Chapter 29 Colt
Colt
Ishrug off my coat in the entryway, and Alistair does the same. Taf is already barreling through the living room of Finn’s house.
“I’m glad these dinners aren’t as regular as they used to be,” Alistair says. “I’m gonna have so much fucking heartburn.”
I grin in agreement as he follows Taf. Wesson comes bounding down the stairs and skids over to me, resting on my legs and slapping me with his tail as I rub his belly.
“You’re about to get fed tonight, dog.”
“He’s gonna be hovering around that dining table,” Denver says as she descends the stairs.
She’s in blue jeans and a white knitted sweater.
Fucking fuck, why does she have to look cute?
Why couldn’t she look half dead, or have miraculously developed two heads?
Instead, she looks like someone I want forever with.
For fuck’s sake.
Leaving her this morning was torture. Why didn’t I kiss her? Why did I leave her at all? We could have spent the entire day in bed enjoying each other, but instead, I ran. Coward. Fucking coward.
“Look at you,” I say, stamping on the urge to kiss her before she even reaches the bottom of the stairs. “You look like a Hallmark movie’s dream.”
She laughs. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“Nothing, Big City Girl. When do you get Dream Job and meet Small Town Boy?”
Denver tuts and elbows me as we walk to the dining room. “I look damn cute, and you know it.”
“I never said you didn’t,” I whisper in her ear, and she flushes.
Ronan appears from the kitchen, his eyes wide. “Don’t go in there.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Finn burned the bread.”
Denver and I wince and dip into the living room where Ronan, Taf and Alistair are watching TV. Helena’s shouts fill the house, followed by Finn’s panicked explanations.
“So, what do I need to know for tonight?” Denver asks.
“No work discussion at the table. Helena will yell at you, but with love,” I say. “And when Danielle and Alison get here, don’t mention security.”
Ronan glares at me. “Shut up, Colt.”
Denver looks between us. “What?”
“Alison is banging her bodyguard,” Taf pipes up from the couch. Ronan picks up a cushion and launches it at him. “Ow, what the fuck? Am I wrong?”
“My sister’s name and that word do not belong in the same sentence,” Ronan snaps.
Taf looks at me. “Banging?”
The front door opens, and a burst of cold air sweeps down the hall.
“We’ve arrived!” Alison sings as she rushes by the door in a flash of dark hair and a Harvard sweatshirt—something she’s likely wearing to distract her aunt and uncle from her current love life drama. “Give me food!”
Danielle pauses at the doorway, a box in hand. Her black hair is pulled back into a ponytail, dark eyes alight with excitement. “I have brownies.” Her gaze lands on Denver. “It’s the runaway. Hey, Deluxe.”
“Hi.” Denver gives Ronan’s sister an awkward wave.
“Hungry?” Danielle asks.
Denver nods. “Yep.”
“Terrified?”
“Yep.”
Danielle grins. “Then you’ll fit right in.” Her smile disappears. “Why do I smell burning bread?”
As we all somehow navigate dishes from the kitchen to the dining room with minimal yelling from Helena, Denver mingles with Alison and Danielle, and I keep a close eye on her. She’s laughing a little louder than usual, and she keeps tucking her hair behind her ear, even when it’s already secured.
She’s never mentioned friends to me. She has Lewis, and she had Harley, but no other names seem to crop up. Danielle and Alison will make her feel welcome, though.
Ronan catches my arm before I take my seat and pulls me back from the commotion. “Finn told me you snuck out of Denver’s room this morning.”
Shit. I thought I’d been covert. Apparently not.
I grimace. “Why would he tell you?”
“Why do you think? He’s readying for Ranger to stroll through the door and put a bullet between your eyes,” Ronan says, but he grins. “How did it go? It’s been a long time. How quickly did you—”
I punch him in the gut, and he wheezes. “One more word and you die, McEwan.”
“I hate you,” he whispers.
I take my seat. Finn is at the head of the table, and Denver is to his right, Helena to his left. Ronan slumps into the chair at the other end, his sisters either side of him. Lewis, Alistair, Taf and I are in the center seats, and I’m next to Denver. The seat beside me is empty.
“Who else is coming?” I ask.
Helena avoids my eye. “Esme.”
Esme works for Finn as his accountant. We grew up together, too, but I haven’t seen her in a social setting in years.
“Why? Does she have a meeting with Finn?” I ask.
“Wine, Denver?” Helena asks sweetly.
Alison suddenly slaps her hands together. “Oh, Helena. You didn’t invite Esme for Colt?”
I freeze in place. “Please tell me you did not.”
Finn gives me a wide-eyed look that tells me he clearly didn’t divulge to his wife what he saw this morning. “Helena, why would you do that?”
She sighs. “It’s been years since you’ve put yourself out there, Colt. And Esme is lovely. What’s the harm in having dinner with—”
“Not family dinner!” I hiss through my teeth. “I’m not ready to date!”
Ronan says, “And he was in bed with Denver this morning.”
The collective gasp that follows that revelation is far too dramatic, and I groan and wish I had a stronger drink.
“What?” Helena says, looking between us. “When did this happen?”
Denver hits my arm, and I wince. “You told Ronan?”
I rub my injured arm. “I didn’t tell anyone. Finn did!”
Helena hits Finn. “Why didn’t you tell me? Poor Esme is—”
The front door opens and closes, and Esme calls out. “I’m late, but I have wine, so it doesn’t count!”
Danielle shimmies excitedly in her seat. “This is fucking great.”
Esme appears in the doorway in a flurry of long blonde curls, a bright red sweater and black jeans, and tugs off her coat. Her cheeks are pink from the cold, and she places her bottle of wine down as she sits beside me. “Sorry, sorry, carry on with whatever you were saying.”
Danielle steeples her fingers under her chin, “Well—”
“We weren’t discussing anything,” I say quickly. “We were eating. Having a family dinner and discussing family.” I point my fork at everyone. “And nothing else.”
Esme looks confused but shrugs. Danielle and Alison share wicked looks. Helena is glaring at Finn. Denver is staring at Esme.
This is a nightmare. It isn’t the first time Helena has dropped a date on me or tried to set me up with one of her friend’s daughters, but this is by far the worst. This is supposed to be Denver’s introduction to family dinner, not my reintroduction into the dating world.
I don’t even want to date. I don’t need to.
And I especially don’t want to be on a surprise date with the woman on my right after spending the night eating out the woman on my left.
“So, Esme, what do you do?” Denver asks.
Esme leans forward to look at her across me. “I’m an accountant. How about you?”
“Business owner,” Denver says, sipping her wine. “Coffee shops. Clubs. Casinos.”
“That’s cool. I like all three.”
Denver narrows her eyes. “Do you?”
Everyone is watching the interaction with far too much fascination. I have no idea what it is going on, but I know I’m uncomfortable as fuck.
“Denver is staying here,” Danielle says, her eyes darting between the two women like she’s just thrown a zebra leg between two hungry lions. “She just left her husband.”
“I’m so sorry,” Esme says, and seems to really mean it.
“Don’t be, he was a prick,” Denver says.
Ronan hides his laugh behind his hand. Taf chokes on his mashed potatoes. Esme looks like she has no idea what to say, so she just nods and returns to her meal.
“Are you single?” Denver asks.
Esme pauses her fork at her mouth. “… Yes, I am.”
Denver nods and sips more wine. Everyone is watching this side of the table. No one is eating, or drinking—they’re just staring as if we’re putting on a show I have no idea the plot of.
“Colt and Esme used to date,” Alison says quickly.
Denver coughs on her wine. “Oh?”
Esme chuckles. “Like a million years ago.”
My gaze remains fixed on Denver, but I may as well not exist. She narrows her eyes at Esme like she’s said something wrong, but she’s barely said a handful of words, and most of them seem nice, so—
“Didn’t you take Colt’s virginity, Esme?” Danielle asks.
The wine glass snaps in Denver’s hand. She blinks, glancing at the drink, the stem broken off in her grip, and blood drips down her palm and onto her jeans.
“Oh my God,” Helena says. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”
Denver looks totally bewildered as Helena takes the drink. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was so strong.”
I pick up a napkin and press it into her hand. “Are you okay?”
Her cheeks are flushed, and she nods quickly. “Yeah, I just need a second.” She gets up from the table and leaves, and I stare after her.
“She’s … nice,” Esme says.
When I turn back to the table, my friends and Lewis are watching me, all grinning like total fucking dicks.
“Go back to eating,” I snap at everyone, and follow Denver. She’s in the kitchen with Helena, running her palm under the faucet.
“Here we are.” Helena places the first aid kit on the counter. “You can take care of her, can’t you, Colt?”
Once we’re alone, Denver turns her back to me and focuses on her hand.
It’s hard not to think about last night.
How I’d been on the couch, trying to sleep, and heard her making a drink.
I told myself to stay where I was, but curiosity got the better of me, and then my body took control when I saw her standing at the sink, just like this.
My hockey jersey past her knees, her hair covering my name on the back, the water running as she stared out of the kitchen window.
I could see her reflection, her eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.
I said her name, but she mustn’t have heard me, so I got closer. It was instinct that had my arms wrapping around her waist. Something stronger than that made me go further. I’m fighting that instinct again right now.
“Hell of a grip,” I say.
She forces a smile. “Apparently.”
It can’t be jealousy that keeps her from meeting my gaze.
I know she cares about me, but I also heard her say it was only one night.
Am I jealous? Yes. I’d murder Noah Merrick, Ranger, anyone who has ever touched her if given the chance.
But that’s because to me, this could be more.
Denver made it clear last night that it was a one-time thing, and that isn’t fine, but I’ll accept it. I have to.
She says nothing as I smooth a Band-Aid over her palm.
“Are you okay?”
Denver looks up at me. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
We return to the dining room, and she seems a little more like herself.
She focuses on talking to Finn and Helena, laughing at stories and telling some of her own.
Wesson sits between her and Finn, his head on Denver’s lap, and she gives him disapproving looks when he tries to beg for food from anyone else.
It’s like every other family dinner. Loud, and delicious, and exactly what I need after the stress of the last few weeks.
It’s clear that Esme has no idea this is supposed to be a date either, because she spends most of her time talking to Danielle and Alison, occasionally including me if it’s relevant.
I’m relieved. The last thing I need is an uncomfortable conversation.
Thirty minutes later, we’re in the TV room, shoes are off, and Taf is desperately trying to describe a movie to Alistair without using the name of it.
“They’re on a fucking quest for jewelry!” he shouts.
Alistair stares at him. “I’m sticking with Ocean’s Eleven.”
“A quest!” Taf screeches. “Wizards! Orcs!”
“Time,” Finn calls.
Taf hits Alistair with a cushion. “Lord of the fucking Rings!”
“You could have said hobbits!”
It wouldn’t have mattered if they had gotten it right, because Denver and I have been in the lead since we started playing. Ronan and Finn are only neck and neck with us because of one lucky round.
Denver gets up, bouncing on her feet as she takes her position in front of the TV.
She points at me. “Focus, Harland.”
“Focused,” I say.
She picks up the bowl with the folded movie names in. Finn starts the timer, and she snatches out the first one.
“Alison is at Harvard—”
“Law,” I say.
“If she wore pink?”
“Legally Blonde!”
She whoops and snatches the next one. “Oh, fuck. Erm. Al Pacino.”
“The Godfather.”
She shakes her head. “He smells people!”
I stare at her. “He what?”
“I know it,” Taf cackles.
“Ex-military. It has Robin in it from Batman!” She jumps up and down. “They go on a road trip! He tangos with a woman!”
Taf shouts, “You said a word from the movie! Point deducted!”
“Fuck nuggets,” she says, taking out another piece of paper. If we don’t get this, we lose. She squeaks. “Our next dance!”
I search my brain and hop up. “Beauty and the Beast!”
“Yes!” She cheers and jumps into my arms. With her legs wrapped around my waist, we point at everyone. “Losers!” we call out. “Losers!”
Ronan scoffs. “They’re unbearable.”
Denver dances in my arms, and I have absolutely no problem gloating when this is the first game night I’ve won in years.
I place her down and Helena sighs happily as she stands. “Right, hot chocolate.”
Denver looks up at me. “Games night and hot chocolate? Aren’t we supposed to be scary?”
“Not behind closed doors,” I whisper, winking at her.
Danielle seizes Denver’s hand. “We have to get to the kitchen before Taf eats the marshmallows.”
On cue, Taf rolls over the back of the couch and darts for the kitchen, and Danielle tugs Denver away from me in a run.
“You were cheating,” Ronan says.
“Nope,” I grin, throwing popcorn into my mouth. “Just better than all of you.”
Ronan gives me the finger before going into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Alistair.
“So,” he says, chewing his popcorn slowly. “You said you weren’t going to get involved with Denver.”
I huff a laugh. “I’m not.” He raises his brows. “It was one night, that’s all.”
He nods and sits down. “I think that’s for the best.”
This is odd. Alistair never comments on my personal life, not that I’ve had much of one recently. “Since when do you care who I date?”
“I don’t.” He takes a few more mouthfuls, avoiding my eye. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. Getting involved with a woman who is leaving is guaranteed pain. Just looking out for you,” he adds, and pats my back before leaving the room.
He isn’t wrong, but it isn’t what I want to hear, either. An encouraging lie is far fucking preferred than that painful truth.