The Nature of Love (Love in the Spotlight #3)

Chapter 31

Thirty-One

The kids were asleep. Now was the best time to walk up to Chris, tell him how I felt, and see what happened.

But I couldn’t get the words past my lips. In fact, my mouth seemed to be clamped shut. Every time Chris had asked me a question or said something, I responded with a shrug or a mm-hmm. I was sure he thought I was acting weird. I was acting weird, but I didn’t know how to carry on a normal conversation when these feelings were swimming in my gut like leaky bacteria. I mean, how was I supposed to just walk up to him and say I like you when I’d never done that to any other human being on planet earth before?

Ugh, I really shouldn’t have been so addicted to studying. You were focused. I’d had Ellynn to worry about, not to mention my own desire for success. And I had succeeded. There were accolades shoved in a box in Chris’s home office. None of which would help me speak to the man I actually wanted to talk to.

“Erykah, are you okay?”

My throat dried as I turned to look at Chris.

He’d been working on his laptop in the living room, approving videos post-edit and looking over a schedule Came ron had created. He hadn’t moved except to grab a cup of tea half an hour ago.

“Yeah. Why?” Congrats. You spoke. Now say what you need to say.

“You seem quieter than usual. You’d talk to me if you needed to, right?”

Why did he have to ask that? Could he see inside my brain to all the jumbled-up emotions within? “Of course. You’re my friend.”

Something flickered in his gaze. Wait, I used the word friend. Even I knew that was taboo, but Chris was my friend. It was part of the reason why I liked him so much. How could I not when he’d done everything to make me feel comfortable?

Chris was a friend, but he was so much more.

“Chris...” I swallowed. I could do this. Just say it.

“Yeah?”

“I...” I swiped my hand down my yoga pants. Why did my palms have to get so clammy all of a sudden?

I knew the physiology behind the action, but emotionally speaking, my hands needed to dry quickly.

Chris rose to his feet and sat next to me on the couch, where I’d been attempting to read a book. A good book, but the million thoughts occupying my mind meant I hadn’t turned a single page since I’d sat down after tucking Cheyenne into bed. Ash had been asleep for an hour already.

“What’s going on?” He placed a warm hand on my kneecap.

Every nerve ending came alive. I could either gather the courage to say what was on my heart or kiss him.

Oh, great idea. Kissing him would be easier. You wouldn’t have to say anything. Just lean forward and pucker your lips like they do in the movies.

Righ t. I could do that. I licked my lips just in case they were as dry as the Sahara expanding in my mouth. Nope. Didn’t feel too bad. I stared at his mouth, then froze. I had no idea how to start this other than making duck lips. Why hadn’t I watched a movie to get some tips?

I filtered through some rom-coms. Never Been Kissed could be a blueprint, but there’s no way I was passing for a high school senior. Not to mention she chickened out and wrote a letter telling the guy about her feelings.

Use your words.

“There’s something I want to say.” Not really, but hadn’t I decided this was the best course of action? Could I backtrack and ask him if I could just text him? Then I wouldn’t have to stare into his beautiful blue eyes while I gathered my wits about me.

Seriously, how could this man be so good-looking? Was it the warm gaze he studied me with? The brown skin that made me want to run my finger down the length of his forearm? Or was it the kindness in every single action? Then again, it might be those nerdy black glasses he broke out when his contacts irritated his eyes.

“Tell me. I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

Which was probably why my heart beat as fast as one experiencing sinus tachycardia. My heart even palpitated, which surely wasn’t normal.

You’re not a cardiologist, so stop freaking yourself out and get this over with.

“Chris, I l—”

“Aunt Erykah!” Cheyenne yelled as she stomped up the stairs.

Chris and I both jumped and swiveled to look at the stairs.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I tried to get my brain to switch gears. But I honestly didn’t know whether I was annoyed by t he interruption or relieved. Probably the latter. See how your heart rate has already slowed down?

It was true, despite the scare Cheye gave me with her vocal cords working overtime.

“There’s something in the basement.”

Judging by that furrowed brow, Cheye would have deep lines in her forehead well before she hit middle age.

“What’s in the basement?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in the air. “You have to come there and look. What if it’s a monster?”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Charlie making a noise?” I asked. The dog snored louder than anyone in the house.

“He’s sleeping next to Ash. I checked.” She walked up to Chris and wrapped her hands around his arm. “Come on. Look.”

He flashed me a look that said You coming with? I nodded, trying to hold in a smile at the way he allowed Cheye to pull him to standing. I knew she didn’t have that much strength because she’d tried that maneuver on me, and I hadn’t budged.

“All right, we’re coming,” Chris assured.

“Aunt Erykah doesn’t have to. You’re the one with mus-kles.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth, my shoulders shaking as I held in the laughter.

“You mean muscles ?”

“That’s what I said.” She stopped midway down the flight of stairs and turned around, a finger on her lip. “Shh. We gotta catch him. He’s in the bathroom.”

“Oh. Right.”

Chris made a motion with his arm, but I couldn’t see what he did since I was behind them. I assumed he zipped his lips, and the thought had my mind cataloging all the ways Christian Gamble made my heart flutter. He was just so good.

Chris walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light. A winged creature fluttered and made some kind of noise. I screamed. Or was that Cheyenne? As if trying to figure out the same thing, she looked at me and screamed again. Higher. Longer. Then she lunged for me. I swung her in my arms and immediately went to the girls’ room. I hurried in, then shut the door.

“What was that?” Cheye asked.

I turned to stare at Ash, who hadn’t moved. How she slept through the screaming was beyond me.

“Whisper, ’kay?” I spoke in a low tone to Cheyenne.

“What was that?” she loudly whispered.

“A bat?” It was dark, shrieked, and flapped. Then again, I guessed it could’ve been a bird.

“Ew. I don’t like bats.”

Neither did I, but I couldn’t exactly explain why I didn’t like them. I just didn’t. They were creepy, and one should definitely not be in the house. I stifled a gasp. Did that mean there was an infestation? I’d seen a few episodes of Infested before I could no longer take watching the many ways wildlife had overtaken people’s homes. First it was the random hobo spider, now a bat? Save us, God.

If Chris had a horde of bats—What were a group of bats called? A swarm?—then I would be packing up and stuffing my nieces into the nearest hotel.

Calm down. It may not come to that.

I blew out a breath.

The doorknob twisted, and Cheye yelped, squeezing her arms around my neck tighter. “It’s coming for us.”

“Shh. It can’t open doors.”

Chris stepped inside. “You two just left me.” He shook his head, feigning displeasure. “I could’ve been attacked by a swarm.”

Ha! I was right.

“But you’re strong,” Cheyenne said.

See, even she understood the power of having a man in the house. I didn’t know what that said, but I completely sided with her. He was a modern Dr. Dolittle.

“Did you get him?” I asked.

“Not even going to ask if I’m okay? If the monster tried to get me?”

“It was a bat, not a monster,” Cheyenne said primly.

Chris and I both chuckled.

“Fine. Don’t care. But yes. I caught him. He won’t disrupt your beauty rest any longer, little miss.”

Cheyenne slid from my arms. “Good. I’m tired. You can go now.” She shooed Chris away and climbed back in the bed.

When I closed the door behind me, Chris said, “That girl is going to be trou-ble when she gets older.”

“Thanks for that. Just what I look forward to.”

“I’ll start praying for her future husband now. He’ll need all the prayer he can get.”

I laughed. “Thank you for getting the bat. Is he okay?”

“Nothing a little visit to Gamble on Nature won’t help with.”

“Then I’ll turn in so you can handle that.” I motioned to my room.

“But we didn’t get a chance to talk.” He studied me.

It took all my willpower to keep my face neutral as I feigned unimportance. “It can wait.” I even waved my hand as if to suggest it was immaterial. Who was I kidding?

And let’s remember, this makes you a coward once more.

Maybe, but I was going to be an unembarrassed coward who didn’t have to get rejected after seeing a live bat. I could sleep peacefully knowing I wouldn’t look foolish in Chris’s eyes.

Though part of me still wanted to come clean.

“You sure?”

I nodded, reverting back to clamped-lips status.

“Then good night.”

“Good night,” I murmured.

I watched him leave, then slapped my forehead. “Coward,” I groused.