Nate

by Tijan

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  If Logan were here, he’d be pulling me away. He’d be telling me not to say anything or promise anything that I wasn’t sure about following through on, but I was staring at her, and she was hurting. I was feeling her hurt, and that was making me hurt.

  Nova was new to me, but this was also new to me.

  I was starting to realize how much of a selfish bastard I might’ve been.

  Still… I clamped down on spilling words that the rational side of me knew I might regret one day, so instead, I drew her to my chest. My hand cupped the back of her head, and with her in my arms, I whispered over her head, “You will always be in Nova’s life. I promise you that.”

  But I wasn’t saying how she would be in Nova’s life. I couldn’t. I couldn’t promise her what she needed me to say.

  I was a right dick, such a bastard.

  But I couldn’t say anything more. I just couldn’t.

  Her hands lifted, grasping onto my arms, and she sagged against me. “Thank you.”

  I could feel her relief.

  Yes. A bastard. That was me.

  30

  Nate

  I knew the game was done, and people were starting to leave even before the time ran out. Matteo’s team won by a last-minute touchdown, so the local fans weren’t happy. Matteo would be, but I wanted to get a start on heading out for the restaurant. But I was also feeling like a shithead over Quincey’s feelings, so I needed to try to do something.

  I texted Dierek.

  Me: Do you have your own car? Or do you want a ride to the restaurant with us?

  Dierek: I took an Uber here. A ride over would be nice, then I could talk more with Quincey. Where are you?

  I shot him a pic of the door we were at, taking Quincey’s hand to hold her up.

  My phone buzzed a second later.

  Dierek: I’ll be there in a bit.

  “What’s going on?”

  Quincey asked, and outwardly, she looked fine. But to me, she seemed more vulnerable. More raw. More open to me. Maybe that was my guilty conscience sparking up? I needed to check that in place, and I said, a bit gruffer than necessary, “Waiting on Dierek. He’s going with us to the restaurant.”

  “That’s right.” She closed her eyes, swaying to me. She groaned. “I was so unprofessional up there. This…” She waved at herself. “This isn’t me. Not normally. The last thing he’ll want to do is sign me now.”

  “Your sister died. You quit your career, took Nova in, and now we’re gearing up to fight your father in a yet-to-be-determined custody battle. Give yourself a break. You deserve some leeway. Besides, Dierek wants to talk to you. That’s a good sign, or he’d be long gone by now.”

  “You think?” She’d been biting down on her lip but now seemed reassured.

  “Yeah.” Unfortunately.

  “Good. That’s a relief then.”

  Fuck no. “Right.”

  My phone buzzed again.

  Logan: Give M a congratulatory lap dance for me. Make it raunchy.

  I ignored Logan, but another text came in right after.

  Mason: Um…

  Alarms went off in my head.

  Me: Um what? Why um?

  Mason never used “um.” I didn’t know that was in his vocabulary.

  Mason: Don’t hate me, but…incoming.

  I looked up, watching the crowd.

  I wasn’t seeing anyone I knew. And for some reason, I drew Quincey closer to me, my free hand rounding to her hip and anchoring her in front of me. She stiffened in surprise but then molded back into me.

  I hit call and put the phone to my ear.

  Mason answered the next second. “I’m sorry, man.”

  “What are you sorry about?”

  Quincey stiffened again, overhearing me. She glanced back but was keeping an eye out, too.

  “You’ll find out. I’m sorry, but I’m also not sorry at the same time. So, yeah.”

  “What the fuck, Mase?”

  “That’s Mason?” Dierek had found us and overheard. He lifted his chin up. “Remind him about our meeting next month.”

  Yeah. No.

  I ignored that. Dierek wasn’t my agent, and okay. I was going to be a douche about him and Quincey. Apparently, I still had this side in me.

  “Your agent’s here. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I ended the call before Mason could say anything and pocketed the phone, ignoring Dierek’s slight confusion. I kept my hand on Quincey’s hip and moved her ahead of me. “Ready?”

  Another pause before Dierek bent his head and gestured for us to lead the way. He saw where I was holding Quincey, and understanding dawned before he gave me a slight nod.

  Well. Good.

  I tried to relax my hold on her, not that it was hurting her, but it was possessive. She might not register it, but Dierek did, and every guy who noted Quincey as we moved through the crowd also registered the touch. We were sweeping through the doors when I caught a photographer aiming a camera lens our way, but it was more positioned toward Dierek.

  I was hoping it was for him and not us; but there was also nothing I could do about it now.

  Even knowing that and trying to tell myself to relax, I kept my hold on her, maneuvering her through the crowd. She never questioned my touch or fought against it. She went with me, moving as I directed her, and it hit me a second later. She was a dancer. She was probably used to this sort of thing, her body easily following commands.

  That made sense.

  That was what I was going to tell myself, and once we hit the pavement where the crowd had finally thinned out, I forced myself to let her go.

  A low chuckle sounded from my right. I ignored that but did ask him, “You know why Mason was apologizing to me on the phone a few minutes ago?”

  Quincey had moved, so she was walking on my right side.

  Dierek was on my left, and his eyebrows shot up. “Mason Kade? Apologize? I didn’t know he had that in him.” He whistled under his breath. “Nice to know miracles do exist.”

  I gave a look. “You could just say you don’t know.”

  He flashed me a smile, now fully amused. “I have no idea why one of my best athletes is apologizing to you.”

  That made sense. Why would he know?

  I was probably being paranoid.

  Spotting my SUV, I unlocked it. The lights flashed, and everyone turned for it.

  Once inside, with Dierek taking the back seat even though Quincey tried to have him sit in the front, I was starting to reverse when my phone lit up.

  Matteo: Hey! Where are you? Come to the family/friends entrance and pick me up.

  Me: You’re ready? I thought you’d be another hour. We were going to go to the restaurant.

  Matteo: No. I have some interviews, but we’re guests. It won’t take that long.

  Me: We’re in the vehicle already. I’ll swing over. Just let me know when you’re coming out.

  Matteo: Got it.

  31

  Quincey

  When I saw Nate’s friend on the football field, I knew he’d be huge. That made sense with his position. He was one of the big guys, but when he came out to the vehicle, and when Nate got out to greet him—I hadn’t been prepared. I didn’t think he’d even fit into the SUV.

  Dierek started laughing, noting my reaction. “They’ve been friends for a long time. Prepare for little boy giggles.”

  He wasn’t on the same wavelength as me, but now that he mentioned it, I was seeing a young Nate out there. He was all smiles, and he jumped into the football guy’s arms.

  “Matteo, right?”

  “Yes. He’s a big Hawaiian. That’s usually how he introduces himself to people.”

  I nodded. Got it. Matteo. I didn’t want to mess up his name. Unlike Nate’s other friends, Nate said he hadn’t shared with Matteo what was going on. That meant there was a clean slate when he met me. He might like me at first.

  He’d probably start not to like me after
the initial meet because most people didn’t, but still. First meeting. First greeting. This one could be a positive one. That was my goal. I straightened in my seat, a polite but engaging smile on my face, and waited.

  And watched.

  And waited some more.

  The football guy was juggling Nate a little like we’d do with Nova.

  A giggle broke out. I couldn’t help myself.

  “I told you,” Dierek drawled from the back. His tone was full of fondness and envy at the same time. He was watching them, his eyes overcast. One of his arms were crossed over his chest, the other resting on the doorframe. “If I join them, we’ll miss our reservation completely.”

  “How long have you known everyone in Nate’s group?”

  “I scooped Mason up right away, and everyone else came with him. It must be, what? Almost ten years by now? Nine, maybe?” He glanced at me but turned back to the window. “It seems like a lifetime. I know there’s a Channing near where they grew up, and I’ve not met him. I’ve met Heather, though. She came out for a visit one time to see Mason’s wife. Have you…?” He trailed, seeing me again.

  I hadn’t met any of them.

  I was trying not to have a reaction, but it was there. It must’ve been on my face.

  I felt a slicing going down the middle of my body.

  Nate’s words from the beginning came back, and now this time, they were haunting.

  I have a whole group. You have no one.

  I swallowed over a lump. He was right. I knew then, but I hadn’t been feeling it. I was feeling it now.

  Nate and Matteo were starting to turn for the SUV, but Dierek asked, almost gently, “Nate mentioned that your brother is Graham Robertson?”

  “He’s my half-brother.” Normally, I’d say nothing more. This time, it hurt to admit. “We’re not real close.”

  “Oh.” His eyebrows dropped back down, and he straightened in his seat.

  Nate was coming back to his side, and Matteo was rounding the vehicle, carrying a large bag in hand. He’d been reaching for the door handle on my door when he looked through the window and saw me. He froze, and his eyes got big. “Whoa!” His voice came out loud and was barely muffled through the glass. “Nate, you have a chick in your car. You got another sister we didn’t know about?”

  Nate was opening his door. He paused, saying over the hood, “Shut up. Get in the back with Dierek.”

  A wide smile came over the footballer, and he was quickly moving to the back door. Throwing it open, he leaned down and boomed, “It’s Mason’s agent! How are you, man?!” It felt like he was crawling inside the vehicle, but he was just sitting down. One leg. His body. The other leg.

  The SUV dipped under each section and again as he settled to get comfortable.

  The big bag came in, and he tossed it to the back, then he reached over and clapped Dierek on the shoulder. “How’s it going? Are you finally here to try to steal me away from my team? I don’t think my agent will go for that.”

  Nate snorted, starting to pull away from the curb.

  Dierek let out a soft sigh. “Hello, Matteo. You played well today.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  I liked Matteo.

  I had turned to watch him, and I was captivated. He had a giant heart in him. I could feel it, and after snickering, he turned to me. “’Sup, New Girl? I’m Matteo. I’m a big Hawaiian.” He glanced at Nate. “Logan know about this one?”

  Nate adjusted the rearview mirror, pulling into a line of cars all edging toward the interstate. “Logan has actually met this one.”

  This one.

  I burned from the implication of that.

  I was sure they used that terminology in the past for who? What? Nate’s past conquests?

  And he was letting Matteo think that about me.

  Matteo’s phone started buzzing. He pulled it out, swiping over the screen. “That’s cool then. I like being the last to meet the new girls, but oh… Uh. So.” He looked up, a slight grimace pulling at the corners of his mouth.

  Nate’s eyes instantly went suspicious, and a cloud came down over him. “Who was that from?”

  “No one.”

  “Matteo.”

  “What’s up?”

  Nate was glaring in the rearview mirror at him. “What’s going on?”

  “Where we eating?”

  “Peluzzo.” A pause. “Why are you asking?”

  “Peluzzo?” He sent off a quick text, then shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Got it.”

  Nate’s face went flat. “You never ask where we eat. Why are you asking now?”

  “No reason. Look at all those cars.” Matteo twisted almost all the way to the back, pretending to be distracted by the traffic.

  “Matteo!”

  He turned back, a low mumble coming out. “I don’t want to get in the middle of this.”

  “Matteo, I swear. I will fuck you up if you don’t tell me. You and Mason both said something. What?” His voice got firmer. “Is Logan doing a surprise visit?”

  He raked a hand over his face. “Fuck’s sake, Nate. Man. You get bitchier the older we get.”

  “Fuck off, Matt.”

  He snorted, clearly not offended.

  “Who is it? Mason would only warn me if it were Logan. There’s no one else he’d even register to warn me about.”

  “Yeah. Let’s go with that.”

  A pissed-off but resigned shadow formed over Nate, and he let out a sigh. “Fine.” He cast a worried glance my way. “I wanted to do this proper, tell you about Quincey here.”

  “Um. Yeah.” Matteo moved forward, his big hand wrapping around the back of my seat. “Quincey. I have a name now.” He held his hand out for me to shake it. “Nice to meet you. How long have you and Monson been boning? You know, he’s not brought any other female around us. Off the bat, I know you’re important.”

  My mouth almost dropped, and my hand slid out from his. I turned to Nate. “Is this how your entire group of friends treat each other? Or each other’s whatever? Significant others.”

  Nate and Matteo snorted at the same time, both covering a slight grin.

  Nate shifted gears, moving now onto a bigger road. “I’d like to say no, but that’s not true. Matteo’s the kindest one in our group. He just doesn’t know the situation.”

  “What situation?” Matteo spoke up.

  “I don’t want to have that convo in the vehicle. Later. Over drinks. Or at the house.” Nate’s tone grew softer. “There’s someone else at the house I want to introduce you to.”

  “Yeah? You get a dog?”

  Nate smothered a laugh. “Not a dog, dude.”

  “Oh.” Matteo went back to looking out the window. “A pig?”

  “Not a pig.” Nate glanced at him through the mirror.

  “A hamster.”

  “We’re doing this? You’re going to try to guess who you’re going to meet?”

  “Why not? Dierek’s keeping quiet. I’m thinking he’s here to watch the fireworks. Am I right, D?”

  “You’re not right. I flew in to meet Quincey, actually.”

  “You did?” The big footballer suddenly had a new interest in me. He was scanning me over. “You gotta be an athlete for D to make a trip to meet. Let me guess, ice figure skater?”

  I laughed. “No.”

  “Hmm.” He seemed to be chewing on the inside of his mouth before snapping his fingers. “You’re a horse rider, aren’t you? Rodeos?”

  I was grinning, enjoying this. “No.”

  “Damn. Racing? No. You don’t look like a jockey. Oh! A race car driver?”

  I shook my head.

  Through the drive to the restaurant, Matteo alternated between guessing what kind of athlete I was and what kind of pet Nate had at the house. When he guessed a llama, I was laughing so hard that my stomach started to hurt.

  I couldn’t remember when I laughed this hard.

  Nate cast a grin at me as he pulled up to the front of the restaurant. H
e jerked his chin up. “Go on. I’ll park and head in.”

  Matteo’s eyes were big as he shut his door. “Okay. See you in a few.” He turned to Dierek. “You should take cover. And you should automatically start forgetting everything you hear from now on so you don’t hold it against any of us. I could be your future client. Quincey is probably already your client. Don’t hold anything against her either.”

  Dierek chuckled but patted him on the arm. “It takes a lot to scare me, Matteo. I wouldn’t worry.”

  We started to go toward the restaurant, but Matteo stayed put. When we looked back, his whole face was grave. “I’m serious.”

  A frown pulled Dierek’s mouth down. “I promise.” He held his hands up. “I think you’re underestimating me.”

  Matteo snorted, his large feet and legs now moving past us. “I think you’re overestimating us, but okay. You’re not my agent.”

  With that, he led the way inside.

  32

  Quincey

  We walked in, and Matteo was hustled, literally hustled, into a back room.

  A gorgeous brunette linked her arm with his, then saw Dierek and grabbed him, too.

  I’d been heading to the bathroom when I noticed and swung around. I took one step to follow, but they were gone. After that, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I headed into the bathroom anyway.

  I was nervous.

  It was obvious something was happening.

  After washing, I went back out to the front of the restaurant, and I couldn’t see anyone.

  For a moment, just a moment, I wanted to leave. I wanted to go outside, call an Uber, and go home to be with Nova. But it was more than that. I wanted to put up those shields around me. It’d been the fortress that my father and his estate had surrounded me with. He had controlled me, but I’d been protected. It’d almost been like a blanket, keeping the cold out, but I wasn’t there anymore.

  I was here, and I knew I’d have to go in search of whatever back room they had taken the others. I glanced out the door, but I didn’t see Nate coming in. He probably came in when I was in the bathroom and got grabbed like the others.