AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I crossed my arms over my chest. “More than anything, I’m mad at your ex for making you do this. She’s just a spoiled princess throwing a tantrum, and it’s fucking childish.”
Nolan shrugged. “I don’t like her tactics, but something good has come out of this situation.”
“Which is?”
He smiled at me. “I like spending time with you, Katie.”
Smiling back at him, I uncrossed my arms. “I like spending time with you too, Nolan. I’m sorry I called you boring when I was a kid.”
He chuckled. “Hey, you were young. And for a kid, constantly reading and practicing lines might seem dull.”
I shook my head. “I liked to read, too, so it wasn’t that. I guess I was just frustrated that you mostly ignored me. And yes, I know you were nearly six years older than me and that was a much bigger deal back then. But still, Amber had Zach, and once Emmy moved in with your family, she spent a lot more time with Abby. And, well…”
“And you felt a little adrift.”
“Yes. I knew my friends loved me, but I desperately wanted a friend of my own. One that would be special.”
Although, why I was telling him this right now, I had no idea.
Except I was tired of constantly hiding parts of myself. Nolan liked that I treated him as a normal person and not a celebrity. And to do that meant lowering a few of my own inner walls. Not all, but some.
And this was something I’d wanted to share for so long. Not even the BFF Circle knew how I’d struggled with all the changes after the deaths of Emmy’s parents and then the Wolfe siblings’ dad.
Nolan finally replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice you, Katie. But to be honest, I was also dealing with my own problems once my dad died. I just wanted to…escape. So hiding away in books or pretending to be someone else was how I coped. Because during those times, just for a little while, I could pretend to be a happy, normal guy.” He looked at me for a second. “But I notice you now, Katie Evans.”
Part of me interpreted his words to mean he noticed me as a woman, one he wanted to be with for real.
But in reality, it probably just meant friendship. Still, I had to say, “And I notice you, Nolan Wolfe. That Drake guy is a stranger to me.”
He smiled. “And how will your family see me? As the boy next door or as a movie star?”
“That, I don’t know. But just the fact you supposedly want to marry me will be enough to cause chaos.”
I sighed dramatically, and Nolan chuckled. “Don’t worry, whatever may come, I can handle it. I promise.”
He took my hand, squeezed it, and released it to turn onto my family’s property.
“You say that now, but you’ve been to our yearly Fourth of July barbecues and baseball games. We’re not a quiet bunch. Well, apart from my dad.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Have you met my family?”
I snorted. “They’re tame by comparison.”
Once Nolan parked, opened my door, and we reached the front porch, the door opened and my mother clapped her hands. “Tell me it’s true that I finally get a wedding and maybe some grandchildren!”
My cheeks burned thinking about the making of said children. “Mom, it’s not a shotgun wedding. Sheesh.”
My mother waved a hand. “I didn’t say it was. But I have four children, FOUR, and not a one has gotten married, let alone had or adopted children. Not even a fur baby. I need someone to spoil.”
Cassie appeared next to Mom. “If you’re that desperate, then get a dog or cat.”
“I would, if your father wasn’t allergic. Maybe if you got your own place, you could get a cat and let me pet sit.”
Cassie muttered, “I’m working on it.”
My dad’s voice bellowed down the hallway, “Come in or go out. You’re letting the heat escape.”
My mother ushered us inside and maneuvered between Nolan and me. “Now, Nolan, tell us all about your place in Malibu. I assume that’s where you and Katie will be living?”
