Chapter 336: Love At First Sight

Kayla’s POV

Holly and David stared at me like I’d grown a second head.

“Wife?!” they both echoed again, louder this time. Holly’s voice cracked on the word while David’s came out in a low, suspicious growl.

I threw my hands up, the empty ring finger still tingling from where I’d yanked the diamond off.

“He’s insane and it’s not real! It’s a long, stupid story. I crashed into him in the mall, some creep was watching me…Caleb, I think…and this guy decided the best way to scare him off was to drop to one knee and propose in front of half the city. There was a ring, a crowd, a song, people filming…it was a circus, Holly.”

Nathan stood beside me looking far too pleased with himself, arms crossed over his leather jacket, that dangerous bad-boy smirk back in full force. The puppy eyes from earlier had completely disappeared.

Holly’s gaze flicked between us, narrowing. “Kay? You… got proposed to in a mall? By a stranger? And you said yes? Are you out of your mind?!”

“I didn’t say yes!” I protested, cheeks burning. “He just…did it. And then his actual girlfriend…or fiancée, whatever…showed up and called me a tramp, so I called her auntie and told her I was his wife just to shut her up. It was supposed to end there. I gave the ring back in the parking lot!”

Nathan shrugged, completely unbothered. “She slammed it into my palm. Hurt a little, actually. But she’s still my wife with or without the ring.”

David stepped forward, eyes locked on Nathan like he was sizing up a threat. “And you decided to follow her around, why, exactly?”

“Because she’s my wife now,” Nathan said simply, flashing that boyish grin again that made his ears turn red.

It was annoyingly cute and completely unfair on a guy who looked like he belonged on a motorcycle gang poster. “I go where she goes. Because we are a team now.”

I groaned out loud, dragging a hand through my hair. This can’t be happening!

Holly pinched the bridge of her nose. “Kayla. Can you see what happens when you take in a stray? I specifically told you…puppy eyes are dangerous. Especially when they come this good looking!”

“I know, I know,” I groaned again, leaning back against my car. “But he gave me the saddest look when I tried to leave him in the parking lot. Like a wet puppy that got abandoned. I let him tag along before my brain could catch up. He’s like… a grown man cosplaying as a dangerous biker but with the soul of a lost kid. I couldn’t just leave him there.”

Nathan chuckled low. “I’m standing right here, you know. I’m not a toy hanging on a shelf.”

“Good,” Holly shot back. “Then you can explain why you think it’s okay to fake-propose to my best friend in public, drag her into your drama, and then follow her like a lost shadow.”

Nathan’s expression shifted again…that quick flip from playful to serious that was starting to give me emotional whiplash.

He looked straight at Holly, then at David. “Look, I saw a woman panicking because some guy was stalking her. She asked for help. I gave her the most effective distraction I could think of on short notice. The ring? It’s real. Family heirloom, actually. And the blonde? She’s not my fiancée. She’s just someone who doesn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer. I owed Kayla one for helping me shake her off too.”

I blinked. “Wait… I helped you?”

He shrugged. “Mutual benefit.”

David crossed his arms, still not convinced. “Mutual benefit doesn’t explain why you’re still here.”

Nathan’s eyes met mine for a second, something unreadable flickering there. “Because she looked like she needed backup. And I don’t like leaving jobs half-finished. Especially when the job involves keeping a kid safe from a deadbeat dad who thinks he’s a god. Besides, I fell in love with Kayla. At first sight.”

“This can’t be happening,” I muttered.

The parking lot suddenly felt quieter. Holly’s protective best friend mode kicked in hard. She stepped closer to me, grabbing my hand and pulled me towards her side as she whispered. “You told him about Caden?”

“Not exactly,” I muttered. “He heard some of my rambling in the mall.”

Holly turned back to Nathan, eyes sharp. “Listen, tattoo guy. My friend has been through enough. If you’re playing games, if this is some weird con or you’re connected to that bastard in any way—”

“I’m not,” Nathan cut in, voice steady and serious now. No grin, no puppy eyes. “I hate guys like that. The ones who run when things get real and then come back years later demanding rights they never earned. If you need muscle, or a distraction, or someone to make sure he thinks twice before showing up at her door…I’m in.”

Is it supposed to be that easy?

I stared at him. This guy had gone from a fake fiancé to offering protection in under an hour. My life was spiraling so fast I was getting dizzy.

Holly exhaled slowly, studying him. “You’re either the craziest good Samaritan I’ve ever met or you’re hiding something.”

Nathan gave a small, crooked smile. “Probably a bit of both.”

David finally spoke, voice low. “I don’t trust this Conrad guy a bit.”

“Fair enough,” Nathan replied, nodding once.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “This is not my life.”

Holly suddenly stopped, spun around, and planted herself right in front of Nathan like she was conducting a job interview for a secret agent.

“Okay, Tattoo Stranger,” she said, crossing her arms with a dramatic flair. “Before I let you anywhere near my girl, I need to vet you properly. Rapid-fire questions. Answer honestly or I’m calling the cops.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow, but that amused glint was back in his eyes. “Hit me.”

Holly grinned like a shark. “First question. If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be and why?”

“Wait…what? That’s it?” I quickly interjected.

Nathan didn’t even blink. “A potato. Versatile. Can be fried, mashed, or turned into vodka. Also, I’m good underground and people still love me even when I’m a little dirty.”

Holly snorted, trying not to laugh. “Okay, not bad. Second ridiculous question. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done to impress a girl?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, ears turning red again. “Honestly? Proposed to a complete stranger in a crowded mall out of the blue, while singing off-key to a song I didn’t know the lyrics to, just so some creep would back off. And then followed her to the airport like a lost golden retriever in leather.”

I couldn’t help it…a giggle escaped me. David looked like he was two seconds from dragging Nathan away by the collar.

Holly clapped her hands once. “Final question, and this one decides everything. If you had to fight a duck in hand-to-hand combat, what’s your strategy?”

Nathan leaned in like he was revealing state secrets. “I’d quack louder than the duck to assert dominance, then offer it bread as a peace treaty. If that fails, I’d run. Ducks are vicious little bastards.”

Holly stared at him for a beat…then burst out laughing. Nathan joined in, both of them pointing at each other like they’d just discovered they were long-lost comedy partners.

The sound of their synchronized laughter echoed across the parking lot.

“You passed!” Holly declared, wiping a tear from her eye. “You have my official best friend's permission to date Kayla. Congratulations, future brother-in-law.”

I nearly choked on air. “How did you come up with that?! Holly what are you doing?”

David’s face twisted with pure jealousy and possessiveness. He stepped closer to Holly, his arm instinctively wrapping around her shoulders in a tight, territorial grip.

“Holly, you must have hit your damn head on something hard. You’re suddenly acting like besties with a man who could be a kidnapper or human trafficker? He followed her here like a damn stalker!”

Holly turned to Nathan with mock seriousness, hands on her hips. “Mr Nathan sir, Are you a trafficker or kidnapper?”

Nathan immediately raised both hands in surrender, that boyish grin still plastered on his face. “No, ma’am. Clean as a whistle. Never even jaywalked…today.”

“See?” Holly said triumphantly, gesturing at him like he’d just passed a polygraph. “He’s clean!”

Is she high or something?

David and I face-palmed at the exact same time, our groans overlapping.

“Nathan is literally a stranger,” I said, rubbing my temples. “I don’t know anything about him!”

Nathan stepped forward, looking at me with those unfairly sincere eyes. “I’ll tell you anything you need to know, Kayla. Ask me whatever. I’m all yours henceforth.”

I looked at him, utterly confused, my brain short-circuiting. How did everything spiral to this point? What could possibly be his reason for following me around like a sheep and offering to help?

Holly quickly jumped in before the silence got awkward. “He should come with us! We can drop him off or something.”

“NO!” David and I snapped at the exact same time, both of us staring at her like she’d completely lost it.

Seriously…what happened to all those lectures about stranger danger?

…Then again, I did just kiss the stranger.

Right.

Fantastic.

I’m clearly the authority on good decisions here.