“Team Neuro forever.”
“Damn right,” I say, wiping tears off my cheeks.
The line goes dead.
I sit there for a moment, phone heavy in my hand, heart pounding so hard it’s pressing up against my ribs. My thumb hovers over Nate’s name. Fear hums through me, but beneath it, there’s something steadier. No more hiding or hurting him by playing it safe. Because I want him with me, and if he could do better by me, I will do better by him. The thought is suddenly crystal clear.
So I hit the call button and wait, heart pounding, hoping it isn’t already too late. He answers on the third ring. There’s the low thud of a car door closing in the background before his voice comes through the line.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me.”
“I know, Robyn.” He sounds slightly out of breath, like he’s moving. “Your name’s on the screen.”
He sounds mad—he should be mad.
He murmurs a quick thank you to someone, the wordsbarely audible, and then there’s a heavier sound, a solidthunk. His footsteps echo faintly now, indoors.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I’m calling because…” I have to force myself to keep going. Don’t stall. “You offered to move, and…” I curl my fingers tightly. “And I got scared, Nate.”
A mechanical whir cuts through the line. Elevator doors. A muffled ding follows, then another. When he speaks again, his breathing has evened out. Calm. Steady. Too steady for the way my chest is caving in.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to ask if it’s too late,” I say, the words tumbling now. “If you’d still consider moving here. Or figuring out how we make it work. I want us back together, Nate.” A knock sounds at my door.
I freeze, phone pressed to my ear, but I ignore it. “I should’ve talked it out with you when you offered. I should’ve let you decide with me rather than for you.” Another knock. “I was afraid.”
Silence stretches, then three insistent taps from the other side of my door.
“I’m sorry, someone’s knocking. Can you?—”
“I know…” Another sound comes through, and it echoes on both sides of the line this time.A knock.“Open the door, sweetheart.”
My breath catches when another knock comes again. I rush to the door and open it. Nate’s leaning on the doorframe, hanging up the phone.
“I’m here.”
“Why?”
He shrugs and steps in, his chest brushes against my side as he does. “Because it’s where I want to be.” He turns back to face me and closes the door behind me. “And because Julianbroke his rule. We talked about you. He didn’t think you really wanted me to stay in Bend.” He steps into my space, pushing me against the door until his forearms rest on the wood behind me on each side of my head. “So I came to check Northmoor out. Do you want me here with you, sweetheart?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“That makes me angry, Robyn.” His nose brushes mine when he says it, not rough, not accusing, just honest. The warmth of him presses into me, familiar in a way that makes my chest ache. His lips hover a breath away from mine, close enough that I can feel the words more than hear them.
“I asked you. I offered.”
“I’m sorry, I?—”
“No.” His hand slides to my waist, steady, grounding. “No apologies. I haven’t worked this hard on myself so you shut me out at the first hurdle.” His forehead rests against mine. “You hear me?”
His controlled anger bursts all the bubbles of conflicting feelings I’ve been whacking at for over a year. The fear in me gushes out, flowing out of me. Nate’s worth fighting for—he’s shown that with determination and patience since even before he jumped out of that truck in Bend. I want to work on us so we’re sound and solid, unbending under fear or resentment.
“It’ll take some time,” he continues, softer now. “I still need to tie up some loose ends with my injury settlement. But they’ll put me in touch with a firm here. I work somewhere else, they get to keep their foreman.” His thumb brushes my hip. “I don’t have anything confirmed yet. But I’ll be here. With you.”
