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Ifollowed close by Nate as he led me to his cabin. He never let go of my hand when he helped me up and I welcomed his touch. I told myself it was because I was freezing and human contact helped but it really was a comfort to have him so close. Other than Dad, he was the only person to really get me.
After what seemed like forever, we came upon a small cabin in the woods. I smiled when I saw it; it was exactly like he’d described to me all those years ago. Whenever we hiked out here or talked about the future at all, he said he wanted a cabin in the mountains, away from everything. He didn’t want a huge one, but something that he could live in comfortably and raise a family in. Our family. Because that was his plan back then before I left him.
We stepped onto the covered porch, finally out of the rain. I breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t wait to get warm. Nate fished his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door and let us inside.
There was nothing special about the inside of his cabin and you could tell it was a bachelor pad. It didn’t have a woman's touch at all, which was comforting somehow. It seemed as though neither of us had ever really moved on with anyone else even after all of this time.
He flipped on some lights. “Ok, get out of the wet clothes now.” He shrugged off his jacket and put his hands on his hips.
“Here?” I looked around in disbelief. I wasn’t strippign naked in the middle of his living room.
“Yes, here.” Nate gave me a stern look. “No one but me is going to see you and in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve seen you naked. Many times.”
I felt my face get warm, thinking back to those days. Nate took my virginity when we were in high school. We couldn’t keep our hands off of each other back then. We were both inexperienced at the time, but we sure had fun learning together. I felt a flash of desire between my legs, thinking about the way he made me feel back then.
“You are shivering, Jade, and if you don’t get warm soon, you’re going to regret it. Now don’t act ridiculous. You can take a hot shower and I’ll get you some clothes to wear while these dry. I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for a while.”
I looked him up and down, noticing he was soaked as well. “What about you? You’re pretty wet too.”
“But I’m not shaking like a leaf. Now go, Jade.” Nate gave me that look. The same one he did when we were dating and I was being stubborn. He usually won in instances like that and he was going to win again.
I peeled off my wet clothes, my body shaking harder. Nate pulled a blanket off of the back of the couch and wrapped it around me. “The bathroom is the first door on the right. Take a long steamy shower. I’ll have clothes in there for when you’re done.”
I made my way to the bathroom, leaving a trail of water behind me. I stopped and looked at it. “I can clean this up after.”
Nate shook his head. “Go. I got this.”
I shook my head and went into the bathroom. I started the shower, turning the water as hot as it would go. When I stepped under it, I almost cried in relief, letting the warmth wash over me.
As I stood there, I couldn’t help but smile. Nate hadn’t changed a bit. He was still always there when I needed him and thought about others before he thought about himself.
There was a knock on the door and it opened. “Jade, are you ok?”
“Yes,” I replied thinking about the fact that I was naked and so close to Nate. Maybe I should invite him in to warm up.
“Good. I have some sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt here for you. I’m also making some food. Just come out whenever you’re ready, no hurry.” The door clicked shut before I could answer.
My stomach rumbled at the mention of food, so I finished up in the shower. As I turned off the water, there was a loud crash of thunder and I almost jumped out of my skin. Nate had been right when he said there was another storm coming. I could hear the way the rain was pelting the side of the cabin. Thank god Nate found me when he did.
As expected, Nate’s clothes were way too big for me, but I made them work. I finger combed my hair and left the bathroom, following my nose to the kitchen. Nate had changed out of his drenched ranger uniform and was now wearing flannel pants with a t-shirt. I shivered looking at his bare arms. I was warmer, but still felt chilled to the bone.
“Have a seat, I’m just making us some eggs. You know they’re my specialty.” He winked at me and I laughed as I sat on a stool by the counter. He used to make me eggs all the time in high school. It had been the only thing he could cook then.
We didn’t talk as he finished up but I watched his every move. Time had been good to Nate and he’d aged well. His body had filled out some and the beard he’d always tried to grow was finally nice and thick. His arms were more defined and he had to lift weights regularly.
Yes, Nate Wilson had definitely only gotten more attractive.
Electricity flowed through my body again, thinking about his kiss and the way he used to touch me. I found myself falling for Nate all over again. But had I done too much damage for him to ever feel the same about me?
6
NATE
I’d pictured this more than once over the years since I had this cabin - cooking my signature eggs for Jade while she sat and watched.
Now it was a reality.
I fought the urge to kiss her - to tell her I still loved her and now that she was back in town I wanted to be with her. She needed to eat and her father had only been dead a couple of weeks. Jade was already dealing with so much and I didn’t want to confuse her.
