London Bound (20 page)

Meg sighed. She could hear Caro now, pushing even harder to set Meg up with this friend or that coworker, because in Caro’s eyes, Meg spending her vacation with Nathan was proof positive that she was ready to move on. To get out there and date and find someone. How was she going to explain that she didn’t want—

“Hey.”

Meg startled and tipped her head back to look up at Nathan. When he reached down to grab the water bottle resting beside her, he kissed her forehead. Several drops of perspiration fell onto her face, and she wrinkled her nose and swiped at them as he straightened

“Yuck, you’re sweating all over me.”

He gulped down a mouthful of water and smacked his lips before grinning down at her. “You love it when I sweat all over you.” He winked before tipping the bottle back again.

She didn’t answer but didn’t bother biting back her grin.

“So...” Setting the bottle down, he squatted in front of her, resting his forearms on her knees. “Are you bored out of your mind?”

“No. I don’t really understand the game, but it’s a beautiful day.” She gestured around the park. There were a fair number of people—walking, running, playing—old and young alike, out enjoying the sunny, yet chilly, October day.

He pursed his lips a moment. “I feel badly. You probably would have rather stayed at the flat, relaxing instead, yeah?”

“I just said I wasn’t bored.” She laughed. “I like being outside when I can. I got to meet your buddies, and frankly...” she smirked as she leaned forward a bit to give him a once over, “I’m liking the view very,
very
much.”

“You’re checking my friends out, aren’t you?” he teased, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

“No,” she answered honestly, brushing the damp hair from his forehead. “I don’t even see them.”

He caught her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth, dragging his lips over her palm before nipping at the sensitive flesh.

“For fuck’s sake, Nathan. Let’s play!”

He chuckled and flipped up two fingers without looking at whichever friend had yelled at him. “We can skip the pub after, if you like. Just go home. Do naughty things.”

Tempted as she was, she knew he’d seriously cut back on the time he normally spent with his friends the few last weeks, so she shook her head. “No, let’s do the pub
then
go home and do naughty things.”

“Smart and gorgeous. I win. Now, give us a kiss for luck.”

He met her halfway, sliding his hands into her hair as their mouths met. The stinging tug paired with his tongue sweeping around hers had her squirming and groaning and not caring they were in the middle of a very public park.

Though, her face heated as more shouts and catcalls sounded behind Nathan. He pulled away slowly, smoothing a thumb over her lower lip then dropping his hand to briefly touch the silver necklace.

“You’re very distracting,” he murmured as he straightened.

She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry.”

“I’m not.” He grinned, turning and jogging back onto the field.

There was a flurry of back slaps and good-natured shoving, which did nothing to diminish the grin still on Nathan’s face, then the game began again. After a minute or two, Meg let her attention wander until her gaze settled on the group of women with several young children. They sat on the other side of the field, clearly watching and cheering on the men playing soccer. Meg bit back a laugh as one toddler had to be scooped up as he made a mad dash to join in the action.

“That Caleb is a handful. I don’t envy Heather one bit keeping tabs on him.”

Meg turned to find Lara standing beside the bench. Before Meg could respond, the other woman held out one of the to-go cups she held.

“I’m sure how you take your tea...or if you even
like
tea, and I didn’t think before putting cream and sugar in both.”

Meg smiled and accepted the cup. “That’s perfect. Thank you.” She took a sip as Lara sat beside her.

“You’re welcome,” she said quietly. “Are you and Nathan joining the group at the pub afterwards?”

“That’s the plan. You?” Meg asked, remember Nathan telling her how Lara had gone to school with many of the guys, Jack included, and their significant others.

“Yes. It’s been a while, so it’ll be nice to catch up. Did Nathan introduce you to everyone, then?”

“I met all of the guys playing. Which is enough.” Meg laughed. “There’s no way I’m going to remember all of their names, so if women and children were included, I’d be screwed even more.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have to remember them,” Lara said dryly. “You’ll be gone, soon enough.”

Meg’s head snapped up and her hand tightened on her cup, denting it slightly. “Excuse me?”

Lara didn’t take her eyes off the action on the field and lifted a shoulder. “You’re leaving, and clearly what you have with my brother is far from serious, so it’s hardly worth the effort to get to know everyone, invest in the things that matter to him. Honestly, I’m surprised to see you here, at all.”

Forcing herself to breath through the surge of annoyance, Meg bit back all the angry responses that danced on the tip of her tongue. The last thing she wanted was to make things difficult with Nathan by snapping at his sister because she was pissed off. And hurt. Meg could admit that. Despite knowing what they had was temporary, the thought that what they had wasn’t serious, that Nathan believed that and said as much to Lara, definitely hurt.

“Nathan said you would be, but...” Lara continued. “Though, I’ll admit it’s quite nice you didn’t try to convince him to bail on his friends just so you could have more...quality time with him before you fly off. But I suppose you had to take a break
sometime.
”

“You don’t know me,” Meg said sharply and could have smacked her own face for letting go. But fuck it, in for a penny, and all. “You don’t know anything about what I have with Nathan. You
think
you do, but you can’t wrap your mind around anything beyond your fear and your jealousy.”

Lara stared at her, wide-eyed, face pale. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m guessing the other night was the first time your brother has ever put someone ahead of you and your family. That he’s always dropped everything to take care of whatever it was you needed. And, I get it,” Meg said honestly. “You’re jealous that he wants to spend time with someone wholly unconnected with you, and you’re scared because you don’t want to lose your big brother. Well, you’re going to have to get over that. I
am
leaving soon, so I’m not the threat you’re treating me as, but someday, Nathan’s going to find someone, someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and you’re going to have to accept that.”

Pushing to her feet, Meg looked down at the other woman. The shining eyes and trembling mouth pricked a bit of sympathy, but Meg tried to ignore it.

“I’m going to stretch my legs a bit,” she said stiffly, then gave in and gently added, “Lara, you’re not going to lose Nathan because he finds someone he loves—you should know better than that. It’s not the type of man he is. But, if you insist on acting like a spoiled brat who isn’t getting her way, you
will
succeed in pushing him away.”

As she started on the dirt path, anxious to walk off some of the energy vibrating through her, Meg looked to the field. Nathan stood on the other side, bent over, hands braced on his knees as he caught his breath. His gaze firmly on her. She couldn’t quite make out his expression, but when he turned his head and looked at Lara then back at her, Meg couldn’t imagine it was a happy one.

She waved, trying to convey in that simple movement that everything was all right, but it was Nathan. And, he always seemed to know what was going on with her, no matter what she pretended.

She forced herself to continue down the path, away from the game, away from Lara. Meg stifled a sigh. Honestly, she didn’t think the younger woman even intended to come off as petulant and bitchy as she did.

“Stop it,” Meg muttered under her breath.

It wasn’t her problem. Certainly not something she could solve, or even try to. Saying anything was probably a mistake, and that wasn’t something she’d meant to do. She should have just kept her mouth shut but then the words were coming out before she could snatch them back. And, now, she’d have to explain to Nathan, because Meg couldn’t see him not asking. Not after seeing that something obviously had happened between her and Lara.

As she walked, she tried to think of what to say, how to explain it truthfully, without causing problems between the siblings. Even though, she believed what she’d said to Lara—about her actions pushing Nathan away—Meg didn’t want such something so temporary in Nathan’s life to be the root of permanent damage to a family.

Temporary
. It shouldn’t be a word that caused pain or made bitterness explode on her tongue, but it did. Making her way back to the field, she wished she could get past the hurt that pulsed just beneath her skin. And that was the problem, really. Lara’s comments were annoying, yes, and they definitely stung, but the ache she felt over leaving wasn’t anything new. And, she, in true Meg fashion, was obsessing again. She groaned and wished she could turn it off. Though that wish hadn’t worked at any time in the last forty years, so she figured she was shit out of luck.

The game was clearly over as she approached the edge of the field. She stopped, hands shoved in her pocket, and smiled broadly at the sight of Nathan running across the grass, chased by the kids who’d been on the sidelines. When he tripped—completely on purpose—and fell to his knees, all the little ones leaped and piled on him, cheering their victory.

Nathan’s laugh echoed through the air, and Meg so badly wanted to join in, because what a sight he was—golden-haired, flushed, grinning and rolling around on the ground with a load of kids, clearly enjoying himself. Instead, she blinked back tears and nearly turned away. Because, despite the fact she knew she was leaving and this wasn’t long term, she couldn’t deny a part of her, a tiny part,
hoped
. Hoped they’d be able to continue, somehow. Even if it meant phone calls and video chats and emails and impossibly long plane rides for visits that would never be frequent or long enough. But this... She sniffed and squared her shoulders. This made it all clear. There wasn’t hope. As beautiful and special as what they had together was, no matter how much she was coming to love him, Meg wasn’t what he needed long term. He’d find someone who made him happy, who would give him babies and build a family with him. And that was something she couldn’t give him. She couldn’t be that person.

* * * * *

M
eg fiddled with the empty pint glass in front of her, trying to let go of the dark mood that had settled over her. With very little success. Nathan had asked what was wrong as soon as he’d come up to her, but hadn’t pushed when she’d shaken her head in reply. Mostly, she figured, because they were surrounded by his friends. Now, they sat in the noisy pub, and his hand was firmly on her thigh—as it had been since they’d taken their seats—while he chatted with everyone. He wasn’t ignoring her but was definitely giving her space, which she appreciated as she didn’t think she’d be able to make nice, right now.

“Hey, looks like you need another.” Jack nudged her foot from where he sat across from her. He nodded toward the bar when her gaze found his. “Me, too. Come on.”

Nathan’s fingers tightened briefly as she moved to stand, but then, he just threw that dazzling smile her way before turning back to his conversation. Meg skirted around the table and followed Jack through the crowd. Side-by-side, they stood at the bar, and Jack waited until they both had a full glass in hand before speaking.

“So, what’s going on?”

She took a long drink then looked at him, brow lifted. “At the pub drinking. What’s going on with you?”

“Don’t attempt to bullshit me, sweetheart. I noticed the tension between you and Lara, and if you think Nathan didn’t...”

“I’m not stupid,” she muttered.

“Good. So,” he started again, “tell me what she did to upset you.”

Meg sighed and took another drink. Leaning back against the bar, eyes on Nathan, she lifted her fingers to the knot at her throat. “It’s not worth getting into.”

“You don’t think Nathan would want to know his sister is being a bitch and taking her insecurities out on you?”

She glanced at him quickly, and he laughed.

“You forget how long I’ve known this family.” He nodded toward the table. “Nathan’s a good man, and completely devoted to his family. Lara...” He sighed. “She’s not a bad person, Meg. She’s incredibly sweet and loving, but she does
not
like change. And, if Nathan were to be serious about someone... Well, that would change everything for her, for the entire family.”

“I know she’s not a bad person,” Meg assured him. “And, I don’t even think she fully realizes how she’s coming across, or why, really. And that’s my last word on the subject. I don’t want to dwell on any of that. Not when I have so little time left.”

He hummed. “So, what can I do, then? What do you need?”

Meg just shrugged. “I guess we should just go back to the table and hang out?”

“Or,” he turned toward her, leaning in as he dropped his voice, “you could hang here with me a bit longer. It’d accomplish two very important things—distracting you from all that stuff you don’t want to talk or think about, and it’ll save me from, or at least delay, the inevitable awkwardness that’s to come.”

“What awkwardness?”

“Okay, the guy who was sitting next to me? Black hair, looking slightly uncomfortable?”

Meg looked over his shoulder at the man in question. “Yeah?”

“That’s Pete’s friend, Seth. And, Pete thought we’d hit it off.” Jack tipped his glass back and grimaced as he swallowed. When met Meg’s gaze again, he grinned. “Oh! I’m sorry—did I forget to mention I like cock?”

Meg choked on a laugh, ending up in a coughing fit. When she’d caught her breath, she slapped Jack’s arm. “Couldn’t come up with another way to drop that bomb on me? You ass.”

“Often times, it
is
my arse,” he mused, nodding.