Page 56 of Made for You
With a hard swallow, she returned her gaze to meet mine. “I can’t tell you what it means to someone who’s been shuffled around to have a person choose them, be a little selfish over them. I don’t want you to stop doing that for her.”
The fire in her eyes made me move. I stood and tugged her from her seat. She was a little stiff, almost resistant, until I slipped my arms around her and pressed my face into her neck. Her hands clutched my shirt for a breath, holding me to her, then she backed away.
As we sat, I caught her eye again. “Thank you for telling me that.”
She nodded, tucking her napkin back into her lap and breathing deeply, settling herself after the upheaval of the past few minutes. “Thank you for being the kind of person who will fight for your sister. She needs that. Don’t stop.”
I could’ve thanked her again for being vulnerable with me—for sharing a bit of herself she likely didn’t plan on. But the waiter came and served our salads and the moment was swept away.
I didn’t need anything else to know she was it. This strong, tender, thoughtful, forthright woman was all I wanted, and I just needed to wait for her to catch up.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Nikki
Bruce Camden would be the death of me.
Maybe not the actual death of me, but of my circumspection? Yes. My calm? Yes. My lifelong knowledge that one doesn’t fling oneself at a man within weeks of meeting him and definitely not on one’s first date with said man?Also maybe yes.
We’d finished a delicious dinner with locally sourced everything and amazing flavors, yet most of my mind had been filled with Bruce. He’d stretched his long legs under the table at one point and apologized when he bumped into me.
And because he’d wormed his way so far into my heart and brain and everywhere else, I’d pressed back against his leg and left mine there, a connection point that felt oddly illicit considering my lower calf had pressed against the side of his shin.
Honestly, if I weren’t me but I could read the internal thoughts pinging in every direction, I’d laugh at myself. But every topic of conversation that came up, every new discovery about Bruce, felt vital. Essential tome, not just to creating a vivid picture of him.
“Can I ask you something potentially sensitive?” he asked, leaning into the table now that our plates had been cleared.
“Ask away.”
I doubted there was much I wouldn’t share with him at this point. He’d been almost shockingly vulnerable with me about things with Kiley, and I wanted to meet him there. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was clutching my cards close to my chest in a death grip. I kind of wanted to lay them down and let him make of them what he would.
“Rosie seemed tired. Is she doing okay?”
The gentleness of his words caught me by surprise, as did the clutch of fear that hit. “I’m not sure. I only just found out about the stroke, and I do worry she’s not telling me things.”
“You didn’t know?”
I shook my head, lips pressed into a regretful line. “I found out because Dove slipped up and mentioned it as though I did. That was the first night I went out with them.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes. He’d seen me then… he’d made it much better. But I’d had to shove down the roiling disappointment and hurt. Of course, Gram had the right to keep her information, yet it still stung. And now, especially with his observation matching hers from earlier, worry wriggled in my chest.
“I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me she hadn’t called you, although for all she’d said about you, I had wondered why you didn’t come to help her recover.”
Guilt and shame joined the party, a veritable conga line of uncomfortable feelings step-touching through me. “Yeah. I’m sure you thought I was a pretty terrible relative. I’ve certainly felt like I’ve failed her, even though logically I know there was no way I could’ve known.”
I’d run through every interaction we’d had during the time of her recovery, and she’d never once hinted at something being off, let alone so very, very wrong. And I’d been so selfishly wrapped up in my world burning down around me that even if she had dropped breadcrumbs, I likely wouldn’t have recognized them for what they were.
Bruce’s warm large hand covered mine. “I wouldn’t think that, Nik. And for what it’s worth, Ki and I did what we could. She has a good community here—lots of friends, good healthcare support… She was okay.”
I turned my palm up, heart skipping at his tenderness. “I’m not sure I would’ve believed that before coming here, but I get it. I believe it and I’m here now.”
Something must’ve showed on my face, because he squeezed where he held me. “But?”
“But like you said, she looks tired. And earlier, she mentioned she had something to tell me. When I pressed her to go ahead and tell me, she refused. I don’t—” My voice caught, all sound disappearing.
Bruce remained steady across from me, not filling the space with words, not trying to erase the sudden appearance of emotions.
He really was such a good man.
