“You’re such a charmer,” she said, sipping sparkling water from a crystal flute. “Hard for a woman to resist when you’re in full-on Nate mode.”
“What is that, exactly?” He looked at her quizzically. Apparently no one had ever pointed it out to him before.
“When you focus on someone. You make sure every detail is perfect, that they have everything they could possibly desire. It’s an intense feeling.”
“Did the other men in your life not treat you like the jewel you are?”
Annie chuckled softly. “Most men don’t, actually.”
He seemed surprised. “Then they’re fools.”
“Tell me the truth,” she said, leaning across their second-course plates. “Are you like this with all women?”
Nate’s smile dimmed almost imperceptibly. “No. Just you.”
Annie swallowed her bite of food with difficulty, taking a large sip of water to try to force it down. She’d always told herself that Nate’s charm was part of a savvy business strategy, that he treated her just as well as he did any customer. Knowing that was not the case was exciting and unnerving.
Their situation was complicated, to say the least. They were sharing a bed, knowing they were days away from divorce if all went according to plan. And yet now, sitting in this beautiful restaurant and feeling her heart swell every time he smiled, she knew things had changed. The thought of walking away from Nate in just a few days’ time was almost painful.
But regardless of how she felt, divorce was still the smart choice. They wanted different things. That didn’t mean her heart understood. It only knew what it wanted, and that was Nate. She’d been denying her feelings for so long it had become second nature. But she didn’t want to suppress it anymore. She wanted to tell him that she loved him.
A shudder ran down her spine that she covered by slipping back into her sweater under the pretense of being cold. Just thinking the word love had given her chills. Saying it out loud seemed impossible. Especially with how things stood with Tessa. As much as her heart wanted to be free, it also needed to be protected. She couldn’t trust Nate with it yet. Could she?
The dinner continued with relaxed, casual conversation. They enjoyed every bite of their food, paying their bill in time to walk downstairs and experience the fountains in person.
They stood at the railing along the dark pool, Nate’s arm wrapped around her waist to hold her tight against him and keep her warm in the cooling desert air. “You’ll love this,” he whispered into her ear, planting a warm, affectionate kiss on her cheek. She’d told him she’d never seen the show, so he insisted they watch it here instead of from the restaurant.
She still fought the urge to tell him. There, with the swell of the music and the water dancing so elegantly among the colored lights, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to say she loved him. That she always had. She needed to confess why she’d run and that she’d regretted it every day of the past three years. It was the right moment.
The music thundered the finale and, at last, the lights dimmed and the water went still. The crowds of people around them dispersed, but they stayed at the railing.
“Did you like it?” he asked.
“Yes, it was wonderful.” And it was. But not nearly as wonderful as it was to watch it with him. How many other things in her life would be better because he was a part of it? If she didn’t speak up now, she might never know. She wished she hadn’t seen Tessa play today. Perhaps then she would have the confidence to speak her heart’s desires without the fear of her sister’s deception ruining it all. And it still might. But maybe if she told him how she really felt before any of it came to light, he would know she meant it. And they might survive it.
Annie turned to look at Nate. His dark eyes watched her face, a finger reaching out to gently move a strand of hair back behind her ear. It was those little things, those intimate gestures that convinced her he cared, even if he hadn’t said it. It gave her confidence to finally speak.
“Nate?” she said, her voice nearly a whisper.
“Yes?” he said.
She’d spoken before her brain could talk her out of it, but now she wasn’t certain what she should say. “I...I want to stay.” She stumbled through her words.
“Stay? At the fountains?”
“No,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I want to stay with you...beyond the tournament.”
Nate’s eyes widened with surprise, but he remained silent, almost as though he wasn’t quite sure he could trust his ears.