Page 59 of Nixon’s Promise

Holden’s eyes flashed and Nixon immediately regretted telling his friend about McKenna. Holden was a good-looking guy. Some of the other team guys used to bust their balls about being made for a Hollywood platoon. It wasn’t just Holden, Weston, Jameson, Chasin, and Nixon who had been razzed about their looks. Several of the other guys, Rhode and Vaughn especially, had been labeled as pretty boys.

Nixon hated the description. He didn’t think there was anything pretty about any of them. But he’d known better than to fight the name. The moment you voiced your displeasure in a moniker, it was on, and you’d never get rid of it. So Nixon and the rest of his team had kept their mouths shut.

“Don’t even think about it,” Nixon warned.

“Damn, bro.” Holden shook his head. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. I know you.”

“So, I guess now’s not the best time to ask when I get to meet her?”

“Fuck you.”

Holden was damn near bent double busting a gut when Zack walked back in the room.

“McKenna called, said dinner was ready. I told her Holden was here and she said she made plenty.”

Nixon’s eyes drifted closed and he prayed for patience as Holden continued to laugh.

“What’s funny?” Zack asked as he watched Holden.

“Nothing. He’s just being an ass,” Nixon told Zack, then turned to his friend. “You coming, or what?”

“Hell, yeah, I’m coming. I’m fucking starving.”

“Watch your mouth around Zack and Amanda.”

“Amanda?” Holden inquired.

“My other sister,” Zack answered. Holden’s eyes slid to Nixon but before he could answer, Zack beat him to it. “She’s seven-fucking-teen,” Zack growled.

“Right.” Holden’s lips twitched at the kid’s bravado.

Nixon stilled and didn’t take his eyes off Zack. Yeah, the kid was learning to be a man, and from what Nixon had seen in the last few weeks, both Wilson women were damn lucky he was learning to be a good one. Zack may’ve been the youngest, but he was sharp and would watch over them.

Nix liked that a whole hell of a lot.

23

“Micky?” Mandy’s voice pulled me from my looming panic attack.

Zack had told me Nixon’s friend Holden had already made it to Maryland and was at Nix’s house. I’d stupidly offered for him to come to dinner. Now I was freaking out, wondering if I should’ve talked to Nix about it first. Maybe he didn’t want me to meet his friend. The invitation was presumptuous and I totally regretted it.

“Yeah?”

“Would it be all right if I went to a lacrosse game tomorrow? I know I’m still on restriction but there’s this boy, Caleb, and he asked me out to the movies. I told him I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere on the weekends for another few weeks. So, he asked if I could watch one of his games.”

Holy shit. Damn. Okay. Mandy was talking to me.

“Caleb?” I asked, trying to play it cool. “Is he in your grade?”

“No. He’s a senior. Caleb Heaton.”

I could hear the smile when she said his name, and as much as I wanted to see it, because I loved my sister’s smile, I didn’t dare take my eyes off the tomato I was chopping.

“Is he cute?”

“Yes,” she breathed. “He’s so hot. His hair is like two months past needing a haircut so it’s that cool, kinda longish, messy look. And he’s really tall. Oh, and get this, he has blue eyes. Like real, baby blue eyes. They are so pretty. Not that I’d tell a guy he has pretty eyes, because he’s a guy and stuff, but they totally are.”