Page 144 of Love Unwritten

Damn this man for making me fall a little bit more for him. We are supposed to be friends, goddammit. Friends who think about kissing each other but friends nonetheless. Except now he is upset, and I want to console him.

Shit.

His muscles tense as I take a seat beside him and brush his hair out of his eyes. I’m not sure if he notices how he leans into my touch, but it makes my whole chest warm.

“It’s okay.” I cup his cheek.

He glances away with glassy eyes. “Elle?”

“Yeah?”

“I lied.”

My heart sinks. “About?”

“I don’t really have sand in my eyes.”

A small laugh escapes me. “I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to assume.” My own vision turns cloudy as I bear witness to his walls crumbling.

“I’m sorry.” He adds another piece of my heart to his growing collection.

I cradle his cheek in the palm of my hand. “I forgive you.”

“My dad…” His breathing is shaky at best. “He used to tell me to stop crying. To act like a man.” He seems to subconsciously lean into my touch. “When I found out that Nico’s condition had worsened, my gut reaction was to hide before he could watch me fall apart.”

“You don’t have to do that anymore, though. You can break the cycle and teach him that it’s okay to feel. That it’s good to depend on others when we can’t support ourselves.”

“I didn’t even realize I was sending the same message to my son until now.” His voice cracks, and I wrap my arms around him.

His hand brushes down my back. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being you.” His hand presses into the small of my back, and I suck in a breath as I look into his eyes.

Warmth explodes in my chest and my lower half at the same time as his gaze drops to my mouth.

“Elle—” Whatever he was about to say is cut off by Nico yelling, “Group hug!” He throws himself on top of me, and I squeal at his swimsuit soaking my clothes.

“No!” I push, but Rafael wraps his arms around the two of us, effectively trapping me between Nico and him. Nico returns the hug with his own, crushing me farther into his father’s chest with a laugh.

For the first time since I started working for this family, I wonder what it would be like to be a part of it. Not as a nanny, but as something more.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Rafael

On our third day in Kauai, Ellie—sweet, too kind for her own good, and should really learn how to say no Ellie—agrees to join Nico and me on a helicopter ride despite her crippling fear of planes. I told her a few times she didn’t need to come with us, but by my third attempt to talk her out of it, she politely asked me to stop talking.

Nico holds her hand the entire time while I wish I could do the same. Instead, I keep mine tucked against my lap while my son distracts Ellie with random facts that he learned about the island from watching hours of videos.

“Where are the dinosaurs?” Ellie hesitantly leans forward.

Nico smacks her shoulder with a giggle. “There are no dinosaurs!”

She scrunches her brows. “Really? You promised me there would be some.”

“No! I told you they filmed them here.”