But she pulls his head down and kisses him eagerly.
And he doesn’t jerk back.
I stop. Why doesn’t he jerk away? He’s probably overwhelmed by the entire thing … but a moment later, he still hasn’t pulled away. I turn on the spot and walk back toward Cliff, shaking my head. Cliff is gesticulating wildly, but I’m too confused to pay attention. I just walk on.
Only when I hear the horn and a screech of tires do I register that something is wrong.
I lift my head, but it’s already too late. The hood hits me, and I’m thrown to the asphalt with brutal force. When my head hits the ground, the world ceases to exist.
“Shai!” Cliff screams, but it comes from far away in the blackness.
Chapter 10
When I drift back into consciousness, I can feel the breathing tube in my nose.
“Miss Cooper?” someone asks.
I open my eyes, but immediately have to squint into the bright light.
Am I dead? I think with mounting panic.
Then a shadow moves in front of the brightness, and after a few hectic blinks, I can see it’s a middle-aged man with glasses. “Miss Cooper, can you hear me?”
I try to nod, but it hurts. “Yes,” I say weakly.
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Car accident,” I force out as the memory comes flooding back. I feel so tired it’s hard to even keep my eyes open. I want to sleep again, but … “The baby?”
“You and your baby are both all right,” the doctor says. “You were very lucky, Miss Cooper.”
I exhale with a feeling of immense relief and close my eyes. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Your family is waiting outside. Do you want to see them now?”
“Mm-hm,” I mumble, because I’m about to doze off. Must be the drugs.
I can still hear the man talking to my family, though. “Are you the attending physician?” That’s Nathaniel’s voice.
“Yes, I am. Who are you?”
“Nathaniel Jenkins. I’m her partner and the father of the child,” he explains. “Is everything okay with Shailene?”
“She’s fine.”
“What about the baby?” Nathaniel asks warily.
“Yes, they’re both okay, as far as we can tell at this point. We need to keep Miss Cooper here overnight, monitor her closely to make sure everything’s fine. Go ahead, you can check on her.”
I can hear footsteps and then his hand takes mine, so I open my heavy lids slowly.
“What were you thinking?” Nate says softly.
“Wanted to l-leave,” I whisper hoarsely. “Cay and Pearl … kiss.”
“Shh,” Nate soothes. “She had me in a vise and I had to use violence to push her back; she wouldn’t let go. Then all I saw was the car racing toward you, and you were standing in the middle of the street, oblivious. I yelled for you to move, but it was too late.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank God you and the baby are both okay.”
I let my tired eyes roam the room, only now registering my family on the other side of the bed. Mom has tears in her eyes. I want to shake my head and tell her not to cry, but my head feels like a block of lead. “So tired,” I say softly to Nathaniel, but I hold on to his hand, not ready to let go.
“You want me to stay?” he asks gently.
“Yes,” I breathe.
“I think it’s better if I take Mom and Dad home now,” Noah announces, probably more for their benefit than mine.
My mom comes closer. “I’m so glad you’re okay, apart from a few bad bruises.” She kisses my forehead.
“Love you, Mom.”
Dad repeats her sentiments, and also her kiss.
“I’ll be back later,” Noah promises, stroking my cheek.
“Mm,” I say and muster a sleepy smile.
They leave the room, and Nate looks at me.
“You okay?” I ask.
He nods, studying me with concern. “I thought you were dead. When you hit the street, you weren’t moving, you didn’t react at all. I should have sent Cay and Pearl packing much earlier, but they kept saying they wanted to invite us all to a great party as some sort of peace offering.”
“Don’t care,” I whisper, because I don’t want to think about them anymore. They’re dead to me now. All that counts from now on is my family—including Nathaniel, since he is now a part of it.
“I love you, Shai,” he murmurs, leaning down.
My gaze locks with his, searching for the honesty I need, and I find it mirrored in his irises. “I love you, too.”
Nate kisses my lips and leans his forehead against mine. “I was so afraid I was going to lose you,” he confesses, the tears welling in his eyes. “I was afraid I had lost you already, both of you.”
“Bad weeds grow tall,” I quote a Southern saying as I scoot a little to the side. Ouch. I want to feel him next to me and hope he’ll lie down beside me.
He understands what I want. He lies down on the bed and opens his arm. I nestle close. “Shall I stay?” he asks.
“Yes.” My voice is muffled. “I don’t want to let you go.”
He smirks. “Maybe I should get a tattoo on my stomach that says: ‘Property of Shailene Cooper.’”
“I don’t think you have enough space for another tattoo,” I say.
“Of course I do. There’s enough space for you.”
I interlace my fingers with his and look at our hands. Even though my parents were an interracial couple, I turned out looking white, though I do tan quickly. Nathaniel’s hand is the color of coffee with milk. I envy him that color, because he always looks healthy and crisp, no matter how he feels. Our hands rest on his chest. Nate’s free hand caresses my back, while he hums my favorite song. I marvel at the fact that he remembers it. His low voice makes me drift off to sleep after only a few minutes.
***
When I wake up the next morning, Nathaniel is still lying next to me, his arm still around me. He’s asleep, his breaths coming regular and shallow, and that gives me a chance to study him dreamily. I gently caress his cheek, not wanting to wake him up but to touch the shade of stubble that’s bloomed there. The corner of his mouth twitches, so I quickly pull my fingers back.
“Don’t stop,” he mumbles.
I place my cheek against his chest and stroke it. “Did I wake you up?”
“No. The noise in this place kept me half-awake the entire night,” he replies.
“Now it’s quiet,” I whisper.
“Then maybe I should make use of that, pull you closer and try to get some sleep,” he says softly. He lifts his head—at least that’s what it sounds like, since there’s a rustling sound—and kisses the crown of my head. “I’m so incredibly glad you’re okay.”
“Me too,” I whisper and close my eyes, holding back tears of relief.
“Are you crying?” he murmurs.
“I think I’m going to,” I sniffle.
“Why?” he asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“I’m just so relieved I got away with just a few scratches, that it didn’t end in disaster, and that the baby didn’t get hurt,” I explain, and the next moment I’m sobbing. God, how I hate these hormones. The mean little beasts keep stabbing me in the back. Our being okay should be cause for celebration, and yet I’m crying as if the world has ended.
Nathaniel rolls over onto his side and pulls me up so he can look into my eyes. “I love you, Shai.” With that, he puts both his thumbs on my cheeks and brushes away the tears as gently as he can. “And I’m going to watch over you and our child. Anyone who wants to hurt you, anyone who threatens you, will have to deal with me, and it’s not going to be pretty if they try.”
I’m making a face and trying to suppress another barrage of tears when he takes my face in his hands and kisses my lips.
Chapter 11
Six weeks later
After two days in the hospital, I was released. I’m totally fine, all the bruises
are gone, and my mom has stopped worrying. Nathaniel’s friends have been much nicer to me, but I think that’s mostly due to my break with Cay and Pearl.
I also started attending classes again, and I met Thierry, Avery’s brother, who has recently fallen in love and started on his own romantic adventure. Holly is a really nice girl, though she’s awfully shy. She didn’t come today, and I wonder why, but I don’t want to ask Thierry about it. Six weeks have passed since the accident, and I’m glad the critical time for the risk of a miscarriage is behind me. I’m in my second trimester, the baby’s development is as it should be, and Nate and I are happy. Truly happy.
My belly is growing a little, but most people don’t notice I’m pregnant yet. It looks more like I just gained a few pounds. Nathaniel and I haven’t moved in together yet, as I needed some time to recover from the shock of the accident, and I didn’t want to do too much all at once. But we see each other every day, alternately sleeping over at the other’s place. The main thing is that we’re together.
“Hey, Belly Button,” Nate greets me with a smirk. That’s his new nickname for me, because my belly button recently popped out. I have no idea why it happened this early, since I haven’t gained that much in circumference yet, but my doctor said it was nothing to worry about.
“Hey, handsome,” I answer and proceed to sit on his lap.
Nathaniel puts a hand on my belly and strokes it gently.
Camille smiles. “You guys make such a cute couple.”
“Thanks,” I say cheerfully.
“Do you know whether it’s a boy or a girl?” Delsin asks.
“I’m only in my fourth month,” I explain. “My doctor keeps checking, but I think it’ll be a few more weeks before he can say.”
“Do you already have a name?” Avery wants to know.
“No. We’ll start thinking about that once we know the boy or girl thing,” Nathaniel says. “Though Shai keeps throwing her preferences into the ring.”
“Well, how about Avery?” Avery suggests.
“Oh, because it’s a unisex name?” I tease.
“No, because it’s an awesome name.” He grins.
“I’d prefer Delsin or Delsina, though I admit I have no idea if the name Delsina exists,” Delsin laughs.
“And I think you guys should shut up and leave it to Nate and Shailene,” Dahlia interferes with a chuckle.
Hailey, who’s sitting next to me, gives me a questioning look.
“What?” I ask.
“Can I touch your belly?” she asks shyly.
I smile and lean back, forcing Nate to lean back with me. Hailey gingerly puts a hand on my belly. “That feels incredible.”
I nod. “Yeah. And it is incredible that inside, there’s a tiny human hiding and growing, waiting to be born. I still can’t fully fathom it.”
Hailey offers me a radiant smile, but then she flinches. “Jesus, did you feel that?” She stares at my belly.
“No. What was it?”
“Something … twitched.”
“That could be anything,” I explain, “but it’s too early to feel the baby’s movement.”
“What could it be?” Hailey asks.
“Gas,” Nathaniel says dryly, and I blush.
Hailey pulls her hand away and makes a disgusted face.
“Not true. I don’t have gas,” I clarify. “Nate was only joking. I hope.”
“Excuse me if I change the subject,” Thierry chimes in. “Will anyone be able to help me with renovations and such if I really buy the house?”
“Oh, I love painting walls and such,” I pipe up, “but I don’t think you were asking me in particular.”
“I’d be grateful for every helping hand, but you’re pregnant,” Thierry points out.
“What do you think could happen?”
“No idea, but I wouldn’t want to see you climbing a ladder or anything.”
“I say we all help,” Nate suggests.
“If your work schedules and classes allow that,” Thierry specifies, but everyone nods.
Turning my face toward Nate’s neck, I breathe kisses on his collarbone. He swallows. We both know that’s one of his most sensitive spots.
He clears his throat. “I’m going to get Shailene home now.”
“Sure,” Delsin teases. “You mean you’re putting her to bed, aren’t you?”
Nate winks at him. “Of course. After all, I’m also putting my baby to bed, and you can’t practice that soon enough.”
“Oh God, that is so sweet,” Camille sighs and then scowls at Delsin. “Why can’t you be sweet like that?”
“I’m more the savory type,” Delsin chuckles.
“You never tuck me in bed,” she complains.
“Caramel, Nate wasn’t talking about tucking Shai into bed, either,” Delsin says carefully, which makes all of us laugh.
“But he said … ” Her jaw drops. “Oh.”
“Knock, knock, anyone home?” Delsin asks with a smirk.
“Yeah, don’t come knocking,” Cami mutters as she blushes. But then she also laughs at her own slowness.
“Oh, sweet Caramel,” Delsin chuckles, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I love you.”
She turns her head and kisses him on the lips. “I love you, too.”
Meanwhile, I say goodbye to the rest of the bunch, very glad by now that they welcomed me into their circle. I’m also glad they no longer suspect I may be like Cay and Pearl. They’ve gotten to know me and seen beyond the surface. When I was in the hospital, they even came visiting with flowers, get-well cards, and a teddy bear, even though I only stayed there two nights.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Delsin says as we turn toward the door.
Nathaniel laughs. “We’d never do any of the things you like to do.”
Another round of laughter escorts us out the door, and I wave goodbye as we walk across the terrace and down to the beach. Nate used his savings to buy a car, and he’s now looking for a part-time job so we don’t have to spend the entire college fund right away. His mom brought down a huge box of his old baby clothes from the attic, washed them, and then gifted them to us. So we’re saving another bunch of money on essentials.
“What are you thinking about?” Nate asks when we’ve both gotten in the car.
“I was just pondering, once again, how much we need to get done in the coming months.”
“New furniture, round belly, lots of excitement. I think that’s an accurate description of what’s in store.”
“And your move.”
He nods. “You know I packed up most of my stuff, now it’s your brother’s turn.”
“Noah’s a little swamped right now, and that may even be an understatement. It might still take a while, but we can manage, right?”
Nate takes my hand and pulls it up to his lips to kiss my knuckles. “I love you, Shai.”
I lean closer and kiss the corner of his mouth. “I love you, too.” Then I put my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.
“Tired?”
“Always tired these days,” I giggle, but it’s swallowed in a yawn.
***
I wake up in my own bed, Nathaniel lying next to me studying me with a smile on his face.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I realized something.”
“And what would that be?” I ask softly.
“I wasn’t even looking for anything when I ran into you again,” he murmurs, “but it turns out you were everything I ever wanted in my life.”
“Oh,” I say, deeply touched by his words. I take his face in my hands and kiss his lips.
Nathaniel returns my kiss tenderly, and then breaks it to kiss the corners of my mouth and the tip of my nose. “I never want to lose you again.”
“You won’t,” I whisper.
“Promise?” he insists with a smile.
“I could swear an oath.”
Nathaniel really has succeeded in reawakening my feelings for him. We’ve l
earned that old love never dies.
I fell in love with him anew, I’m having his baby, and I’m truly happy.
“I love you, Shai,” he murmurs.
“I love you, too, Nate.”
He slides down to my belly and kisses it. “And you inside there, can you hear me? I love you, too,” he says and puts his ear against my belly. At that moment, I feel the baby kick for the first time ever.
“The next Karate Kid!” Nate calls out in surprise, rubbing his cheek.
I laugh softly. “Or a football player.”
“That would make his daddy proud.” Nathaniel grins.
“I can already see it.” I smirk.
“What do you see?”
“Our future with a child we will both welcome with joy and gratefulness,” I whisper.
The minute I heard my first love story, I began to dream of a love like this, to search for it. I didn’t know how blind I was, because it was always close. Lovers don’t just meet somewhere by accident. They’re in each other’s hearts their entire lives. I really believe it’s predestined who you will fall in love with, and who you will spend your life with.
I, for one, will spend mine with Nathaniel, and I couldn’t be happier.
“I love you,” he says once more.
“I love you, too … more with each passing day.”
Nate slides back up to me and puts his lips on mine. I utter a sigh as we lose ourselves in a tender kiss, and the world seems to stand still for a moment.
*** The End ***
Dear readers,
Wow! Just wow. My Coral Gables series already comprises four books, and I’m really speechless when I think of its success so far. I tend to doubt whether my stories are any good, but you inspire and motivate me. Your support means a lot, and it drives me forward.
I invite feedback, and I’m happy to receive each and every bit, via Facebook, Twitter, and email. You’re unbelievable, and I want to say thank you!
Love,
Drucie
Rights and Other Boring Stuff
The rights for all songs that are named or quoted in this book belong to the respective songwriters, bands, or record companies.
Brands that are mentioned are also the property of the respective companies.
Nathaniel: True Love: New Adult College Romance Novella (Coral Gables Series Book 4) Page 12