Page 50 of I Could Be Yours (The Toronto Terror #6)

NATE

“ L ooking good, my man.” Flip stops eating his giant bowl of KD long enough to give me an approving thumbs-up and a nod. “Where are you taking Essie for dinner?”

“We’re going to Scaramouche, and then I’m taking her to see Wicked the musical.”

Tonight is our first official date. The past few weeks have been hard, but I’m making strides in therapy and learning how to let my walls down so I can love the people in my life the way they deserve.

“Nice. She’ll love that.” Flip nods his approval.

“I think so, too.” I check for my phone, wallet, and keys before I grab the bouquet of hot pink flowers and the box of chocolates from the counter. “You have plans tonight?”

Flip glances at his phone. “A couple of the guys are talking about going to the Watering Hole. I might join them.”

“Say hi to everyone, if you do.”

“I will. Have fun and play safe, honey bear.” He winks.

I have no expectations for tonight, other than spending time with Essie. Would I love to end up curled around her and wake up the next morning with her hair in my face? Absolutely. But one step at a time .

I leave Flip to his neon noodles and drive the short distance to Essie’s apartment. We all live in the same area, close to the arena and the business sector of downtown. Essie buzzes me in, and my heart rate jacks up as the elevator climbs to her floor.

Her door opens before I can even knock.

“Hi.” Seeing her for the first time in days is like seeing a rainbow after a storm.

She’s wearing a long, gauzy pink dress, and her dark hair with matching pink streaks falls in loose waves over her shoulders.

Her makeup is light, eyes rimmed in liner to make them pop, and her lips are glossy. “You look incredible.”

The smile that lights up her face is better than a tropical sunrise. “And you look like a seven-course meal, including my favorite dessert.”

“I’m glad you approve.” I hold out the flowers. “I brought you something pretty.”

“They’re beautiful.” She brings them to her nose, eyes fluttering closed as she inhales.

“Just like you.” I hold out the chocolates. “And I brought you something sweet, also just like you.”

“You are so thoughtful.” She motions for me to follow her. “Come in for a minute. I want to put these in water.”

I haven’t been here since I dropped off the box of sashes for the girls, and tonight I see it with fresh eyes. The space really is an homage to Essie’s personality. Everything is bright and soft and pretty, just like her.

She retrieves a vase and fills it with water and the flower food before she carefully arranges the flowers. “They really are gorgeous, Nate.” She turns and wraps her arms around my waist, setting her cheek against my chest on a soft sigh. “I missed you.”

I fold her in my arms and kiss the top of her head, absorbing the warmth, appreciating the way I instantly settle when I have her close like this. “I missed you, too.”

We stand there for a long time, just holding each other. Finally, she steps back, smiles up at me, and pats me on the chest. “I could happily stand here all night, but you have this great date planned, so we should probably go on it.”

“Seems like a good idea,” I agree.

She slips her feet into a pair of strappy sandals, grabs her heart-shaped, hot pink, jewel-encrusted purse, and links her arm with mine. We leave her apartment and take the elevator to the lobby. I help her into the passenger seat before I round the hood and take my place behind the wheel.

Essie angles her body toward me. “How was your day?”

“Good, but long. I couldn’t wait to see you. How about yours?”

“The same.” She skims the shell of my ear. “But the fantasy show I’m working on has been so much fun.”

“Tell me more about that.” I love the way she grows animated when she’s excited about something.

“It’s all princes and princesses, which is obviously right up my alley. And today I worked on one of the elves. It really pushes me to grow my skill set,” she explains.

“I’d love to see you in action one day.”

Her eyes light up. “I could practice on you.”

Her hands on my face, transforming me into something else? Being turned into her art? “Sure. Yeah. I’d be game.”

She shimmies in her seat. “Halloween could be so fun this year.”

“Yeah. It could.” Her enthusiasm gives me hope that she can see a future with me the way I can with her.

I pull into the restaurant parking lot.

“Oh wow. This is fancy.”

“It’s our first official date. I wanted it to be special.” I take her hand and press my lips to her knuckles. “Stay right here, please.”

“Okay.”

I unbuckle my seat belt and hop out of the car, coming around to open her door .

She takes my hand and carefully steps out.

It’s a beautiful night. Though the evenings are starting to cool with the promise of fall.

Heads turn as we enter the restaurant. That’s always the way it is with Essie.

She’s so beautiful that she stops traffic and earns endless double takes.

But for me, it’s about so much more than how she looks.

She brings the most wonderful energy into a room, and I love that I get to stand beside her and soak it all in.

The host is a couple years younger than we are. His eyes flare as he looks at Essie, and he strobe-blinks several times before his attention moves to me.

“I have a reservation for two under Stiles.” I absolutely used my brother’s connections.

“Stiles. Yes. Thank you so much for joining us.”

“It’s our first date.” Essie’s smile nearly knocks the guy unconscious.

“Well, Mr. Stiles must think very highly of you,” the host croaks.

“Is that right, Mr. Stiles?” She aims her radiant smile at me.

“Absolutely.” I squeeze her gently.

“I’ll just show you to your table.” The host leads us to a private terrace.

“This is so nice, Nate.” Essie reaches across the table, and I take her hand.

“Good. I’m glad I chose right.”

“Honestly, you could have taken me to East Side, and I would have loved it.”

“Even with the screaming children?”

She smiles. “The music here is more of a mood setter, but we would have made the best of it.”

“Tristan and Rix still go there once a month with Flip,” I muse.

“I’ve gone with them a couple of times. The unlimited salad and bread are tough to beat.”

“This is true.” I run my thumb back and forth over her hand .

We order appetizers and drinks and talk about work and our friends, holding hands across the table. It feels so good to be with her again, to have the closeness that seems to come so easily in her presence.

“What’s going on in your head?” Essie asks.

“I’m just so grateful that you’re here and willing to give me another chance,” I admit. “I’ve never been great at talking about my feelings, or expressing them in other healthy ways, but with you, I want to be.”

“I know you’re putting all the work in, Nate. I see the difference, and I know it can’t be easy.” She squeezes my hand.

“When I was younger and my mom was still with us, I learned it was better to stay quiet.”

“To avoid fighting?”

“Sort of. But it was mostly one-sided. We were just trying to keep the peace. But I can see now why my relationship with Lisa ended the way it did. I’m not excusing her for cheating on me.

She could have and should have ended things before it ever came to that, but I played a part by not being open with my feelings.

I’m working on being better at that. You are such an incredible light, Essie, and you give your heart so completely to the people you care about.

I want to honor that and give you the same kind of love back, because it’s what we both deserve. ”

Her eyes turn glassy, and her chin wobbles.

My throat tightens. “Ess?”

“It’s good emotion.” She raises our hands and kisses the back of mine.

“I love that you’re doing this, not just for us, but for you and the people you care about.

I see all that love inside you, and I’m so thankful that I get to be one of the people you share it with.

I’ll be here to love you and listen whenever you need to talk things through, especially when it’s hard. ”

“You’re amazing,” I whisper.

“So are you,” she whispers back.

“I’m really glad your best friend married my brother.”

“Me too. ”

The server delivers our appetizers, and we take a quick spin through the menu so we can order our mains.

Then Essie shifts gears as she pops a bite of beet salad into her mouth. “Talk to me about the prototype and how things are going.”

“We made some tweaks, so we’re moving into round two of testing.”

“That’s so exciting. What does that entail? Tell me all about it.” She smiles expectantly. “Give me all the science-y details.”

“So, comfort and support are key to a good skate, but there are other elements to consider. The thickness of the blade, the shape and curve, and the weight of the player all need to be factored in. The best skates on the market most accurately take in force as it relates to the conversion of the ice into water, which allows for better speed. We use specific formulas to determine the ideal combination for frictional heat production, which is related to the thermal conductivity of metals. Oh, and skates have two working edges with a hollow curve in the center to allow for this.”

Essie has stopped eating her salad.

“Sorry. I’m probably boring you.”

“Not even a little.” She licks her lips and leans in, whispering, “A lot of this is over my head, but my panties are damp, so please keep sciencing me.”

I fight a grin. “Sciencing is not a verb.”

“I know, but it makes your brow furrow, which also makes my panties damp, so it’s my new favorite word. Please, keep explaining force and friction.”

So I do, and Essie asks all kinds of questions, hanging on my every word, making me feel like everything I say matters, like I’m the center of her universe.

This is what love is supposed to be like. This feeling is the reason I’m willing to do the work and talk through all the hard things.

After dinner, we cross the street and walk down the block .