“No, serious,” I said. “You’re so open and pure and honest, whereas I am…scared and cowardly and broken. At least I was, but I think you’ve managed to fix me.”
“And you have managed to complete me,” Natalie said.
We just stared across the table at one another, and I felt purpose rush back into my life.
“Chance?”
“Yes?”
“I think you owe me a kiss,” she said with a shy smile.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Natalie
I saw a glimmer of desire spark across his eyes as he got up and walked to me. I got to my feet, too, and we embraced. He held me for a long, silent moment and the second we broke apart, his lips came down on mine until we were locked in a passionate kiss.
“I think that’s about as much as we can do in public.” Chance laughed, as we pulled apart. “Maybe we should get out of here and head back to my place?”
“We ordered food, remember?” I reminded him.
“Damn it,” he sighed. “Guess we better sit down then.”
I nodded, and we took our seats again. “So, was that kiss your way of telling me that we’re back together?” I asked, only half teasing.
He smiled and reached for my hand. “These last few weeks were so difficult for me,” he admitted. “The only thing I could concentrate on was you… I wanted to tell you so many times, but… I just couldn’t.”
“I wish you had told me,” I said.
“You wouldn’t have accepted the break up if I’d told you the truth,” he pointed out.
“Of course not,” I agreed. “How could I let Jason get away with that?”
“He would have ratted on us,” Chance pointed out. “And you wouldn’t have been able to graduate.”
“I wouldn’t have cared.”
“Which is exactly why I refused to involve you in this,” he said. “I needed to protect your future.”
“The only future I want is with you,” I said blatantly.
“You say that now—”
“I’ll say that always.”
Chance smiled. “You’re a wonderful person, Natalie,” he said softly, squeezing my hand. “But you’re young…”
“Which counts against me why?” I demanded. “Does youth mean you don’t know your own mind? Because I think that’s complete nonsense.”
Chance smiled at my indignation. “Sometimes how you feel now might not be how you feel ten years from now.”
“You were scared I would blame you one day,” I realized.
“Yes.” He nodded. “And, I didn’t want you to have any regrets. I knew I had to protect you. How could I claim to love you if I acted selfishly?”
“I understand.” I nodded. “But as much as I get it now, it was still so hard for me. I didn’t know how I was going to move on. It seemed impossible to do.”
“I felt the exact same way,” he said. “And it was worse knowing how badly I’d hurt you. I am sorry for that. I hate that I made you cry.”