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"He's such a good boy, Izzy. Troubled, I'm sure, but he's always had a huge heart. You need to be there for him, though. You know what it feels like to feel alone. You had us, though. He has nobody."
"I will, Nana, I love him. I think I've always loved him," I confess, feeling my cheeks redden.
"I could see that. A Nana knows these things." She smirks, reaching out and pulling me into a hug.
"Can you ever forgive me, my little lovebug?" I can hear the uncertainty in her voice.
"Of course, Nana, I love you more than anyone. You're the best person I know. I know you would have had all the best of intentions. And even though it hurt, you made the right choice. You saved him, Nana." I hug her even tighter and feel her crumble as she begins to cry.
"You don't know how much I needed to hear that, Isabella. I was so worried you'd never forgive me."
"Of course, I forgive you. I love you. That still doesn't explain it. If Nate knows it was you, why did he never mention it to me? Not in person after you spoke or in the letter. Why did he hide it from me?" Hesaid no secrets, then hid this. Does he not trust me?
"Knowing that sweet boy, he probably did it to protect you, or me, or maybe our relationship. I went out of my way to offer to tell you last night, and he told me there was no reason to burden our family with something that happened years ago," Nana explains, getting us both a tissue.
"I don't know how, especially considering what a terrible role model he had growing up, Izzy, but the boy is an angel. He has a pure and loving heart. You're lucky to have found each other. Hold on tight, sweetie, even if it doesn't seem like it, that boy needs you just as much as you need him." She hugs me one last time before getting up and walking away.
When she gets to the door, she turns and softly whispers, "I love you, Isabella," to which I reply, "I love you even more," before she closes the door again with a smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY
NATHANIEL
After last night's dinner with Bella and her family, I somehow feel lighter. Like finally finding out the truth and writing that letter to Bella, it finally allowed me to shed some of my childhood baggage and release some of my inner demons.
Then, to top it off, Bella and I spent a wonderful day together, where she finally agreed to become my official girlfriend.Not that there was much doubt about that, since we've basically acted like a couple every day since the fair.
Wanting to do the same for Gabe, I attempted to strike up a conversation when I saw him sitting alone in the garden.
"Gabe, can we talk?" I ask, finding myself a seat on the floor beside him. I see his brows furrow, so I hand him the beer I grabbed on my way out for him.
"Okay, so don't get mad; just listen," I begin.
"Well, I'm obviously gonna get pissed then, aren't I? Anytime someone says don't get mad, it's because they're about to make you fucking mad," he huffs, opening the beer and taking a gulp.
"I found Bella—" I begin, but I'm cut off.
"Bella, fucking princess Bella, why the fuck? How the fuck?" He shouts, standing up so quickly that it causes the rusty deck chair to fall to the floor.
"Woah, sit down; let me explain."
"I don't want to hear your goddamn reasons. You let that bitch back into our lives, why?"
Part of me wants to react to his remark about her, but I keep my cool, knowing it's his anger talking.
"That bitch got us taken into care! She is the reason we were split up. Did you think she cares about you? She doesn't care about you. She betrayed us…" he rants, throwing his beer bottle in anger.
"It wasn't like that, let me explain…"
"I don't need an explanation. She opened her stupid mouth, and we got taken into care. Dad died, and I didn't see you for years. It’s all her fault. What more is there to know?" he seethes, storming off into the house.
"Gabe, she had no idea we even got taken into care. It was my fault. Her nana saw the bruises, and it didn't take a genius to figure out how I got them. I spoke to her nana, and she explained everything. Maybe if you listened, you'd understand."
"Fuck you Nate! Fuck you and your princess Isabella. Fuck her and her perfect little family. Fuck the lot of you!" he slurs, retrieving another beer from the fridge.
"Don’t you think you've had enough?"
"Fuck you!" he fumes before storming into his room and slamming the door behind him. Honestly, he's acting like a petulant child, but still, I follow him. I slump down on the floor, leaning my back against his bedroom door.
