Page 83 of A Lot Like Forever
“I just want to--”
“I’m not buying if you don’t agree to break for lunch,” he insisted, knowing he sounded like a spoiled brat and not giving a damn.
She glanced at him, her face different than he’d seen it before. She’d barely noticed him since they’d arrived, her entire focus the artwork on display and taking notes.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Nate smiled, relieved. “This way.”
He took her hand and led her across the room and to an alcove. There was a table set up in the window, looking out to the city, and a painting that was apparently a big deal hung nearby, carefully positioned to shield it from the sun.
“Oh my god,” Faith gasped, letting go of his hand.
Nate turned. “You like?”
“This is an original Erwin Olaf,” she said, gesturing to the painting, “Are you kidding me? This is just . . .” She kept looking from the art to the table to him. “Nate, this is too much.”
“It’s for you,” he said gruffly. “I did this for you, because I wanted you to know that everything you told me, everything you shared with me, wasn’t just idle chat. I care about you, Faith, and it was never my intention to hurt you.”
She walked closer to him, reached for him, and placed her hands over his forearms. “But that’s the thing, Nate. You didn’t hurt me.”
“So tell me the truth,” he demanded, voice strong yet kind. “You need to tell me what I’m up against.”
Faith sat down, looking out the window, his gaze fixed on something he couldn’t see, or maybe she was just staring.
“When I told you about my mom, I didn’t tell you the whole story.”
Nate sat down across from her, taking the wine from the ice bucket and pouring sauvignon blanc into their glasses. He nudged one closer to her, then sat back, wanting to give her space.
“So tell me,” he said. “After everything we’ve been through, you need to tell me.”
“The man she was in love with, he was from money,” she said, turning back around so she was facing him. “That’s why I don’t want to be impressed by your material things, Nate, even though I’d love to be surrounded by nice things all the time.”
He frowned. “I never tried to buy your affection, Faith. Not once. Hell, I wasn’t even certain you’d want to come on the plane with me because I know how you feel.”
“Some women, they chase rich men as if it’s a career. My mom wasn’t like that, but she did fall for the wrong man. He told her he loved her, and maybe he did, but in the end she was from one world and he was from another.”
“This guy, he told her that?” Sounded like an asshole to Nate. “I don’t mean to be rude, Faith, but I’ve been friends with Sam for years. I don’t give a damn where anyone lives or how much money they have, so long as they can look me in the eye and prove the kind of person they are to me.”
She took a sip of wine, the glass resting against her palm as she cradled it. “He promised to marry her; she was dreaming of a life with him and put all of her own aspirations on hold. Never went to college, lived in his home with him for years. And then his parents pushed him to marry someone from their own circle, didn’t want him marrying a pretty little Hispanic girl with no money, and two months after he finished with her he was married to another woman with a baby on the way.”
Nate gritted his teeth, hating what she was telling him. “For starters, I’m not that kind of man. I make my own decisions about my life, and my family have a different set of morals.”
She smiled up at him, but he could see it was filled with sadness. “You might say that now, Nate, but things change; I know they do. You might find me fun and attractive now, but one day dating your friend’s little sister won’t be novelty enough.”
Nate took a slow sip of wine, deciding he was better off drinking than losing the plot and yelling at her or shaking her to try to get some sense into her head. He leaned forward, discarding his glass and staring into her eyes, hoping she could see how damn frustrated he was.
“You honestly think that I think of you as some sort of novelty? That I just got off on sleeping with you because you were forbidden?”
She shrugged. “Isn’t that what made it all so fun?”
He un-fisted his hand and reached for her, forcing himself to be gentle instead of giving in to his frustration and punching the table. “Yes, the fact that you were forbidden added an element on fun to what we were doing, but it wasn’t why I fell in love with you.”
“You’re not in love with me, Nate. It’s just lust. I’m sure of it.”
He fought not to laugh at the serious look on her face. “Lust? Are you kidding me?” This time he couldn’t help but chuckle at her, holding on tight to both her hands now. “Lust was me screwing my way through too many women all my life. Love?” He blew out a breath. “I’ve never been in love before, Faith, but believe me when I say I sure as hell know what it is. For the first time in my life there is only one woman I want in my bed, and I also want her in my life, by my side. I want to wake up and know that the one woman I give a damn about is tucked up beside me away from all the evil in the world.”
“Nate . . .”
