“I…I don’t know.” I bite my lip—hard. I want him to come. It would certainly be better to tell him about the baby face-to-face rather than on the phone, but really, I just desperately want to see him. I’m also terrified by the very idea.
“It could be a quick visit, just a day or two… Fuck! I’m pressuring you. I didn’t want to pressure you, but I want to see you so bad. I’m sorry. I’m trying.”
“It’s okay,” I say automatically.
“There you go again.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sigh and wipe my checks with the back of my hand. “I’ve been in a fog since I got back here, and I think you have probably done a much better job of dealing with what happened than what I’ve been doing.”
“Are you…are you all right, Cherry? I should have asked that in the very beginning. I mean, I’m sure it’s been hard, but…”
“No, Nate. I’m not all right.” I break down in choking sobs.
“Oh, Cherry, baby…”
“I’m sorry!”
“Don’t be sorry,” he says softly. “I wish I was there to hug you. Is there anyone there you can talk to?”
“Not really. Not about this.”
“Can I come see you?” he whispers. “Please, Cherry. Please let me be there for you.”
And there it is, the question I’ve been dreading, the question I’ve been yearning for too. What do I tell him? Has he suffered enough? Now that I know about his father, does he deserve to suffer at all? Do I need to prolong this agony, either his or mine? Do I love him enough to hear him out?
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank you God.” Nate let’s out a shuddering breath. “I’ll get Reid’s buddy to fly me. Is there an airport nearby?”
“Well, yes, a small one. You’re going to fly?”
“I couldn’t possibly wait as long as it would take to drive there. In a plane, I can be there by early afternoon. Can you pick me up?”
“Yes.” I can’t believe this is happening. “I can be there.”
I quickly look up the airport information and relay it to him.
“I’ll text you with an ETA as soon as we’re ready for takeoff.”
*****
I sit in the car as the temperature starts to drop, heart pounding and palms sweating despite the cold. A small plane has just landed at the county airport, and I can only assume it’s Nate’s. It travels down the small runway and stops. A man I don’t recognize jumps out of the left side of the cockpit, and I wonder if it isn’t Nate’s plane after all.
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.”