Chapter 434

Hayden and I ended up snagging the room right next to Nate’s, which worked out perfectly because, let’s be real, I was dying to see if Lena was going to spend the night with him. I didn’t really care about staying at the hotel—just straight-up nosy.

The second we got to our room, we made a beeline for the balcony. I wasn’t even all the way outside before I caught Nate’s voice floating over.

“Lena, have you ever thought about working abroad? With your skills, you’d kill it overseas,” he said, his voice all soft and serious.

I crouched down, peeking over the edge. Sure enough, there they were—Nate had his arm around Lena, both leaning against the railing, staring at the city lights.

“I haven’t really thought about it…until tonight,” Lena’s voice was quieter than I’d ever heard it—like a totally different person from the cool doctor I knew.

“Would you consider it?” Nate asked, still soft.

She didn’t answer right away, so he kept going. “If you wanted, I could help set things up for you.”

“Nate,” Lena said his name, and I knew something serious was about to drop. “Have you ever thought about coming back to Kehlmark?”

There was a pause, then Nate replied, “No.” But he said it like he’d thought about it a million times before. Lena snuggled closer into his chest. “Why not?”

“My biggest accomplishments have been abroad. I’m not just working overseas—I’m recognized globally,” he said, sounding proud but not braggy. Just…honest.

“Your work’s known all over, so what does it matter where you are?” Lena paused, then added, “But Nate, my family, my friends, my whole life is in Kehlmark.”

Ugh, I got a little choked up. Lena was never the type to change her whole life for a guy, even if she loved him.

“I know. I’m not trying to push you,” Nate said, resting his chin on her head. “I just think we should be together if we’re getting married.”

Okay, whoa. That escalated quickly.

I started noticing how every guy has his own way of showing affection. Hayden loves poking me in the waist. Jace used to pinch my cheeks. And Nate? He had his own quiet way of being sweet. But his words hit me. Once they got married, one of them would have to make a big sacrifice.

“Have you really thought about marrying me?” Lena teased, trying to feel out how serious he was.

“Yeah,” Nate said, no hesitation. “I’ve wanted you to be my future wife since I realized I loved you. If I didn’t, wouldn’t this all just be messing around?”

Wow, Nate really had his life figured out. Guys might not always get how big of a deal marriage is, but for a girl? It’s huge.

Chapter 434

Sure enough, Lena, who’d been chilling in Nate’s arms, turned to face him. Her eyes were all soft, totally lost in the moment. She didn’t say a word—just looked at him.

The tension between them? So real.

Nate leaned in, Lena went on her tiptoes, and right as their lips were about to meet—bam! Hayden’s hand blocked my view, yanking me back.

Before I could even react, he wrapped me up in his arms, dragging me away from my spying spot.

“Hey!” I protested.

“Not for kids,” he said, throwing out those three words like he was making a joke.

I burst out laughing. “I just wanted to see how brainiacs like them show love. Might be different than how we do.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Brainiacs? So what are we? If they’re the cultured type, what am I? Some caveman?”

Was he…actually offended? Guys can be so dramatic.

“Well? Answer me,” he said, staring at me like he was really waiting for a definition.

I looked at his ridiculously handsome face and grinned, totally honest. “You? Easy. Tough guy.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Tough?”