Chapter Thirty-Two
chapter thirty-two
PAIGE
“I think I like your tub better than mine,” I tell Nate while we lounge in his humongous spa tub, complete with jets that massage you while you relax.
“Enough to stay?” he asks, tightly wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“I wish,” I moan as Nate trails kisses along my neck and shoulder.
It’s been several weeks since we arrived in Dallas, and I have to fly back tomorrow for my doctor’s appointment. I already rescheduled it once, so I can’t do it again. Nate offered to come with me, but I told him to stay. It’s only a quick checkup, and we won’t even see our little guy.
I’m going to be starting my maternity leave soon, so I have a lot of loose ends I need to tie up at Kingston, which will mean staying in Rosemary instead of coming back to Dallas. The hope is that once the baby comes, Nate will work remotely with the help of Valerie while they continue to interview candidates for the CEO position.
When Nate reaches around and plucks my nipple, I moan in pleasure and then carefully turn around, with the help of Nate, so I can face him. Getting around with my pregnant belly isn’t easy, and as I get closer to my due date, it only gets harder, but I want to be close to Nate, kiss him and memorize his features before I have to leave.
“It’s going to suck without you here,” he mutters before he captures my mouth with his, kissing me like it’s the last time he’s going to see me for a long time. And I guess, in a way, it is.
For the past several weeks, we’ve been inseparable. Nate even set up a desk in the corner of his office so we could work near each other. We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. And while one would think we’d get sick of each other, I can’t seem to get enough of him. Sometimes—okay, most of the time—our lunches even end in office sex.
“We’ll text and FaceTime,” I tell him as I wrap my hand around his shaft and guide him inside me, trying to convince us both that everything’s going to be okay. We’ve done this before—been away from each other for weeks—and we’ll get through this just like we did in the past.
After we make love and move to the shower to rinse off, we get dressed, and then I finish packing up my stuff since I won’t be returning anytime soon.
“Can we go by and see your parents?” I ask when I’m all packed.
We’ve been visiting with them almost every day since his dad got discharged and went home.
Cary is so excited to have another grandson, and he loves to tell me stories about Nate when he was little. He was like a mini version of his adult self—big heart and driven. His dad said he used to go to his office when he was younger and pretend to be in charge, telling everyone what to do. I can totally see it. Nate was made to be CEO.
“I was just about to ask if you wanted to go,” he says. “Penny made her famous lasagna as a goodbye meal for you because she knows you love it.”
“Oh, yay!” I cheer. “Penny’s lasagna is the best. I’m going to miss it,” I say with a frown, as it hits me that I’m not only leaving Nate, but also his entire family.
A family I’ve gotten close to the last several months. Penny has been talking to me about all things baby, about breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, what diapers she recommends, and her birthing plan that she had with her babies. Since Nate and I haven’t been home, we haven’t done the tour of the hospital or registered yet, but we did discuss the birthing plan.
“Why didn’t she text me?” I ask.
“She didn’t want to put you on the spot. Make you feel obligated since it’s your last night here.”
I nod in understanding as tears fill my eyes. “I hate that I have to leave,” I choke out.
We’ve spent these past several weeks with Nate’s entire family as Cary recovers, and I’ve grown close to everyone. It’s been nice, being surrounded by family, and I’m going to miss them all.
“We’ll be back,” Nate says, leaning in and giving me a kiss. “And I’m sure they’re going to come visit when the baby is born.” He wipes the tears from under my eyes. “Let’s get ready to go.”
Dinner with his family is bittersweet. Everyone hugs me, telling me to be safe and that they’ll see me soon. I thought I’d be excited to go home since I haven’t been there in weeks, but the truth is, I’m not looking forward to it at all. I’m actually kind of dreading it.
And the next morning, as Nate drives me to the airport, my heart clenches in my chest. I feel as though I’m leaving home instead of going back to it.
When we arrive at the airport, I’m shocked to see Joanne waiting for me with a carry-on bag next to her.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, giving her a hug.
“I’m coming with you.”
“What?” I glance from her to Nate in confusion.
“I love my husband, but he’s driving me nuts at home,” she says with a wink that tells me she’s not being serious. “The nurses are taking care of him, and Nate is taking care of Bradford Hotels. So, I want to take care of you.”
Her words cause me to sniffle back a sob.
“You don’t have to?—”
“I know,” she says, not letting me finish. “But I want to. You’re family.” She places a loving hand on my belly. “I don’t want you to be alone, so if it’s okay with you, I thought I’d come along to keep you company. I know you have to go to work, but I figured I can help get the baby stuff and nursery ready. Nate mentioned you haven’t started on any of it yet since you’ve been in Dallas.”
A sob I was holding in releases, and I throw my arms around her.
“Thank you,” I cry. “That would be wonderful.” I’ve been stressing about the house not being ready for the baby, dreading going back and having to face it alone.
After I give Nate several kisses goodbye, promising to call as soon as we land, Joanne and I take off to Houston. Since I left my car at the airport when we flew to Dallas, it’s still there—along with a hefty parking bill.
I call Nate to let him know we’ve arrived and then order dinner for Joanne and me.
As she bustles around the nursery, gathering the baby’s clothes to wash them, I try to picture the nursery again, but I still can’t.
I thought being away would help me see my home with fresh eyes, but it’s only made me realize something: It’s not the house that makes it a home. It’s the people inside it, and Nate is my home. Whether we’re here in Rosemary or with his family in Dallas, as long as we’re together, that’s what’s important.
“You’ve been standing here for a while,” Joanne says with a soft smile. “Are you envisioning the nursery?”
“Actually, no,” I admit. “I was thinking about how I can’t picture the nursery, and I finally know why. The baby doesn’t belong here, and neither do I.”
Joanne’s eyes go wide. “Paige, what are you saying?”
“I thought by being independent, I was saving myself from being heartbroken again. But what I didn’t realize is that my heart has been safe all along because it’s in Nate’s hands and he loves me too much to ever break it. This is just a house, a dwelling with four walls. But it’s no longer my home, and my heart doesn’t belong here.”
“And where does your heart belong?” Joanne asks, hopefulness laced in her words.
“In Dallas…with our family.”