CHAPTER FORTY
ELISE
THERE WAS NOTHING like visiting home after being away for so long. Rosewater, Florida was a slice of me that I took with me into the big city of Los Angeles, though it was moments like these that made me feel as if I never left at all.
The last time I was here was seven months ago for my birthday slash Thanksgiving dinner where my family insisted on decorating my brother’s living room in Fall colors and pictures of a festive turkey despite me being adamant over the years that I hate meshing my birthday with the beloved holiday.
It all evened out I guess, since my friends threw me a Jordan Year surprise party for my twenty-third birthday when I returned and Nathan paid for a full day at the spa.
A tinge of sadness roped its way around my heart at the thought of Nathan and how he was miles away right now.
Thanks to my stay in the hospital, I did miss my mother’s birthday party but with Nathan’s help, I was able to get an all new flight and I arranged with my family to have a late birthday dinner for my mother, but that meant I was going to have to spend the next few days away from Nathan.
Something dark and delicious skirted down to my belly as I flashed back to last night.
“Did I tell you to stop?”
“Don’t look away. I want to see everything you’re feeling.”
An infant’s cry peeled through the air and I forced the X-rated images swarming around in my head to the furthest corner of my mind.
The last thing I needed to be thinking about before seeing my parents was sex, partially because it was madly inappropriate and secondly, because I wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t jump back on a plane that would take me back to Nathan’s for another round.
Yes, it was that good.
God, if Nathan could hear my thoughts it would just inflate his already giant ego.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look adorable when you try not to blush?”
Surprise rippled through me down to my toes at the throaty voice behind me.
Nathan was here.
I would’ve thought I was still asleep on the plane had it not been for the familiar scent that washed over me at his nearness; that wasn’t something that I could duplicate in my dreams.
It took me all of two point-five seconds to snap out of my stupor before I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. “What are you doing here?”
“There’s a promising artist based in Miami that I wanted to come check out myself to see if they are Edge worthy.” Nathan explained.
“Really?” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice but failed.
“No.” Nathan replied instantly, making me tilt my head in confusion. “The truth is, I saw my beautiful girlfriend getting on a plane and realized that I didn’t want to be away from her tonight.”
A cage of butterflies unleashed itself in my belly.
“You know, if this whole CEO thing doesn’t workout for you, you should try your hand at writing love songs.” I teased.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Nathan chuckled before he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
Realization of where we are and why we’re here slammed into me harder than a wrecking ball.
Parents.
Nathan.
Here.
Together.
Did Nathan want to meet my family? Were we even in that stage of our relationship? Did I want him to meet them or did I want to keep him a secret a little while longer?
This seemed like a conversation we should’ve had before either of us hopped on a plane, but in all fairness, I never thought my two worlds would collide this soon.
The good news was I didn’t have to have all the answers at this very moment, which was why I schooled my face into something resembling calmness and gave Nathan a small smile.
“Yeah.” I let my smile spread a little wider. “Are you in a rush to head to your hotel?”
“Not really,” Nathan cast a look sideways towards me. “Are you?”
“No,” I swat his chest at the insinuation in his voice. At least I’m not the only one who couldn't stop thinking about last night. “I was just thinking about how this is my chance to show you where I grew up.”
There was a whole other side of me, a whole other life that I lived before moving out to California with Kelsey and the more I thought about it, the more excited I was to share that part of me with Nathan.
There were so many places I wanted to show him.
The childhood home that I grew up in until I was about fourteen years old.
The pizza shop my friends and I frequented on Senior Ditch Day (Even when we weren’t seniors at the time)
My old high school.
“Lead the way.” Nathan told me as he entwined our fingers and guided us out of the airport.
Normally, I’d be tired from a flight, especially with how little sleep I got the night before, but I was surprisingly cheerful and full of energy as I showed Nathan a few of my old stomping grounds, starting with my old childhood home which still looked the same despite the amount of time that passed.
Regret and embarrassment surged through me like a storm when I realized I brought one of the richest men in the country to one of the roughest neighborhoods in South Florida. I hadn’t thought much about it until we were standing in front of my old apartment door.
It was like being transported back in time as I stared at the black gum that was glued to the cracked steps, the peeling dark green paint on the railings and the trash littered around as if they were daisies.
Not really your brightest moment bringing your rich boyfriend here.
The voice chided me until Nathan kissed my forehead and said, “You must be so proud of how far you’ve come from the girl that lived here.”
There was no condemnation in his voice. There were no judgmental eyes.
Just pure, unadulterated sincerity. It was the first time I thought about how far I had come since I moved away from here.
I graduated high school, got accepted into one of the greatest colleges in California and graduated.
I ran in similar circles with the big names and faces of the people I used to have their pictures as the wallpaper of my cellphone, and I shared a beautiful home with my best friend.
All in all, I was pretty damn proud of myself.
“And this is where I had my first kiss.” I announced as I gestured towards the spot on the sidewalk in front of my old high school when we arrived after leaving my childhood home. “I was fifteen.”
“Fifteen?”
“Yes,” Color tinted my cheeks. “I was not as sexy as I am now,” I joked. “So it took a little longer for guys at school to notice me.”
“I had my first kiss at eleven,” Nathan bragged.
“No one likes a show off.” I playfully rolled my eyes.
A light chuckle escaped his lips. “So, did this guy have a name?”
“Yes. I’ll never forget it. His name was Spencer Hall. He was a junior and it happened one day when he was walking me home from school. I thought he was so cute and the best kisser ever.” I giggled, amused at the memory of awkward fifteen-year-old me and Spencer kissing.
“Best kisser, huh?” Something dark and possessive attached itself to Nathan’s voice, but instead of being frightened of it, I wanted it to come out and play.
“Oh yeah. I still think he’s one of the best kissers till this day.” I bit down on my lower lip to keep my laughter from spilling out.
“Really?” Nathan took a step towards me. “Sounds like I have competition.”
“Sounds like it.” I watched as Nathan took another casual step forward, even as he oozed with confidence.
“And you know how much I hate competition,” Nathan continued.
“So if he’s your best kiss then that must mean he kissed you like this.
” Nathan’s mouth swooped down and captured my lips in a hard, demanding kiss that left my knees feeling weak.
“Or maybe even like this.” He brushed his lips against mine, biting down on my lower lip as he pulled away.
“Or maybe your best kiss went a little something like this.” And his lips crashed against mine, his tongue demanding submission as he plunged and devoured my lips as if they were the answer to a prayer, but the sounds he was pulling out of me were anything but pure.
A loud honk from a passing car jolted us apart, snapping us back to the reality that we were standing in the middle of the sidewalk in front of a high school in broad daylight.
“Okay,” I said when I was finally able to find my voice. “You are officially the best man I’ve ever kissed.”
“Last man, Cupcake. I’m the last man you’ll ever kiss.” Nathan corrected me and the butterflies in my stomach quadrupled until all that was left was the abounding clarity that I was in love with Nathan Edge.