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Noel was surprising Jameson with not one—but two puppies for Christmas, each of them dubbed after the main character in his favorite movie, A Knight’s Tale. Quinny, Brex, Max and I had gone on a stealth mission to retrieve them, and our little cherub had been babbling about dogs all night, much to our chagrin. Honestly, I just needed the time away from Broderick and my brothers, and the drive to clear my head while Max and Brex chattered at each other.
“That’s alright. Uncle’s not that bright, and I bet I could convince him you were talking about Royal.”
Royal. I love all animals, really, I do. But Brex’s golden retriever had a weird affinity for the rabbits on our parents’ property. So much so that she nearly got Rhyett killed a few years back when the house caught fire and she wouldn’t abandon a baby bunny under the deck. My beautiful big brother refused to abandon her, the big lug. Come to think of it, the man probably saved Royal because she was secretly his spirit animal or something.
But she was cute and sweet and Quinny’s biggest fan, despite the fists full of fur regularly liberated from her shiny coat. “Should we go find Uncle Max? Should we?” I cooed again. What was it about babies that just liquified my brain cells?
“Mah.”
“Max,” I mimicked back, emphasizing the x.
“Mah.”
A phantom pressure settled between my shoulder blades, but I just cleared my throat before saying, “Yes, Max. Come on, Quinny.” When I scooped her into my arms and turned on my heel, I came face to face with the one man I’d never gotten over. It turns out, I could officially, undoubtedly, say that getting under him certainly wouldn’t have helped the cause, despite the suggestion being thrown my way for a decade.
Because now that I had…when I straightened and met that molten gaze where he leaned against the doorframe, every inch of my being lit up with expectation. His laugh, his touch, his scent, the image of him ranging over me—all hard lines beneath warm, rich skin—before he knocked my breath clean out of my lungs with that magnificent dick. Seriously. Other dicks could only aspire to his level of greatness.
“Hey,” I managed awkwardly. Fuck, I hated that it was awkward. But it was. God, it was. The house was packed, in true Rhodes form, and we’d barely seen each other in the last three days. Yes, we shared the kitchen for cookie baking, but with the guys all shelling nuts, stringing popcorn, and talking shop, and the girls all focused on layering the entire island in flour, we hadn’t gotten to say more than a few words.
Jeanne was back gallivanting the planet—only God knew where—and Alice was locked down helping Captain Hartless with something she didn’t feel like discussing. She’d had two migraines in as many weeks, and Rhyett, Hads and I were seriously discussing an intervention if things didn’t look up soon. But ten of us, plus Brex and Quinn, Noel and her sweet family, and Max and Broderick made for a chaotic three-thousand square feet.
Much to my simultaneous disappointment and relief, Broderick had been pressured into staying with Rhyett, Brex, Jameson, and Noel, while the other eight of us invaded our parent’s house like a swarm of candycane laden locusts.
“Hey,” he husked. I couldn’t help but wonder if I wasn’t the only one using the crowd as a shield. Using the chaos to keep myself busy and try to think through our options. Regardless, every inch of my body was screaming to close the distance, to go to him and let our bodies talk in a way words couldn’t. Because, fuck, I loved him. But continuing on as we were—fighting to connect for a few days at a time or stuck on phone calls for weeks at a time—wasn’t an option.
A timid smile curled one side of his mouth as he eyed Quinny, who gave a stilted baby wave and a, “Ba-oop.”
“Hey, baby girl, you sure are beautiful,” he said softly, but I didn’t miss the fact that his eyes were on me as he said it. “Your auntie sure looks good with a baby on her hip, too.”
“Thank you,” I mouthed back, not trusting my voice. My throat was too tight, tongue too leaden with all the unsaid things. Some horribly condemnable, selfish part of me wanted him to pick me. To pick us and walk away from that going-nowhere fishing town. The rest of me…was unspeakably proud of the love of my life for setting his eyes on a goal and becoming one of the best along the way. His hands flexed at his sides, and he took a stiff step forward before swallowing hard and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Those gorgeous eyes found his feet as he rocked on them.
A heartbeat later, Rhy popped into the doorframe, tapping on the molding to announce his presence. Broderick must’ve heard him walking down the hallway. He gave Broderick’s arm a playful smack, grinning like a kid that just spilled their bucket of Halloween candy over the carpet to inventory.
“Hey, guys! It’s time. Come on,” Rhyett said excitedly. Quinny reached out chubby grabby hands for her daddy, who scooped her up without hesitation. The two of them led the way, leaving Broderick and me to follow their matching blonde noggins.
“Do you think he’ll change his plans once he meets the puppies?” I asked out of the side of my mouth, needing to fill the silence, to cut through the tension between us. Jameson’s plan was to propose to Noel tonight when the entire family—both ours and hers—gathered for Christmas dinner. At this rate, my parents needed to build a big ass barn to accommodate our growing tribe. To my relief, Broderick chuckled, the sound punching through the invisible wall between us and letting the light through.
“My money is on ice skating tonight.”
“No way,” I argued halfheartedly. He was probably right, but it was more fun to play. To pretend, even if just for a moment, that everything was normal between us. “Too cheesy.”
“Bet you five bucks.”
“Deal,” I quipped back, relieved he was humoring me. My mistake was turning to look at him. Fuck me, I missed his lips. The warmth in those eyes, and the smile lines framing them. Three days, and I was breaking apart at the seams, just praying I hid it well.
“Think she’ll say yes?”
I leveled him with a side-eye, only to find his smirk full of mischief. I missed him. God, I missed him. Playing with him, laughing with him. “William and Thatcher would be strange gifts from a woman who wouldn’t,” I pointed out, grinning back at him.
“True. God, I know Noel’s got energy, but two puppies??”
“Best of luck to them both.”
Chuckling, he said, “Really though, I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Nodding, I glanced to where Rhy and Quinny had vanished at the end of the hallway before saying, “No matter what happens, I need you to know I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“What the hell is this?” Broderick asked later that night as he glared at the five-dollar bill in my outstretched hand.
