Page 11 of Nate
I fling open the door expecting to find a spotty teenager loaded up with about fifty dollars worth of pizza, garlic bread, and ice cream. My hand is literally pulling my wallet out of my bag.
But when I look up, it’s not some puss-faced boy, it’s the man I’ve spent the whole evening wallowing over.
“Nate.” His name leaves my mouth in a gasp.
I want to slam the door in his face, but I’m frozen to the spot.
I hear Charlotte stomp across the wooden floors and stand next to me.
“Please,” Nate says, reaching out. “That woman you saw me with earlier. It’s not what you think. She’s my sister.”
“Yeah right!” Charlotte scoffs. “I’ve heard that one before!”
I give her a quick look, and she throws her hands in the air. “Fine!” she says. “I was just leaving anyway.” She pecks me on the cheek, and then in a low whisper. “Don’t take any shit, Piper. Remember what I told you. You’re a total fucking babe.”
I squeeze her hand, grateful to have such a loyal, wonderful friend. But right now I’m struggling to digest the words I’ve just heard.
His sister?
Could I really have been that stupid to just jump to conclusions? To think the worst of this man, who has been nothing but kind to me.
“But you had your arm around her,” I say. “She was poking you in the ribs.”
“She’s my sister, Piper, I don’t know any other way to say it.”
“I guess you better come in.”
I open the door. He brushes past me as he enters. A shiver of pleasure runs through my body, even at the slightest of touch.
My mind flashes back to the other night. His naked body on top of me. Sweaty. Panting. Hard. Making me feel like the most special woman in the world.
My house is a mess. There are wine bottles and chips and pillows all over the place. But Nate’s eyes stay totally focused on me.
“I came here with this whole speech prepared,” he says. “But suddenly I can’t remember a word of it.
“I know the first words wereI love you.And I guess that’s as good a place as any to start.”
“You love me?”
“I know it’s quick to be dropping the L-bomb. But I want to be honest with you. Right from the beginning. I’m too old to be playing games.
“When I first met you, when you were choking on that fishbone, when my arms were around your waist... I thought, this is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
“I was lonely. Thinking about leaving this town and moving back to the city.
“I thought I was running away. From my past. From a failed marriage. From all those looks full of pity I knew I’d get if I set foot in the hospital I used to work at. But now I realize I wasn’t running away, I was running towards something… towards you.”
I try to say something, but he puts his finger on my lip.
“Please,” he says. “Let me finish.
“I’m not great with words. I’m not great with emotions, either. I guess it was just the way I was brought up. That macho bullshit thing where men are meant to be men, and that doesn't include talking about your feelings a whole lot.
“But I know what I want, Piper. And that’s you.
“When I close my eyes, I see us… together. Starting a family. I see us traveling the world together. I see us growing old. I see you with a big round belly, carrying my baby. Up at the altar in a white dress. Me sliding a ring on your finger. I imagine waking up to you every morning and going to bed with you beside me, and it makes me so fucking happy I feel like I’m about to explode.
“You’re the woman I’ve been looking for my whole life. I just didn’t know it.
