Chapter 26 - Tate
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
TATE
Spencer texted me at eleven, and despite the late hour and the storm outside, I left immediately.
Now I’m on my way with the wipers on high and the defrost blasting.
The front window is full of condensation, so I reach out and rub my hand through it, squinting into the dark road with minimal lighting.
I hate driving in the rain, especially at night, but I’d travel through a hurricane to reach Spencer.
The porch light is on, and his Jeep is pulled all the way up in the driveway so that I can park behind him.
I hop out without an umbrella and rush up the front steps.
Despite the short distance, I’m completely soaked.
My plain white T-shirt is drenched, and my nipples are showing through like I’m trying to win first place in a wet T-shirt contest.
Spencer’s waiting for me with the front door wide open. A flash of lightning illuminates his handsome features, and I flinch, ducking despite the fact that I’m safely under the porch roof.
“Hurry. Come in,” he urges, gently grabbing my elbow and ushering me inside just as a loud crack of thunder nearly makes me jump into his arms.
“Ugh. That drive sucked,” I whine, slipping off my wet shoes and leaving them by the front door before we head to the living room.
I glance up, noticing the exhaustion on his face and wishing I kept my mouth shut, considering he spent the whole evening in the hospital, so a ten-minute drive in the rain is nothing.
Spencer reaches out and wipes a raindrop off my cheek with the back of his forefinger. “I could have come to your place.”
My stomach flutters at his soft, gentle touch. “No, it’s fine. Seriously. I wanted some privacy since you said Jake is visiting his cousin overnight.”
Spencer nods, his gaze lingering on my mouth.
“I’m really glad you came, princess.” His eyes turn half-lidded as lust blazes between us.
His eyes wander down my body, admiring the see-through fabric clinging to my skin.
“Here. Let’s take that off. You’re soaked,” he murmurs huskily, and I can feel the blood pumping to my cock.
Spencer grabs the bottom of my T-shirt and starts to tug.
“Arms up,” he commands, and I obey. He lifts the wet shirt over my head and drapes it over the back of the kitchen barstool.
I shiver, feeling the AC blowing right on me. My nipples pebble, and my cock gets even harder.
“Come on, baby. You look cold,” he whispers, escorting me to the living room couch.
We sit down, and Spencer grabs the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch and wraps it around my naked shoulders. “I want you to know . . . the doctor cleared me for anything.”
The way he says anything makes my insides turn to mush.
“Even mountain climbing,” he adds with a cute little smirk.
“Oh yeah?” I ask with a big grin. God, he makes me so fucking happy. “You plannin’ on climbing any mountains soon, Spence?”
“Maybe,” he laughs. “It just means I’m cleared for any and all forms of physical exertion.”
We don’t blink for a minute, staring at each other while electricity buzzes between us. The connection is palpable. Visceral.
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” I whisper vulnerably, finally breaking the silence.
I tug the blanket tighter around my shoulders.
“I was worried.” Jake is definitely not a reassuring messenger, and I don’t understand why Spencer didn’t at least send me a quick text.
“Why didn’t you tell me yourself?” I ask sheepishly. I can’t help it.
The moment fizzles out, but that’s okay because I’m full of questions. There’s so much we need to talk about.
“I didn’t want you to worry. Jake wasn’t supposed to say anything,” he mutters, glancing away and sighing.
“Wait. You weren’t gonna tell me? At all?” My voice is high-pitched and jagged at the end. I don’t know why I’m so hurt. I guess I feel left out of his life, and I don’t like it.
Spencer’s dark stare flashes back to me. “Princess. There was no need to worry you. It’s just a little surface damage.” He reaches up and lightly touches his eyebrow. “I knew I was fine. My mother was just being dramatic and unreasonable. I’d rather not share the embarrassment so publicly.”
“But . . .” I trail off, not even sure what to say.
But what?
But we’re a team?
Partners?
None of that is true.
Because of me.
Because of my hesitation and resistance to the mere thought of a relationship, and to the idea that anyone could truly love me. I’m done pushing him away. I can’t do it anymore. He’s too important. “I always want to know what you’re going through. Especially when it’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” he insists. “Please stop blaming yourself.”
I glance away, unable to agree to that. It is my fault. Caleb is my fault.
“Hey.” Spencer reaches out slowly and captures my chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning my head until we’re looking eye to eye. “Stop beating yourself up. I think I took enough hits for the both of us.”
I snort at his corny joke, giving him the tiniest of smiles.
He offers a crooked grin in return, and despite his ridiculously handsome features, my eyes still zero in on the scab on his lip and the cut in his eyebrow.
My face falls once again.
“So, what exactly happened today?” I ask, getting back on track with the questions.
“My mother is what happened, and I honestly don’t think I can forgive her right now,” he says. “I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions about my health and my body. You know?”
I nod emphatically.
“Doesn’t matter that I’m still on their health insurance plan.” He shakes his head and sighs heavily. “It’s ridiculous.”
“Totally valid. You are more than old enough for complete health autonomy. I’m sorry she violated your boundaries.” Guilt eats me up for being the reason he got hurt and needed to go in the first place. “But I’m glad it was all good,” I say, motioning toward his face.
“Yeah, me too. The X-ray was clear. No signs of a concussion, and I don’t need stitches. Everything has already scabbed up nicely. My mom basically wasted half my day, blasted me with radiation, and probably cost herself a thousand dollars. If she’s lucky.”
“Damn, babe. That’s rough,” I say quietly, trying to support him and not interrupt.
“Yeah. It’s fucked up. I don’t plan to see her for quite a while, to be honest. My dad is gonna be up my ass at work, trying to get me to talk to her as soon as she realizes I’ve ghosted her.
” Another deep sigh. “I think I’m ready to find a different job when school starts.
Maybe something easy, like an on-campus position at the bookstore or even the marketplace, because this summer has made me realize that I can’t work in an office for the rest of my life. At least not under my father’s thumb.”
“I’m sorry, Spence,” I say, knowing exactly how it feels to be betrayed by a parent and wanting to freeze them out. “I know how you feel. I’m not happy with either of my parents after the divorce bombshell,” I say without thinking, taking a deep breath and letting out a loud sigh.
“Wait, what? Your parents are splitting up?” Spencer’s brows scrunch in confusion, and he looks genuinely concerned.
Shit. I forgot I haven’t told him yet.
“Oh. Yeah. My mom told me the day before the bonfire, then everything with Caleb happened and . . . yeah.” I trail off, not even knowing what to say.
My life has been a dumpster fire. “She’s actually an ER nurse, so I’m really glad you didn’t meet her.
That would’ve been just my luck.” I pause for a second as panic nearly seeps in. “You didn’t, right? Her name is Tanya.”
“No, I didn’t. Tate, come here.” he pulls me onto his lap and cradles me to his chest. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? Your parents’ separation?”
“No. Yes. No.” Fuck. I shake my head, becoming completely flustered the moment he set me on his lap. “I’m actually done talking about all of that. My parents. Caleb. All the negativity.”
I need to move on from my psycho ex and everything that happened on the beach. Leave it in the past where it belongs.
“Can we talk about something else?” I ask vulnerably.
“Of course.” Spencer hugs me tight. “Do you want something to drink? Hot tea, maybe?”
I smile fondly. He remembered that I like warm, cozy drinks when I’m upset. “Tea would be nice. Decaf, if you have it.”
“Just for you,” he says with a small smile. “Black or chamomile?”
“Black, please,” I answer, crawling off his lap.
Spencer nods and disappears into the kitchen, leaving me to gather my thoughts alone.
I’m going to tell him that I want more than just sex and more than our shallow arrangement. I know I ended things, but so much has happened since then, it’s clear that was a mistake. A very, very big one.
No one’s ever had my back quite like Spencer has, and no one has ever fought for my honor before. I close my eyes and rest my head against the back of the couch, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
The whirring of the electric kettle grows louder and angrier until it clicks off, startling me back to the real world and pulling me out of my head.
Spencer walks in carrying two steaming mugs with tea bags hanging over the rims. “A splash of milk and a spoonful of sugar,” he declares proudly.
“Perfect. Thank you.” It’s adorable that he’s so happy he got it right. He’s such a green flag. I’m an idiot for not giving him a chance from the start.
“Needs to cool down,” he murmurs before setting them on the coffee table. He sits down facing me. “What do you want to talk about?” he asks with his complete attention on me.
“I want to talk about us,” I whisper vulnerably.
The silence builds until I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin.
“Is there an us?” His dark eyes roam my face as if he’s mapping every contour and stamping it to his memory forever.