23. Nate
twenty-three
Nate
“What are you doing here?”
I turn and meet Miles’s frown with one of my own. “Working.”
“The day after your wedding?”
I shrug and pour coffee into my mug, where the sugar is already waiting. “It was too short notice to get today off.”
Miles shakes his head. “That’s not right, man. You should be home with your beautiful new wife. Better yet, you should be on your way to an extravagant vacation to celebrate your marriage.”
I clear my throat and roll my shoulders against the swelling feeling in my chest. Hearing him call Lucy beautiful has always bothered me.
She is, without a doubt, an incredibly gorgeous woman, especially in a white dress at sunset on top of the bluff at church.
But he doesn’t get to call her beautiful.
He leans on the counter across from me, sipping his own mug of coffee. “So, where are you taking her for your honeymoon?”
I drop my gaze to the steaming coffee in my mug. “I don’t know. We haven’t planned an official honeymoon yet. We’re going camping with some friends the first weekend in August, though.”
He frowns. “Camping?”
I nod. “It started as a back-to-school tradition. We’ve gone every year since we were kids and our parents took us.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re taking your brand-new wife camping, in a tent, with friends, but you haven’t planned a honeymoon yet?”
I clear my throat and shrug. “We’ll plan one eventually.”
He shakes his head and blows a humorless chuckle. “I don’t understand you, man. If I were you, I’d be whisking my new wife away to a tropical destination for at least a week.”
I shrug. “It’s different for us.”
He frowns. “How?”
I set my mug on the counter next to me. “We’re already operating as a family. We’ve known each other forever. And we have Quinn. We’ve kind of skipped a few steps.”
He shakes his head. “Just because you know each other so well and you already have a kid doesn’t mean you should skip over the newlywed phase. You both deserve some time together to adjust to being married, instead of ‘operating as a family.’ Now, you are a family, not pretending to be one.”
I cross my arms and nod. Maybe he’s right. It would be nice to put life on pause for a bit and adjust to our new family dynamic.
Someone calls Miles from the other room, and he gives me a chin tilt as he carries his coffee mug down the hall to see what they need.
I slide my hand into my pocket and start to pull my phone out, but I change my mind with a sigh. I can’t call and check in on Lucy throughout the day just because we’re married. She doesn’t want to feel like I’m babysitting her; that was one of her conditions.
My eyes widen, then I squeeze them shut and run my hand over my face.
Making breakfast for her might not have been my best move.
I was trying to be thoughtful and make sure she’s taken care of.
But what if finding breakfast made for her this morning made her feel like I’m babysitting her?
Suddenly, it feels like there’s a very fine line between making sure she has what she needs and babysitting her.
At least I erased ‘Wifey’ from the notes I left for her. Looking back, taking those off was a good call.
I wish there were a manual for this situation.
I need a rulebook for how to treat a lifelong friend I’ve always teased, who is now my wife, even though I’ve never had a romantic relationship with her.
I’ve done a terrible job navigating this, and we haven’t been married for a full twenty-four hours yet.
When we got home last night, I acted like an idiot. I made a joke about carrying her over the threshold, then remembered my promise not to touch her without her permission and stopped myself. I ran off like a scared child and hid in the shower for a while.
I almost knocked on her door and asked her to watch a movie with me or have a snack. But I lost my nerve every time, convinced that she would rather be alone or hang out with someone else.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes and pray in the silent fire hall kitchen, begging God to guide me through this.
Whipping my SUV into the driveway, I slam it in park and jump out.
I have my house key ready as I dart up the porch steps, and I’m in the house, kicking off my shoes in no time.
I run up the stairs and nearly collide with Lucy on the second landing.
Grabbing her elbows to steady her, I meet her gaze. “Sorry, Luce. Are you okay?”
She nods, her cheeks tinting pink. I drop my hands from her arms and ball them into fists by my sides to keep from reaching for her again. She stands frozen for a moment, then blinks and takes a step back.
Her nose wrinkles. “You smell like smoke.”
My shoulders drop, and I sigh. “Still? I showered at the fire hall.”
Her eyes roam my face, like she’s looking for something. “It’s not strong. I just got a whiff. Are you okay?”
My gaze meets hers, and I pause. Is she worried about me? My brows drop in a frown. “I’m fine. We got called out to a structure fire. It took a little longer to knock down than I expected. I’m sorry I’m late.”
A crease appears between her brows. “Was it bad?”
I tilt my head. “Well, no fire is good. But everyone made it out. We kept the damage contained to one building and prevented complete collapse.”
Her eyes widen as they drop to my chest. I clear my throat, still feeling parched after the morning’s events. “Look at me, Luce.” Her eyes meet mine, and I try to convince myself that I’m imagining the glassy glaze of tears building in them. “I’m okay. I wasn’t inside the building.”
She frowns. “You weren’t?”
I shake my head. “I’m the driver for my crew. My job is to make sure they have water. I stay out by the truck and monitor the pump, my guys, and the structure from the outside to make sure everything is running the way it should. I don’t go into structure fires.”
Her shoulders drop, and she nods. “Okay, good.”
My gaze falls to her shoulder, where the strap of her dress is tied into a little pink bow. I clear my throat as I slide my hands into my pockets and avert my gaze. “Were you worried about me, Lucille? Marriage is already making you soft.”
She rolls her eyes and shoves my shoulder as she walks past me down the stairs. “Hurry up and get dressed. We’re going to be late.”
I turn toward her. “I’m going to take a quick shower since I still smell like smoke.”
She spins to face me on the first landing, her gaze set in a familiar glare. “You’re going to make us late to Bible class, and I’m teaching.”
I smirk. “Is that why you’re in a rush, or are you afraid of people teasing us for being late to church the Sunday after our wedding?”
Her eyes widen, and I chuckle as I turn and stride up the steps. “I’ll be down in ten minutes. Don’t panic.”
Or maybe I’ll be down in eleven minutes to see if the vein in her neck will make an appearance.