Since my conversation with Nate, the day had dragged by, but finally I stood outside his door, holding a bag with a pint of ice cream. All of Liv's warnings circled in my head—Nate won't want to be in the closet with you forever. You need to come out at work, or at least quit hiding who you are.

Nausea swirled in my stomach at the thought of him telling me he'd had enough. What if I wasn't worth the trouble of sneaking around anymore?

The door flew open, and Nate stood there smiling and waving me in, pecking my cheek as I entered. He took the bag from my hand and pulled out the pint. "Yay, chocolate chip cookie dough; I love this." He chuckled and peeked back at me as he led the way to the kitchen. "I've been craving ice cream ever since you mentioned it."

"If I knew you'd get this excited, I'd have bought it sooner." I grinned as he reached for a couple of small bowls on the top shelf. His gray cotton t-shirt pulled across his muscular shoulders and lifted, giving me a delightful view of the way his jeans hugged his perfectly toned ass.

Turning, he caught me staring and smirked as he moved closer, that deep green gaze gliding from my shoes up. Tugging on the end of my tie, he said, "You're a little overdressed to watch a movie on the couch, aren't you?"

Resting my hands at his waist, I lifted my chin, letting him loosen the knot before lifting the tie over my head and dropping it on the counter behind me. Nate undid the top few buttons of my shirt and pressed a kiss to the exposed skin of my neck, sending a wave of heat down my back.

I sighed and pulled him closer. "I just wanted to get the hell out of there. No time to change."

"That's okay. You look fantastic in a suit." His lips ghosted over my jaw as he spoke. "But you can borrow something of mine if you want to get comfy." His teeth grazed my earlobe, making me gasp, and I felt him smile. "Or, you know, clothes aren't a strict requirement."

My fingers wove into his thick hair, and his mouth crashed into mine. The kiss was hard and needy, and made me feel wanted in a way I'd only known with Nate. Every touch, every whispered word sent my pulse racing impossibly faster. His attention consumed me.

"I'm so glad you're here." Soft breaths tickled my neck as he pulled my shirt from the waist of my pants and pushed it off my shoulders to join the tie. Warm hands moved beneath my undershirt, caressing, and then holding me tighter.

"Me too." A soft moan escaped as he pressed his hips to mine. There was no place I'd rather be, ever. But then I remembered I was there for a reason. "Shit, Nate." The words were barely a breath.

"I know." He groaned. "You feel so good."

He rocked against me and all rational thought was almost rubbed away with the movement, but he said we needed to talk. Slipping my hands between us, I rested them against his hard chest. "No. Wait. That's not what I meant."

Confusion pulled his dark eyebrows together as he leaned back without letting go of me. "It's not?"

"No. I mean, yes. This is great." I blew out a slow breath and shook my head, trying to clear it. "But you said we needed to talk about something. It seemed important."

"Oh, that." A trace of red crossed his cheekbones as he stepped back, waving the reminder away. "That's okay. I thought about it, and it doesn't matter." Turning to the counter across from me, he grabbed spoons from the drawer and opened the ice cream. "Any movies in mind you'd like to watch?"

What the hell? Was he embarrassed? My heart squeezed uncomfortably. What couldn't he tell me?

"Are you blushing?" He ignored my question as I closed the space between us and wrapped my arms around him, resting my temple against his shoulder. "Tell me what's going on."

"Joby." He grumbled and continued to scoop ice cream into bowls. "Honestly, just never mind. It's okay."

"Have we met?" I scoffed. "You know there's no way I can just let it go now. Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Easing back, I held his bicep and turned him to face me. "Please, Nate. Tell me what's bothering you."

He brushed his hair back with his fingers. "It's not a big deal. I just have to go to a wedding for someone at work next weekend. No one else from the office is going. They elected me to represent all of us since I'm the only one that wouldn't have to find childcare."

"If you don't want to go, don't." I shrugged as I tried to see the real problem. "Are you feeling guilty about looking for another job?"

"No. I haven't put much effort into that yet, anyway. I don't know what I want to do." He scratched his chin and looked at the floor. "It's just that she's a nice person, a good work friend, and I don't really mind going..."

"Okay. But?" I dipped my head, wanting to meet his eye, but the stitching on his sock was suddenly fascinating to him.

"I can bring a plus one and I thought it might be fun to go together, but I don't want you to feel pressured. There will be a lot of people there, but most of them are from out of state. That's why I'd feel bad not going. She moved here with her fiancé a few months ago and doesn't have a ton of friends yet."

He ran his hands through his hair again, and his leg bounced. My chest tightened as I realized he was nervous to even talk to me about something that would be a given for any other couple.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Some event place in Dunwoody."

"Let's go," I'd answered without thinking, but when his wide eyes met mine, I knew I wouldn't change my mind.

His face broke into a beautiful smile. "Are you serious?"

"Just tell me what to do."

He threw his arms around me. "Oh, Joby! This is going to be so much fun. We'll dress up together, and dance, and have the best time."

"I always have the best time with you."

"This is amazing." Nate pressed a hard kiss to my cheek. "You're amazing."

As he squeezed me against him in a tight hug, guilt weighed me down, crushing my short-lived excitement. This should've been nothing—completely expected and normal, but here this wonderful man was thrilled by the very least I could do.

It was enough; I told myself. He was happy. That's all that mattered.

Thanks for reading! 💜