Nate(78)

Looooved it.

She also had sparkling warm eyes and a warm aura that oozed from her. I liked her immediately.

I’d started to feel comfortable with Logan. He flew out so much, and after he helped against Duke, meeting his girlfriend was a big deal to me. She’d been at the surprise baby shower and around the day after, but there were so many of them. Nate and I weren’t together together, or together how we were together now, so they all seemed like a cohesive “them,” and I was not one of “them.”

Now I didn’t know what I was, but I felt more “in” than I had been before. I wasn’t all the way. Maybe an arm. Or a hand. Or an elbow.

One of those.

Maybe an ankle.

Yes. I felt like I had an ankle in.

And tonight, I felt like I was getting a shin in, too, or half of my calf muscle. Just one, though. Not both.

We were at Keela. The atmosphere was private, and elegant, and romantic.

I was trying not to think about the romantic part because I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Nate and I were sleeping together, but he’d not said anything about a relationship status. I was operating on the assumption that we were sleeping together, and that was it. My priorities were Nova, dancing, and Nate’s bed. I was fine keeping with that status quo unless something changed.

“Logan mentioned you’re in a dance production now?”

We’d been seated. Logan and Nate were conferring over the drink menu, but I’d eaten dinner enough with both of them to know they were probably talking about anything but what kind of wine to order. They were like two giggly boys at times. When I focused on Taylor, she was holding back a smile, and I had a feeling she knew instantly what I’d been thinking.

I flushed, laying my hands on my lap and straightening more in my seat. “I am, yes. It’s a new type of program, so it’s exciting.”

“That’s amazing.”

“And you’re a nurse?”

She nodded. “It’s hard work, but addicting.”

The guys had quieted. Logan’s gaze rested on Taylor, a softening, but also a very focused look came over him at the same time. As if feeling it, she looked over, and the two shared a gentle smile.

I wanted that. Badly.

Pain sliced through me, and I had to take a second because it rose so swiftly and powerful that I felt it in my throat. I felt seared.

Glancing to Nate, seeing his gaze on me, I couldn’t discern what he was thinking or feeling. I gave him a small smile, and then his gaze gentled. “Did you want some wine tonight? We ordered red, but I know you don’t usually drink.”

“Graham was all insistent on some pink drink for you.”

I was surprised, seeing Logan grinning at me. He had a hand under the table, his arm veering toward Taylor, and I glanced down. They were holding hands.

Another dart of envy pierced me, but it wasn’t as strong as the first.

Small miracle.

“I’m going to stick with water because of the production, but I wish I had tried some of that pink drink. My brother looked enamored with it—”

“What the fuck?”

I stopped, confused at Nate’s biting tone, but he wasn’t staring at me.

He was glaring beyond Logan and then at Logan. His jaw clenched. “You did this?”

Logan didn’t play dumb. “I made a call.”

Nate shoved up from the table. “You overstepped.” Then he looked at me. “I will do what you want. If you want to leave, we’ll go. If you want to stay—”

But then I saw who he was talking about.

Graham was leading the way, his hand holding another’s behind him. I saw Britney trailing.

If it’s just Graham and Britney—wait, I was wrong.

Britney was talking to someone behind her, and my chest was effectively being pushed down by an elephant’s foot. Calihan was with them.

Calihan and someone behind Calihan. Another male.

It was a double date. Just like us.

Wait. Were we on a double date?

Of course, we were.

Why did I keep doubting that? Nate had never given any indication that we were just screwing co-parents. Well. Had he? Note to self: square away what we were because that was going to drive me nuts. I needed to know. The whole rolling with the wave wasn’t going to work with me.

I’d been kidding myself, but we were back to Calihan.

Graham, he was fine.

Britney, she was fine.

Calihan’s date, he seemed fine.

Calihan, she had a hint of something mean in her gaze when she saw me, but she didn’t pause. There was no surprise. They came knowing we would be here. Nate was right. Logan had overstepped.

“Quincey?”

I folded my hands back together on my lap and rolled my shoulders. I wasn’t running, but I did pull my dancer mask on. Calihan wasn’t going to see anything get to me tonight, and she faltered, her eyes narrowing when she noticed I had my “cold bitch” mask on.

Some dancers were great. Nice. Bubbly.

Some weren’t. Some were just mean.

I’d endured that all my life. I’d been taken aback the last time, but not this time.

I murmured to Nate, “I’m good. Maybe I’ll need that wine after all.”

I felt Taylor move closer to me.

“Monson.”