apter 106
There’s a hand in mine, and when I blink my eyes open, it tightens.
“April.” A heavy exhale. “Are you awake, baby?”
1 turn my head to the side, and Nathan Ashford’s gorgeous face fills my vision.
“Wha
Everything comes rushing back in a split second.
I’m lying on a hospital bed in the Ashford Estate clinic.
I’m lying there because I passed out from exhaustion.
I was exhausted because I didn’t eat, drink, or sleep for two days.
I didn’t eat, drink, or sleep for two days because-
I sit up like an uncoiled spring. “Summer!”
“April-”
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand, shivering slightly when my bare feet land on the cold tiles.
“June,” I gasp. “Is she—”
“Hey, hey.” Nathan steps into my path, stopping me from moving. He cups my face and tilts my head up to look at him.
“June is fine,” he assures me in a firm voice. “She drank some soup, watched a bit of TV and now she’s sleeping.”
I try to move out of his grip. “I have to see her.”
He doesn’t budge. “She’s sleeping,” he reiterates. “She needs the rest.”
His hands move from my face to my shoulders, and he gently pushes me onto the bed. “And so do you.”
I exhale. “I’m fine.”
“No, April, you’re not.”
“I’m-”
“You’re not!”
My eyes widen slightly, shocked at his outburst.
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Chapter 106
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Nathan runs his hand through his hair, taking a small step away from me. “I know you were scared, April. Seeing June like that was awful for me so I can’t even imagine how it was for you, but
He falls to his knees before me, taking my hands in his.
I look down at him, slightly stunned.
“Your eyes glazed over like you had disappeared inside your head. You wouldn’t move unless someone moved you. You wouldn’t talk or look at me or-”
His head drops into my lap, and a shudder runs through him. I gently run my hand through his hair, feeling tears brim in my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper shakily. “I–I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Nathan looks up at me. That’s when I notice the redness in his eyes and the bags underneath them.
“I’m sorry, Nathan.” I cup his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
He wraps his arms around my waist, pressing his face against my stomach. The force of his exhale reverberates through my whole body. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s all okay.”
We stay in that position for a while, my hand gently running through Nathan’s hair while he holds on to me tightly, like he’s scared of letting me go.
The longer I sit there, his arms around me, the more my mind swirls, round and round, picking apart every detail of the incident, weighing all the variables–till it reaches the conclusion that squeezes at my heart.
“Nathan,” I grind out.
He slowly raises his head, and when our eyes meet, his jaw clenches.
“No.” His voice is hard and assertive.
“I haven’t said anything.” My voice is wobbly.
He slowly rises to his feet, his arms unwrapping from around me. “No. I know that look. And I know what comes next.”
I sigh. “Nathan-”
“You can’t.”
“Nathan-”
He shakes his head and starts to pace. “Not after what we’ve been through. Not after what we had to do to get you to stay, you can’t-”
“Nathan!”
He freezes and turns to face me. I hate the look on his face–defensive, scared.
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Chapter 106
I pull my legs off the edge of the bed and hug my knees.
“We were in the supply closet,” I whisper. “We were fooling around when June-
The words stick in my throat.
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