Chapter Eighteen
Ronni
I was more than nervous, standing in the house pacing the floor, knowing exactly where Nathan had gone. I didn’t know what decision he was going to make, but I had to trust that he would make the right one, no matter what the outcome was. Our relationship had flown in out of nowhere and taken me completely by surprise, which started as a really good thing, but had spiraled out of control for a while. In the end, I couldn’t imagine my life without Nathan in it, and sitting here, not knowing what was going on was driving me absolutely insane. I continued pacing, going over every possible scenario in my head and driving myself crazy as usual. When I saw his car driving toward the house, I didn’t wait. I threw open the door and ran down the walk, greeting him at the sidewalk.
From his expression, I could tell whatever conversation he just had, it was a hard one. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, doing the only thing I knew to do, comfort him. Though I could tell he had just been through something extremely stressful, he didn’t seem to be all that upset. What did that mean? Had he gotten his job back? Had he made up with his family, and if so, where does that leave us? I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to overload him as soon as he got back.
“I left the company and the family,” he said expressionlessly. “I have put so much time and ef
fort into them and their business that I never stopped to think about the years I was missing out on life. I had watched my mother pass away, your parents pass away, yet I still didn’t understand that there was more to life than just work. That is, until you came into my life. You showed me what it meant to live. You showed me that there was so much more out there that I was absolutely blind to. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, even before I realized you were doing it.”
“Don’t forget,” I said, laughing as he hugged me. “I’m a workaholic, too. Though I’m thinking it might be a good policy to have since we are now both unemployed.”
Nathan laughed for the first time since we were on the beach, and his comfort made me feel safe and secure. I knew I didn’t have to worry about anything with him by my side, whether he worked at the company or not. I loved the fact that his father’s money had no effect on him, and that he saw that there was more to living than waiting to die. Nick wasn’t so lucky to understand that, and I didn’t know if he ever would. As for now, it seemed it was just the two of us, and we had to start thinking about our future.
“You aren’t seeing the bigger picture,” Nathan said, calming his laugh. “We are both free to pursue our passions without rules and regulations. Without family and bosses looming over our heads. We can do whatever we want, and we can do it together.”
I liked the sound of that. I liked the idea of facing this uncertain and wavering world with Nathan by my side. I had done it alone for so long that the release of loneliness and worry was almost more than I could bear. I reached up and kissed his lips, tears burning at my eyes. I was excited for the future, even if I didn’t know what it would bring.
“To start, I want to invest heavily in Maria’s bikini line,” he said, surprising me. “She does amazing work. With her creating and you managing, there is no way this company could fail. The only thing I ask is for a seat on the board.”
“Really?” I was more than ecstatic to have someone like Nathan on our team. “I mean, I have to ask Maria how she feels about it, but that is so amazing.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” He laughed as he watched me turn and run down the walk to the house. I burst through the door calling out Maria’s name. She stuck her head out of her bedroom door, looking around for a fire or emergency of some sort.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, laughing. “Come out here. I want to talk to you about something.”
We sat down in the living room as Maria entered cautiously, smiling nervously at the looks on our faces. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down next to me on the couch. She took in a deep breath, readying herself for anything and clapped her hands together.
“Okay, kids, what’s this all about?”
“Nathan quit his job,” I said. smiling.
“Okay,” she said, looking over at him. “And this is a good thing?”
“Yes,” I said excitedly. “He has his sights set on something better.”
“I’ll bite,” she said, setting her water down on the coffee table.
“He wants to heavily invest in our company in exchange for a seat on the board,” I blurted out.
“Wow,” she said, her eyes getting big. “I mean, really? You are so fantastic with money. Yes, I mean. I would love to have you on our team. I’m assuming Ronni’s down with it.”
“Of course,” I laughed.
“Well, shit,” she said with a huge smile. “Let’s do this!”
“We’ll start talking strategy tomorrow,” Nathan said, standing, stretching, and then walking over toward me. “For now, though, I am going to need Ronni to model some of these suits.”
I laughed as he reached down and scooped me up out of the chair, cradling me in his arms. Maria giggled, shaking her head as he walked through the house and into my bedroom. He sat me down on the floor and pushed his hands through my hair, holding my face and looking down in my eyes. My stomach did flip flops as I waited for him to speak.
“I love you Veronica ‘Ronni’ Sanchez,” he cooed. “I loved you before I even knew you, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
“I love you too, Nathan,” I said, tearing up and pressing my lips against his. I could feel my emotions bursting from my chest as our mouths touched together, and we walked backward, falling into the bed.
Slowly, he pulled my tank top over my head and kissed my shoulder as he reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. He pulled the lace bra from my body and threw it to the side, cupping my breast in his hand and taking my nipple into his mouth. He sucked, nibbled, and licked at my tit as his other hand unbuttoned my shorts. I leaned my head back as he moved up, kissing my neck and caressing my body with his hands. He reached down and pulled my shorts off, running his fingertips through the wetness seeping through my panties.