Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
N ate guided Faye through the crowd, keeping a light hold around her waist so they wouldn’t get separated as they weaved past all the booths and headed toward the taco truck, which smelled like heaven.
The line wasn’t too bad, and while they waited, she nudged his shoulder and pointed out the guy dressed as Uncle Sam on stilts trying to flirt with a woman who was handing out water bottles.
He laughed with her, not just at the sight, but because it felt so easy being around her.
Once they were loaded down with tacos, chips, and a small mountain of fresh salsa, Nate led her over to the spot he’d claimed earlier—a shady patch under the sprawling branches of an old oak tree. He dropped the blanket, then helped her settle before flopping down beside her.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, dappling her face in gold as she bit into a taco and moaned softly.
“Best taco in my life yet,” she said with her mouth half full.
“I’m tempted to go get ten more,” he said, crunching into a chip.
They ate, people-watched, and listened to the band in the gazebo switch from a country ballad to an upbeat pop song that had nearly everyone around them singing along.
Kids darted past, chasing each other with sparklers, their laughter rising over the music.
Someone behind them had a bubble machine going, and every now and then, a stream of floating bubbles drifted lazily through the air.
“If I don’t move soon, I’ll fall fast asleep right here.” Faye brushed a crumb from her sundress and gave him a look. “Want to walk around before the pie-eating contest starts?”
He grinned and stood, offering her his hand. “Absolutely. I need to walk off those tacos anyway.”
They wandered through the town square again, stopping to admire booths they’d missed earlier. She purchased a couple pairs of earrings from Classy and Sassy’s booth since they had a “Buy One, Get One for Your Bestie” sale going on.
Nate laughed. “You buying me some earrings?”
“Only if you had your ears pierced.”
“Back in high school I did.” He reached up and touched his ear. “Right here. I was really cool.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
They lingered as long as they could, getting some shaved ice and sharing a large bag of kettle corn as the sun dipped lower over the Pacific.
Finally, Nate tugged her hand. “Come on. I want to beat the rush to the good spot for the fireworks.”
He led her to the center of the grassy area of the square that sat directly facing the dock area, where the fireworks would be shot off from a barge sitting in the water.
He had moved their blanket from under the tree so they had a perfect view.
They stretched out on their backs, his arm under her head, her hand resting on his chest. It felt so good and so right as people crowded around them on their own blankets.
Families settled in with glow sticks and lawn chairs, murmurs of conversation blending with the soft strum of a single acoustic guitar from the gazebo.
The first firework cracked in the sky moments after the sun disappeared, and Faye sucked in a breath as the burst of red and gold exploded above them.
Nate turned his head, watching her instead of the sky for a beat. The colors flickered in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, her expression full of wonder.
“I think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” he said quietly.
She turned her head, met his gaze, and smiled. “Me too.”
He leaned over and kissed her, slow and unhurried, as another firework lit the sky above them—stars bursting overhead while the world faded away beneath their blanket.
“Faye, I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a while.” He rested his forehead against hers for a moment to build up his courage, then pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
He felt her tense just as a larger firework exploded directly above them. He watched the fear flood in her eyes for a split second.
“Nate, I…” She shook her head and then winced. “I think the explosions are causing my implant to…” She grabbed the side of her head and closed her eyes as another round of loud booms echoed across the crowd, followed by cheers and shouts.
“Faye?” He jolted into a sitting position.
“I…” She glanced around, as if looking for an escape route, while holding her head.
He took her arm and hoisted her up. When her knees buckled, he lifted her into his arms and rushed her across the grass through the maze of people enjoying the fireworks.
“Is she okay?” someone called out to him.
“Yeah, just getting her someplace quiet,” he called back.
He fumbled for his keys to the Brew-Ha-Ha and when he finally managed to open the doors, his father was beside him.
“Son?”
“She’s okay,” he replied. “I think the explosions were too loud.”
“I’m better now,” Faye said as he set her down in a booth. She was still holding her head when his mother rushed in.
“Is she okay?”
Nate sat beside her, his hand lightly rubbing her arm as she leaned forward in the booth, her head cradled in her hands. When she glanced over at him, he noticed that her skin was very pale.
“I think so,” he said, glancing between her and his mom. “It’s her implant. I think that the noise from the fireworks just overloaded everything.”
His mother sat across from them in the booth, reaching gently for Faye’s free hand. “Honey, do you need me to call Dr. Stevens over here?”
“No, no,” Faye whispered. “I just need quiet. It’s easing already.” She let out a shaky breath. “That big one just felt like it cracked right inside my skull.”
Nate clenched his jaw, feeling helplessness deep inside him. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain now. He hated seeing her like this—scared, hurting, and struggling to pretend that she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. “I should have realized the sounds would be too much. We should’ve left sooner.”
“You didn’t know,” she said, managing a faint smile. “Neither did I. I guess that’s one more thing I’ll have to learn to live without.”
His mother squeezed her hand. “You’re doing amazing, sweetheart. I’ll go and get us something cold to drink.”
His mother got up and stepped behind the counter. His dad stood beside him, his hands shoved deep in his jean pockets, concern etched in his gaze. “You want me to go grab your truck? You know, get it closer to the door so you can bug out of here?”
Nate nodded. “Thanks, Dad. That’d help.” He handed him the keys. It’s parked?—”
“We parked right beside it,” his dad broke in. “I’ll pull it around back.” He motioned to the back doors.
As his dad ducked out the front door, his mother carried a glass of iced tea over and set it in front of Faye. “Here you go, sweetie.” His mother glanced at him with concern.
“Are you’re okay now?” he said softly after she took a few sips.
She nodded and leaned against his chest. She was still holding her head, but her breathing had steadied. “I’m sorry I panicked,” she said after a long pause. “It just hit all at once. The loudness of it all and my implant just…” She shook her head. “It was too much.”
He rested his chin lightly on top of her head. “You never have to apologize for anything. Not with us.”
“I’m going to leave you two alone. I’m glad you’re feeling a little better,” his mother said, squeezing his shoulder.
Faye was quiet until they were alone again. Then she spoke so softly, he almost missed it. “I heard you. What you said before. I did hear you.” He held his breath. “I wanted to say it back to you,” she whispered, “but I was scared and then…” She motioned to her implant.
He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “I meant it. What I said. I don’t expect the words from you in return. I just needed you to know how I feel. How I’ve been feeling for a while now.”
Her eyes ran over his face, as she nodded. “I’m glad you told me.”
His dad walked in the back door and set his truck keys on the table. “It’s parked out back.” After making sure Faye was okay, he added, “I’ll lock up here. Why don’t you take her home?”
Nate started to pick Faye up, but she stopped him.
“I’m good to walk,” she said, steadying herself after she stood up.
He gave her a long look. “We’ll take it slow.”
They stepped out into the night together, the fireworks in the distance still crackling but far enough away now not to be a problem. Nate helped her into the truck, climbed into the driver’s seat, and slowly made his way out of town.
Outside of town, instead of pulling into the long driveway that took them to the lighthouse, he continued to the next turn and flipped the truck around at the top of the hill until they were facing Pride at a popular make-out spot everyone in town knew about.
Then he turned off the truck, and they sat in silence as they watched the rest of the fireworks. They were far enough away from town that each burst made nothing more than a low popping sound.
“What a perfect spot to watch.” She shifted closer to him and leaned her head against his chest as she laced her fingers through his. Tightly. “I may not be ready,” she said after a moment, her eyes glued to the firework display, “but I think I’m getting there.”
Nate smiled and felt his heart soar. “That’s all I need.”
When the grand finale was over and the town grew dark again, he leaned over and kissed her. “Feeling better?”
She nodded. “Tired and very embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?”
She shrugged. “That wasn’t how I wanted your parents to find out about us.”
He chuckled. “Babe, they’ve known about us since the first time I kissed you.” He cupped her face. “I don’t hide things from my family.”
She groaned softly. “Have you told your sister?”
He nodded. “Haven’t you mentioned us to your brother?” She shook her head quickly. “Well, I’m pretty sure he knows since I doubt Juliette keeps anything from him.”
Faye closed her eyes. “Okay, I suppose I’ll have to officially tell him tomorrow in a text message.”
“What about your mom? Didn’t you tell her when you were in Portland?”
“Sort of, but I didn’t necessarily mention that you were staying with me.”
“That’s okay. One day at a time. Max and Juliette are supposed to be back at the end of the month,” he said as he started the truck and headed back down the road.
“A lot can happen in less than a month. I mean, was it really only two months ago I moved here?” she said, still resting her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah.” He turned into the long driveway. “Not a day goes by that I’m not thankful you did.”
When he parked by her car, he turned off his truck and pulled her into his arms again. “I didn’t like that I couldn’t do anything to help you. Feeling like there’s nothing you can do to help someone you love is the worst thing ever.” He kissed her again.
“Nate,” she said, glancing up at him.
He stopped her by shaking his head. “I get it. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to get used to me saying it.” He smiled. “Come on, let’s go in and have some apple pie and ice cream. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Lena fill in for you so we can go explore that new tunnel.”
She perked up at that and kissed him back.
Nate held her hand as they walked through the front door, kicking their shoes off by the entryway.
Everything felt much quieter now.
In the kitchen, he pulled out the two slices of the apple pie he’d thawed out earlier and warmed them in the oven while she got out the vanilla ice cream. She was moving more slowly than usual, her hand drifting to her implant occasionally, but she was smiling—and that was enough for him.
She had changed into a different pair of boy-short pajama bottoms and another one of his T-shirts. He took a moment to change into his own comfy shorts and a clean T-shirt.
Then they carried their plates into the living room and settled side by side on the sofa. Faye tucked her legs under her as Nate queued up an older movie—something easy and cheerful, the kind that didn’t ask for much but still left you grinning.
They ate slowly, savoring the warm cinnamon apples and the way the cold ice cream melted into the crust. Faye leaned into him, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
“I’m not sure if it’s the pie or the company, but I feel a lot better,” she murmured.
“Definitely the pie,” he teased, earning a soft elbow to the ribs.
When their plates were empty, he set them aside on the coffee table and pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa to cover them. She nestled into him without hesitation, her cheek pressed against his chest while her fingers lightly traced patterns along his side.
Halfway through the movie, he glanced down and saw that her eyes were closed, her breathing soft and even. He turned the volume down just a touch, then wrapped his arms more securely around her.
This. This was everything he wanted.
The fireworks, the crowds, the worry from earlier—it had all faded. What remained was the quiet rise and fall of her breath, the steady thump of her heart against his side, and the weight of a love that had crept in when he wasn’t looking.
Tomorrow, they’d explore hidden tunnels and chase legends. Maybe even find the lost diamond.
But tonight?
Tonight, he held her close and let the world wait.
And somewhere between the second act and the closing credits, with her body curled against his and her hair spread across his chest, he let sleep take him too—content, full, and completely in love.