Nathan and I are each on our second piece of pizza when Joseph pulls up in front of the house. Nathan still hasn’t told me exactly what brought him here, but I know his relationship with his brother has always been strained. And based on the way he tenses whenever he’s around Joseph, there’s definitely bad blood between them.

Joseph walks right inside with a brown paper bag in his hand and looks between Nathan and I with an annoyed expression. “How’s she doing?”

Nathan takes a drink before answering. “She’s been asleep for most of the day and hasn’t really been hungry.”

Joseph nods. “I brought some broth. She can usually keep this down. I’ll be right back.”

Before we can say anything else, he jogs up the stairs to check on his mom.

“He’s more doting than I expected,” I say to Nathan. “Based on the way he usually screeches out of the driveway, I thought coming by was more of a burden to him.”

Nathan shrugs. “Maybe he really has changed. He was really…nice to me today. It was weird, and a little freaky.”

I can’t hear anything happening upstairs, but Joseph comes down a few minutes later with the bag still in his hand. “She wasn’t really in the mood to eat. Um…” He looks at me and then to his brother. “Will you be staying long?”

I look Joseph in the eye and smirk. “Probably.”

Joseph nods then turns toward the front door. “I’m gonna head out. My cell phone number is on that card I gave you, Nathan. Call if you need me.”

“Okay.” Nathan stands up and takes a step toward Joseph before hesitating. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

Joseph has his hand on the door knob when he turns back. “Yeah. Have a good night.”

He leaves as suddenly as he arrived. “That was weird.”

Nathan chuckles. “Yeah, it really was.”

I lean back on the sofa and take another bite. “You probably already know this, but your brother’s always been a bit off.”

Nathan laughs and then takes a sip of Coke. “Yeah, I know. And he’s always been an asshole, which is why this newfound, caring demeanor is hard to trust.”

I’m not quite buying it either. But I don’t know the one side of the story, much less both sides. When he’s ready to share the details with me, I’ll be able to help in more specific way. Until then, I’m just a friendly neighbor. Which means I probably need to get him to share sooner rather than later.

“So, Nathan, tell me about yourself. What do you do back at home?” I grab another slice of pizza, picking up a piece of sausage that falls from the tip and popping it into my mouth.

Nathan swallows the bite he’s just finished chewing then wipes his mouth. “I work at an Omega House.”

I perk up. “That sounds cool. Do you enjoy helping others?”

Nathan beams with more excitement than I’ve seen on him. “I really do. It wasn’t so long ago that I needed help, so being able to comfort others in a similar situation means a lot to me.” Nathan stops, glancing at me to gauge my reaction to his words.

I keep my features stoic, listening intently to any tidbit of information about this man’s life that he’s willing to share.

Once he realizes I’m not passing judgement, he continues. “Some of the omega’s come to us in really bad shape. Being able to show them someone cares about them is really important. Most of them come from broken homes or a life of abuse. It can be heartbreaking, but there is a lot of joy in the work I do... Especially when the omegas finally realize they’re safe and there’s a life after their trauma.”

Even though Nathan’s talking about other omegas, the way his eyes become pained is proof that his story isn’t too far from theirs. And that makes me even more curious about exactly why he left home at such a young age.

“It sounds like rewarding work.” I slip my hand behind his neck and give him a gentle squeeze.

He inhales deeply and relaxes into my hand. “It is. The best part is that I get to drive the van most of the time. I love it.”

“Driving the van?” I’m not sure why anyone would take pleasure in driving, let alone carting people around from one place to another.

“Yeah. I didn’t think I’d ever get my license, but my friend Sean taught me how to drive.” Nathan laughs at a memory. “I used to scare the hell out of him when we practiced in the vacant lot behind an old supermarket. But he never gave up on me. And by the time I was ready to take the written exam, the driving test was a snap.” Nathan’s face is beaming with delight at his accomplishment.

I love seeing him smile like that. “That’s great. Have you been driving for a while?”

“Only for around a year, but I love it.”

His excitement about something so simplistic to most is a reminder that he hasn’t led an easy life. Whatever pain or suffering Nathan went through in the past needs to stay in the past. He deserves to find a happy future.

I toss my plate onto the table and scoot closer to him. “Maybe I should let you chauffer me around while you’re in town. I hate driving.”

Nathan’s eyes perk up. “Really? I’ve seen your car. It looks sweet.”

I chuckle, thinking of the unremarkable Mazda sitting in my driveway. “It’s just a car.”

He doesn’t seem deterred. “Well, I bet it rides great.”

“You want to check it out?”

The twinkle in Nathan’s eye is unmistakable. “No, that’s okay. You probably have things you would rather be doing tonight anyway.”

I lean forward and kiss him gently. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Come on. Take me for a ride.”

Nathan immediately hops up from his seat, brushing crumbs off his lap as he does.

We walk to the street while I fish the keys out of my pocket. With them dangling over his open palm, I raise an eyebrow at him. “You’re sure you have a license?”

He chuckles. “Yes, do you want to see it?”

“I may need to,” I say as I drop the keys into his awaiting hand.

Once he’s behind the wheel, he seems nervous. “I hope I don’t wreck it.”

“I’m sure you won’t. But I’m insured.”

Nathan takes a deep breath before he turns the ignition. I’ve never seen anyone so excited to drive a Mazda. But his happiness makes me happy, and that’s all that matters right now.

“Where to?” he asks, becoming serious as he reverses into the street.

“How about dessert?” I adjust the seat to make some space for my long legs. I’ve never actually been in the passenger seat before. “You choose.”

Nathan puts the car in drive and sets off down the road. He really is a good driver and is a bit more cautious than I am. Although, as soon as we hit the highway, he revs the engine and gets up to sixty before we’re even off the ramp.

I push the button on the center console to roll down our windows, letting the fresh evening air fly across our faces. Nathan’s wavy blond hair whips around his ears, but he doesn’t let it bother him. I’m not sure where we’re headed, but I don’t care. Just spending time with Nathan and doing something this simple makes me smile.

I close my eyes, letting the breeze carry me away until the engine slows, and the sound of a blinker catches my attention.

Looking around us, I notice we’re on the other side of town. Nathan pulls of the freeway and turns on to a frontage road heading toward several restaurants. He turns on his blinker again before we pull into a Dairy Queen. “Blizzard?” he asks as he finds a spot to park.

I can’t remember the last time I had a Blizzard. “Sounds great.”

Nathan steps around the car and meets me at the back with the keys outstretched in his hand. “Here ya go. That was fun.”

“You hold on to them. You have to finish chauffeuring me around.” I close my hand around his, folding his fingers over the keys.

Nathan grins brightly and puts the keys in his pocket. The two of us step inside the restaurant, and the cold air from the restaurant sends a shiver through me. After we order, Nathan tries to pull out his wallet, but I slip my credit card to the young girl behind the counter before he has the opportunity to disagree.

“The least I can do is pay for ice cream after my hot chauffer so carefully got me here.” I give him a wink, and Nathan’s face pinks up. I’m not usually good with flirting. But something about Nathan makes it easy.

Once we’re both seated with our delicious ice cream and candy mixtures, I catch Nathan staring out the window. “Am I boring you?” I’m really teasing him but want to catch him off-guard to get an honest response.

“No, of course not. Actually, I was just thinking that I’ve never had a date like this before...”

“A date?”

“Oh... Well, no... That’s not what I meant. I mean... Ugh.”

I laugh as he becomes flustered. “I’m happy to call this a date.”

“I wasn’t trying to say that. It’s just, this is how I always pictured a date going. But since I’ve never been on one, I wasn’t sure.”

I don’t believe that for a second. “How has a guy like you never been on a date?”

He shrugs and puts another scoop of ice cream into his mouth. “I just haven’t. No one has ever been interested, I guess.”

“Then they’re idiots.” Now it’s my face that feels flush as I meet Nathan’s beautiful eyes.

And for the first time ever, actual joy is reflected back in them.