Chapter 26
NATHAN
Nathan stared as the producers emerged from the hallway that led to the exam rooms. All three looked furious. One of them waved his hand at the cameramen and sound guys.
“We’re leaving. Pack up.”
Nathan hurried over, disbelieving. “What do you mean, you’re leaving? Are we delaying the shoot?”
“No, the show’s off.” The producer shook his head.
Nathan blinked. His first thought was one of relief — not having to do the show was wonderful news.
When he’d planned a heartwarming and educational show about small-town life and the importance of his work, he’d been almost excited, but now that the show had turned into a scandalous drama that would ruin his reputation and possibly his career, not doing it was a huge relief.
His second thought was about Zoe. This would most likely ruin her career — she’d be crushed. She’d worked so hard on this show, and now it was falling apart.
It doesn’t matter, Nathan told himself firmly. I can’t trust her.
“The show is off?” Nathan repeated.
“That’s what I said.” The producer practically rolled his eyes. “And you can thank Ms. Devine for that.”
With that, he stormed out of the waiting room. The camera crew slowly followed, carrying their equipment. A few sent Nathan apologetic looks. Within minutes, the clinic only held patients and Nathan’s staff. It was as though the show had never happened.
“What’s up, Doc?” one patient asked.
“It looks like we’ve had a change of plans,” Nathan said, smiling. “But don’t worry, you’ll still get the medical care you need. Just give me a moment.”
He left the waiting room and strode to his office, where he collapsed into his desk chair and set his glasses on the desk. The producer had said he had Zoe to thank for the show being canceled. She’d promised to get the pregnancy reveal pulled, and this must have been the only way to do it.
She’d sacrificed her career and the show she’d worked so hard on to prioritize his privacy and his career.
Nathan’s head began to ache. Zoe had been doing everything she could to fix her mistake (which was at least as much Nathan’s fault as hers — he was the one who should have turned off his mic) while he’d been furious with her.
He’d treated her terribly, all because he’d thought he couldn’t trust her.
All she’d really done, though, was tell one small lie about her previous qualifications almost two months ago, a lie that didn’t really matter.
After all, she was clearly great at her job, whether or not she’d worked with doctors before.
Nathan rested his head in his hands, rubbing his temples against a sudden headache.
Zoe had told him she was pregnant, and he hadn’t even said anything.
He’d been so overwhelmed by the sudden pregnancy reveal, and that all their future viewers would know about it, that he hadn’t been able to form a rational thought.
Now that the show was gone and he had a little space to think, Nathan felt truly awful.
He’d pushed Zoe away and been cold to her, all while she’d been trying to help him.
Yes, she’d lied, but he’d never even stopped to hear her explanation.
He’d been so certain that she’d been using him the whole time.
Now, it was clear she hadn’t been, or she never would have sacrificed her show for him.
There was a knock on the door.
“Just a minute!” Nathan called. He couldn’t see a patient right now, not when he felt this awful.
“It’s me.” Maya’s voice rang out from the hallway. After a moment, she opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. “Nathan, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“There’s been a lot of that these days,” Nathan said drily. Then he realized that it sounded like he was upset with Maya, which he wasn’t, and quickly asked, “What’s up?”
“I think you should talk to Zoe,” Maya said. “She’s still in town, at least for now, staying at the B&B. It’s booked through the weekend — she told me in an email when we were discussing logistics for the shoot — but I’m not sure if she’ll stay now. You should go… if you want to see her.”
Nathan was on his feet in an instant. There was nothing to consider — he had to see Zoe. At the very least, he had to apologize for how he’d treated her.
“Can you reschedule my appointments for the day?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Maya.” He patted her shoulder, then hurried past her and out the back exit. He strode towards the B&B, his heart racing. Now that his anger with Zoe was gone, he remembered how much he cared about her and how much he’d missed her. Islingburn didn’t feel the same without her.
A month ago, Nathan had told Zoe their night together was a mistake, because he’d been too scared of what might happen.
Now, everything he’d worried about had happened — the show had crashed and burned, and they had stopped speaking to each other — even though Nathan hadn’t told Zoe how much she meant to him.
He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Nathan hurried up the path to the B&B door. Iris opened it, and, as soon as she saw Nathan, she smiled.
“She’s upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
Nathan slipped past her and took the stairs two at a time.
He remembered Zoe’s room from last time, and he went straight to it.
The door was open, and Zoe was knelt on the floor, folding clothes into an open suitcase.
She’d pulled her hair back into a bun, and she still wore the professional outfit she’d had on this morning, when Nathan had told her to leave Islingburn.
His heart clenched. How could he have been so mean to her?
“Zoe?”
She turned slowly towards him. Her expression was shuttered.
“Nathan? What are you doing here?”
“I heard that the show is canceled.” He crossed to her and reached out to help her to her feet. She stood on her own, not accepting his help. “I had to see you.”
“You aren’t mad about the show being canceled, are you?” Zoe asked. “It was the only way to keep the pregnancy reveal out of it.”
“I’m not mad,” Nathan said quickly. “I’m relieved, actually. Very relieved. I know that the show being canceled is a disaster for you, but it’s great for me, and I appreciate so much that you did that.”
“Oh.” Zoe managed a thin smile. “Well, good. I’m glad I could start to make things right. Listen, I can’t really talk. I have to drive to Burlington and catch a flight back to the city.”
Nathan’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t let Zoe leave, not without apologizing. Not without telling her how he felt.
“Don’t go,” he said.
“What?” Zoe’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t go,” he repeated. “Zoe, I am so sorry. I’ve treated you absolutely terribly, and you’ve only been trying to do the right thing. I shouldn’t have avoided you this last month. I shouldn’t have said our night together was a mistake — it was the best night of my life.”
“Really?” Zoe’s brown eyes widened. “I… But I lied. You said you couldn’t trust me.”
“I was an idiot.” Nathan shook his head. “I should have let you explain.”
“I can explain,” Zoe said. “I lied about working with other doctors because my career was on the line. I was worried you weren’t going to work with me, and I do have a lot of experience with similar clients — just not doctors.
You were already so hesitant, and I was sure if I told you the truth, you would have walked away.
I’m sorry for lying, though. I was an idiot. ”
So, it had been just one lie. One small, easy-to-forget lie. It didn’t matter.
“No,” Nathan said. “I was the idiot. I just… I closed my heart off to love a long time ago. I thought I would be a bachelor forever, and I was okay with that. I was — until you came into my life. You changed everything, Zoe.”
Zoe bit her lip and placed one hand on her collarbone. She looked uncertain, and that broke Nathan’s heart.
“You have every right to be angry,” he said. “But I want you to know that I trust you. I care about you. And there’s nothing I want more than you — you and our baby.”
“Our baby,” Zoe repeated. She glanced down at her still-flat stomach. “Really? Are you really okay with being a father?”
“I’m more than okay with it,” Nathan told her. “I can’t wait. I know parenthood will be a huge challenge, but as long as we face it together, I know we can do it.”
She looked up at him. “I know I made a lot of mistakes. I lied about my experience. And then I accidentally revealed the pregnancy to everyone. Are you sure you can forgive me?”
“Zoe, there’s nothing to forgive.” Nathan took a single step closer. “I messed up just as much as you did. I should have checked that mic pack. I should have given you a chance to explain. I feel terrible about how I treated you — I never wanted to hurt you, but I did. Can you forgive me?”
“Oh, Nathan.” Tears sprung to Zoe’s eyes.
Then she closed the distance between them and fell into his arms. He held her tightly, rubbing her back and savoring her soft floral scent.
It felt so right to hold her again. Nathan couldn’t believe how close he’d come to never having Zoe in his arms again.
After a moment, she pulled back and looked up at him, her soft brown eyes shining.
“You’re all I want, too,” she said. “I want to be with you. I want to raise our baby together.”
“What about your career?” Nathan asked.
“I can repair my career.” Zoe smiled. “It might look a little different, but I’m sure I can figure something out. Anyway, it doesn’t matter as much anymore, not when I have you and our little one.”
Nathan kissed her cheek. “You’ll always have me.”
“What if we have another misunderstanding?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I promise, when we have another misunderstanding, we’ll talk it out. I won’t run off again.”
“Good, then.” She smiled up at him, then lifted onto her toes and brought her lips to his.
The kiss was soft and gentle, but full of feeling, and Nathan pulled her closer and kissed her back.
The world seemed to stand still as they held each other, and, in that moment, all was right with the world.
Nathan was with the woman he loved, she was with him, and they were going to have a baby together. Nothing could be more perfect.