Chapter 26
Nash checked his messages for the fifth time since Addison had walked out.
It wasn’t like it would change from two seconds ago.
The shop seemed duller today. Addison hadn’t shown up to work.
Eric had given her the week off after the attack, but something in Nash worried she wouldn’t come back. Please come back. To work and to him.
Yesterday, he’d made himself a promise not to call or text Addison again. Four times was enough. Space. That’s what he was doing—giving her space. Even if it felt wrong.
If there was one thing he learned in the army, timing was everything. He cringed at the words he’d written in the heat of the moment. Did he grovel? Yes. Was he mad? Confused? Hurt? Yes.
By the third text, all he’d sent was a what the fuck? No wonder she’d ignored his messages.
After talking to Cade, the cloud of confusion and frustration started to lift. They strategized, so the next time he picked up the phone, he had a plan. No desperate typing, just calm, assertive words.
He called. While the phone rang, he implemented focusing and calming techniques he’d learned in the military.
They hadn’t steered him wrong yet. His chest tightened at the sound of her voice on the message.
Of course she didn’t pick up. He wouldn’t either after the slew of messages he’d sent.
A crackhead on a three-day bender made more sense than he had.
“It’s me. I don’t… I don’t understand what’s going on.
” This was just a disagreement. They needed to talk it out because Addison was his.
His caveman instincts reared its head. Nash pushed back the possessive beast. It wasn’t the time.
Blowing out a breath, he continued, “This thing we have deserves an open conversation. So take your time, and I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.
” He hovered a finger over the end button. “And Addison, don’t take too long.”
That was yesterday, and other than a check-in he’d missed with his mother, his phone had been silent.
The caveman inside was clamoring to go deal with this situation.
Go to her house. When she opened the door, grab her face, kiss her silly, and then make love to her until all thoughts of leaving him vanished from her mind for good.
But timing was everything. And patience was a virtue. One Nash was struggling with at the moment.
Maybe he should have gone with Cade’s plan of chocolates and flowers?
He slammed down that idea. This was Addison. She got those from every guy she’d ever gone out with. She was a pageant queen, for God’s sake. But she also played catch with Davey and cuddled his dog.
Nash stood in his bay at work and stared at his phone.
“Hey man, you workin’ today or scrolling social media?” Leon called from across the shop.
“No.” Nash closed his phone, but didn’t open his toolbox.
“No, what?”
“Tell Eric I had something to do today.” Nash grabbed his keys and jogged out the door.
Cade slid from his car as Nash unlocked his Cutlass. “Where are you going?”
“It’s time.”
Cade smiled. “Go get her, man.”
“That’s the plan.” But he had to make a stop first.
A soft brush of fur pulled her thoughts. Lu meowed.
“Oh, sorry, buddy.” Addison looked up from the cat dish she’d been filling. Kibble had spilled all over the counter. According to the time on the stove, she’d been zoning out for the last five minutes.
She brushed the extra food back into the bag. “Sorry, Lou. It’s been a rough week.”
Sleep eluded her, and it showed. Every time she closed her eyes, images of Corey or Amber or some other faceless person from her past was gunning for her.
But in every one of those dreams, Nash was there, riding to her rescue.
She set down the cat’s food and took her coffee to the kitchen table. Addison sat. She pushed the mug away and dropped her head into her hands.
After talking to her mom yesterday, she wanted to run to Nash’s house, bang on his door, and beg for his forgiveness, but…
What if that voice, the one she’d listened to when she walked out, was right?
Not to mention, she’d never groveled before.
Never pursued a man. And here she sat, second-guessing everything.
This was tearing her apart. All she wanted was to curl up in Nash’s strong arms and let him make all her decisions from now on.
She snorted at herself. “Silly much?”
But something about the way Nash took charge shot tingles through her body.
She rolled her head from side to side on her palms. “Damn pride.” Yes, that’s what kept her from marching over to his house and begging like Lu did for cheese, even though he was lactose intolerant.
She peeked through her fingers at Lu.
He blinked and gave her a long look.
“Yeah. I know. I’m the one making it hard.” She leaned back in the chair and picked up her phone. She played Nash’s voicemail again. God, she loved the sound of his voice.
But for the first time, she actually listened to his words. He was right. He deserved a conversation. If she’d taken the time to talk to him about her concerns, she might be in his arms right now.
Who was she kidding? Addison had always been headstrong and independent. No more.
Bullshit.
She winced. Okay, not as often.
She pulled up his contact and had typed in the first word when her doorbell rang. A rush of hope flooded her veins. Nash?
Pushing back the chair, she ran-walked to the door, pulling up short as she reached for the knob. The last weeks had taught her some self-preservation.
She peeked through the glass. Her heart fluttered. She smoothed a shaky hand down her T-shirt, then gripped the doorknob. Would he want to work this out? Should they?
With more force than needed, she yanked open the door.
“Hi.” Her breathy sound startled her.
Nash’s piercing blue eyes crinkled at the edges. Those tiny lines sent butterflies spiraling in her stomach. “I said I would give you space and time, but I’m not a patient man.”
She stepped back, letting him inside. Her heart fluttered.
“I was just about to call you.” Liar. She had been going to text him. The only problem was she didn’t know what she was going to say. Now that he was standing in front of her in all his hotness, she’d better figure it the hell out.
“Addison.”
“Nash.”
“You go first.” He gestured for her to continue. Well, shit. Now she had to figure out what she was gonna say. If she could only have kept her mouth shut. Not one of her better traits.
“I owe you an apology.”
“No, you don’t. You’ve had a lot going on in the last few days, the last few weeks, really. I want you to know I’m here for you.” His words lingered, as if he wanted to add more.
“Why do you have to be so perfect?”
A hint of a dimple flashed on his cheek.
Tears welled in her eyes, and those dimples disappeared, replaced with concern.
“Honey, what’s with the tears?” Nash wrapped her in his arms, and she let him, resting her head on his shoulder, letting the tears fall and soak into his shirt. She rocked her head from side to side.
“No, no.” She pulled back and looked up at him, blinking away the excess moisture. “You’re perfect, but I’m not perfect for you.”
“Honey, you’re gonna give me a big head if you keep telling me I’m perfect, but I know for a fact that none of us are perfect. Certainly not me. And as far as whether you’re perfect for me, let me be the judge of that.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. It scares me.”
“Honey, it scares me too, but it scares me more to not have you in my life.”
Fight for it, girl.
Addison moved to the couch, taking him with her, hand in hand, and pulled him down to sit beside her.
If she was going to fight for him, for them, she needed to explain her reasons for leaving.
“With everything that’s going on, all these people in my past that I had no idea had it in for me, I just…
I can’t. I can’t put you and Davey through that.
And God, the selfish part of me really, really wants to, because I love you both so much. ”
Shit. She slapped a hand over her mouth. That did not come out the way she planned.
“You do?”
She nodded, hand over her mouth.
Those blue eyes of his sparkled brighter than the Caribbean in full sun. “I have racked my brain on how to make a grand gesture. To open up to you, to show you I’m worthy of you.”
“Nash—”
He held up his hand, gently pressing a finger to her lips, silencing her.
“No, let me finish. I thought of all the facets of you, everything from where you play ball with Davey, or listen to my mother, or stand up for your friends. I couldn’t pin down just one thing that explained why I love you. Why you consume my heart, my whole heart.”
“Whole heart?”
“Yes, my son will always have my heart to some extent, and my family and my friends, but you, Addison Benedict, you have captured it all. You are the glue that binds all of the parts together.”
She sniffled. “That’s the best grand gesture I’ve ever heard.”
“And to think, I was going to buy you a tiara.”
“Is that still an option?”
He rolled his eyes.
“Never mind. I have a few of my own.” She leaned into him and laid a soft kiss on his lips. “Your heart is way more valuable, anyway.”