CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
ELISE
THE HOTEL SUITE looked like a battlefield of fashion casualties. Dresses hung off the edge of the bed, shoes were scattered across the floor, and makeup palettes sat cracked open on the vanity like weapons waiting to be used.
I eyed my reflection in the mirror, shifting my weight as I assessed the blue dress Alessia had practically thrown at me the second we walked through the door. It hugged my body in all the right places, the slit high enough to tempt but not reckless enough to make me second guess my choices.
“What do we think?” I asked, smoothing my hands over my hips.
“Perfect,” Alessia answered, slipping on her earrings.
Kelsey appeared in the bathroom doorway, a smug smile curving her glossed lips. “She’s right. You look hot.”
I exhaled through my nose, pretending the compliment didn’t make my stomach flip. “It’s just a night out.”
Alessia snorted, tossing her phone onto the bed. “It’s the first night out after you crushed the opening night of your North America tour. You performed on stage with Titan, one of the biggest celebrities in the world right now. You need to act more like you made it, because you have.”
Kelsey nodded her head, already sliding on her heels. “She’s right. Tonight we’re drinking, dancing, and making terrible decisions that we’ll laugh and maybe even cringe about in the morning.”
I smiled, but there was a tension humming beneath my skin that I couldn’t shake.
I should have been thrilled. This was what I had worked so hard for.
The long rehearsals, the back-to-back nights spent perfecting choreography, all lead to earlier tonight where I performed at the Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas in front of thousands of screaming Titan fans. And yet, something felt off.
Or maybe missing.
I shook off the thought and reached for my clutch. “Alright, let’s go before I start overthinking my shoe choice.”
A sharp knock echoed through the suite before either of us could move.
I tilted my head, wondering if maybe it was someone from the hotel staff or maybe my family. I was surprised when I saw them, especially my dad, tonight in Vegas for the first show of the tour.
Things were still awkward between us since our phone call. I don’t think we’ll ever be the father-daughter duo that hug outside of birthdays or say ‘I love you’ casually, but at least I no longer felt like a disappointment, and for now, that was enough.
I may not have become a doctor or a lawyer like they wanted, but they were here in Las Vegas. In the crowd cheering me on, which was more support than I ever thought I would receive from them.
Kelsey moved to answer the door when I didn't, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was.
Nathan.
For a second, I thought I might be imagining things, that maybe the exhaustion from the first night of tour was finally catching up with me and playing tricks on my mind. But no—there he was, standing in the doorway.
Nathan’s piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, intense and unreadable, and for a moment, the entire world shrank to just the two of us.
I took in his full beard, evidence that he hadn’t shaved since the last time I had done it for him, but he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on. But the shirt he was wearing captured my attention.
The one that had been a casualty as a result of it being my first day as his assistant.
The one that had a permanent coffee stain from when I’d spilled his coffee all over him.
It was a crisp white shirt with subtle black piping along the collar and cuffs.
After some online research, I’d learned that the shirt was rare, only five of them existing in the world.
I’d never seen him wear it again, but here he was, standing in the doorway with that same shirt on.
It was worn, a little frayed around the edges with the dark brown stain, but unmistakably the same.
It wasn’t just his clothes that stole the breath from my lungs, it was the look in his eyes. Steady. Unwavering. Like he had already decided how this night would end. I stared at him, breath catching in my throat.
The sight of him wearing that shirt hit me harder than I expected.
“I may have told Nathan what room we were in.” Kelsey muttered when no one spoke. I looked at my best friend, unsure if I should be mad at her or not. “Don’t give me that look. He’s miserable without you, and you’re miserable without him. Somebody had to intervene.”
“We’ll catch up with you later to celebrate.” Alessia smiled, before her and Kelsey let themselves out, leaving Nathan and I alone.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Nathan cleared his throat softly, his gaze never leaving mine as he lifted something from his side. A bouquet of pink and white tulips, their petals soft and impossibly fresh.
“They didn’t have a ribbon, so I improvised,” he said, his mouth curving into the faintest smile as I noticed the stems tied together with what looked suspiciously like one of his silk ties.
He held them out to me, his hands steady even as mine trembled when I reached for them.
“Congratulations, Cupcake, on your first show,” he said quietly, and the way his voice wrapped around the familiar nickname sent heat curling in my chest. “You were incredible up there. I’m so proud of you. ”
The tulips felt heavy in my arms, heavier than they should have, weighted with memory, with everything unsaid between us. My throat tightened, and I looked down at the flowers just so I wouldn’t have to drown in the intensity of his gaze.
For a long second, I couldn’t speak. I could only hold the bouquet to my chest like a fragile shield and pray he couldn’t hear the riot of my heartbeat.
“Thank you,” I cleared my throat. “The flowers are beautiful, but I'm actually on my way out.” I walked over to the door and held it open for him, expecting him to leave.
I should’ve known better.
“Elise.” Nathan stared at me, a wounded look in his eyes.
“What? Did you think you’d bring me a bouquet of my favorite flowers and everything would be okay?
” I didn’t bother waiting for his response before I shut the door and continued speaking.
“You really hurt me, Nathan. My feelings for you were real, while you were what? Putting on a show? Pretending?”
“I was never pretending with you, Elise. Everything I ever said or did was real.”
“I wish I could believe you.”
“I should’ve told you,” Nathan continued. “From the beginning. Before I let anything happen between us. Before I let you believe this was… something it wasn’t supposed to be.”
I thought about Louisiana. France. Florida. He had multiple opportunities to tell me the truth, but he continued to deceive me. “But you didn’t.”
“No,” Nathan admitted. “I didn’t. And that’s on me. I hurt you, hid things from you, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for that.”
I didn’t speak. I just waited, watching as every ounce of control he usually held so tightly slipped through his fingers.
He exhaled sharply, like he was trying to steady himself, but his eyes never wavered from mine.
“I don’t recognize my life without you in it.
” His voice was rough, each word scraping against the thick silence between us.
“I used to think I liked silence. Hell, I needed it. Long days, longer nights. Coming home to peace was the only thing that kept me sane.” He let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “But then you happened.”
I swallowed, but my throat was dry.
Nathan took another step closer, close enough that I could smell the familiar scent of his cologne.
“Every night I reach for you in bed hoping you’ll be there, but you aren’t, because I made you walk away.
But you’re it for me, Elise. There are no other options.
No one else who is as strong and resilient as you.
No one who has your beautiful heart. I used to think your sweetness was the reason we could never work.
Turns out, it’s the reason I wanted to become a better man,” Nathan paused.
“I should’ve protected that sweetness, not manipulated it.
But if you give me another chance, I promise I won’t ever make you feel like it’s something you need to change about yourself. ”
Before I could react, Nathan sank to his knees right in front of me.
His gaze was raw, and desperate, and his hands gripped my thighs like he was trying to anchor himself to me.
“I fucked up. I played games when I should’ve been honest, and now I can’t breathe without you.
I’ll show up at every stop on your North America tour.
Every single one. I’ll be wherever you are, reminding you that I’m still here, that I'm yours. That I’ll never stop being yours.
You can shut the door in my face, curse me out, call security on me—fine.
But I’ll be back tomorrow, and every day after that until you believe me when I say I’m not going anywhere.
Ever. Say the word, baby. Whatever it is, I'll do it. Just,” His voice cracked, and my heart clenched so hard it hurt.
“Don’t leave me without the sound of you in my life. ”
I blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the sting behind my eyes.
Nathan Edge doesn't beg.
But right now? He was on his knees in front of me, stripped of every ounce of armor, laying himself bare in a way that sent my pulse into a tailspin.
This wasn’t the kind of breakup that could be healed by time or a tub of my favorite ice cream.
Believe me, I tried.
The only way to stop the pain was to give my heart what it wanted. “Look me in the eyes and promise me we’re real.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks like a waterfall as Nathan immediately stood up and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face into his chest before he pulled back and clutched my face in his hands. “We’re real baby. We’re so fucking real. I promise.”