My heart seizes in my chest, and I drop the hand that had been reaching for Nate’s shoulder as I wait to hear what else they have to say. If they wanted privacy, well, then they should have had this conversation somewhere else.
“Good you don’t wait any longer. Women don’t appreciate that shit.”
Nate nods, still looking at the canvas in front of him.
“Didn’t want it to come to this, but I can’t keep it in anymore.”
This time Axel bobs his head, taking a swallow of the champagne in his hand. After a few seconds—minutes maybe—Axel gives him a slap on his shoulder and turns. He stumbles a little in his step when he sees me behind them but just bends to kiss my temple, covering his misstep.
“Congratulations, Ember,” he acknowledges softly.
Nate’s shoulders tense, but he doesn’t turn. After his father walks away, I wait for it, but he still doesn’t give me his eyes. Their words run through my mind and instead of feeling the overwhelming desolation I would have expected to feel, I have too much faith in him to just walk away without demanding an explanation.
I haven’t come this far to just give up. If he’s going to end it, he’s going to tell me right now to my face.
Squaring my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I step around him, standing between him and the wall holding A Beautiful War. A fitting place, if there ever was one. Even if the crowd is milling about just a few feet away.
“Nate?” His eyes roam over the piece behind me for a second before looking at me, giving me his attention, and the fierceness in his gaze almost makes my knees buckle. “What is it?”
He studies my face before looking back over my shoulder. “That’s us.”
Not a question.
“That was us,” I correct.
“And what changed?” he continues as his attention stays focused on the painting.
“Everything,” I breathe.
With a deep inhale, I finally get his stunning green eyes. “Give me more than that, Emberlyn. What changed to end our beautiful war?”
Time to go for broke. We’ve been leading up to this for weeks now, and after everything that we’ve been through to get to this point, I just need to take a leap and pray this time things will end differently than it did the last time I told him how I felt.
“My head collided with my heart.”
His pupils dilate, his eyes getting stormy as his nostrils flare. “Give me more,” he demands, taking a step toward me until just the smallest of space separates us from touching.
“Love won.”
His chest heaves, jolting at my words, and he dips until we’re nose to nose. “More.”
“I love you.” I softly comply with his demand, my voice steady, strong, and true. “I love you. And even though that has never changed through the years, regardless of my fears and hurt, what made everything change was when I realized you not only wanted my heart, but you would also protect it when I took the last step toward you and asked for yours in return again.”
“I have all of you?”
“I think you always have.”
His hand snakes out, going around my middle to pull me to him as he straightens to stand, my feet lifting to dangle above the ground. I reach up, curling my fingers over his shoulders as our breath mingles between us.
“Tell me again.” The hunger in his eyes betrays the calmness in his voice.
“I love you.”
His eyes close, and he presses his forehead against mine.
“Nate?” I whisper when he doesn’t move.
“I had it all planned.” His words just barely a whisper. “Everything I wanted to say to you, show you, and give you … all planned. It was getting so hard to keep it from you, though. I took one look at this painting, and I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. It was killing me to keep those plans from you, but I just had to be patient.”
I think back to the conversation I had overheard between him and his father when he finishes talking, and my body jolts when I realize what had really been going on.
“I knew that tonight I had to tell you, regardless if I had proven myself worthy of getting it in return, and I had to take a chance that you were ready to give that back to me. Then I see this and I knew that even if you weren’t ready, I was more than prepared to give you enough to last for the both of us until you were.”
Finally opening his eyes, I gasp when I see the blazing brightness illuminated by the slight dampness in them.
“My God,” I wheeze when his arms tighten around me, wishing we were alone so that I could wrap my legs around him and never let go.
“I love you, Emberlyn Locke. I can’t change that we lost us for a while, but I can promise you with everything that I am that you will never, not for one second for the rest of our lives, know another day without that love.”
“Oh, Nate.”