Page 69 of London, Love, & A Little Something Irish

“Nataly,” he says, voice sure, steady. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”

Straight-shooter. That’s Nathan. No hesitation. No games. Just him, knowing what he wants, and saying it.

My stomachflips.

I shift to fully face him, my hands sliding up around his neck. My eyes drop to his lips.

“Yes,” I whisper.

His slow, devastating smile spreads across his face, and that’s it. That’s all I can take. I pull his head down to mine and kiss him like there’s no tomorrow.

Nathan responds instantly, his hands threading into my hair, his body pressing closer. I don’t let go of him—not for a second. He deepens the kiss, and I feel it everywhere. It’s heat and safety and a slow, steady undoing all at once.

I don’t know how long we kiss.

By the time we pull back, the night has fully settled in around us, but Nathan’s eyes are brighter than ever. His forehead rests against mine, and he smiles. I reach up, running my fingers along the sharp edge of his jaw, feeling the rough stubble beneath my fingertips.

I love that jaw. His hot, five o’clock shadow.

And just like that—a memory hits me.

J.

Or better referred to as J-disappointment, the man straight in from Hollister and straight out of my life.

I remember wanting to feel something that intense again. I remember wondering if it was ever real at all. Did he feel the same? Or was I just a placeholder? I remember being broken hearted about feeling like my heart wasn’t valuable enough for him to wait for me. To see that I was worth it.

But now, I know the truth.

I liked the idea of him, rather than the reality. When I wrote out that list of what I wanted in a future husband? He didn’t meet half of the requirements.

I think back to that night I was at an older lady’s house from my church in Bournemouth, sitting in her living room. The way she looked at me with kindness, but with wisdom, too.

“Nataly,” she had said, voice gentle but firm. “Right now, it’s exciting. You’re infatuated, loving the thrill of the beginning. Butwhat about ten years from now? If your faith is the most important thing to you, you’ll feel the weight of that distance if he wants nothing to do with it. A chasm between you. You won’t be able to share the thing that matters most to you.”

She was right. And I thank God she helped me to realize that.

And coming back to this moment, for the first time, I finally feel somethingbetterthan what I had before. This feels like so muchmore. This feels like a future. With a man that fits what I’ve always wanted. I never should’ve evencontemplatedsettling.

Because what I have with Nathan? This is the forever kind of thing.

I’m sitting here remembering the movie Dear John. What Amanda Seyfried says.

“Two weeks. That’s all it took. Two weeks for me to fall in love with him.”

And I know that’s what I’m feeling right now. Two weeks of us seeing each other is all it took. Is it quick? Yes—absolutely. But when I jump, I jump in deep, no lifejacket.

I just hope he’s feeling the same way.

26

Nataly

We’d been back from Northern Ireland for a couple of weeks when Joel sent a text that made me pause.

Joel: Look, I’m not going to keep pursuing you. I just want to talk. I promise I’ll stop after that. Just one coffee? Stratford?

I was with Nathan when I received it.

---