Chapter Sixteen – Nathan
Chapter Sixteen
NATHAN
Haven sat beside me in the bean bag chair and intently watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving . At some point, Maggie made her way over and sat with us. Haven had started playing with Mag’s hair and braided it. I wasn’t the least bit surprised that Haven was good with kids. She had a heart like no one else I had ever met.
I glanced at her once more and smiled. I had been about to ask Haven if she would move in with me but then Josh had interrupted us. I’m glad I hadn’t, though. It was too soon to be suggesting that, even if I wanted to spend every moment of the day with Haven as I could.
Haven leaned closer to me and whispered, “Do you need anything? I’m going to run to the restroom.”
I shook my head. It was then that I noticed Maggie had fallen asleep. Haven carefully lifted the little girl from her lap, gently laid her on the bean bag, then ducked down and high-tailed it out of the room.
Maggie wiggled and sat up. “Where did Miss Haven go?”
“She had to go potty. She’ll be back.”
Maggie nodded, then made her way onto my lap, where she promptly snuggled against my sweater. “I’m cold, Uncle Nate.”
I wrapped my arms around her, causing her to giggle. “Oh, no! Let me get you warmed up, little one.”
“I’m not warm yet!” she stated with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Not yet?” I asked in a whispered voice. Suddenly, a small blanket made its way in front of me, and I glanced up to see my sister smiling down at me and her daughter.
“This might help.”
I took it and covered up Maggie. “Thanks, Lily.”
“Want me to take her?”
With a shake of my head, I held onto my niece tighter. “No, she’s fine here. I hardly ever get to spend time with her.”
Lily was bent down, attempting not to block the screen from those in the back. “She’s going to fall asleep.”
Kissing the top of her brown curly head, I breathed. What was it about little ones that made them smell so good?
“She’s fine. Go spend some time with your husband.”
My sister reached over and kissed my cheek. “You know, Nate, someday you’re going to make a wonderful father.”
I nearly choked. “A father? Let’s not put the cart before the horse, Lily.”
She shrugged. “I’m simply pointing out a fact. By the way, I really like Haven.”
Smiling, I nodded. “I do too.”
“Me twee,” Maggie mumbled as Lily and I both chuckled.
“If you get tired, just send her my way.”
“I won’t get tired, so please go spend some time with your husband.”
Lily looked over her shoulder. “He’s asleep. I lost him about ten minutes in.”
Turning around, I tried to let my eyes adjust to the room’s darkness. Sure enough, Maverick was sitting in one of the recliners sleeping.
“Mommy, I don’t feel good,” Maggie suddenly said, pushing off of my chest. “I think I’m going to twow up.”
I had never stood and handed my niece to my sister so fast. Lily laughed and cradled her daughter to her chest. “Come on, sweetness. Let’s go see what we can do for that upset stomach.”
“Nate, sit down!” Josh whisper-shouted.
Instead of sitting back in the bean bag, I decided to see what was keeping Haven. I quickly made my way out of the theater room and started toward the kitchen. Faint voices could be heard, and I slowed when I heard Haven.
“Are you excited about the dog park?”
The question came from my mother.
“I am. I’m also a bit scared. Meeting Sophia was a huge blessing, and lifted a large weight off of my shoulders, but it’s still daunting. Nate has helped me so much as well.”
“He has?” my mother asked.
“He tried to be sneaky and made an anonymous donation, which allowed me to pay off the van and the business credit card.”
“That sounds like Nathan,” my mother replied. I could hear the smile in her voice. “He has one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever known, and I’m not saying that just because he is my son.”
Haven let out a soft chuckle. “There might be some bias there.”
Before they could keep talking about me, I cleared my throat. “What are you two doing in here?”
Haven looked up and smiled so big it made my heart jump in my chest.
“Girl talk,” my mother answered.
“I heard my name,” I stated as I walked up, kissed my mother on the cheek, and then kissed Haven.
Haven and my mother exchanged a look. “I was telling your mother about your donation.”
“Oh, that.”
With a roll of her eyes, Haven replied, “Yes, that. It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.”
I drew in a breath and exhaled. “I just want you to be happy, Haven.”
Her breath drew in sharply as my mother touched her heart. “Oh, so very much like your father.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
My mother winked at me.
“Oh, Haven, there you are,” Grace said as she walked into the kitchen. “I hate to do this, but I am exhausted and ready to head home. I’ve already said goodbye to Stella and thanked her for having us.”
My mother walked up to Grace and drew her in for a hug.
“Let’s plan to get the girls together for lunch soon. It’s been so long.”
Uncle Brock made his way into the kitchen. “Grace, I wanted to catch you before you left. Do you have ten minutes to give to me?”
Grace looked to Haven who said, “Yes, please go ahead, Mom. I’m not in a rush.”
“Great! I won’t keep her long,” Uncle Brock stated as he motioned for Grace to follow him to Granddad’s office.
Haven wore a worried expression on her face.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” I said as I leaned against the kitchen counter.
Haven’s head snapped to look at me. “Do you know what it’s about?”
I looked at my mother who gave a slight nod of her head.
“Um, yes. We’re looking to hire someone on the ranch to be an administrative assistant. Someone to help Blayze with the day-to-day office work, as well as payroll, appointments, etc. The position pays well and would include health insurance.”
Haven’s eyes went expansive and hopeful. “Oh my goodness, what made you think of my mother for the position?”
My mother reached for Haven’s hand. “We all thought it would be something Grace might be interested in.”
Haven’s gaze met mine, and she smiled. A sense of relief washed over me. I had been worried Haven might have looked at it as a job offer made out of pity. I knew how proud she and her mother were, and none of us wanted them to think that was the case.
Haven walked over to me. “Did you have something to do with this?”
I shrugged. “Maverick said he had overheard Blayze and Hunter talking about the need to hire a full-time person to help them in the office, and my mother and I thought of Grace.”
She took my hand in hers. “Thank you. That was sweet of you to think of her.”
“Are you leaving with your mom, or did you drive separately?”
She grinned. “I left my car at her house.”
“Do you want me to drive you there to get it? You can stay the night with me if you want. I have the rest of this weekend off.”
Her eyes lit up. “I don’t have any dog walks planned this weekend. Most of my clients are either out of town or spending it with their family.”
I placed my hand on her hip and drew her a bit closer to me so I could lower my voice. “So, what you’re saying is, we have the whole weekend together?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
The urge to lean down and kiss her was almost too much, so I stepped back and dropped my hold on her. My chest squeezed when her eyes darkened.
“Can we leave now?”
Haven giggled. “I need to go say goodbye and thank you to Stella. I’ll be right back.”
Reaching up, she kissed me quickly, then made her way out of the kitchen.
I leaned against the counter and brought my hand up to my chest to rub at the familiar feeling I got whenever Haven was near me. Was that something I would get used to, or would I always feel this way? If I was being honest, it wasn’t anything new. The last few years I got this feeling whenever she was near me, but not as strong as over the last week.
“I’ve seen that look before.”
My mother’s words brought me out of my thoughts. “What look?”
She smiled. “The look of someone head over heels for another person.”
I couldn’t help it. I felt the corners of my mouth tip up. “I am head over heels for her. I’ve never felt this way before, Mom. Every day, it seems to grow stronger and stronger. She’s all I think about. When I’m at the ranch, I want to be where she is. When I’m with her, I’m thinking about how to keep her with me longer. It’s pure insanity.”
She laughed. “That, my dear, is called being in love. And it’s pretty clear she feels the same way about you with how she watches you when she doesn’t think anyone notices.”
I glanced to the floor and kicked at nothing. “I don’t know why I didn’t take the risk of loving her before now, but I’m glad I finally opened my eyes.”
I felt her hand on my arm as she gave it a tight squeeze. “You opened your heart along with those beautiful eyes of yours. The big thing now is not to mess it up.”
“Do you think I will?” I asked, my stomach instantly feeling sick.
A lighthearted laugh came from her. “No, I don’t think you will.”
Haven walked back into the kitchen only to have Grace and Uncle Brock arrive only seconds later.
Grace looked at Haven and smiled. “Looks like I found a new job.”
Haven let out a small squeal of delight and hugged her mother. “That’s wonderful, Mom. Congratulations.”
Uncle Brock looked my way and grinned. “I’m going to head on back to the movie. You take care, and we’ll see you next week.”
Grace shook his hand and replied, “Thank you, Brock. You’ve given me the most amazing opportunity. I cannot thank you enough.”
Uncle Brock nodded his head, said his goodbyes to Grace and Haven, and made his way out of the kitchen. My mother walked everyone to the door while I grabbed their jackets. The temperature had continued to drop, and when I opened the front door, a burst of cold wind went past me.
Turning to my mother, I hugged her. “Tell Grams I said thank you for everything. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She kissed me on the cheek and said, “Be careful driving. If you want, dinner Sunday at our place.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Bring Haven as well.”
I smiled. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart.”
After picking up Haven’s car from her mother’s house, we drove straight to my house. We weren’t in the door two seconds before I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. Haven melted into me, and we were soon lost in the kiss.
We broke apart, and I leaned my forehead to hers. “Thank you for coming today.”
Smiling, she replied, “I had so much fun, Nate. So did my mother. Your family is amazing.”
“I think they are as well.”
“And the job offer for my mother, you should have heard her on the way home. She couldn’t stop talking about it. And the best partishealth insurance! She’s never had that before, so this is huge.”
“It was perfect timing.”
Haven nodded. “It really was.”
I took her bag and started toward my bedroom. “You know, you should bring some stuff to keep here.”
“Stuff?” Haven asked, sitting on my bed.
“Yeah, you know, like, a toothbrush, shampoo, extra clothes, things like that.”
Her brows pulled down slightly. “You want me to keep stuff here?”
I smiled. “Yes. It would make it easier for you on the nights you stay here. You don’t have to pack all your stuff up.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “You don’t think it’s too soon for me to bring my…stuff…to your house?”
I sat down on the bed next to her. “If I’m being honest, I almost asked you to move in with me earlier before Josh interrupted us.”
“That’s what you were going to say! I was wondering.”
We both turned to face one another. “I know I’m moving at warp speed, Haven, with telling you I love you and now asking you to move some of your things in with me, it’s just…”
“It’s just what?” she asked.
“Now that I have you in my life, I want to spend every second I can with you. I don’t want to miss out on anything. I want to ask you how your day was as we cook dinner together. I want to kiss you goodnight and make love to you each morning.”
Haven took my hands in hers. “I love that you want all those things because I want them as well. And as much as I want to scream yes, I will move in with you, we honestly don’t know much about each other, Nate. Do you leave your towel on the floor or, worse yet…on the bed when it’s wet? Do you put the dishes in the dishwasher, or do you let them stack up in the sink until you have to load them in the dishwasher?”
I laughed. “I hang my towel up after I dry off. I cannot stand dishes in the sink, and one of my favorite things to do to de-stress is clean.”
Haven stared at me for a few seconds. “Okay, could you be any more perfect?”
I winked. “I could try.”
She giggled. “How about we do this. I’ll bring a few things over to make staying the night easier. Then we take it day by day and see how things go.”
“I’m not letting you go now that I have you. I hope you know that.”
“That’s good because I feel the same way. I’ve been in love with you for far too long to let you just push me away ever again.”
I stood and reached for her. “Trust me, Haven, I will never push you away again. Not ever.”
Haven wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted to kiss me. “Now that we have that settled, what should we do now?”
“How about we make some popcorn, change into something comfortable, and settle in for a movie?”
“That sounds wonderful to me. Do you have any movie candy like Stella did?”
I frowned as I thought about what I had in the pantry. “I have some Milk Duds and Mike and Ikes.”
“I love Milk Duds! That is perfect,” she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. “You pop the popcorn, and I’ll get the Milk Duds. Once the popcorn is done, we can put the Milk Duds in it.”
“Whoa…what?”
She turned and looked at me as she opened the pantry door. With her nose crinkled in the most adorable way, she asked, “You’ve never mixed candy in with your popcorn before?”
“No! That is gross, Haven.”
Her mouth fell open. “How is that gross?”
I shrugged as I stepped around her and walked into the pantry to get the popcorn. “Here are the Milk Duds.”
I took two bags of popcorn and headed back into the kitchen to put them in the microwave.
“I cannot believe you’ve never mixed anything in with your popcorn. The hot popcorn melts the chocolate some on the Milk Duds and it is so yummy.”
Leaning against the counter, I watched as Haven took a few boxes of the Milk Duds and poured them into a large bowl. “I’ll give it a try, but I’m not sure I’ll like it. I like my popcorn full of butter. Hence the Butter Lovers popcorn.”
She giggled. “Just trust me. Once you have this, you will never eat popcorn alone again.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Just wait. Which movie did you have in mind to watch?” she asked.
“Your pick tonight.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really, really.”
Tapping her finger on her mouth, she looked up as she thought about it. “How about we watch Love Actually ?”
“Who is in it?”
Haven’s mouth fell open. “You’ve never watched Love Actually ?”
I shrugged. “Can’t say I have.”
She jumped and clapped her hands. “Oh, this is going to be amazing!”
“I take it it’s a chick flick.”
With a quick shake of her head, she said, “You are in for a treat!”
I laughed. “What do you want to drink?”
“How about we open a bottle of wine?”
“You want to eat popcorn with Milk Duds in it and drink wine?”
She nodded, and those dimples appeared. I knew right then and there there was nothing I would deny Haven Larson. Nothing.