I wrap my arms further around him and pull him down into me as his words play over and over again in my mind. I mean, I could have sworn he just said he’s been in love with me since we were twelve. “It’s ok,” I tell him as I hold on for dear life, feeling completely overwhelmed by his admissions. “I get it now.”
“It will never be ok,” he tells me. “What I did…” he trails off as he shakes his head in disgust. “I swear, Tora. I will make it up to you.”
“I don’t want you too,” I tell him. “You already have. You were right before when you called me your girl.” He pulls back to look down at me. “Over the past few weeks, you’ve wormed your way inside and I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, I forgave you.”
He searches my eyes, but I’m not done yet. “I want to be with you and not just in the ‘get naked together’ kind of way, but truly be with you. I want to share my life with you because over the past few weeks I’ve learned that you’re not the asshole I always thought you were. You’re so much more than that and I’m starting to fall hard for that guy.”
He brings his lips down and kisses me as he runs his fingers through my hair. “Are you sure?” he questions.
“Yeah,” I say. “I mean, as long as there are no more secrets between us.”
He cringes and I pull back. “Then you should probably know that I was the one who told your mom you weren’t eating at fourteen.”
“What?” I gasp as I look at him with betrayal.
“I’m sorry,” he tells me. “It’s just, I didn’t like seeing you like that and I couldn’t help you without making it worse. I had to. I couldn’t let you go on like that.”
I nod my head as he leans his forehead against mine. “Anything else you need to admit to?” I question.
He grins down at me. “On your car keys you have that diamond keyring that says ‘Trixie’,” he says.
“Yeah?” I question, wondering what the keyring dedicated to my dead dog has anything to do with him.
“That was from me.”
“What?” I shriek with wide eyes. “No way. Mom and dad got me that after she died.”
“No,” he says with a smirk as he slowly shakes his head.
“But it was on my bed.”
“I know,” he grins. “I put it there, but I swear, you will never understand the satisfaction I feel every time I see it dangling from your keychain.”
I stare up at him in wonder. “You’re unbelievable.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I think I like you a whole lot more now,” I tell him. “But there’s only one issue.”
“What’s that?”
“When you were not dumping Ashley, you told her you don’t do the whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing,” I remind him. “I’m not like Ashley. I’m not the kind of girl who will be there just for sex.”
“I don’t want you just for sex,” he tells me. “I’ve never done the girlfriend thing because none of them were you.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. “What are you saying, Nathaniel?” I tease.
“Are you seriously going to make me say it?” he questions.
“After everything you’ve put me through… yes. I’m going to make you say it.”
He lets out a sigh and runs his knuckles down the side of my face. “I’m saying I want to be with you, Tora. I want you in my life every damn day. I want to love you and I want to fight with you. I want to kiss you any time I want and I want you to hate on me every time I screw up. I want to creep in through your bedroom window and have your dad chase me out the door with his gun when I get caught. I want to stand in the store, staring at all the tampons trying to figure out which fucking one to choose. I want it all, Tora, but only with you.”
I grin up at him and press my lips to his. “Fine,” I groan. “But only because you won’t shut up about it.”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
“Oh, yeah,” I laugh as I push up to kiss him again.
An hour later, I hear the sound of Brooke attempting to break down the front door. “Tora?” she calls out. “Nate? Jesse? You guys better not still be in bed.”
I groan as I look up at Nate. “Do you think she’ll go away?” he asks me.
“Nope,” I laugh. “So, unless you want her to barge on in here and get an eyeful of your ass, then we better get dressed.”
“I do have a nice ass,” he grins.