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“You’re tense again.”
“I can’t—” But the words got stuck in my throat.
He looked up at me, his eyes imploring. “Can you give me more time to prove myself?”
“This wasn’t supposed to mean anything,” I whispered.
He let out a laugh without any humor. “That might have been our intention, but it hasn’t worked out that way.”
I was touched to know he felt the same way. But our best intentions for a relationship weren’t enough. I thought Seth was committed for life. I thought he’d take care of us—Hunter and me. But he’d failed on both counts.
“I know your history. I know you have reservations. But what you experienced with your ex—that’s not normal.”
“So I’m the exception to the rule,” I said carefully.
“Your ex left you when you were your most vulnerable. I don’t think that’s a common occurrence, and I think I’ve proven I’m not that guy,” he said the last sentence with conviction.
When I came home from the hospital with Hunter, I was scared, certain I wasn’t cut out to be his mother. But I thought Seth and I were in it together. I’d clearly misjudged him. “No. You’re not.”
Not many guys would have upended their life to care for their nephew.
He gestured between us. “Will you give this a chance?”
I wanted to. Every muscle in my body leaned toward yes. I knew it’s what he wanted me to say. It’s what I wanted to do. But something always held me back. My past. My bad judgment.
“I’ve never felt anything like this. Even if we don’t give it a label, I feel the love.”
His last words struck a chord within me. I’d been so numb since Seth walked out. I didn’t want to expect anything and be disappointed. I pushed everyone away, even my family. My excuse was that I wanted to be independent, but what if I was walling myself off from true connection with others? What if I’d let Seth influence my life negatively?
I most certainly had. I’d pushed people away. I didn’t trust easily, if at all. And here was a man who was ready and willing to take on me and everything that came along with it—Hunter, my trust issues.
He shifted my legs off his lap and leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Feel my love.”
I wasn’t ready for labels or words, but I could promise him I’d try. It was what we’d been doing the last few weeks. “Okay.”
He relaxed onto the pillows beside me, his arm banded across my middle, the weight heavy and reassuring. It felt like an anchor, keeping me beside him.
Was it bad to give in to him? To want something for myself? The only thing holding me back was that he’d walk away from Hunter.
“I know what you’re worried about.” The low tone of his voice rumbled through my body, warming me from the inside out.
“How can you promise you won’t move? If it’s what’s best for Brody …”
“If that’s something I’m considering, we’ll talk about it together.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to think he’d take that extra step. Give me a hint if things weren’t working. But Seth hadn’t. The headache was back, stronger than ever.
There was a push-pull going on inside me. Stay with Nick and see what was possible, or walk away and protect my heart? Staying was reckless. Stupid, even. Leaving was cowardly.
“Stay,” he insisted, a comforting reminder from our first night together.
“I have no plans to leave.” My words seemed to pacify him, but I’d meant I wouldn’t slip away in the middle of the night again. That time, there wasn’t just me to consider. Hunter was there.
“That’s what I like to hear.” He kissed me until I forgot about our conversation and the towel between us fell away. I was bare to him as he left kisses down my body and settled between my legs. I closed my eyes and savored the feel of his mouth on me.
I’d never get used to it. The tender way he cared for me. The amazing father figure he was. On paper, he was perfect for me. It was the uncertainty of the future that held me back from falling completely under his trance.
He reached up to tweak my nipple, and the errant thoughts slipped away. Sensations were zinging from my nipple to my core, a fire building inside me I couldn’t put out. I cried out as I went over, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through me. When I finally settled on the bed, languid and satisfied, Nick had chucked his clothes, grabbed a condom, and positioned himself between my legs.
