Page 71 of Love Unspoken

"Do you want to go back to Boston, or do you have time for one more little surprise?" I asked, wanting very much to divert her mind from her insecurities and her worries that I was merely using her to entertain myself.

"Maybe we should go home," she said in a small voice.

"Why?" I rubbed her shoulder. Would she cut me off even before we had a chance to find out how good we could be? Because in just a short time I knew in my bones this relationship would be different and fulfilling for both of us.

"I just…"

"Won't you look at me, baby?"

She did after a long moment, and I saw the uncertainty in her eyes, in how forlorn she looked.

"Tell me what's going in that pretty head of yours?" I tried to keep my tone light.

"That…I should stop seeing you now, so I don't get attached, and I can avoid all the hurt that⁠—."

"How do you know you're going to get hurt?" This woman was killing me with her honesty, with how she opened her heart up and just let me see what was inside. Had I ever had this with anyone in my life? Not my family, not any woman I'd been with, and not even my friends. Sure, Hayes was honest with me, but he wasn't vulnerable with me.

"I just know. Look at you and look at me. Once the novelty of me wears off, you're going to go back to being with people who fit in your world. I don't. I won't be the hostess with the mostest like Ann."

"How do you know what kind of hostess Ann is?"

She shrugged. "Kara talked about the parties she'd throw with you. How fancy they were and how Kara was learning from Ann to do that because it's important for networking. I'm never going to be that person. I don't know how to be, and I don't even want to learn."

I chuckled. "That's okay, I don't like parties all that much, especially in my house."

"But you had so many of them. I know because I babysat Magnus each time."

I should've invited her, I thought regretfully now. She was Nolan's sister. When Hayes's sister was in town from Chicago, she joined us. Same with Jackson's brother. Ann's cousins were at these parties and dinners. It wasn't some sort of exclusive group. And yet, Naya had never been invited. Nolan would have had to be the one to ask her to come over, but he didn't. Even before he had a baby, he didn't. She was always in the periphery, allowing him to live his life the way he wanted while she took care of things at him.

"Why didn't you come for any of these parties?" I asked.

"Why would I?" she countered.

"You're Nolan's sister. You've known all of us almost as long as he has."

"But not as well as he does."

"Were you never invited?"

"No."

"Even to your brother's house when he was entertaining?"

"That's when I had Magnus at my place."

I felt impotent anger surge through me. "Why did you allow Nolan to use you like that?"

She pulled away this time and set her glass on the short table next to the couch. "I'd like to go home now."

"No," I muttered. "Tell me why you let him use you."

"I want to go home," she said forcefully.

"Fine."

TWENTY-FIVE

NAYA