AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I ignore her and Andi waves, offering a shaky “cya later”.
I climb the hill towards my truck, carefully set Andi down in the passenger seat, and rush around to turn the engine on and get the heat rolling.
I glance at her wordlessly. All she does is laugh at me, eyes lit with delight.
My lips curve in a smile. “Shut up,” I say.
24
ANDI
I’m set up on the couch. My leg is propped up on the coffee table, I’m wrapped in fur blankets and armed with hot chocolate and a big bowl of homemade chocolate and caramel drizzled popcorn. Jingle All The Way is playing on the TV. I made the mistake of joking that I was sorry to miss the beginning, so the guys happily restarted the movie from the beginning for me. Nolan also rushed straight into the kitchen to make me a fresh batch of popcorn.
Jesse hasn’t sat down since we got back over half an hour ago. He keeps wandering off and returning with things that he thinks might help me. It’s honestly adorable. So far, he has brought me enough blankets to smother a wooly mammoth, my phone, hot chocolate, one of his beanies “in case my head was cold”, and a heating pad. He’s acting like I fell through the ice and nearly drowned. Maybe it should be annoying, but I’m just finding it sweet.
It’s hard not to compare the way he’s acting to Landon. When I got sick, Landon used to awkwardly ask me from the doorway of the bedroom if I needed anything. Then he’d call Uber Eats to have it delivered. He’d set it by my bedside, ask if I was good, and proceed to check on me every six or eight hours. It wasn’t that he didn’t care or worry about me. He just wasn’t built to be a caretaker. He waited for me to ask when I needed things.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a grown ass woman and I can take care of myself when I’m sick. But, I have to admit it’s nice to be pampered like this.
Jake is in the single seater with a view of me. His arms are crossed and there’s an angry look on his face.
I slide my eyes to him and shrug.
He makes an annoyed sound, then looks back to the TV.
Carter is sitting on the floor with his back against the coffee table like he’s a kid who has to sit a few feet from the TV to properly see it. Liam has dozed off and his head is leaning on Maddox’s shoulder. Adorable.
There’s a fire crackling in the hearth and snow is drifting down outside the big windows, piling up on the railing of the balcony overlooking the trees. It’s just like I was picturing, minus the rolled ankle, but every bit as perfect.
I smile, wrapping my hands around the coco mug. The movie is actually pretty funny, and I’m quickly getting invested in it. Is Arnold going to get that Turbo Man toy for his kid or not?
Jesse returns with a big pair of scissors. “Hear me out,” he says, ignoring Carter, who shushes him. “I’m thinking we cut the skate off.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t think the rental people will be mad?”
“I’ll work it out. I’m not worried about that. But can you stay still enough for me to do this safely?”
“I think so.”
Jake is eyeing us, irritation clear on his features. He’s not saying anything, though, which is a step in the right direction.
Jesse kneels. He puts one hand on top of my shin, and the innocent contact makes my heart start pounding. I watch his face as he moves his head, surveying the situation and forming his plan of attack.
He might actually be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on. That dark hair of his has fallen into disarray after the chaos on the ice. It’s dangling in front of his eyebrows, just barely reaching his eyes. I watch the muscles in his neck as he moves, oddly fascinated by them and the way his long fingers look delicate and capable at the same time. I imagine those same fingers guiding his hockey stick in front of thousands of fans.
He lifts the scissors. “Okay, ready?” he asks, whispering so he doesn’t interrupt the movie.
Nolan plops down on the couch beside me with fresh bowls of popcorn. These guys never stop eating, but somehow they’re all completely shredded. Men.
I lose all interest in the movie as I watch Jesse fumble with the scissors. He grips my calf with his free hand, then lifts the fabric of the skate to make as much room between the scissors and my skin as possible.
I wince a little. Just having him move the skate around hurts, but I try to keep my noises to myself. It’s kind of nice being messed with by him.
Five minutes have passed and he’s managed to make a little slit in the softest part of the skate near the top. There’s a plastic buckle he can’t seem to get through. Nolan has taken an interest in the project now, and he’s kneeling on the other side of me, providing commentary and feedback.
Ten minutes later and Maddox has joined, too. They have a small serrated knife and they’re all arguing over the best way to get the plastic straps off. Liam is saying they should just drive me to the doctors, but I think the rest of the guys are too invested in solving the problem to give up now.
After another fifteen minutes, Jake and Carter have joined, too. Jake has one of those long barreled lighters and he’s heating the plastic strap so it’s easier to cut. Nolan has driven into town to try to find a better tool, and Jesse is the man in control while everybody else leans over the skate, trying to guide his efforts.
