“You’re dating?” Nate said more so than asked as he pinned her with a glare that told Ella that he was beyond mad at her. Her heart raced in her chest as she took a deep, steading breath.

“You’d better come in,” Ella said as she stepped back and let him in.

Nate stepped into the hallway and turned to look at Ella. He looked like there were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to start. Instead, he just stared at her.

“Do you want a coffee?” She asked as she sat Xander’s jacket back down and began to walk towards the kitchen but Nate caught her wrist and turned her back towards him.

“No, I don’t want a damn coffee,” he said angrily as he took her by the arms and looked down into her eyes. “I don’t want anything but you. When are you going to get that into your head?”

“Nate,” Ella cried as she closed her eyes. “We have been through this before, and I am done fighting with you about it.”

“No, we are not done,” Nate replied with an air of defiance in his voice. “Believe me; we are far from done.”

“What do you want me to say?” Ella exclaimed angrily, as she opened her eyes and looked up at Nate, finally unable to hold back how she was feeling. “You want me to tell you that I love you? Fine, I love you. You want me to tell you that you are the only one I ever think about? You are the only one I ever think about. But you don’t belong to me, and I just can’t get past that. I don’t want to be the other woman.”

“What if you don’t have to?” Nate asked, surprising her with his question. “What if you don’t have to get past it?”

“I don’t understand,” Ella replied. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t pretend anymore, Ella,” Nate sighed as he reached up and softly touched her face. “I was so angry with you for just vanishing this week. I came here this evening to give you a piece of my mind, but then I saw you with that guy, and I was so afraid I was losing you, that I was too late. That single thought scared me more than anything else in this world.”

“There is nothing between Xander and me,” Ella cut in with a sigh wishing that there had been so she could have looked Nate in the face and told him that she was moving on.

“I’ve lost you once,” Nate continued as he took her face in his hands. “I can’t lose you again. I realised I needed to do the right thing.”

“What does that even mean?” Ella asked as she stared up into his eyes.

“Tonight, after I left you here with that guy,” he explained as his eyes never left Ella’s. “I realised I couldn’t live a lie anymore; so I went back to the house tonight and told Nina that we were over.”

“You…you left her?” Ella said, stunned by what he had said.

“After the other night, I knew I needed to prove to you that I was serious when I said you were the one I wanted,” Nate continued. “I knew I needed to be the man you deserved. I came here to tell you that the next morning, that I was going to do the right thing, but you were gone.”

 “I’m sorry,” Ella replied as she dropped her eyes from his. “I just needed some time to myself. I’m sorry if I hurt you. That was never my intention, but I felt so confused, I just needed time to think. Time to decide what was best for me, and more importantly what was best for Max.”

“When you wouldn’t even return my messages,” Nate continued. “I thought I had messed things up with you for good. When I saw you with that guy tonight, I won’t lie, it hurt. But I realised that even if you didn’t want to be with me, Nina and I were still finished. We’ve been done for a long time and it was time to let go.”

Nate moved closer to Ella, so close that their bodies were flush with each other.

“Please tell me it’s not too late, Ella,” he whispered as he stared into her eyes. “Tell me that there is still a chance for us. Since the night I met you, my heart has longed for you, because it knew that it belonged with yours. I felt it the moment I met you. Please tell me you felt that too.”

Ella looked up into his eyes and her heart swelled in her chest with love for this broken man standing in front of her.

“You’re not too late,” Ella sighed as she lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. Nate leaned into her hand and closed his eyes.

“I’m so scared of what will happen,” he breathed out, as he pressed his head against hers.

“Me too,” Ella said as she pressed her other hand to his face, also. “But I do love you, Nate.”

“You mean that?” He asked as he opened his eyes and looked down at Ella.

“I do,” she smiled. “It’s always been you. As much as I thought it was wrong, or beyond insane. You have been the only one that my heart beats for.”

Nate slowly dipped his head and brought his mouth down to meet Ella’s. The minute their lips met, Ella could feel her whole body come alive. She didn’t just want Nate; it was more than that. She needed him. She had always needed him.

Nate pulled her closer to him, as his kiss deepened. Slowly he moved until Ella’s back hit a wall. He held her face in his hands as he breathlessly released her lips from his.

“I think I have loved you forever,” he whispered as he smiled down at her. “Maybe even longer than that. I just need you to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she replied. “I think I always have.”

Without saying another word, Nate scooped her up in his arms and made his way towards the bedroom.

When he reached her room, he set Ella down and stood in front of her. He smiled as he slowly lifted his hand and brushed along her cheek with the tip of his fingers.

“I can’t believe that I have found you again,” he whispered as he leaned down and kissed Ella along her jawline. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be taken wherever Nate wanted to take her. He reached around to the back of her dress, and slowly eased the zipper down.

As her dress fell to the floor, Nate pressed his lips to her bare shoulder.

“These last few weeks have been so hard,” he breathed against her skin between kisses, sending a tingle through her entire body. “Being so close to you, but unable to touch you.”

He dropped his lips to the swell of her breast as he reached up and eased the lace strap of her bra down from her shoulder. When the delicate lace fell from her breast, Nate glided his tongue over her erect nipple, sending a thrill through her entire body.

Ella reached for the end of his t-shirt and lifted it up over his head before she threw it to the floor. She wanted to feel him against her. Then she reached for the belt on his pants and quickly undid it, and the buttons too. Sliding her hand inside, she gripped his rock-hard shaft and gently glided her hand up and down.

“Oh God,” Nate groaned as Ella felt tiny droplets on the smooth head of his penis.

He slowly backed Ella up until she could feel her bed hit the back of her legs. He guided her down onto the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees before her.

“Tell me that this is forever,” he asked as he looked up into her eyes.

“This is forever,” Ella whispered before Nate eased her back down onto the bed. He reached for her panties and eased them down her legs, then slowly pushed her legs apart.

Ella cried out as his mouth quickly found her soft folds, his tongue glided between the folds until it found her swollen clit.

She closed her eyes and gripped the blanket beneath her as he pushed her higher with his mouth. As he continued to push her on, he reached up and grabbed her by the hips, then pulled her closer, as he pushed his tongue inside her.

“NATE!” She cried out as she quickly came apart. Before she had time to even come down, Nate was above her. He pushed her up the bed before he settled between her legs and pressed the head of his swollen erection against her.

“Look at me, Ella,” he pleaded as he balanced above her. “Please, open your eyes and look at me.”

Ella did as he asked and when she did, he pushed into her fully. Ella cried out at the sudden fullness, surprised at how good it felt. It was even better than she had remembered. It was beyond perfect; at that moment, it was everything. It was their bodies lost in each other’s as if there was nothing else in the world but those two.

“I have missed you,” Nate moaned against her lips. “My body has missed yours.”

He settled into a rhythm, as both of their bodies moved as one, working together to bring them to where they wanted to go.

“Jesus, Ella,” Nate groaned as he pushed into her over and over again. “I fucking love you, so much.”

Ella couldn’t reply; she could barely breathe. Her body was quickly coming undone, and it was all she could do to try and remember to breathe.

Nate held Ella close as he rolled onto his back. Ella rose above him, as she pressed her hands to his chest for balance. She began to move slowly, grinding into him hard, and she could feel his erection swell even more inside her. She knew he was close and that if she moved too quickly, this would be over, for them both.

Ella kept her movements, slow and even. Nate gripped her hips and pulled her down towards him, driving his entire length deep inside her.

It was too much for Ella. She could hold back no longer. She began to ride him harder and faster, as Nate met each of her thrusts with his own, until Ella cried out as she came hard.

Nate pushed up into Ella once more and he too exploded inside her, before she collapsed on top of him.

They lay there for what felt like forever, just holding each other. Ella felt like she had finally come home. She was back where she belonged.

Ella lifted her head and looked down at Nate.

“Hey,” he said with a smile as he reached up and tenderly touched her face.

“Hey,” she replied and returned her smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve never been better,” he beamed as he brushed back a stray tendril of hair that had fallen over her face. “For the first time in such a long time, I feel like I can breathe. Like I was suffocating, and I have finally come up for air. You are my future. You, Max and my girls.”

“What is going to happen with the girls?” Ella asked, worried that Nate hadn’t really thought this through completely.

“I don’t know,” Nate said honestly as he looked up into Ella’s eyes. “I want to do the right thing by my girls. I guess Nina and I will share custody. Though the thought of leaving them at all, is hard. When I left before, it almost killed me. They were probably the only reason I went back. I don’t know what to do for the best, but I do know, they deserve better than living in a war zone. Leaving is the right thing to do.”

“I wish I had the answers for you,” Ella sighed as she softly touched his face. “But this is something you need to figure out for yourself.”

“I knew I had to leave Nina,” Nate sighed. “I don’t love her. I haven’t in a long time. But I am afraid the girls won’t understand. Especially Cassie, she is already so angry. She doesn’t want to stay with Nina, no more than I want to leave them there. Not the way she is. I think that’s why I stayed for so long.”

“What do you mean?” Ella asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nate sighed sadly. “Nina is an alcoholic. I don’t want to leave my daughters with her, but if I take the girls away, I’m worried that Nina will do something stupid.”

“That’s not a reason to leave them with her,” Ella sighed, wishing there was something she could say to make it all right for him.

“I am going to go and talk to my lawyer tomorrow,” Nate told Ella as he pulled her towards him, and kissed her on the forehead. “So, we should get some sleep.”

“Are you staying here?” Ella asked, not really sure what his plan was.

“If that’s okay?” He asked suddenly sounding a lot less confident than he did a few moments before.

“You can stay as long as you like,” Ella said with a smile, knowing it was what he needed to hear. The strangest part is, it was what she wanted too. “You can stay here for good if you want.”

He looked at her for a moment, as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. Then a half smile danced on his lips.

“Are you serious?” He asked as he rolled onto his side, taking Ella with him, so they were now lying face to face. He bent his elbow and rested his head on his hand.

“Yes,” Ella replied. “At least if you stay here, you will be close to the girls, and I know that Max would be happy to have you around. He has missed you this past week.”

“I have missed him too,” Nate replied as suddenly the smile on his face faded a little.

“What is it?” Ella asked.

“I don’t think Nina will take me moving in here very well,” Nate sighed. “And I guess I can understand that.”

“What do you want to do?” Ella asked. “I mean, if staying here is going to cause trouble…”

“I want to stay,” Nate stopped her mid-sentence. “There is nothing I want more. Ella, I have waited for five years to feel whole again.

“Good Morning,” Nate said when Ella walked into the kitchen the next morning. “Take a seat; I have made breakfast.”

“Smells great,” Ella said as she slipped onto the high stool at the breakfast counter.

“Here’s some coffee to wake you up,” Nate said as he set down a mug of coffee in front of Ella. “The rest is almost ready. I was planning on giving you breakfast in bed.”

“This is just as good,” Ella smiled as she reached out and picked up the coffee. As she sipped it, she sat and watched Nate getting breakfast ready, thinking about everything that had happened the night before. Suddenly she remembered something he had said that had bothered her. “Nate, last night you said I left, that I wouldn’t even return your messages. I did reply, I told you that you had nothing to worry about, that I would be back in a few days, and that I would never take Max from you.”

“I didn’t get it,” Nate replied, as he gave Ella a confused look. “I sent you all these messages, but I never got any reply.”

“But you replied to me,” Ella said as she got up and walked into the hallway to get her phone from her bag. She walked back into the kitchen and gave it to Nate. “See. You sent this reply, then I never heard from you again.”

“I didn’t send this,” Nate said as he looked up at Ella. “This had to have been Nina.”

Nate stared at the phone for a few minutes and Ella could see his mind was racing.

“Wait!” he said as he looked up at Ella finally. “What happened to the rest of the messages I sent you?”

“There were no other messages,” Ella replied with a shrug.             

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up Ella’s number. He hit call and waited for it to ring. The line opened, and the call was connected. Nate listened as it rang and rang, but Ella’s phone didn’t make a sound.

“She must have changed your number on here,” Nate sighed in disbelief.

He turned and knocked off the flame on the hob before he hurried towards the door.

“Nate, don’t go over there screaming and shouting,” Ella pleaded knowing it would just make a bad situation worse. “None of that matters anymore.”

“That’s not the point, Ella,” Nate growled angrily as he opened the front door. “She needs to be put in her place, and I’m the one that will do it. I thought I had lost my son, and that’s not cool!”

Before Ella could say another word, Nate was gone.

She stood for a moment and wondered if she should follow him, but she decided her going over there would just make matters worse, so she just closed the door, and headed back into the kitchen.

She had just sat down on the stool and picked up her coffee when she heard Nate coming back in.

“SHE’S GONE!” He cried as he rushed into the kitchen. Ella stood up and turned to face him.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Ella asked.

“SHE TOOK THE GIRLS, AND SHE IS GONE,” Nate cried as he sank to the floor, suddenly all his fight gone. “She has taken my girls.”