Chapter 406
Nan was seated on the couch in the far side of the room and Chester’s eyes widened.
“Ladies have a couch in their bathroom?” Chester asked, amazed. He shut the door behind him and locked it so they wouldn’t be disturbed.
Nan didn’t bother retorting; she stared at her hands thankful that the tears finally stopped flowing so Chester didn’t see how broken she was over this whole thing. Little did she know, he could feel it.
He stepped closer to her, wanting to give her space and yet wanting to close the distance between them with a desperation he didn’t understand.
“Nan…” he finally said, his tone soft and filled with compassion. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. She won’t be a problem for you anymore, you have my word.”
Nan glanced up at him and his heart broke when he saw that her eyes were red with unshed tears.
“She knew so much about you, Chester. You love her—”
“NO,” he said quickly as he stepped closer to her. “I’ve known her for a long time, that’s why she knows so much. But I don’t, nor have I ever, loved her. She was saying what she believed to be true, but it wasn’t how I felt.”
“She’s never going to leave you alone…” Nan whispered, tears starting to spill down her cheeks.
He sat down on the couch beside her and took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.
“You have my word, Nan. She won’t be a problem anymore. I’m so sorry our first date was ruined. I’m sorry this happened. But I promise you, it won’t happen again. Please, don’t hate me…”
There was desperation in his voice, and she found herself drawn to his sincerity. She closed her eyes, letting more tears fall and he wiped them each with his thumbs.
“Why does this have to be so hard?” She whispered. “I thought it’d be easy once I found my mate…”
He let out a soft chuckle.
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything easy about mating,” he murmured. “But I want to give this a chance… a real chance. Please, don’t close the door on us just yet.”
She sniffled and nodded her head once.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I won’t close the door.”
Relief flooded him as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She was surprised by the gesture, but the moment her head touched his chest, she melted into him, feeling at ease for once in her life. He felt himself melting as well, loving the feel of her in his arms.
“Can we go somewhere else?” He asked. “Maybe a walk. I’m done with this place.”
She nodded, though she wanted to remain in his arms like this for a while. He wanted to keep holding her. So, they remained like that for a bit longer. Holding one another as if their lives depended on it.
Soon, he was releasing her, though he immediately grabbed her hand.
When he opened the bathroom door, Judy was on the other side of it with her arms folded across her chest.
She glanced up at Chester and then at Nan, her eyes narrowed as if asking Nan if she was okay to leave with him.
Nan nodded, answering the unspoken question and Judy’s expression softened as she stepped aside.
Chester took Nan out of the restaurant, ignoring the onlooking eyes of literally everyone in the place.
They walked around the city, holding hands and talking; really talking. Chester opened up about his family and how his mother passed away a few years ago. He talked about his Alpha father and how Chester didn’t want to take over the pack and pretty much allowed his brother to train for the position instead so Chester could pursue his dreams as a chef, which his father never approved of. He spoke about how Gavin opened up his pack to Chester and allowed him to pursue his dreams and how he got to know the Landry family. He even talked about how he got to know Harper and why she’s so obsessed with him.
He knew that the conversation was hard for Nan to hear about his relationship with Harper, but the air needed to be cleared. He needed Nan to trust him and to open herself up to him.
After Chester was done telling her his life story, they were seated at the local park, his arms draped around her shoulders and her body pulled close to his. They had fallen in a comfortable silence when Nan
finally spoke.
“I go to school with Judy when I’m not working,” she said softly. “I’m in the culinary program.”
His eyes grew large as he stared down at her.
“That’s how you knew so much about food and their seasonings…” he breathed; it
was an observation, not a question.
She nodded.
“I aspire to be a chef one day…”
His heart melted at the sound of her soft whisper and the words she spoke. He smiled down at his mate.
His mate wanted to be a chef… like him.
She looked almost embarrassed by it as she nibbled her lip. He cupped her face
in his hands and brought her gaze to meet his.
“I can help you make your dreams a reality Nan… but I need you to start trusting me. Do you think you can do that?”