Then I see him.
He comes around from the other side of the plane, an overnight bag gripped in his hand, and looks around until he sees my car. He says something to the pilot and starts to walk towards me quickly.
Without hesitation, I open the car door and rush to him. He drops his bag and his arms close around me. I press my cheek to his chest and absorb his warmth as he tightens his grip around me, his lips pressed to the top of my head. It feels so right. So perfect.
“I missed you so much,” he says. “I’ve been a wreck just thinking about you.”
“I’m sorry,” I reply, not loosening my grip at all.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he says. “I’m the idiot.”
“I shouldn’t have just ignored you.”
“I deserved it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, allowing myself to just feel him around me again and wondering why I waited so long to talk to him. Fear? Stubbornness? It doesn’t matter anymore. I take a deep breath and relax my hold on him.
“Don’t pull away.” Nate speaks softly, but I can hear the emotion in his voice. “Please don’t pull away from me.”
“I didn’t mean to…” I shake my head. “I didn’t expect to be so…overcome.”
It’s the hormones.
“I knew I would be,” he says. “I’m glad you made the first move. I was trying to figure out how I was going to restrain myself.” He runs his thumb over my cheek and leans in slightly, stopping just short of our lips meeting.
I grab the back of his head and press my lips to his. I feel his tongue in my mouth as he groans, wrapping his arms back around my waist and holding me tightly. I finally break away, breathless.
We stand there, staring into each other’s eyes as a few flurries swirl around us. Nate runs his hand over my cheek again and shivers.
“Damn, it’s cold,” Nate says. “Maybe we should at least get in the car? Maybe go get something to eat?”
“Um…” I glance at Nate and then back at the car. I am a little hungry for the first time all day, but the last thing I want to do is take him to a restaurant where everyone will know me and ask about him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s get in the car.”
“All right.” He gives me a look but then gets in the car after placing his bag in the trunk. “How far is it to your house?”
“Half an hour.”
“So, are you hungry or not?”
“Let’s just find something at my place.” I start the car and pull out onto the main road to head back to Accident.
“What is it?” Nate asks. “You don’t want to be seen with me?”
“Um…well, it’s not exactly that.” I let out a long sigh. “I’m just not ready for people’s questions.”
“Would you know people at the restaurants around here?”
“I pretty much know everyone who lives in Accident.”
“Really? How many people live here?”
“Um, a little more than three hundred, I think.”
“Wow. I thought Cascade Falls was a small town.”
“Cascade Falls is a thriving, gangster-run metropolis,” I reply, and Nate laughs briefly, then glances at me nervously.
“I guess I shouldn’t laugh,” he says. “I’m not really sure how you feel about all of that.”
“It’s not like I was shocked to hear it from you,” I say. “I’d already figured out some of it. That stuff with your father though…that was a bit much.”
“I’m not even sure what to say,” Nate whispers. “Even knowing what caused it, I feel like an idiot—a crazy idiot. I think…I think I always knew he was gone, but I just couldn’t quite accept it. I wasn’t ready to lead this family. I’m still not ready.”
“Everyone else seems to think you are.”
“They don’t have a lot of choice.”
“Really? Are you sure about that?”
“What do you mean?” Nate asks.
“Do you really think your sister would let you run the family if she thought you weren’t capable of it? I hardly see Nora as someone who would just sit back and let you screw everything up.”
“No, she really wouldn’t.”
“Then maybe you aren’t giving yourself enough credit.”
“Maybe.” Nate sighs and looks at me intently. “Do you think less of me now, Cherry? Do you hate me for what I do, what my family does?”
“No. Maybe if you did those other things—drugs and whatever.” I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I’d feel about that. I don’t know if I could live with that.”
“Does that mean…?” Nate pauses for a moment. “Are you thinking you might be able to live with it?”
“I’m thinking about it in general terms.”
“Oh.” Nate looks out the window. “I am probably hoping too much. Too soon, at least.”
“I’ve had some time to think and process,” I finally say.
“And?”
“I admit it scared me in the beginning but mostly because I was afraid you might be doing something really bad.”
“Oh, so I was a gangster, but now I’m a nice enough gangster?” Nate snickers.
“Something like that. Making forgeries…well, it doesn’t seem as bad as dealing drugs or committing major felonies. It’s more…what’s it called? White collar crime.”
“Maybe.” Nate shrugs and then goes quiet for a minute. “I’m still not…not always a good person. This business is illegal, and sometimes I have to do things that are worse than making a fake ID.”
I feel my limbs go cold.
“Have you…?” I can’t form the words.
“When we were in Cascade Falls that night—the last time I saw you—I promised to be honest with you. I know what you want to ask, and I’m going to keep that promise.
