9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Samantha
This afternoon I’d learned something earthshaking about Nate: he was fun. Not only that, he hadn’t been having nearly enough fun in his life.
I had to be the one to drag him off the mountain. Left up to him, he’d be taking a ride down the slide again.
Seeing his happy, flushed face when he reached the bottom was the most endearing thing I’d ever witnessed.
Nate Wells loved alpine slides. He loved going fast, the wind in his hair, his heart galloping in his chest. He loved the edge of controlled danger. Being the one to give him that made me warm all over.
He’d turned my day around too. I’d let go of my anxiety over the bed situation and had almost forgotten we’d be mingling with my entire family over cocktails this evening.
Almost.
Now, we were all dressed up. Nate, sleek and handsome in his navy-blue suit, sans tie, his shirt perfectly crisp and white, hair immaculately windswept. Just having him walk in beside me boosted my confidence.
It helped when he clasped my hand in his and his thumb took up its rubbing duty. The quivers inside my belly settled, like he’d found a magic button on me that released serotonin.
He dipped his head as we rode the elevator, his mouth near my ear. “Did I mention you look beautiful tonight?”
Goose bumps pricked my bare shoulders. “You forgot.” I grinned at him, my nose nearly grazing his chin. “Thank you. You look even more handsome than usual.”
“It must be all the sun I got earlier.” His mouth curved as his eyes danced over mine. “And the company.”
We weren’t alone in the elevator. My aunt and uncle were in front of us. They’d acknowledged me politely before turning their backs. Nate was being sweet for their benefit. To show them I could be treated with kindness and reverence.
And even though it was pretend, I couldn’t stop my toes from curling in my strappy sandals.
I’d dressed carefully. My deep-fuchsia dress reached my knees and scooped just low enough on my chest. Modest without being obviously so.
Pretty, but not so showy anyone would think I was trying to upstage my sister.
With my heels on, I was a little taller than Nate, but he didn’t seem to mind. Of course, this wasn’t real. I imagined he wouldn’t love being towered over by his actual girlfriend. My past boyfriends had definitely been annoyed by it. I simply refused to wear flats on the basis of principle.
We reached the ground floor, and my aunt and uncle scurried out of the elevator, putting distance between us as quickly as they could, lest anyone think we were together.
Or maybe they were thirsty for free cocktails.
Nate’s hand was firmly wrapped around mine as we stepped onto the patio reserved for the event. Waiters wove through the smartly dressed crowd of my and Josh’s family and friends, carrying silver trays laden with hors d’oeuvres and flutes of champagne.
“Should we get a drink?” Nate asked.
“Please,” I agreed readily. “A strong one.”
Chuckling, he led me to the bar on the far side of the patio, then ordered for me, like the gentleman he was.
As soon as my drink was placed in my hand, I sucked it down greedily, trying to take the edge off my anxiety.
Nate was more calm, bringing his beer to his lips for small sips as he scanned the patio.
My sister was easy to spot in her white sundress, a small crowd around her. Her silky dark hair shone in the setting sunlight, and her cheeks were flushed from either the wine in her hand or the happiness of the occasion. Maybe both.
Our eyes caught for a moment, and she snapped hers away without acknowledging me.
That was fine.
Nate took my hand again, stroking the inside of my wrist and along my thumb. The knot in my belly began to unfurl inch by inch.
We found a high-top table to rest our drinks on. Nate leaned his shoulder against mine, his head swiveling as he studied the other guests.
“Do you know everyone here?”
I shook my head. “Half of them belong to Josh, I think. They could be Kelly’s college friends and coworkers too. I don’t really know.”
He nodded toward my sister on the other side of the patio. “That’s her?”
“Yeah. That’s her.”
“Hmmm.” He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to. The sound was loaded enough.
I looked at him, knowing exactly what he was seeing. “We don’t look alike.”
His gaze slid over to me. “No, you don’t.”
“She looks like our mom. Decker does too.”
He nodded. “You don’t look very much like your dad either.”
I shot him a tight smile. “I know.”
I didn’t really want to get into the reason for that. Not here. Thankfully, I was saved by the cool utterance of my name and an icy cold touch on my shoulder.
I turned, coming face-to-face with my mother. “Hi, Mom.”
Marla Blackwell was undeniably beautiful, tiny as a speck.
Her dark hair and vibrant blue eyes gleamed under the twinkle lights strung overhead.
Her burgundy dress had been custom-tailored to follow the shape of her graceful curves, and in her heels, the top of her head reached my shoulder when I dipped to hug her.
“You look nice.” A high compliment from her. “Fuchsia complements your skin tone well.”
“Thank you.” I straightened and aligned myself with Nate, feeling more confident by his side. “Let me introduce you to my boyfriend. This is Nate Wells. Nate, this is my mom, Marla.”
He took her hand in his, shaking it gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Blackwell.”
“You too, Nate.” She pursed her scarlet lips, her eyes bouncing between us. “I had no idea you were a couple. I always assumed it would be Adrian.”
I had to stop myself from snorting. Everyone assumed that, even after all these years. It was getting old. “Adrian and I have only ever been friends. You know that.”
She lifted her delicate chin. “Well, it’s not often a man and woman can be so close without it becoming complicated.” She seemed to catch herself and what she was implying in front of my boyfriend. Taking a breath, she smiled at Nate. “I’m happy to be wrong. The two of you look lovely together.”
Nate wrapped his arm around my back, his fingers curling around my waist. “Samantha is the one doing all the heavy lifting in the loveliness department. I’m just here to frame her.”
“You clearly have no idea how incredible you look in a suit, Nate.” I smoothed his lapel and tapped a button on his shirt. “It’s not fair to the other men.”
My mother made a choking sound in the back of her throat. “Have you spoken to Kelly and Josh? You really shouldn’t hide over here in the corner all evening.”
“She seemed busy when we arrived. I’ll catch her when she’s free. I haven’t seen Josh yet.”
With a sigh, she curled her fingers tight around my wrist. “There’s no time like the present. Let’s get this over with so everyone can enjoy their evening.”
With that barb poorly wrapped in niceties, she pulled me through the crowd. My mother had always been surprisingly strong, despite her diminutive size, so I didn’t put up a fight.
Not that I would have. Not in public.
In private either. She’d trained me well.
Kelly was standing with Josh and a few older relatives. At first, Kelly didn’t move when we approached. After a hard glare from our mother, she stepped forward, giving me a brief hug.
“Glad you could make it,” she muttered beside my ear.
“Me too. You look beautiful.”
Josh was slightly more warm, his hug lingering. He had a knack for that. Hugging too long. Standing too close. Looking too hard. “Lovely as always, Samantha.”
“Thanks, Josh.”
I took one step back, and Josh’s hold on me slid down my arms an inch at a time, his gaze trailing over my body.
Then Nate was there, pulling my back against his chest, his hand resting possessively on my hip.
Taking his boyfriend job seriously.
Introductions went around, with Nate’s last name bringing more interest than they’d ever had in me.
My father appeared from nowhere, and our small group quickly split into two as Josh and my father peppered Nate with investment questions, leaving me with my mom and Kelly.
They started discussing bouquets and caterers while I stood with them, crunching on the ice from my drained glass.
Weddings were a big deal. There were a lot of moving parts, especially one like Kelly’s, where everyone was coming in from out of town.
There were events all weekend and a million different things that had to go smoothly.
It made sense they had to discuss it. Really, what else could they have talked about?
Kelly and I hadn’t spoken in ages, but this weekend wasn’t about me. When a waiter passed, I grabbed a canapé from her tray then a flute of champagne from the waiter who soon followed.
The melon and prosciutto were delicious, and the champagne went down smoothly. Though I expected no less from a party thrown by Marla Blackwell. When it came to her events, she threw herself in wholeheartedly.
“—right, Samantha?”
I lowered my glass from my mouth. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
My mother huffed with impatience. “I said you won’t show up wearing white tomorrow, right?”
“Uh, no. Why would I?”
“Exactly.” Kelly flung her hand wildly. “I simply can’t believe Georgia thought her dress was appropriate. Even Samantha knows better.”
I ignored the dig, following their gazes to my brother’s wife seated by herself on the other side of the patio. Her floral sundress stretched over her round belly, which she was using as a table to balance a plate.
“She looks nice,” I managed to say around the ball of hurt lodged in my throat. I hadn’t known she was pregnant. No one had bothered to tell me.
“Nice? She’s wearing white,” Kelly hissed.
My brows drew together. Sure, the background of her dress was white, but it was mostly covered in a vibrant floral pattern. I really didn’t see the problem.
“I don’t think anyone will mistake her for the bride. It’s barely even white.”
Kelly’s face turned bright red, and my mother grabbed my wrist again. This time, much tighter. I should have been prepared. I should have been used to it by now. After all, this was her spot. Most of my childhood had been spent with a cuff of bruises around my wrist.
Tonight, however, I hadn’t been ready. My bones creaked in her grip, taking my breath away for a moment.
“That’s not helpful, Samantha,” she admonished. “White is off-limits.”
“I understand.” I blinked several times to keep from wincing at how hard my mother was squeezing me. “I can see why that might upset you, Kelly. But everyone is looking at you tonight.”
My sister rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why Decker had to get her pregnant before my wedding. They could have waited until after, but nooo, he had to find a way to make it about him.”
If my mother hadn’t been holding me with bruising force, I would have said I doubted Decker had been thinking about his sister while he’d been knocking up his wife, but I decided it was better to keep that to myself.
Fortunately, they lost interest in me soon after, and I was released. Nate and I made eye contact, and it only took him a moment to break away and come to me.
He put his hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I’m—” I rolled my lips over my teeth, willing myself to get it together. “I’m fine. I found out my brother and his wife are expecting a baby any day now.”
His brow dropped. “You didn’t know?”
I shook my head. “No. I didn’t know.”
His sigh was warm against my temple when he pressed his cheek to the side of my head, and leaning into the loose circle of his arms around my back was nice. Almost a hug but not quite. But what really mattered right now was it didn’t hurt.
“Have we been here long enough?”
“Probably not.”
He backed away, his eyes darting between mine. “We’re going to leave anyway.”
I nodded. “I’d really like that.”
With his knuckle, he lifted my chin. Then he took my hand in his, and we walked out together, my head raised high.