Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“Fine,” Tamara said. “Well, I slept okay once I got to sleep.”
She sounded different this morning—sort of polite. Maybe it was the absence of coffee.
“You’re up early,” Nate said.
Tamara shook her head. “It’s not me who’s early,” she said, and again there was the feeling of something being just a little off. “It’s you who’s almost late.”
Nate checked his watch. “Is that the time?” He jumped out of bed and began to scramble to get ready. His family would already be gathering downstairs for brunch.
He grabbed his shaving kit, but before he headed into the shower, he looked at Tamara and said, “Is everything all right? You seem… I don’t know. On edge?”
There was a pause of several seconds.
“Tamara?”
She looked as though she might say something, but then she shook her head and smiled. “No, Nate, everything is great.”
“Look, I’m sorry I slept in. I should have set an alarm,” Nate said. Then he added, “Please let me know if anything is bothering you.”
“It’ll be fine. We’re going to have a fun day.”
“Then I should get ready?” Nate asked, even though he wasn’t entirely sure he believed that smile and those words.
“Relax, they’re not going to have the brunch or the wedding without you,” Tamara said. “Go get ready, and I’ll wait for you.”
Nate showered and then rushed around throwing on a shirt and some casual pants. No need to get dressed up for the ceremony right now. At all his big family celebrations, there was a lot of food and a lot of joking and fooling around.
He turned to see if Tamara was ready to go and caught her watching him. They smiled at each other. He felt so drawn to her this morning, but there was something about her that seemed a little… different. If they weren’t already so late, he’d insist they have a talk. There was a lot he was leaving unsaid… But they had to get moving, and it wasn’t worth tormenting himself with the bunch of what-ifs running around his brain. Like, what if last night had been different? What if he’d told Tamara how he really felt about her? What if he’d told her that he loved her? And what if he’d kissed her, and she’d kissed him back?
He just hoped she wasn’t upset about something this morning.
“Sorry again for the holdup,” he said, spraying a light mist of aftershave. “I guess we should get going.” He reached out to hold her hand as they left the room and went downstairs.
Holding hands felt so natural, so simple, and so obvious. As far as he was concerned, they should be in physical contact all the time. On the stairs, they had to press close to each other to let one of the housekeepers get past, but Nate didn’t even think about breaking contact. Instead, he simply enjoyed the pressure of Tamara against him and the scent of her hair. He wished the moment could be drawn out forever.
Most of his family were already seated in the dining room. Brunch was well underway, and the caterers had everything on offer, including an omelet station and a coffee bar. One of Nate’s cousins said, “Look at the time. Where have you guys been?” From the tone of his voice, the innuendo was obvious.
Tamara blushed but returned Nate’s smile. He squeezed her hand as he led her to a spot at the table close to his parents. A waiter came by with mimosas, and they got themselves settled.
Nate’s mother smiled as they sat. “Here’s our sleepy couple. Late for breakfast as usual, Nate.”
“You assume they were sleeping,” Nate’s father added, only to be shushed by his current wife. A couple of the others around the table laughed.
Obviously, unmarried couples were fair game with this crowd.
“Well,” Nate declared, “if everyone has finished with their potshots, I’m going to take Tamara over there to get a coffee and some food.” He held her hand as he led the way, and he could tell she was more relaxed than she had been up in their room. Her smile was genuine, and she was holding her own with all the jokesters in his family. She wasn’t fazed one bit. It was obvious she fit right in.
“Nate, let me buy you a coffee,” Tamara joked as she ordered up two double Americanos. “This should wake you up, sleepyhead.”
Nate laughed. It felt so right to be here with Tamara. More than that, it felt normal to be coming down to breakfast with her. His family wasn’t very good at being “normal”—in relationships, anyway—but everything was perfect right now. The whole group was having a wonderful time, and he could tell the bride and groom were so happy, although Tim did look a little nervous and kept his eye on Florentine. When she left to dress for the ceremony, he looked as if he missed her already.