Chapter 9
Elizabeth
SANTA TELL ME
The purring in my ear gets louder and louder as I slowly open my eyes.
Gray fur fills my eyes as Baby Cat tickles my nose.
I move my head away from him and mumble, “Good morning to you.” His head is lying on his paws as he purrs, not even bothering to open his eyes.
I close my eyes and then turn on the side to see if I can fall back asleep.
I give up after a couple of minutes and then stretch my arms over my head once I’m on my back.
Baby Cat finally pops his head up but only to side-eye me for waking him.
He then turns to his side and stretches out on the top of my pillow.
“Dude, I’m sharing this pillow with you and not the other way around.
” I arch my back, stretching again and the soreness now makes me wince.
My calves ache, my arms feel tight, and my head is slightly throbbing.
My eyes also feel like they’re filled with sand, burning from either exhaustion or the fact it’s been two nights in a row that I’ve gone out and had alcohol.
I toss the covers off me and slide one leg off the bed and then the other.
I sit up and then look back over at Baby Cat.
“Am I the only one getting up today?” I ask him as I stand up and it fully hits me that I feel like someone ran over my body.
I walk out of the bedroom and stop when I see Nate casually walking out of his.
The shorts he’s wearing are hanging on his hips.
His chest is perfectly sculpted and on display, with Whiskey gingerly walking by his side.
“Oh no.” I hold up my hand, blocking my eyes but still catching one more peek of his abs that are on point, and I have to wonder how many times a week he works out.
“My eyes.” I turn my head to the side. “I’m seeing nipples. ”
I hear the rumble of his laugh, and I turn to look back at him as Whiskey comes over to me, his tail wagging in excitement.
“Seriously, put them away.” I point with one finger to his chest while the other hand pets Whiskey.
“Or is this one of your sexist ideas where I’m not allowed to show my nipples because I’m a girl, but you can because you’re a guy. ”
“Someone wise once said they’re just nipples.” He shakes his head as he walks over to the stairs.
“I don’t know who told you that,” I say to his bare back, my eyes lingering on his ass, “but that person sounds really smart.”
“She’s okay,” he tosses over his shoulder. “A shit bowler, but you can’t win them all.”
I gasp, “I will have you know that I’m a fantastic bowler.”
“Maybe down under…” His voice trails as he gets to the bottom of the stairs and turns to walk down the hallway, as I walk over to the railing and look down at him.
“I’m jet-lagged,” I defend myself. He looks up at me, his eyes twinkling and the sleep now gone from his eyes.
“If you say so.”
“I am,” I tell him, “and that is all that matters.” I don’t wait for him to answer me before turning and storming into the bathroom. “Jerk.” I head to the bathroom, washing my hands and face right after before walking out and seeing Baby Cat stroll out of my bedroom.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” I greet, picking him up in my arms and he immediately twists in my arms to jump out. “Yeah, I’m kind of not liking you either these past couple of days.” He runs into Nate’s bedroom and I’m almost tempted to follow him in there, but then I smell coffee.
I think about going to put on a sweater to cover my nipples, but then I turn and walk down the steps.
“If he can be bare chested, I can be wearing a tank top.” I look down at my light-yellow tank top with little light-blue flowers.
The matching shorts aren’t tight but instead are loose and float around my legs.
The cold air hits me right as I turn the corner and start to walk into the kitchen.
Nate’s standing at the back door, closing it now that Whiskey has come back in.
“It’s cold out there,” I say and he looks back at me.
“Yeah.” He smirks and his eyes trail over my face to my now pebbled nipples.
“Look at your own nipples,” I tell him as I walk into the kitchen and head over to the cupboard that the mugs are in. “Did you make your coffee yet?” I ask him and he just shakes his head.
“I was too busy tending to the animals,” he replies as Whiskey goes over to his bowl filling the room with the sound of him crunching on his breakfast.
I pull down two mugs and groan. “My whole body is sore,” I mumble as I pick up the pot of coffee and pour one for him and then one for me. “It feels like I just did a huge workout.”
“Um.” He leans a hip against the counter next to me. “Did you forget what you were doing?”
“What are you talking about?” I ask him as he pushes off the counter and heads to the fridge to grab the milk.
“You spent the beginning of the night bowling like a normal person.” I watch him. “Then the rest of the night you were trying to get your ball to spin.”
I open my mouth. “Um, Nate, I was there, and it did spin.”
Last night’s event was bowling with the bridal party, and I would say I’m an okay bowler, but I’m highly competitive.
Like, I’m not losing; I don’t care who you are, even if you’re a kid.
If we’re playing a game, I’m aiming to win.
You can cry in your Wheaties if you have to.
“It did not spin.” He shakes his head as he adds milk to his coffee and then looks over at mine and waits for me to give him the go-ahead.
Being the stubborn person I am, I grab the milk from him and wince.
The throbbing from my wrist now comes through.
“Oh, it spun,” I affirm, so sure of myself, but there were bottomless margaritas, so anything could be possible.
I have vague memories, snippets, more or less. “I think someone has a video.”
“Yeah, they do.” He nods, grabbing the milk from me to pour it in my coffee as I argue with him. “I do. I also have one of you running in the other lane trying to blow on the ball to get it to spin.”
“You know what? Your nipples are distracting me.” I hold up my hand. “You should put them away.”
“I would say the same.” He looks down and his mouth forms a smirk. “One almost took out my eyes.”
“It’s not my fault that me being naked bothers you.” I bring the cup of coffee to my lips.
“Nothing about you naked bothers me.” He takes his own sip. “Quite the contrary, actually.”
My head about whips around to stare at him, but I don’t have a chance to say anything before his phone rings. He walks over to the jacket he tossed on the couch and pulls it out. “It’s your brother.”
“Don’t fucking answer it,” I tell him. “He’ll probably be like, ‘Hey, there’s a break in the schedule, so we’ve added snowshoeing to it.’”
He laughs at me as he answers the phone and puts it on speaker. I narrow my eyes and glare right at him for not listening to me. “Hey,” he greets, “you’re on speakerphone and your sister is here.”
“No, I’m not!” I shout. “I’m, in fact, not here. I’m a ghost.”
“Oh good, I have the both of you so it can save me a phone call,” he says and Nate puts the phone on the counter, and I hold my hands up like I’m about to strangle him. “Just a reminder that it’s the day to do the last fitting.”
“Last fitting?” I repeat. “I didn’t do a first fitting.”
“We know,” Joshua replies. “We were wondering if you could maybe get there a bit early so she can work on yours first.”
“Who is we?” I ask him. “I emailed her my measurements that I took with her on Zoom. It’ll be fine.”
“It’s my wedding day,” he snaps and I look up at Nate, who just raises his eyebrows.
“Yes, wedding day, not fucking wedding week,” I retort. “I’ll be there when I need to be there and not a minute before. I have things I’m doing.”
“Yeah, like what?” he asks me.
“Like annoying Nate with my nipples,” I declare, and he grabs the phone from the counter.
“No nipples have been seen on purpose,” he denies into the phone. “I’ll drive her there as soon as she gets dressed.”
“No, he won’t,” I sing out as he disconnects the phone. “Fine, I’ll just be lounging here.” I walk over to the couch and put my knee into it before I sit down and cuddle in the corner. Whiskey comes up and joins me. “With my nipples, until fifteen minutes before we’re due to be there.”
“Should I make breakfast?” he asks me, leaning his elbows on the island.
“We would not say no to some pancakes and scrambled eggs.” I pet Whiskey’s head. “Would we?”
“So, you want pancakes and scrambled eggs.”
“I mean, if you are making them for yourself”—I hold up my hands—“I won’t say no.”
“You could just say, ‘Yes, Nate, that sounds great.’” He looks at me. “‘I would love to have some pancakes and scrambled eggs.’”
“If you’re making them, sure, I would like that very much.”
“Were you always this much of a pain in my ass?” he asks me and I shrug.
“Pretty much.” I turn back to look at him watching me. “I plan to be a pain in your ass every single day I’m here.”
“Well, unlike bowling.” He snorts. “You are killing it at that.”
“Do you hear that, Whiskey?” I rub his head. “I’m a pain in his ass.”
“Hey, at least now you’re talking to me,” he mumbles, and my head turns to watch his back as he takes the egg carton out of the fridge.
“What does that mean?” I ask him, the pit of my stomach now getting tight.
“It means exactly what I said it means.” He puts the things on the counter.
“Are we talking in code?” I ask him, taking another sip of my coffee. “Because I don’t understand a thing you are saying.”
“Really?” His eyebrows go up. “You have no idea?” The back of my neck starts to tingle. “None?”
“I have no idea.” I stand up and head toward the kitchen. “Do you want to say, add anything?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head, turning and walking to the stove and I just watch him. “I also have no eggs.” He holds up the white container. “So how about we get dressed and I’ll take you out for breakfast?”
“Are you going to fill me in on what I need to know?” I ask him and he’s about to say something when the phone rings again, this time I see it’s my mother.
“That would be for you,” he says, pushing his phone my way. “I’m going to get changed.”
I grab the phone and put it on speakerphone. “Super Sex Hotline, how may we assist you on the road to the best orgasms?”
My mother gasps at the same time Nate does, which makes me burst out laughing. “You are incredible,” she hisses.
“I know.” I smile as I walk past him with his phone in my hand. “I’ve been told. Many times.” I look back at him and my eyebrows go up. “How can I help you this wonderful morning, Mom?”
“I just got off the phone with your brother,” she answers, “and he says you’re being unreasonable.”
It’s my turn to gasp. “Mom, he’s becoming groomzilla,” I say in my defense, “and he said I was bigger since he saw me last.”
“He did not.” Nate takes his side.
“No one is asking for you to intrude in my private conversation, Nate,” I hiss at him before turning my attention back at my mother. “He said I needed extra time with the seamstress, what do you think that means?”
“I’m sure you misunderstood.”
“Wow.” I stomp up the steps. “I think I know what I heard.”
“I’m coming to get you,” she states. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“No,” I sing out, “Nate was going to take me for breakfast.”
“I’ll take you for breakfast. Nate, you can come with us.”
“No worries, Denise. I have a bunch of things to do for the wedding anyway.”
“Liar,” I mouth to him, and he smirks. “Bye, Mom.” I hang up the phone. “I hope you’re happy.”
“Why is this my fault?” He walks up the steps and stands in front of me. He holds out his hand and I hand him his phone. “It’s your fault because you made me answer the phone.”
“She knows where I live,” he points out to me, “so she would have just shown up here.”
“You are just full of excuses,” I tell him. “Figures,” I snip and walk to the bathroom.
“What the fuck does that mean?” he snaps at me.
I shrug my shoulders. “It means exactly what I said it means,” I throw back in his face.
“Now, as much as I would love to stand here and discuss whatever the fuck we are talking about, I have to get changed.” I turn and head to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and locking it.
“He’s not worth it,” I mumble before I start the shower.
“Just forget it. The time to talk about this was the day after, not now, after seven freaking years.”