By the time we made it back to our suite, a soft quiet settling around us, I was completely gone, lost somewhere between the warmth of the room, the faint crackle of the fireplace, and the man whose arms I laid in tonight.
“I still can't believe we're here.” I admitted.
“Believe it.” Nathan said. “You walked away from a stable career,” he continued, his voice steadier now. “from something secure, from something most people would hold onto, even if it wasn’t what they really wanted.”
I shifted slightly in his arms, tilting my head up to look at him. The firelight danced across his features, softening the sharp edges I’d once found so intimidating. His hand slid slowly up my arm, warm and grounding. “Do you have any idea how brave that is?”
I swallowed, my voice coming out softer than I intended. “It didn’t feel brave.”
“That’s because it wasn’t easy,” he said simply. “Brave never is.” His words settled deep, somewhere I hadn’t realized still felt fragile. “I’m proud of you for that,” he added, his voice softer now, but no less certain. “For being scared and doing it anyway. For not waiting until it felt safe to go after what you want.”
Emotion rose too fast, catching me off guard. I blinked, trying to steady it. “You really flew me across the world just to tell me that?” I asked, failing at my attempt to bite back my smile.
A corner of his mouth lifted. “That,” he said, “and because I wanted you somewhere I didn’t have to share your attention with anything or anyone else.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d give it to you that easily.”
“There’s nothing to give, Cupcake.” His voice dropped. “I already have it.”
The confidence in his tone should’ve annoyed me. It didn’t. If anything, it made my pulse spike. One hand came up, fingers brushing lightly along my jaw before settling at my chin, tilting my face just enough that I had no choice but to meet his gaze fully before his lips found mine in a kiss that wasn’t rushed, wasn’t desperate, but controlled. Like everything else about him. His hand slid from my chin to the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair as he deepened the kiss just enough to make my head spin, just enough to make me forget whatever I was about to say.
“Still think I don’t have it?” he murmured.
I didn’t answer, because at this point, we both knew he did.
“So,” I said, a little too casually, like I wasn’t still thinking about his mouth on mine. “Your birthday’s coming up.”
In just under two months, he’d be thirty.
He didn’t respond at first, just traced the rim of his glass with a finger like he was lost in thought.
I nudged his knee gently. “Come on, Nathan. What’s the plan? Big party? Black tie? Helicopter ride over the city?”
He let out a short, almost tight laugh and shook his head. “No party.”
I blinked at him. “No party? Baby, you’re turning thirty. That’s kind of a big deal.”
He just looked at me, eyes unreadable, and I felt that familiar little tug in my chest that told me he was holding something back.
“You’re really not excited about it, huh?” I asked softly.
He set his glass down and leaned back, jaw tight, gaze flicking away. “Birthdays have never really been my thing. I don’t need a big celebration to remind me I’m getting older.”
I studied him, trying to read between the lines, but he was impenetrable like a locked vault. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more under the surface.
“Okay. So we'll do something small. Just you and me.”
“Sounds perfect, cupcake.” he said, smirking, though his eyes didn’t quite match the amusement of his words.
I rolled my eyes, but my gut told me something was off. I didn’t push, not yet, but I tucked the thought away like a bookmark. Instead, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, letting the warmth and the quiet laughter of the day melt everything else away. After all, it had been an amazing day, and I wanted to savor every last moment of it with him.
“What was that for?”
“For an amazing day.”
“You’re welcome.” He brushed his lips against mine before pulling away only to press his lips against the base of my neck and squeeze me tighter. “Today was pretty incredible.”
“I know,” I paused. “I’m glad I thought of it.”
