Chapter 161

KATE

"I'm here. Do you really think I still need to decide?" he said.

"You were a complete jerk yesterday."

"I let anger consume me. But how could it be different? Do you think that situation was easy for me?"

"No. I know it wasn't, but it doesn't give you the right to act like a jerk."

"I'm sorry."

"If you want to move forward with this, I hope you commit; you need to control yourself. Your possessiveness is extremely toxic; no relationship would work like that."

"I'll try."

"Try? I'm serious, Nathan."

"Fine."

"Then I hope this matter about Niels is closed."
He nodded silently, still staring at the ceiling.
"My intention was never to hurt you. Believe me. I thought we would never be together again." I said.

I knew it wouldn't be easy for him to get over that; it would take a while, but I hoped he would at least try.

"Are you angry with me again?"

"No."

"It doesn't look like it."
He remained silent.
"See? You keep everything to yourself. You don't talk."

"You're annoying. I preferred when I could punish you by taking out my anger during sex." He said with a smile.

"We can try that." held his chin, making him look at me. "You seemed very willing before I interrupted."

My phone rang, interrupting us. I turned to reach it on the bedside table. It was my father. I answered.

"Dad? Is everything okay?"

"Hmm... actually, no."

"What happened?"

"I just arrived in town."

"Oh... Are you coming here now?"

Nathan moved, sitting up.

"Yes."

"Okay."

"See you soon, dear."

"Bye."

Nathan stared at me, waiting for an explanation.

"My dad just arrived. I think he came early. He's coming here now."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't think it's the best time for a reintroduction."

"Alright."
He got up and leaned down to put on his shoes.

"Tomorrow is Christmas. You should be with your family." I said.

"My mother wants you to be with us. I also think we should be together on a day like this."

"My father came to spend Christmas with me."

"Then take him with you."

"Nathan..."

"Do you really want to argue about this?"

"I need to see if he agrees."

"Alright, Kate. Do as you please," he said before leaving, heading to the living room.

What a temper! I followed him.

He went into the bathroom to grab his shirt and then picked up his things from the couch.

"Are you mad?"

"How many times are you going to ask that?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'll try to convince him, I promise. Thank you for coming." I approached him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Are we okay?"

"Are we?"

"Nathan..."

"Let me go before your father arrives."

"I'm sorry for everything. I really hope you can forgive me someday. You know... I love you." He leaned in to kiss me and then walked to the door, leaving once again in silence. What was wrong with him?

My father arrived shortly after Nathan left. After a warm welcome, I served him some of the soup that Nathan had made. Convincing him to go to the Ryans' house was easier than I thought. I think I was the one who was in doubt about whether that was a good idea after all.








Unlike Nathan's apartment, Ryan's house was fully decorated in a Christmas atmosphere. It started with a beautiful wreath on the door. There was also a large tree full of ornaments in the immense living room, with a star at the top, stockings hanging on the fireplace, and garlands decorated with red and gold balls everywhere.

I love Christmas; the decorations could make any place cozier and even magical.

Mrs. Ryan was the first to come and greet us, followed by Nathan's father. Where was he, after all? I made the introductions. My father and Mr. Ryan seemed to get along well and were sitting on the couch, talking.

"Nathan should be coming down soon," Mrs. Ryan said, offering me a reassuring smile. I nodded.

He didn't take long to come down, along with Stephan. I felt a bit nervous. My father might not like him, and his opinion mattered to me, as he was the only person I could seek support from. I hoped he'd approve.

Nathan didn't need introductions; he approached, and my father stood up to shake his hand.

"Mr. Collins, it's a pleasure, officially."

"So, you're the man who pursued my daughter and pretended to be someone else?"
God! Nathan looked a bit tense. My father smiled.
"I appreciate that you did all this for her, except for lying, but I believe that shows you really care about her. And I hope it's true."

"We sometimes make bad decisions when we're desperate. I'm sorry for lying." Nathan said.

He might try to hide that he was nervous, but I knew him well enough to know that he was, even if just a little.

Stephan seemed to be enjoying it, watching the scene. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan looked confused.

"So, what did my son do?" Mrs. Ryan asked.

"I'll explain later, Mom," Nathan said, coming closer and sitting next to me on the couch.

"Nathan pretended to be someone else when he visited my father. He knew I wouldn't receive him. We were going through a difficult time because of work back then," I explained.

"You young people like to complicate things that could be simple," she laughed. "I'm glad everything is okay now. It's a great pleasure to welcome you, John. We'll do everything so that Kate doesn't feel less than part of this family. That includes you, of course."

"Thank you. Kate is all I have. The most important thing in my life. I always hoped she would find someone who loved her as she deserves; I hope that person is your son."

Okay, this was getting embarrassing. Nathan seemed uncomfortable.

"Where's Ellie?" I interrupted.

"She went to visit her boyfriend. But she'll be back for lunch," Mr. Ryan said.

"Dear, have you talked to your father about the New Year's trip we're planning?" Mrs. Ryan asked.

"No, I haven't mentioned it yet."

"Well, you can invite him personally, Mom." Stephan interrupted. "In the meantime, my brother, Kate, and I will see how things are going in the kitchen."

"Sure," she agreed.

"Come on!" Stephan nodded his head, calling us. The three of us headed to the kitchen. "You can thank me later. You should have seen your faces. I'm starting to love these family gatherings." He said.

"Take it easy, Stephan. This is already bad enough." Nathan said.

"Bad enough? " I furrowed my eyebrows. What did he mean? "It was you who insisted we come."

"Don't start, Kate."

"You can be a jerk even without saying anything. If it weren't for your mother, I would leave right now."

His silence and hostile behavior were already getting on my nerves.

"Hey, let's calm down! It's Christmas! Where's your Christmas spirit? I mean, Nathan is a lost cause, but what about you, Kate?"

"It's nothing personal, believe me. Your family is amazing. But maybe I chose the wrong brother."
I took a jab and left the two of them behind.

The kitchen smelled delicious, and three women were working on the food. There were various kinds of dishes, from cookies to a huge ham.

One of them smiled at me and offered me a candy cane. I thanked her, returning the smile, and sat on a chair by the counter.

Stephan and Nathan appeared shortly after. Nathan helped himself to whiskey. What the hell got into him?

"Is there something wrong with him?" I asked when Stephan sat next to me.

"I was going to ask you the same thing; he's having trouble dealing with this."

"This what?"

"The relationship."

"He had options."

"Anyone would feel pressured with all this. Give him some time."

"He's just being a jerk as always. And if he wants to keep everything to himself and shut down, it's his problem. I'm tired of trying."

"Nathan can be difficult to deal with most of the time, but don't give up just yet, okay?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"It's good to have you in the family, Kate." He smiled, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Thank you. I also like having a super hot brother-in-law who stole all the charisma and left none for his brother."

We laughed. Ellie appeared in the kitchen and approached me for a hug.

"I missed you, Kate."

"Me too."

"I'll leave you to it and check on the grumpy one." Stephan winked, getting up from his chair. Ellie took his place.

"How was it at your boyfriend's house?"

"His family is nice."

"I hope they're different from your brother."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He's moody and can't talk to me. Maybe you can get something out of him."

"Nathan has always been a bit closed off."

"Unfortunately, that doesn't usually work well in relationships."

"He cares about you. He's a different person now, happier."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Sometimes he'll need space; give him that."

"Believe me, I tried doing that."

"Nathan is like that; he'll prioritize you because he cares about you, even if it hurts him, and he'll try to hide and deny his own feelings."

"That sounds a bit like what he's been doing."

"Don't worry; you're here; that's already proof enough. Soon, he'll realize it."

"How do you know?"

"I know my brother."

Finally, he approached.

"Tell our mom that Olivia said lunch is ready to be served." He said.

"Okay." She got up, squeezing my shoulder before leaving.

"We should at least pretend that everything is fine in front of them."

"You can do that alone if you want." I got up, but he grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving.

"Stop this, Kate."

"I'm tired of this, Nathan. Your silence, not knowing what you're really thinking or feeling. If you don't want to talk to me, then leave me alone."
He didn't say anything.
"You see?" I sighed before leaving him.