wasn’t happy to hear from that particular caller, which only deepened Charlotte’s uneasiness.
“Who was that?”
He didn’t say anything for a long time, his silver eyes focused on the road ahead.
“Nate?”
A sigh shuddered from his chest. “That was Evelyn.”
“Yeah, I got that part. But who is she?” She swallowed. “Who is she to you ?”
“We dated.” His voice came out rough. “About six months ago. But I broke it off.”
She tried to ignore the jolt of jealousy that tightened her belly. She wasn’t allowed to feel jealous. Of course Nate had dated other women in the fifteen years they’d been apart. Wasn’t like he’d gone celibate.
“Why did you break up?”
“Because she lied,” he said flatly.
“Oh.” Another rush of unease flooded her body. “About what?”
“Her husband.”
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“She was married.” He laughed humorlessly. “Something she neglected to mention when we started going out. The whole relationship was based on a lie. She was living in a hotel, said she’d just moved to town and hadn’t found a house yet, but really, her husband had thrown her out after he caught her cheating for the second time.”
“Wait, she lives in Paradise?”
“No, Wyndham,” he said, naming a neighboring county.
Nate slowed the pickup as they reached the turnoff for the lake. With a ragged breath, he turned to meet Charlotte’s eyes. “About a month into the relationship, she admitted to being married, said she was going through a divorce, and at first I was willing to stick around, maybe see her through it all, but then…”
“Then what?”
“Lexie dug around—”
The sound of Lexie’s name made her spine stiffen.
“—and found out Evelyn had lied about a lot of other things. Like the fact that she had a four-year-old son, who her husband refused to let her see, or that she was actually screwing another guy at the same time she was seeing me.” Nate let out another breath. “Needless to say, it wasn’t a fun time for me. I ended it, but she keeps calling, begging for another chance.”
Charlotte bit her lip. “Do you want to give her another chance?”
“Hell no!” The abrupt exclamation reverberated through the car. “She lied to me from day one. Entered into a relationship with me on false pretenses. I’ll never forgive her for that.”
The conviction in his voice brought a trickling of anxiety. Charlotte swallowed hard, wondering how Nate would react when she told him the truth about why she’d come back to Paradise. Technically, she’d entered into this relationship on false pretenses too.
God, what if he couldn’t forgive her?
“Nate,” she choked out.
His warm hand covered her suddenly frozen one. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload all that on you. Evelyn is still a sore subject for me. But I promise you, I’m over that woman. I got over her the second I found out who she really was.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re the only one I want, Charlie. The only one I’ve ever wanted.”
Her heart ached. The words she’d wanted to say lodged in her throat then faded away as Nate leaned over to brush his lips over hers. A shiver tickled her spine. When he deepened the kiss, she melted against him, sighing as his tongue slid into her mouth. He kissed her until she was breathless, until the guilt coursing through her transformed into a burning rush of desire.
Nate was grinning when he finally released her. “So…the lake?”
“The lake,” she echoed softly.
“Wow, you’re actually making time for your best friend,” Lexie said sarcastically, accepting the glass of iced tea Nate handed her. “And here I thought you were one of those annoying jerks who subscribes to the hoes-before-bros philosophy.”
Nate had to laugh. Lexie was always at her wittiest when she was angry. It never failed to amuse him.
He joined her at the table in his backyard and sat down across from her. “I’m sorry,”
“Who was that?”
He didn’t say anything for a long time, his silver eyes focused on the road ahead.
“Nate?”
A sigh shuddered from his chest. “That was Evelyn.”
“Yeah, I got that part. But who is she?” She swallowed. “Who is she to you ?”
“We dated.” His voice came out rough. “About six months ago. But I broke it off.”
She tried to ignore the jolt of jealousy that tightened her belly. She wasn’t allowed to feel jealous. Of course Nate had dated other women in the fifteen years they’d been apart. Wasn’t like he’d gone celibate.
“Why did you break up?”
“Because she lied,” he said flatly.
“Oh.” Another rush of unease flooded her body. “About what?”
“Her husband.”
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“She was married.” He laughed humorlessly. “Something she neglected to mention when we started going out. The whole relationship was based on a lie. She was living in a hotel, said she’d just moved to town and hadn’t found a house yet, but really, her husband had thrown her out after he caught her cheating for the second time.”
“Wait, she lives in Paradise?”
“No, Wyndham,” he said, naming a neighboring county.
Nate slowed the pickup as they reached the turnoff for the lake. With a ragged breath, he turned to meet Charlotte’s eyes. “About a month into the relationship, she admitted to being married, said she was going through a divorce, and at first I was willing to stick around, maybe see her through it all, but then…”
“Then what?”
“Lexie dug around—”
The sound of Lexie’s name made her spine stiffen.
“—and found out Evelyn had lied about a lot of other things. Like the fact that she had a four-year-old son, who her husband refused to let her see, or that she was actually screwing another guy at the same time she was seeing me.” Nate let out another breath. “Needless to say, it wasn’t a fun time for me. I ended it, but she keeps calling, begging for another chance.”
Charlotte bit her lip. “Do you want to give her another chance?”
“Hell no!” The abrupt exclamation reverberated through the car. “She lied to me from day one. Entered into a relationship with me on false pretenses. I’ll never forgive her for that.”
The conviction in his voice brought a trickling of anxiety. Charlotte swallowed hard, wondering how Nate would react when she told him the truth about why she’d come back to Paradise. Technically, she’d entered into this relationship on false pretenses too.
God, what if he couldn’t forgive her?
“Nate,” she choked out.
His warm hand covered her suddenly frozen one. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload all that on you. Evelyn is still a sore subject for me. But I promise you, I’m over that woman. I got over her the second I found out who she really was.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re the only one I want, Charlie. The only one I’ve ever wanted.”
Her heart ached. The words she’d wanted to say lodged in her throat then faded away as Nate leaned over to brush his lips over hers. A shiver tickled her spine. When he deepened the kiss, she melted against him, sighing as his tongue slid into her mouth. He kissed her until she was breathless, until the guilt coursing through her transformed into a burning rush of desire.
Nate was grinning when he finally released her. “So…the lake?”
“The lake,” she echoed softly.
“Wow, you’re actually making time for your best friend,” Lexie said sarcastically, accepting the glass of iced tea Nate handed her. “And here I thought you were one of those annoying jerks who subscribes to the hoes-before-bros philosophy.”
Nate had to laugh. Lexie was always at her wittiest when she was angry. It never failed to amuse him.
He joined her at the table in his backyard and sat down across from her. “I’m sorry,”
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