Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
As the trucks turned into her driveway, she jerked up her jeans and quickly zipped and buttoned them.
But before she could hit the remote, he cupped her chin. “You okay?” He held her gaze.
“If you regret what you just did to me, I’m kicking you out on your ass.”
He cracked a grin, his thumb stroking her jaw. “Not a chance.”
Engines cut off. Car doors slammed shut.
“I don’t know who it could be. I’m not expecting anyone.
” She punched the button, and the garage door rattled and creaked as it opened.
Light flooded the space. Outside, two giant black pickups were parked in the driveway, and a moving van was pulling up to the curb. “What’s going on?”
But Jude already was on the move, greeting his two brothers. “What’re you guys doing here? Does anybody have a job?”
“Not a lot of forest fires in the dead of winter,” Boone said.
“We’re not set up for company,” Jude said.
“That’s why we’re here, big brother.” Boone clapped him on the shoulder.
Wyatt approached her. “Heard fuckface took most of the furniture, so we got some stuff.”
“Well, I mean, he took what he owned,” Finlay said, painfully self-conscious. Was her hair a tangled mess? Did her lips look red? Could they tell what she’d been doing?
And why did she find it more thrilling than embarrassing?
Because I’ve never had that just-fucked look.
And I think I like it.
“How’d you hear about that?” Jude asked.
Wyatt pointed down the street. “Bernese Mountain dog got into it with a snowmobile. Owner saw your ex take his couch.”
“So you brought me a new one?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Yeah,” Boone said. “But also, Miss Marlee’s son’s a probie, and she told him she saw a bunch of frat guys clearing out the house. She said you could land a plane on that big screen TV.” He tipped his chin to the back of his truck. “So we got you an even bigger one.”
“You guys.” She was unbelievably touched.
“Thank you. This is so nice.” Across the street, curtains parted, and her neighbor peered out.
Finlay didn’t know what they’d think of the big, scary men with tattoos and black trucks, but Jude’s family was so wonderful, she’d be damned if anyone made them feel unwelcome.
The passenger door on the box truck opened, and yet another brother came out. He was big, muscular, and rough-looking.
Jude headed toward him. “What the hell’re you doing here? You’ve got a game tomorrow.”
“Oh shit. You’re right. Thanks for the reminder.” Even though he wasn’t as tall, the quarterback pulled his older brother into a hug, lifting his feet off the ground.
Jude got free and shoved his younger brother. “You get kicked off the team?”
“No. But you’ve got a lot going on, and I wanted to see how you’re doing, meet the kid.”
“I’m fine.” Jude gestured to his family. “These clowns shouldn’t have involved you.”
“Hey, who’re you calling a clown?” Boone grinned.
“You’re going to pay a big-ass fine for leaving your team,” Jude grumbled.
“Since when is money more important than family?” the football player asked.
Jude stood back to let her into the circle. “Finlay, this is my baby brother, Decker.”
Never in her life had she felt petite—until she stood beside these giant, rugged men.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Now, I know you stepped in to be his fake fiancée, but I don’t know how you two know each other.” Decker wagged a finger between Jude and her.
“We were friends in high school,” she said. “And now, I’m helping with Cody. I’m the nanny.”
“But we’re not talking about the fake part, okay?” Jude asked. “I already have enough shit stacked against me with the judge. That can’t get out.”
“Got it,” Decker said with a nod.
“Now, come on.” Jude stalked down the driveway. “Dad’s unloading by himself.”
As they all headed to the street, Gunnar set aside the dolly to hug his sons.
“You buy out a whole furniture store?” Jude asked.
“Pretty much,” Decker said.
“You’ve got the boy for six weeks.” His dad went back to stacking boxes. “And it’s Christmas. You want it to feel like home for him, don’t you?”
Jude looked from one man to the next. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him display his feelings so clearly. He seemed unable to speak.
Finlay stepped in. “That’s so nice, Gunnar. Thank you.” She hugged him, breathing in the scent of leather and pine. And even though the gifts weren’t meant for her, she said, “This means so much to us.”
“All right.” Gunnar patted her back awkwardly. “Now, don’t go sending me another meat board. Let’s get this done.”
But as they all started for the trucks, Jude stood there, unseeing, his eyes clouded with emotion. She didn’t even ask if he was okay because he clearly wasn’t. So she reached for his hand.
He could’ve brushed it aside or given a polite squeeze and release. But to her surprise, he clasped it, holding it tightly for a moment as though it were a lifeline. He lowered his chin and blinked.
“Good to be home?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
The four men did all the heavy lifting, relying on Finlay to show them where to put things. It would’ve taken her a decade or more to acquire the furniture and toys they’d bought, so she was overwhelmed by their generosity.
When they finished unloading the truck, they brought in their tool kits to assemble bookcases and bed frames and peel the plastic wrap off the mattresses.
Finlay didn’t have siblings, so she wasn’t used to the way they constantly joked with each other, recounting childhood stories and making fun of each other’s jobs.
She loved every second of it and got to see Jude in a whole new light. He might act like a broody loner, but he was surrounded by love and support. For some reason, he didn’t feel he deserved it, and she wondered why when it was clear his siblings looked up to him.
With an armful of moving blankets, Gunnar crossed her living room that now had a couch, loveseat, ottoman, television, and media center.
Her four bedrooms were fully furnished, and one of them doubled as a guest room and a play area for Cody.
It was filled with books, a kitchen with fake food, several Duplo Lego sets, and art supplies—including a finger-painting kit.
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done,” she called out to him. “You’ve given Cody a real home.”
He gave a curt nod and headed for the door, but she couldn’t miss the pink staining his cheeks.
Was filling up her entire house over the top for a six-week visit? Yep. But Jude’s family expressed themselves through action. And she heard them loud and clear. They loved Jude and wanted him to come home.
The man himself came trampling down the stairs. “We’re about finished up there, and we’re running out of time. What’s next?”
They were trying to get everything done before Ava brought the boy home from school. “The last thing we have to do is decorate.”
He eyed the stacks of boxes. “Do we really need all this crap?”
“Maybe not, but did I need a ping-pong table in the basement?”
Jude cracked a grin. “That’s my dad’s way of making sure everyone spends time here so Cody has a big family around over the holidays.”
“I love that.” For Cody, but also for herself. She’d always wanted a full house.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. Well, let’s get started.” He pulled out his folding knife and slit each box right down the middle of the packing tape.
She stepped in to pull out the contents. “You have the best family.”
“Yeah. They’re cool.”
She set all the ornaments and tree lights on the floor by the hearth. It seemed a shame to stay away just because of encounters like he’d had with her neighbor. “How come you didn’t tell Mrs. Atherton the truth? You had a chance to say you had nothing to do with what happened to her son.”
He’d finished opening the boxes, so she handed him an evergreen and berry-laden garland.
Just for a moment, his hands stilled as he seemed to consider whether he wanted to answer.
And then, he lowered his arms. “When I was about ten years old, I was walking down Sundance Road. A couple of kids from school ambushed me with a pile of snowballs they’d stockpiled. ”
“Was it intended for you, specifically? Did they know you’d be walking by?”
“No. They couldn’t have known I’d be there.
Anyway, I retaliated. Nailed ’em with their own weapons until they ran crying into their house.
Their mom came at me with a broom, telling me to get the hell off her property and leave her poor little boys alone.
I told her I didn’t start it. I even showed her the arsenal of snowballs sitting right there behind the bush, but do you think she believed me? ”
“No, I don’t.” Her heart ached for the boy who’d been so completely misunderstood and all alone. “I get it. That really sucks.”
“Whatever.”
As he hammered the second nail to the other end of the mantel, she watched the play of muscles across his back, her gaze tracing broad shoulders that narrowed to a defined waist and flared to a hard, round ass.
“It isn’t everyone, you know that, right?
If you totaled it, you’d probably find there are maybe ten stupid people who have a bad opinion of you.
The rest of the town doesn’t know you. They don’t care.
You can’t let ten people keep you away from your family. ” From me.
“Why do you care so much?” He sauntered closer, his gaze turning lazy when it landed on her mouth.
“Maybe I want more kisses.” She couldn’t hide the hint of defiance in her tone because she didn’t see why she had to keep hiding her feelings for this man. If they were going to live together, it was bound to come out.
“You really think that’s a good idea?” He smelled of pine and cinnamon. “You think I stay away from this town because I’m butt hurt about how people treat me, but I don’t give a fuck what they think.” He studied her features. “Mrs. Atherton was about to hand you an envelope. What was it?”