Fake, page 29
I nod, my eyes on his. And then he stands, takes my hands to pull me into his arms and presses his lips to mine, while my mother claps and cheers.
EPILOGUE
Mina
“Your family get togethers are super casual,” I say to Nathan from the depths of our closet. “Why are we dressing up tonight?”
I poke my head through the doorway and catch my boyfriend grinning to himself as he lifts his shirt collar and drapes a red tie around his neck. When we first met, I wondered how The Prince of Darkness grew up in a family that feels like sunshine. In the last year, he’s become the light of my life. The two of us moved into his villain’s lair on the cove as soon as it was finished and have done our best to fill it with the best feelings, the best memories, the best energy ever since. It’s a massive improvement from my apartment at Lime Tree Bay, with its outdated tile and chipped grout. Sometimes I still can’t believe I live here. Nathan gave his old house to Mom, who protested, then cried, and now drinks a glass of wine on the patio every night, texting me pictures of the sunset like a proud momma.
“It’s my birthday. If I want to dress up, we dress up.” Nathan’s gaze wanders my body, and he smirks appreciatively. “You should wear your black dress. The one with the neckline I like.”
“You mean the one that shows all the cleavage?” I ask with an arch to my brow.
“I’ve never felt more understood.” Nathan drops a wink my way, his deft fingers working his tie into place. “What can I say, HM? You get me and I like it.” He takes my hands and pulls me into his arms, his palms trailing down my back to cup my ass.
I lean into him, smiling against his chest as I remember last year’s birthday party. “I can’t believe there was a time I was offended by that move.”
“Hey, now.” Nathan pulls back, jaw dropped. “Don’t you dare rewrite history. You were the one who grabbed my butt. Not the other way around.”
I snake my hands down to squeeze both delicious butt cheeks. “Can you blame me?”
He nuzzles my neck, going straight for that place below my jaw that sends shivers of delight down my spine. “On second thought,” he says, sliding his hands under my shirt, “I don’t think you should be wearing anything at all,”
“I’m not sure your family would appreciate that.”
“Like I said, it’s my birthday. I get what I want.”
We arrive at Nathan’s parents’ a little late and a touch disheveled. He wraps an arm around my waist and guides me up the walk and I can’t help but smile to myself. A year ago, I was shocked by the simple elegance of the home, then utterly embarrassed to be the only one who dressed up for the evening. I couldn’t stand the thought of touching the man beside me and now, I can’t stand the thought of not touching him.
A lot can change in a year.
Nathan pulls the door open for me and we step through the foyer to find his family waiting. Everyone’s in red. Dresses, ties, shoes, earrings, bracelets, jewelry. They’re dressed to kill, with me in my simple black dress. Even Mom is wearing red, standing with Collin and Harlow West, her new best friends, and her boyfriend, John McFadden, Mr. Silverfox from the hallway at Shady Cove.
“I thought we’d mix it up this year,” Nathan whispers. “Especially after I was such a dick last year.”
Before I can reply, we’re surrounded by his family. Everyone’s talking at once, wishing Nathan happy birthday and passing out hugs like candy.
Nathan’s cousin Nick thumps him on the back, with his latest girlfriend Amanda waiting to give a hug of her own. She’s sweet and funny, but Nick’s track record suggests it’s best not to get attached.
Nicholas Hutton is not the man he was.
Dark circles stand out under his eyes and his smile seems forced. While his body is mostly healed, his spirit seems muted. He’s never complained. He’s never said much of anything really, other than to insist he’s fine and tell us to stop worrying. After his medical discharge, Nick’s been untethered and unsure. Nathan’s sure he’ll find his way again, but I can’t help but think of my dad.
“Another year older,” Nick says with a wry twist of his lips.
“And wiser.” Nathan waggles his eyebrows.
“Let’s not put the cart before the horse on that one.” Nick gives a weak smile then disappears with Amanda in search of a drink.
“I wish you’d gotten to know him better before the accident,” Nathan says to me once he’s out of earshot.
Garrett crosses his arms over his chest. “I keep hoping Amanda will help get him back on track.”
“And Tillie before her, and Aisya before her.” Micah sighs, hands in pockets, shoulders slumped.
Angela stares after Nick, shaking her head with a long, sad smile. “I was shocked when he started dating anyone who wasn’t your sister.” She glances at her husband, obviously distraught.
“I don’t know why everyone thought they’d end up together.” Garrett huffs an exasperated laugh. “Charlie lives across the country.”
“So did you when we first met.” Angela gives him a look that says, ‘so there.’
“Well, he’s seeing someone. She’s seeing someone. And at the rate he’s going through girlfriends, I think it’s time everyone stops being surprised they’re not seeing each other and be happy Charlie dodged a Nick-shaped bullet. I love the guy. I do. But he needs to get his shit together before he’s good enough for my little sister.”
We talk. We eat. We sing happy birthday and laugh until we cry when they bring out a cake with so many candles the smoke alarm goes off. Once that hubbub dies down, Nathan stands and clears his throat.
“So many of you asked what I wanted for my birthday this year,” he begins. “And I replied the way I always do. I have everything I could ever want,” he says, and half the crowd recites the words with him.
“I have a wonderful family and a job that gives me purpose, a beautiful girlfriend.” Nathan looks at me with those soulful eyes. A dreamy sigh floats through those listening with a quiet “Awww…” coming from my mother.
“This year, though?” Nathan continues. “I find myself in the strange position of wanting something I don’t have.” He smiles softly at me with so much love and respect on his face, tears unexpectedly well in my eyes. “A wife. A family of my own. A future with the love of my life bringing out the best in me day after day. At Micah’s wedding, I was sure love was a trap and I’d never be stupid enough to get married. But now, after you, that’s the only thing I want in the world.”
Gasps sound around the room and somewhere, Micah whispers, “I knew it!”
I place a hand to my heart as Nathan kneels beside me.
“Mina,” he says in a quiet voice, just for me. “Will you marry me?”
In his hand is a black box, opened to show an exquisite ring, simple yet dazzling, shimmering spectacularly in the light.
Tears well in my eyes and I glance up to see my mother grinning through tears of her own. Nathan’s dad wraps an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulls her close, both smiling proudly.
I slide out of my chair and kneel beside Nathan, nodding as I throw my arms around him and nuzzle into his neck. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” I whisper, “but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn it.”
“Is that a yes?”
I nod into his shoulder and then he’s sliding the ring onto my finger and kissing me while his family claps and cheers.
The first time Nathan kissed me, it was like my favorite time of day, gentle and unassuming, but filled with expectation and the promise of something wonderful. I didn’t want to like it as much as I did.
The second time he kissed me, it was inevitable. We were drawn to each other like magnets, incapable of ignoring the pull. It broke the definition of what we were and as much as I loved it, it left me confused.
Today, his kiss is sunshine after a hurricane. The first cool breeze on a humid August evening. It’s sweet and welcome and something I never knew I needed but don’t want to live without.
Just like him.
After all that’s happened between us, there’s one thing I know for sure:
I’ll never stop loving Nathan West.
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NATHAN’S PARENTS AND FAMILY
Did you love Nathan and Mina? You’ll adore his parents’ story!
Meet Nathan’s parents in BEYOND DREAMS.
You know that feeling when the famous musician you're totally crushing on shows up at your brother’s wedding dressed as Elvis?
Really? Huh. Guess it’s just me...
Collin West isn't just hot. And he's not just 'the next big thing,' either. He's the biggest thing to happen to music since...music. He's got heart. And soul. And the most adorable ginger hair that’s somehow always a little mussed. Add in his bangin' body and bedroom eyes and it's easy to see why the whole world loves him.
And he wants me.
Harlow Hutton. Not-so-secret lover of all things Collin West. Dreamer of big dreams. Thinker of deep thoughts.
He falls into my life like a fairy tale, whisking me away on a champagne and glitter adventure around the world. London. Paris. Rome. It's a dream come true...
But every princess has a villain. Throw in some demons from Collin's past and our dream might actually be a nightmare...
One thing's for sure, hiding in the swirl of music and passion, is the glimmer of a happily-ever-after bigger than I ever imagined possible.
I only hope we don't get burned in the process...
This standalone contemporary romance is chock full of heart, soul, and all the feels you're looking for!
If you love strong characters who fight for what they believe in, hot musicians in cheap disguises, and four, scowlingly sexy, protective older brothers in tuxedos, one-click now!
Check out BEYOND DREAMS now!
Meet Angela and Garrett in FATE.
He shouldn't have kissed me. But I shouldn't have liked it.
Garrett Cooper is grumpy. Bossy. Rude. Sparks fly every time we’re in the same room—and not the good kind. While I’m trying to brighten the mood, he’s dismissing me with a roll of his eyes.
One thing’s for sure. Garrett and me? We would never work.
But there’s the problem…
He’s my last, best chance to save my family’s hotel.
He waltzes into our business meeting—grinning like a Bond villain—and verbally eviscerates me in front of my father and uncle. I try to see the good in everyone, but the only thing this guy has going for him is dark hair, a rugged jawline, and black slacks that hug a fantastic rear end.
I convince him to one last meeting. Just the two of us. A do-over, if you will. Instead of focusing on business, the sparks between us catch fire.
Tall, dark, and evil has never been my thing, but staring into those stormy eyes makes me feel equal parts alive and uncomfortable. Nothing good comes from mixing business with pleasure, especially not with a man like this. Intense. Glowering. And holding the lifeline for my family.
Before I know it, inappropriate text conversations become an X-rated phone call I will never forget. Suddenly, this grumpy, growly man is feeding me strawberries in bed and what am I supposed to do with that?
He doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t even do connection.
And I’m supposed to be closing a deal, not enjoying that trick he does with his belt.
I have to put an end to this.
I will put an end to this.
Maybe after one last kiss…
Check out FATE now!
Meet Micah and Ivy in FIRE
He was my first and I thought he’d be my last. Now he’s asking for a second chance.
Micah Hutton is charming. Sweet. Confident. And his page in the shirtless fireman calendar for charity? Trust me, November has never been hotter. But like Grandma says: it’s never the angels who look like sin.
Micah promised he’d love me forever. And I believed him, enough to give myself to him the night before my parents dragged me across the country, tearing us apart. He broke my heart—and his promise—by disappearing the moment I learned I was pregnant.
Seven years later, I’m back in my hometown, staring at my first love, watching his heart break as he meets a little girl who looks just like him. A little girl he swears he never knew existed.
He thinks I kept our baby a secret, but why would I do that? I told him as soon as I found out, certain he'd be at my side the very next day.
Micah says he’s ready to be a father, but am I ready to open my heart and let him back in? Does he deserve that second chance?
Check out FIRE now!
FAMILY TREE
A NOTE ON CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
A younger version of me used to hear people talk about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and think, “Yeah. So? I’ve been really frickin’ tired before too.”
Then, at the beginning of 2023, I found myself bedbound. Unable to think. Incapable of holding a conversation or watching TV.
‘Fatigue’ is a woefully inadequate descriptor for this profoundly debilitating disease.
We’ve all been really frickin’ tired.
Not all of us have been completely disabled by it.
Let’s start with some dreary data:
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease associated with neurological, immunological, autonomic, and energy metabolism dysfunction
The late William Reeves, MD, former head of Viral Diseases at the CDC said, “The level of functional impairment in people who suffer from CFS is comparable to multiple sclerosis, AIDS, end-stage renal failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”
According to Yale Medicine, 75% of ME/CFS patients are too ill to work, and a quarter of patients are unable to leave their homes or, in some cases, their beds. Some physicians caring for ME/CFS patients say it’s one of the most disabling illnesses they've ever seen.
836,000 to 2.5 million Americans have ME/CFS. At least one-quarter of individuals with ME/CFS are bedbound or housebound at some point in the disease and most never regain their pre-disease level of functioning.
To date, research into ME/CFS has been dramatically underfunded. One paper suggests the disease burden of ME/CFS is double that of HIV/AIDS and over half that of breast cancer. The authors of the papers also found that to be commensurate with disease burden, NIH funding would need to increase roughly 14-fold.
If you’d like more information on the signs and symptoms of ME/CFS, start here:
https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/signs-symptoms/index.html
In my personal experience, receiving a diagnosis was difficult, as there isn’t a test to confirm ME/CFS. It’s more a diagnosis of exclusion. There also isn’t a known cure, and when a strongly independent woman suddenly finds herself unable to drive to her own doctor appointments hears something like that, it can be a tad disheartening.
However, under the supervision of my doctor and specialists, and with the damn near heroic support of my husband, I’ve come a long way, baby.
Between physical therapy under the careful eye of a specialist, slowly increasing my activity level (at one point, this meant adding 10 minutes of writing or reading every week or two), overhauling my diet and supplementation, and embracing therapy even when it brought up things I didn’t like, I’ve completely overhauled my life.
A year ago, I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t walk to the end of my street. I couldn’t follow the plot of a television show. I spent my days in bed, away from my husband and children, deeply lonely and completely dependent on others.
Now, I’ve driven to other states. I’ve written a book. I’ve gone on bike rides and started jogging—then stopped, because yuck! I’m learning French and how to play the guitar. I’ve made two quilts and some terribly misshapen pants.
I can’t say I have my life back. There are too many changes to say that.
But I have made myself a new life.
And it’s a good one.
The people who consider themselves cured of ME/CFS/long COVID recognized they wouldn’t come through this without profound change, both internally and externally.
Diet.
Exercise.
Medication.
Supplementation.
Breathwork.
Meditation.
Spirituality/religion.
The removal of toxic people.
Therapy.
Recognizing limitations.
If you are suffering from cfs, long Covid, or this strange assortment of symptoms that no one understands, you can live again. You’ll have to fight for it. You’ll have to change for it. But you can do it.
There are places on the internet that talk about this disease as if it will forever hold you back. They say there’s no cure and will fight anyone who claims otherwise.
Stay away from those places and listen to the recovery stories.
After all, you become who you surround yourself with.
Looking for help?
These resources positively impacted my progress. Please take everything with a grain of salt and talk to your doctor before implementing anything new.
https://www.youtube.com/@RaelanAgle
https://www.youtube.com/@cfsrecovery
Never Finished by David Goggins
Would you like to learn more?
Watch the documentary Unrest here: https://www.unrest.film/watch
Popular YouTuber Physics Girl has chronicled her battle with CFS.
Find her videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/@physicsgirl/videos
