AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nod. But then I add, “And I need to be clear about one more thing.”
“All right.”
“We will protect her from everything, andeveryone, that could possibly hurt her.” I pause, to be sure my point lands. “And that includes you and Mary.”
He frowns again, but he doesn’t say anything.
“If coming here, or seeing you, is painful for her, upsets her, or makes her sad, you won’t see her.”
Kevin is looking at me, and I know he understands that I’m serious.
“We want her to be happy too, Nathan,” he finally says. “We love her very much too.”
“Then this will be great,” I say, giving him a nod. I stand from the loveseat and extend my hand. “I want you to feel free to call me any time you have any questions or concerns.”
He leans forward and takes it. “I appreciate that. But…I don’t know that I’ll have any concerns.”
That’s a great answer. “And I look forward to…the next holiday.” I say it with just enough uncertainty that he chuckles.
“Easter. We usually have the family over for Easter dinner.”
Easter. Well, that gives me a few months off from all the family togetherness.
Except, freaking Crew’s birthday is in February, and I have a feeling the guy thinks his birthday should be a big deal, with a lot of people fawning all over him. As if that doesn’t happen pretty much every third day as it is.
But as I head back into the house, I find I’m not dreading that.
I bet Lori McNeill makes a hell of a birthday cake.
And who knows, maybe by then we’ll invite Kevin and Mary to join the party.
CHAPTER9
Dani
Nathan staresat the air mattress with his hands on his hips. “You can’t be serious.” His voice is grim. “I’m supposed to share that inflated piece of rubber with Hughes?”
I giggle. After the afternoon and evening of tensions I’ve had, I’m exhausted, relieved, and ready to collapse on the twin bed in my childhood bedroom and sink into sleep. “It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”
“Uh, yes, it is,” Nathan says, bending down to push on the mattress. “What’s the weight limit on this thing?”
Michael is already neatly folding his jacket and putting it on the chest of drawers that still houses the clothes I left behind when I went to college. I imagine it’s stuffed with skinny jeans and graphic T-shirts, my high school staples.
“I have no idea, but I’m sure it’s more than the two of you combined.” I reach behind my neck, and undo my necklace, and roll my neck to release the muscle strain.
It was a (mostly) successful evening considering how it started.
The guys were amazing. Michael, as usual, was a rock of stability and reason, making hot chocolate with my mother post-Chinese food and directing conversation all night with innocuous topics like food delivery services, my childhood love of books, and our family lake vacations, all designed to make everyone feel comfortable. He even answered a bunch of Mom’s medical questions about Dad’s high blood pressure with patience.
Michael starts unbuttoning his dress shirt, but he holds out his hand for my necklace to place it on the dresser. His fingertips brush mine, and he gives me a warm smile. “I love you,” he says.
I lean forward and give him a soft kiss. “Thank you for being you tonight.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else than here with you.”
“At least one of you feels that way,” I say, nodding my head in Nathan’s direction.
He’s now lying on the air mattress, fully clothed, turning left and right to test it.
