“El, you gave me the idea to buy her the new Kindle. Just write something and sign your damn name.”
I snatch the pen from him knowing that he won’t take no for an answer. We head out and the sun is warm. It’s the perfect day for a barbecue outside.
“Why, thank you,” I tell him as he opens my door.
Leaning in, I kiss him, letting out the breath I’ve been holding for a long time. In every relationship I’ve ever been in, they’ve ended badly because I’ve either been lied to or cheated on. But with Nate, I think we’ve worked past all of the crap, and because of that, we’re not gonna repeat what I’ve been through.
Deep down in the pit of my soul, my heart continues to pull me towards him and it’s telling me that he is my future. He’s done nothing but reassure me that he will never do anything to jeopardize that again.
We drive the short distance to pick up Nate’s mom hand in hand, neither of us saying much, and for me today, that’s okay. As Nate pulls his car in front of the facility, both of us are shocked to see his mom outside, and she’s not sitting in her wheelchair either. She has a walker in front of her and is just beaming as she chats with one of the nurses.
“Holy fuck, El,” he whispers putting the car in park. We look at each other, then get out of the car. Barb looks between Nate and I, then to the nurse who helps her stand up. Nate freezes and I stop next to him. We are both stunned as she begins to slowly walk towards us. Her steps are small, but her strength is apparent.
She stops right in front of Nate and reaches her arms for him. He hugs her tightly and I can see the tears flood from her eyes as she is in his arms. I myself cannot control the tears as I watch. Quickly, I wipe them away wanting to be strong for both of them.
Nate grabs my hand and pulls me over. “You are truly amazing, Barb,” I tell her as we embrace.
“My son motivates me.”
I catch Nate talking to the nurse. I’m sure it’s to work out the details of the transportation. He comes over to us and we all get loaded into his car and head off to his parents’ house. As we begin to drive, I wonder how long it will take Barb to notice that we aren’t going to the hospital.
As I wash the last of the dishes with Nate’s cousin, I grin watching Nate, his dad, and mom all reunited in their home and so relaxed. Barb has the best laugh and is funny as hell. It’s so great to see her up and in such good spirits. And to say that she was surprised when we brought her here is a complete understatement. She was speechless. Her smile was practically face-splitting as she broke down crying tears of joy.
“How long have you and Nate known each other?” Laura, his cousin, asks me.
“Just a couple months.”
“I would have guessed you knew him longer.”
“Really? Why?”
“Just how comfortable you guys are together and how much my aunt and uncle like you, especially with everything that he went through with, well, you know…”
She is referring to his ex, Arion, but I’m not even going to acknowledge anything regarding her. “Thanks for helping with the dishes,” she says with a soft voice sensing she went too far with her big mouth when I don’t answer her.
“Do you wanna head out back?”
“Oh…yeah.”
We both walk out into the back yard, and as soon as I open the door, Nate’s eyes are on mine, a huge smile is on his face when he sees me, and he pats his knee. I go to him and sit down, getting comfy in his arms.
“I missed you,” he whispers in my ear.
Gently, I kiss his cheek. “I missed you more.”
“Are you about ready to get going?”
I nod my head and get up as Nate directs me to stand. It seems to take us about fifteen minutes to say our goodbyes, but we finally do and head out. “Do you need to stop anywhere on the way home?”
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Good. Thank you for everything today, El. I really don’t think I could have made it through the day without you.”
“Well, I had a wonderful time,” I tell him, grabbing his hand. “Thank you for having me.
“Listen, I don’t really know how to say this, but…” he trails off and it makes me nervous.
“Just say it.” There’s an underlying tone of frustration in my voice. It’s probably because of the shit we have been through lately. I guess I’m still waiting for a bomb to drop.
“I want us to live together.”
Did I just hear him right? “But you’re closing on your place next week.”
“I know, I’m just not as excited as I was about it before, if you’re not going to be living there. Suddenly I don’t want to start that chapter of my life without you.”
His words stun me. I’m not sure how to respond. Living with Nate and having a home that is ours would truly be a dream come true. But I also know the harsh reality of making moves too quickly and what it can do to a relationship.
“What do you think?”
“I mean…I’d love that, but…”