Nate tore his eyes from mine, crushing any hope that he'd come for me. His focus was on my sister, and that made sense. They were good friends. I was just the guy who'd pushed him away with my stupidity.

Laurel moved aside, giving Nate room to hug Liv. Her guilty eyes met mine over his shoulder, and as he stood and turned to shake Andre's hand in greeting, she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry. I tried to tell you."

A little warning would've been nice. When had she tried to tell me anything? The image of her struggling to say something when we'd first arrived popped into my mind and I realized I'd assumed she was feeling the same as me, when in reality she might've been trying to tell me Nate and Laurel were coming.

It didn't matter. I couldn't be angry with her for wanting her friends around. Especially when they'd known and loved Granny too. Already, they were sharing fond memories of their time here.

The thought of making this situation harder by being awkward was too much to bear. So as they chatted, I slipped away, climbing the stairs to the room that had always been mine.

Closing the door behind me, I leaned against the wall and stared at the plaid burgundy and navy comforter, inhaling the smell of fresh laundry and lemon bathroom cleaner. It was calming, and as I crossed the room to stretch out on the soft bed, I decided a nap would be nice. I could use the rest, and it would keep me out of the way while they figured out what needed to be done.

A soft knock sounded, making me jump. I rolled my eyes, ready for Liv to apologize for springing Nate on me. "Come in."

The door opened and Nate's tall, muscular body filled the frame, making my heart race.

He entered the room slowly, as though he wasn't sure he'd be welcome. My body froze in place as his gaze moved over me, warming my skin. It was pleasant until his eyes darted to his shoes, then the window, then the shelves in the corner. Anywhere but to me.

I sat up as he closed the door and cleared his throat, and I realized both of his hands were behind him, holding the doorknob—ready to run. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he cleared his throat a second time before saying, "Hi."

"Hi." Speak, Joby! Tell him you love him. Tell him you're sorry for being such a moron for so long. Sorry for never showing him the love and attention he deserved. Tell him you miss him and you'll do anything to fix this. Say anything that could make him stay.

But my jaw locked tight. There was nothing. Words wouldn't fix everything I'd broken. Only actions could do that, and as long as I was here, those actions would have to wait.

"You disappeared." Nate finally met my eye and my heart leapt.

"I didn't think you were here for me."

"You didn't call." His head tilted to the side, causing dark hair to spill over his forehead. My fingers itched to touch the soft strands.

"I didn't get to have my talk with Mr. Harrison like I promised and... and I didn't think you'd want to hear from me."

He sighed. "I care about you. I'd never want you to be hurting alone."

Nate furrowed his brow, and he released the doorknob, moving to sit beside me on the bed. Too much space separated us, but when he reached over to rest his hand on mine, the small contact warmed my chest.

"I'm so sorry about Granny. She was a beautiful person, and I'm glad I got to be her friend."

Tears blurred my vision. "She liked you a lot too." My voice broke with emotion and I worked to stop the overwhelming feelings. "Excuse me." I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to take a calming breath, but it was more of a gasp.

Suddenly, I was in Nate's arms. His heart beat against my chest as his hold tightened, and my tears fell. "It's okay. You don't alway have to be in control, Joby," he whispered, and his low voice soothed some of the ache inside me.

With his strong hands moving over my back in a comforting rhythm, it didn't take long for the tears to stop. Nate was here. He'd sought me out because he cared for me. This sweet, thoughtful, smart, funny, gorgeous man loved me.

Afraid he'd pull away now that I'd calmed, I gripped his sides. "I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you so much." Turning my head, I took a deep breath of his woodsy cologne and my pulse raced.

"I missed you too."

He shifted, brushing his cheek against mine as his fingers slid up my neck, into my hair. A ragged breath escaped as his touch filled me with need. Unsure if it was more than he'd allow, I moved slowly, letting my lips feather over his neck.

His grip on my hair tightened, and a quiet sound of encouragement rumbled in his throat. I left a trail of kisses up to the corner of his square jaw, and when he whispered my name, the energy between us changed—nothing held us back.

Nate's mouth was on mine, forceful and taking, and I wanted to give. I'd give him anything.

His teeth slid over my bottom lip as he leaned closer, pressing me back against the mattress. My fingers slipped under his shirt to caress his hard muscles as they flexed with his movements. He kissed my neck—sucking and licking, driving me wild. His hips ground against mine, making me moan as desire tore through my body.

"You feel so good," I said between panting breaths. "God, I love you, Nate."

He froze above me with a gasp. Pulling back, his eyes bounced between our disheveled clothes. "We can't do this."

Pain shot through my chest, squeezing my heart as he stood beside the bed. "Nate, please. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's not you. You didn't do anything wrong." Nate backed a step closer to the door and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it into place. "We just can't do this."

But I love you. I need you. I'm sorry. My mouth hung open, but the words wouldn't come.

"You're upset, I'm upset." His jaw clenched as sadness passed over his features a second before he focused on the floor. "But we can't just fall back into this when nothing has changed. No matter how much I want to. It would only hurt us both more later." His eyes met mine, pleading for me to understand.

"Whatever you want." I pushed the words through my tight throat, hoping he couldn't hear the pain in my voice.

He studied my face and gave me a quick nod. "Okay. I'm going to see if I can do anything to help downstairs."

"I'll be down in a minute."

My stomach soured as the door closed behind him. He was right. Until I proved how serious I was about him, there was no reason for him to trust me with his love. With a deep breath, I stood and straightened my clothes. Time to get back on track.

I'd give Nate his space while things were finished here and worry about everything else later.

Thanks for reading! 💜