Page 30 of Fault Lines
He rounded the car and opened my door. “I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t have to.”
He paused, searching my face. “I want to, Livi.”
The words caught me off guard, thin and oddly beautiful. I let him lead me to the porch, the night air cool around my bare arms.
He took in the house, giving a low whistle. “Wow. You could fit three of my apartments in this place.”
I shrugged, tracing my key along the seam of the door. “We bought it thinking we’d have a big family. But… that wasn’t in the cards.”
He watched me, patient. “That bother you?”
“Maybe,” I said, voice low. “It really bothers Cam, I think. Sometimes I wonder if I’m enough for him, on my own.” I couldn’t believe I’d said it out loud, but there it was.
He reached out, hand lifting my chin, not forceful, just gentle. “You are more than enough. Never let anyone tell you different. And if they do, they’re wrong.”
The words hit something inside me, and I squeezed his hand in return. “Thank you. For being so nice. And the ride.”
“Anytime,” he said. And I believed him.
He waited until I was inside, watching from the porch as I fumbled through the dark entryway and kicked off my shoes. I barely had time to breathe before I heard the sound of Cam’s keys in the lock. Relief washed over me that Nate had made it out of the driveway before he pulled in.
He came in the bedroom, shirt half-unbuttoned, looking startled to see me. “Did you just get in?”
“Yeah,” I said, setting my purse down. “Went out with Rachel.”
He looked me up and down, something flickering in his eyes. “You look gorgeous. Didn’t expect you to go out.”
“Club,” I said, ignoring the compliment.
His eyebrows lifted. “Since when do you go to clubs?”
I shrugged. “She wanted to go. It was her idea.”
“Did you dance with anyone?”
I stared at him, amazed at his nerve.
He put up his hands. “Sorry. Just didn’t expect to see you up.”
“I didn’t expect you back this early,” I said, the words out before I could stop them.
He winced. “Yeah. We, uh, wrapped up early.”
The meaning hung in the air like a punch. I tried not to let him see it hurt.
He tried to smooth it over immediately. “That was stupid of me to say.”
“Whatever.” Grabbing my pajamas, I headed for the hall.
He watched me, frowning. “Where are you going?”
“Shower.”
There was a pause before he said, “You can join me if you want. I was just about to get one too.”
I shook my head. “No thanks. I’d rather not be there while you wash her away.”
