Chapter 42
forty-two
NATHALIE
Nathalie dropped her keys onto the kitchen counter and hung up her purse. Her feet ached, they were swollen, and her back was killing her. That morning hadn’t been any better, and she’d awkwardly stared at Greer as she’d come into the house and skittered up the stairs. They hadn’t even said a single word to each other.
Lachlan had at least reacted better and had checked in with Greer when she’d dropped the twins off. Then she’d promptly updated and scolded Nathalie as soon as she’d gotten to work that morning. But the house was quiet now. Too quiet.
She pulled off her shoes and left them by the back door, too tired to pick them up and put them where they belonged. And the cold wood floor against her toes felt heavenly. She sighed into the feel and relaxed her shoulders. That had been a really long day at work, especially with Abagail hovering over her shoulder every five seconds, trying to ask her questions and hinting at the drama of the last weekend.
And she’d had to tell a patient today that they’d lost the pregnancy.
Those were always the hardest days. No matter how far away she was from her own miscarriages, it still stung to have to be the one to deliver that news to someone. She just wanted to go to bed, curl up in a ball, take a nap, and then deal with Alaric. But she couldn’t. She needed to figure out which house her son was at and start in on getting dinner ready for him.
She had her phone in her hand as she walked into the living room, trying to see if they were in the playroom even though she suspected they weren’t because of how quiet it was. She was just about to call Lachlan when Greer walked through the front door and shut it behind her. Alone.
Nathalie paused, the phone in front of her body, as they locked eyes. “Where’s Alaric?”
“Lachlan’s.” Greer frowned at her. “She said something about hiring a sitter for tonight, said it was your idea.”
Nathalie frowned. Lachlan and Ivy would plan to do that so that she had no way to escape the conversation that they wanted her to have with Greer. “Perfect,” she muttered and slipped her cellphone into her pocket. “No, I didn’t arrange for a sitter.”
“Oh. Well…” Greer frowned. “I can go get him.”
Nathalie shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “No, Lachlan did this on purpose.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Greer shoved her hands into her pockets. “But I can go get him if you want him home.”
“It’s fine.” Nathalie bolstered herself and glanced at the couch. There were too many memories there for her to have this conversation. Her bedroom was also out for the count, too personal, even if that was really where she wanted to end up.
“Is everything okay?” Greer stepped in closer to her, but she still kept enough space between them so that they weren’t touching.
Nathalie appreciated that, even if she wasn’t sure if it was because Greer was scared to approach her or not. She was nervous. This was ridiculous. She shouldn’t be this nervous. She should be perfectly comfortable talking with Greer about an issue that they needed to resolve, but that tension settled high in her chest, and it was impossible to make it vanish. It’d been there all day.
“Oh fuck this. Are you quitting or not?” Nathalie braced for the inevitable. She wanted to know so that she could plan for the future that she didn’t want. She held her breath, keeping her gaze locked on Greer’s face, needing to know this answer as soon as humanly possible.
“I…” Greer furrowed her brow. “I haven’t decided yet, I guess.”
“Well, last weekend you quit, and then you were gone all weekend, and I just…” Nathalie shoved her hands into her pockets and pushed up on her toes, letting the cold floor seep into her skin even more. “I need to know. We need to know.”
“If I have to decide right this second, then I guess my answer is yes. I’ll still be resigning.”
Those words rained devastation into Nathalie’s heart. Her lips parted, and her breath came in short rasps. She curled her fingers into fists and the muscles in her body tightened out of control. “Are you sure?”
“I mean, you didn’t really give me an option to think?—”
“Are you sure?” Nathalie repeated, really needing to know. “Because I need to know.”
“Know what?” Greer frowned, like she wasn’t understanding what Nathalie was asking.
“Are you leaving us?” There. That question was closer to what Nathalie was asking, wasn’t it? Maybe Greer could understand it now.
“Oh.” Greer rocked back onto her heels, her face morphing into sadness, and it broke Nathalie’s heart. “I don’t see what reason there is to stay.”
“Stay?” Nathalie blinked. “There’s every reason to stay.”
Greer shook her head. “Not really.”
“Yes, there is,” Nathalie insisted. “They love you.” As soon as the words left Nathalie’s lips, she knew where she’d gone wrong. She was taking the complete wrong approach to this one. Loosening her muscles, she moved her hands out of her pockets and stepped in close to Greer. She softened her tone as she cupped Greer’s cheek and pulled her in. “I love you.”
Their lips touched. Nathalie held Greer close and lightly, caressing her as their lips moved against each other, as the kiss deepened and then eased.
“I love you,” she repeated, kissing Greer one more time. “And that’s why you should stay.”
“Are you sure?” Greer stayed right where she was in the circle of Nathalie’s arms, but she looked so delicate. Nathalie had never seen her like this before, seeking Nathalie’s approval as if she was ready to snap if she didn’t get it.
“Yes.” Nathalie smiled, and she slid her hand from Greer’s cheek to her jaw, holding her tenderly. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Because you haven’t really said anything?—”
“Look, I’m not good with words or emotions or trust, which should tell you something because I don’t say this randomly or at a whim. I say it to Lachlan and Ivy, but not often. I love them. They’re my best friends and have been for years, and I’ve come to realize I love them beyond mere friendship.”
“All right.” Greer pulled her lip between her teeth.
“And I love you.” Nathalie was getting frustrated. She’d now said this three times over, and Greer still wasn’t believing her. “Because of who you are, because of how you fit into this crazy family that we have, because of how you are with Alaric and the twins and Leon and Shepherd, because you made me realize that I do need you. I need all of you.”
“But where does that leave me? Because I’m not Lachlan or Ivy.”
“No, you’re not.” Nathalie stepped forward, pushing Greer into the wall in the front hallway. “You’re Greer. And you’re steady, and calm, you’re amazing with all of the kids and chaos, and you are loved. Just like them.” Nathalie brushed her fingers across Greer’s lips.
If she closed her eyes, she swore she could feel Greer’s mouth on hers, the scent of her arousal.
“I just want to be with you,” Nathalie murmured. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Greer finally reached up, tangling her fingers in Nathalie’s hair, and pulled her in. The kiss was brutal and quick, fast and hard. Nathalie moaned, her eyes fluttering shut and her heart racing. Had it worked? Was Greer really going to stay and be with them?
She just needed to know.
“Greer,” Nathalie said, breaking the kiss. “Are you leaving?”
“No.” Greer pulled her back in, their lips and tongues melding together, sliding against each other. Nathalie stepped into Greer, pushing her hard against the wall and sliding her thigh between Greer’s legs. Greer’s hands moved up and down her back, around her waist to her hips. “No, I’m not leaving.”
“Thank God,” Nathalie muttered before diving back in for another kiss. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t let me go,” Greer whispered, pulling Nathalie in even closer. “Don’t ever let me go.”
“No, never.” Nathalie kissed a trail across Greer’s jaw to her ear. “Never.”
Greer sighed, her fingers digging into Nathalie’s sides as she held onto her tightly. She tilted her head up and Nathalie nipped at Greer’s earlobe, sucking on it and flicking her tongue over the edge. Her heart was full, completely full. She’d never imagined that this was possible to feel. Nathalie scraped her teeth and blazed a path down Greer’s neck to her collar bone.
“Greer?”
“Hmm?” Greer responded, not sounding like her brain was entirely there.
“I’d love to fuck you right now.”
“Fuck yes.” Greer pushed her hips out and slid her hand between them to cup Nathalie’s breast and play with her nipple.
Groaning, Nathalie pressed her face into Greer’s neck and chuckled. “The problem is that my body is physically exhausted after today. And this pregnancy… well, I’m not as young as I was when I had Alaric.”
Greer pulled away, concern crossing her features. “Are you sick again?”
Nathalie shook her head but then nodded. “I’m always a little sick. If I eat regularly, it helps, but the nausea is always there. I just ignore it.”
“Ew.” Greer frowned. “So no sex?”
“Yes, sex.” Nathalie kissed her loudly. “Just not against a wall.”
She took Greer by the hand and walked decidedly toward her bedroom. She didn’t stop until she reached the bathroom in her bedroom and immediately let go of Greer’s hand so she could start the water. “I’ll let you in, but if you judge me about the temperature, I’m kicking you out.”
“Because it’ll be cold?” Greer asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“No.” Nathalie winked. “Because it’ll be hot. I refuse to have a cold bath. I won’t cook the baby alive. I promise you.”
Greer laughed and turned Nathalie to help her start to get undressed. “Baths aren’t the easiest thing to have sex in, you know.”
“I know.” Nathalie sighed as Greer pulled off her shirt and tugged off her bra. As soon as her breasts were released from the confines, it was like heavenly glory until the ache started in her nipples and moved straight back up them. Fuck pregnancy sometimes. She’d loved feeling Greer touch her through her clothes, but she was fairly certain that without clothes might be just a bit too much.
Ignoring her body, Nathalie stepped forward and kissed Greer, sliding her hands along her body to touch and feel just as much as Greer was doing. Just knowing that Greer wasn’t going to leave, that she was going to stay with them, settled her heart. All the tension that she’d been carrying with her all day vanished. She didn’t want to be anywhere else but right here with Greer at this moment.
Greer’s hands were at her waistband, pushing her pants over her hips. Nathalie was so caught up in kissing her that she barely even noticed when Greer slipped a hand between Nathalie’s legs and slid her fingers inside. She gasped.
“I’ve got you,” Greer whispered. “Grab onto me.”
“I said…no wall.”
“You’re not against a wall,” Greer responded, sliding her thumb against Nathalie’s clit. “You’re in my arms.”
Nathalie sighed and moaned at the same time. She dropped her forehead to Greer’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around Greer’s back, holding onto her tightly. She wasn’t going to be able to keep herself upright for this one, not without help.
She gasped, rocking her hips into Greer’s hand. Her body was on fire from the touch, from the brush of her nipples against Greer’s breasts, from the way she pushed her toes into the tile to keep herself balanced, from the sound of the rushing water into the bathtub. It overwhelmed every single one of her senses.
“Greer.” Nathalie gulped down her name, trying to say it again and again, but the word just wouldn’t leave her lips.
She grunted, tightening her grasp around Greer.
“I’ve got you. Don’t worry.” Greer continued to chant, and finally Nathalie closed her eyes and let herself go. Relief washed through her along with her orgasm, filling her and consuming her. She hadn’t realized just how good that would be, just how much she needed to find release in order to let go so much of that tension that she’d been carrying with her.
Greer slowed her touches, and she kissed Nathalie on her cheek and neck, still holding onto her tightly so that she wouldn’t be worried about falling. Nathalie relaxed into Greer’s grasp, letting herself be fully supported by her. Well, if that wasn’t a metaphor for what she’d needed to do all along. Nathalie’s lips quirked upward at that before she released a breath.
“Bath.”
“Yes, bath time.” Greer brushed her fingers down Nathalie’s back to her ass. “Let me get in first and then I can hold you. I’m pretty sure that’ll be the only way that we’ll fit.”
“Okay.” Nathalie stepped away, holding onto the edge of the bathroom counter to make sure that she could stay upright without falling over.
Greer bent over the faucet and turned the water off after checking the temperature. Nathalie didn’t miss that move, even though she was distracted by looking at Greer’s ass. Greer stood back up, a mischievous light in her eyes as she started to undo the belt and button on her pants.
“How did you know that Ivy would like to get hit?” Nathalie asked before she could stop herself.
Greer’s cheeks turned bright red. “She, uh…” Greer stopped and put her hands on her hips as she eyed Nathalie over. “The first time we had sex, there was a happy accident when I was taking my pants off, and I accidentally hit her with the edge of my belt. Instead of jumping or yipping, she groaned. I told her we’d try it some time.”
Nathalie hummed and nodded. “And do you like to be spanked and belted?”
Greer froze again, her eyes locking on Nathalie’s. “On occasion, yes.”
“Excellent.” Nathalie nodded at her to continue to get undressed. “Bath.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Greer winked as she dropped her pants and her underwear after taking off her shoes. She turned around and bent over the tub to stick her fingers in the water and test it before sliding in.
Nathalie stayed right where she was for another minute, looking Greer over before she decided to follow her into the bath. They were both laughing when the water spilled over the edge onto the floor. Greer instantly tried to clean it up, but Nathalie held Greer’s hands around her body and relaxed as best as she could into the awkward embrace. They wouldn’t make it long in the bath, but it was a nice thought that they could attempt to share one.
Without thinking, Nathalie started to move Greer’s hands across her body, over her breasts, across her abdomen that was hard instead of soft like it used to be, down between her legs. Greer didn’t hold back, sliding her fingers through Nathalie’s wet folds and slowly touching and teasing her again.
This was exactly what she’d wanted, touch, comfort, love, and hope.
“I love you, Nathalie,” Greer whispered.
Nathalie sighed into that thought. She closed her eyes and let Greer touch her. “I love you, too.”