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There has been tension between them since the night began.
In fact, I can pinpoint it to the exact moment Mason saw me sit down beside Nate. Of course I’m going to sit beside Nate. I’m his nurse, for crying out loud.
That’s just an easy excuse, and you know it.
But maybe Mason can sense my gravitation toward his friend. And he doesn’t like that.
“I’ll go cut up the cake. Everyone want ice cream?” Sonia says, scooping up the cake from the spot in front of Nate.
“None for me, thanks. I’m watching my macros,” Nate’s younger brother, Jack, says from his spot at the end of the table.
None of the Lyons children look that much alike considering they all have different mothers.
I’ve always admired how close they are, though.
Sonia rolls her eyes as she sashays out of the dining room, Edwin reaching out, skimming his fingers on her hip as she passes.
My heart lifts at the sight.
The subtle intimacy of their relationship is beautiful to me.
I glance at Nate. He either hasn’t noticed or has learned to ignore it.
He’s much stronger than I am.
I’m not sure I’d be able to handle watching one of my parents fall in love with my ex. I look across the table at Mason.
His eyes skitter away from me. He must have been watching.
And I don’t mind.
“What’d you wish for?” Seth asks.
“Come on, you know I can’t say.” Nate tucks his hands over his stomach.
He’s opted for a nice white button down for dinner tonight which looks dissonant with his surfer boy hair.
I can’t help but admire how the fabric tightens around his pecs when he shifts in his seat.
Abigail leans on her elbow, her freckled cheeks glowing with wine-drunk warmth. “I’m sure the only thing on Nate’s mind is getting out of that chair.”
“That reminds me…” Nate rolls his chair about a foot away from the table and pauses, scanning all our faces until his eyes land in mine. His mouth lifts in a smile of…is that gratitude? “I had a goal. To be out of this thing by my thirtieth birthday.”
“Nate…” My heart breaks for him. He has come so far, but he is still not quite there. “Please, don’t push yourself too hard.”
He shakes his head. “Do you trust me, Laney?”
I see Mason tense out of the corner of my eye.
Trust is not something that’s easy for me to give. I’m not sure I give it at all anymore. But the answer comes from my lips before I can even consider it. “Yes.”
Nate smiles bigger, filling me with both joy and dread as Mason’s gaze grows with intensity.
Hands braced on the arms of his chair, Nate pushes himself up to standing.
I reach out to catch him in case he’s too weak, but he holds a hand out to me. “I’m okay. Just watch. Everyone, just watch.”
And we do. Silence and something akin to awe fills the room as Nate not only manages to stand, but starts to circle the table.
