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“Remember these?” Brandon asked, holding up a set of plastic icicles.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “I think we still have a few of those in the attic.”
My brother’s eyes lit up even further. “Really? Go get em’.”
A minute later I was in the den, pulling down the rope that would access the attic stairs. There wasn’t much up there, but whatever I found would be even more nostalgic for him. And yeah, for me too.
Already I was choking up, remembering all the times Brandon and I had helped our father decorate each year. The old man had grumbled a lot about what a pain in the ass it was, but when the house was done and the sun went down and we flipped on all the colorful lights? I could remember the smile on his face wiping all the complaints away.
“Hey…”
I stopped and turned with one foot on the bottom rung of the ladder. Sloane was walking toward me, holding her arms out.
“Are you upset with me?”
I scoffed so hard I nearly snorted. “No, of course not! Why?”
“Because it looks like you’re crying.”
I grunted in denial, wiping a tiny bit of dampness from the corners of my eyes. They were glassy maybe, I’d give her that. But I damned sure wasn’t crying.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” Sloane told me. “I just thought… well, Valerio and I thought—”
“Get over here.”
I reached out and pulled her the rest of the way into me, crushing her soft, feminine body in my two big arms. The hug I gave her was the most tremendous thing in the world. It felt like my heart was leaving my chest and somehow melding with her own.
“Kade, I—”
I kissed her so hard she gasped and then sighed, her body turning to jello as I took full command. Eventually I pulled her back so I could stare into her soft brown eyes.
“What you just did for my brother was amazing,” I told her, holding her tight. “You know that?”
She nodded sheepishly. Before she could avert her eyes with her usual modesty, I tilted her gaze up to meet mine.
“He’s been sick lately. Not well.”
Sloane nodded in slow acknowledgment. “I.. I know.”
“Danielle promised to come back if he stayed clean,” I went on. “So far he’s kept with it. But he’s in the thick of things now, and the holidays are always tough. With everything going on, he really needed a win.”
There was understanding in her expression, and zero judgment. It made me feel closer to her than ever before.
Hell, it made meloveher.
“I’ve never seen him so happy,” I smiled. This time my eyesdidleak a little, but I let them go glassy anyway. “So thanks for this,” I somehow managed. “I want you to know it means the whole fucking world.”
Before she could say anything I cupped her ass and pulled her against me. Pressing my lips so hard against hers, she had no choice but to surrender.
“Now why the hell do you taste like cookie-dough?”
Sloane stared back at me again. For a few moments her eyes were unfocused, still dazed with pleasure.
“Because your brother and his girlfriend are about to bake cookies,” she giggled finally. “Danielle found a tube of chocolate chip mix in one of the crisper drawers.”
“Shit. This night just keeps getting better and better.”
“Yeah,” she said hugging me back. “Wait until later though, when Brock’s home and we’re all together. Then we’ll really celebrate.”
