Page 56 of The Story of Us
He leant back, letting the desk behind him take most of his weight. With another blink, he was back in that cold room, a medical cart covered in sealed, sterilised equipment next to him, his knees bouncing as he waited for his results. Never had the desire to move and not stop until he was back home, away from everything, been stronger.
Nate had been so sure Cobie was lying. He’d spent most of his life following strict, healthy diets designed to support and sculpt his body into a weapon of peak performance. He’d made it from a small town in a foreign country to being recruited to one of the top teams in the NFL.
But it didn’t change what the doctor had said. The chance he’d ever father a child was zero. His sperm count wasn’t low; it was non-existent.
The future he’d always assumed was guaranteed had evaporated immediately.
An owl hooted outside, dragging Nate out of his memories and back to the present.
Carefully, he crossed the room and slid the sketchbook out of Eloise’s grip. A soft murmur escaped her lips. Lips begging to be kissed that made him want to forget all the promises he’d made to himself. To her.
Nate leant forward until their faces were only centimetres apart. Eloise was always gorgeous, but right now, with her profile sprinkled with a mixture of moonlight and shadows from the skylights he’d had installed in the roof, she was achingly so.
But he wouldn’t kiss her. Not now. Never without her permission.
As if she’d heard his thoughts, Eloise’s eyelids fluttered open.
“Sorry.” Her voice was husky and deep and dangerous.“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Unable to stop himself, Nate brushed loose tendrils of hair off her face. “Do you want to go back to the house?”
“Are you still drawing?”
Nate glanced at where his laptop was sitting on his desk. If he couldn’t have her, he’d go back into the pretend world where his hero didn’t miss out on the love of his life. The words were already solidifying, calling out to him, ready to grace the page. It had been like this ever since he started working on his secret project. “I’m going to write.”
“I want to stay with you.”
If only.
“Then we’ll stay here.”
Eloise’s eyes drifted shut, and her chest rose and fell.
This was Nate’s reward, he realised. He’d finally let someone in, and now he’d have a little company while he worked on the project that was giving him a new hope. A reminder that he had more stories inside him. That his future wasn’t going to be what he wanted but he still had things to look forward to, professionally at least.
“Hey,” Eloise murmured once he was comfortable on the couch next to her.
Their eyes met again.
“Thanks for telling me all that stuff earlier. It means a lot to me.”
Maybe Teddy was right and he was overthinking this. Owen would tell Nate not to repeat his mistakes and assume he knew what was best for someone else. And Raff? He wouldn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The sadness that had lingered around his oldest brother ever since his relationship with Cassie imploded spoke volumes. Nate was sure Raff had regrets, even if he couldn’t admit them.
Eloise murmured something in her sleep and burrowed closer, her foot sliding over Nate’s thigh.
Once she’d been on her exchange and had her big adventure, maybe things could be different. Nate could work on himself while she was away.
And maybe one day, he could earn that kiss.
Earn her.
18
It was all there in black and white. Three emails. Two from the AATI and one from Professor Armstrong with more exclamation marks than Eloise would’ve thought the older woman was capable of. Somewhere in Phoenix was her new home. The desert would be at her fingertips along with a whole world of new experiences. Gone would be the big gum trees and cool temperatures, replaced with rock formations and cacti.
If I can get on the plane.
Eloise shuddered and pushed her fears about flying out of her mind as she looked around the pub’s dining room. Wattle Junction could be oppressive like all small towns were at times, but it was home. Full of people who loved and cared about her. Eloise gulped, remembering what Nate had said the other night about not having his support network nearby. How lonely he’d been.
