a priority.
“I can do better than the pantry,” I say. I grab Nathan’s hand and tug him toward the front door, leading him back outside. I shoot one last look over my shoulder, and Audrey meets my eye, shooing me out with a broad smile of approval.
“Go on!” she urges. “We can all meet him later.”
Nathan and I walk hand in hand around the side of Flint’s house and into the backyard. It’s finally starting to feel like spring, so the night air is cool but not unpleasant. We stop at the back corner of the yard where stone steps lead down to a patio with a firepit in the center. There’s already a fire burning, several cushioned chairs positioned around it.
Around the patio, tiny twinkle lights illuminate the trees, creating an atmosphere I couldn’t have planned better had I tried.
“Want to sit?” I ask, motioning toward the chairs.
“Not yet,” Nathan says. He drops my hand, his body practically vibrating with energy as he brushes his fingers through his hair. He takes a deep breath, ratcheting my sense of anticipation higher and higher.
“Sorry,” he says softly. “I’m nervous.”
I bite my lip. “Good nervous or bad nervous?”
