He scowled. “I keep track of you when I’m at work.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. I thought…”
“What did you think?” he asked.
“I kind of thought you dropped me into Cole’s lap.”
It felt like she slapped him just like Jade had just done. “No. Fuck, I know where you’re at all the time.”
“Okay. It’s just it’s always Cole who calls or checks on us, so I didn’t know.”
Nate thought about it, and it was true. Cole was the one who called the most, but he was by a phone all day. “I’m sorry if I made you feel neglected.”
He could see the effort it took for her to smile. “I don’t. I can take care of myself.”
“But you don’t have to.”
“I just want you to remember that I was not only taking care of me but my sick mother. I don’t want you to worry about me.”
Nate sat down next to her hip, facing her, and set a hand on her thigh when she tried to move over. “I know you can take care of yourself, baby.”
“I don’t want you to feel guilty if I’m not here or think that I’m an obligation, because I’m not.”
He was so confused. “Where is this coming from?”
Tessa looked away.
He turned her head back, and it broke his heart at the pain in her eyes. “Tell me right now.”
“I don’t know what to say. Lately, I have been thinking about why I’m here.”
“Because I want you here and thought you wanted to be here, too.”
“I do want to be with you.”
“But you don’t think I want to be with you. Is that right?”
“Can we please talk about this later?”
He wanted to growl in frustration. “Let’s get you up.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “You’re going to eat, and I don’t want to hear anything more about it.”
Her lips pressed together as he pulled her off the bed. He kept her hand in his and led her into the kitchen. “Sit at the bar while I serve.”
Without a word, she climbed up and sat silently.
When he was finally sitting next to her, he picked up his fork and nodded to hers. “Take a bite.”
He watched her eat a few bites and then started to eat. It was the last thing he wanted to do because his stomach was twisted from fear, confusion, and sympathy.
Chapter Twelve
Tessa chewed carefully and had to take a drink of water after each bite to get it to go down her esophagus. She was trying to take her mind off of things because she would start to get nauseous if she didn’t.
She stopped, set her fork down, and pushed the plate away. “Thank you, that was delicious, but I can’t eat anymore.”
He nodded. “All right. Do you want to watch a movie?”
She shook her head. “No. I’d rather just go to bed.”