Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,27
work with my weekends at the race car track, at a lake, on a plane…you name it. I might be doing it while I take a break,” he defends himself, reaching for the glove compartment where he takes out a container and hands me a piece of dry fruit. “Here, ginger candy. It's good for nausea. Your brother worries about you. He might’ve been fucking around for the past four years, but before that he was just like you.”
“How do you know?” I ask him as I take a bite of the piece of ginger.
“About your brother or the ginger?” He hands me his water bottle. “Drink it slowly.”
“Both? Why would you have ginger with you?” I ask, staring at him.
“As you mentioned, I’m an adrenaline junky,” he answers. “I carry everything in case of an emergency. Some people get sick after ziplining. Brought it with me in case you needed it. You seem to be a homebody.”
“Not sure if I should say thank you for being prepared or be upset for labeling me as boring,” I argue. “Now, how do you know about Eros?”
Before he quit his job, he used to work as a financial consultant in Manhattan. He made a lot of money but, like me, he lived to work.
“Do you think I’m going to partner with just anyone? I talked with him for about a week or two before we even considered the partnership. We’re a few steps ahead of you. You don’t need to follow his advice but think about what you want long term,” Nate responds.
“Well, I’ll probably continue what I’m doing for another five years,” I say, drinking a little more water and closing my eyes. I feel so tired. As if all of a sudden someone sucked all the energy out of me.
Are five years enough to slow down and plan on having a family? Maybe by then, I’ll fall in love. Having a child or two might be in my future. Is that even possible? I have a career, and with a kid, I will have to shift my life to accommodate not only the kid but my… Will I ever meet someone?
I internally grunt because my personal life is pathetic and just trying to think of the possibilities depresses me.
“I love my career.” I break the silence and hush my thoughts away.
“That’s respectable,” Nate answers.
The car stops and I shiver when his finger caresses the inside of my arm. “Do you need me to take you to the doctor?”
“No, I’ll be fine. It’s just…I’m not used to flying up in the air outside of an airplane. I respect gravity,” I joke, drinking more water.
After a pause I say, “It was good, you know. It’s been a while since I let myself just run wild, even if it was just for a few moments.”
I don’t even know why I confide in him. This is a discussion I usually have with Persy. My chest tightens because even though I’m happy for her newfound love, I feel we’re not as close as we used to be. Maybe it’s the loneliness speaking.
“If I say, ‘It’s time to rethink your priorities,’ I’ll just sound like a broken record. Just…think about it,” he says.
He’s not wrong, but I still have a lot to do before I can leave the firm. Maybe I should start a dream board with what I want to accomplish and create a timeline.
“What do you want from life?” I ask him curiously.
“I already have it. This is my life,” he answers.
For some reason, I want to tell him that it seems just as lonely and mechanical as mine. Except he has Brock. Just because he has plenty of hobbies to keep him occupied, it doesn’t mean it’s a fully lived life.
“Don’t forget we have to pick up the pup at my parents’,” I remind him, and the sentence sounds too domestic.
“On it,” he answers. “We’ll pick up the kid before heading home.”
His words feel weird and wonderful. It’s hard to explain, but there’s that strange yearning inside my chest again. Wanting a man in my life and maybe a child or two. Him telling me let’s pick up our babies from my parents—or his. Wanting more than what I currently have. Something money can’t buy…company.
A partner.
I’m not one to want a man in her life or children, but for the past couple of weeks it’s crossed my mind several times.
What if…?
Once we arrive at my parents’, he parks and asks, “How are you