Page 101 of Waiting Forever
I cock my head, confused beyond belief. “Did you say Prescott?”
His eyes lock with mine. “What?”
“What did you do to Prescott?” I stand, thoughts bombarding my brain. “Is that where you were? Is that how you got the black eye?”
“Why are you mad?” He stands, too, his hands raised with his obvious need to calm me down. “You said my mom told you.”
“Not about that.” I rub my neck and turn away. “You don’t know who you’re messing with. You don’t know what Prescott is like, what his family is like.” I gasp and face him. “Does he know who you are? Did you talk about me?” Panic squeezes my chest, making it hard to breathe. “You could get in big trouble for this. His dad is powerful, Nathan. And my case against him—you could have just ruined it.”
He takes me by the biceps and lowers his head to my level. “Give me some credit, Kensi. I would never jeopardize you or your future in any way. Besides, the case is useless. His attorneys are too powerful. They’ve blocked every attempt to land the guy in jail. Someone had to do something. Our dads couldn’t.”
“And you could?” I glare at him, my heart still pounding.
“Yes.” He straightens.
“How?”
“Do you want the whole story or the short version?”
“The whole story,” I practically shout.
“Okay.” He nods and gestures to the bed. “You should sit. There’s a lot to it.”
I lower onto the bed, my body stiff, my arms crossed over my chest.
Nathan retells the details of that night. His mission. The team. How Isa helped. It was a smart plan. Knowing Prescott and his parties the way I do, it would be next to impossible for him to figure out who beat him up and for what reason. He makes enemies daily, trash talking people and friends, stealing girlfriends, using, and discarding them.
The last of my anxiety drains with an exhale. “I need to call Isa and make sure she’s okay.”
“She is.” He sits beside me. “Well, last I heard, she was fine. We made sure she wasn’t connected and that she was protected. The way Ace entered the room made it seem like they were interrupted. Then I came in and Dalton took her away.”
I nod, my hands resting on my thighs now, as I work through my emotions. Amazement sits at the forefront, followed by happiness and smug justification. Nathan found a way to get Prescott when no one else could. I’m sure he left damage, too. He devised a scheme in honor of me, because he loves me and wanted revenge as badly as everyone did, including me. And although Prescott won’t get the jail time he deserves—or any at all—he got a fist-delivered dose of justice by the man I love.
I touch Nathan’s hand. “Thank you. I wish I could have been there. But also, don’t ever do anything like that again. You’re too important and good to end up in jail.” A thought occurs to me. “Do my parents know?”
Nathan sighs. “I don’t think so. My dad said he would tell your dad when the time is right.”
“Is that what you two talked about when I was with your mom?”
He nods. “I thought he knew about us or wondered like my mom does. He was so cool about what I did, I almost told him we’re a couple. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.” He slides his hand out from under mine and stands. “I don’t know what to do about this. Us. I know what I want to do, and I know what I should do. Above all, I want to do right by you.” He runs his hands through his hair, disheveling the golden-brown strands.
I’d give anything to see his dazzling smile. His black eye seems darker now.
“Does that hurt?” I point to it.
He blinks. “Honestly, I forgot I had it.”
Unease spreads through the room. I could either ignore it or face this head on. “Where do we go from here?”
He glances at me with so much sadness in his eyes. “What do you want to do?”
“What do you want to do?” I kick the toe of his shoe.
He chuckles. “Whatever you want or need. If you want to be together, I’ll do everything in my power to make this easier for you, and I’ll be on fucking cloud nine, knowing I haven’t lost you. But if you want to…” His mouth closes and his Adam’s apple moves with a deep swallow. “If you want to end things, I would respect your decision, and I would try to make the transition for you as easy as possible.”
He stands there, looking defeated and torn and so vulnerable. The fact that he’s only thinking of me makes this that much better and worse. Should I hold onto hope that he’s not the father? Would that only make good-bye harder if he is?
So many decisions to make when all I want to do is curl up in this bed with him and pretend nothing has changed.
