Chapter Eleven
Nico
Ibarely spoke to anyone once we docked. I thanked the crew, tipped them all heavily and went straight to the car.
Cassi and her parents are a little slower behind me and I really fucking hate that I don’t have my own car here.
Maybe I should rent something, even if it’s for a day or two.
It’s not like we will be here for much longer.
This was a mistake to begin with. We should have gone home as planned.
Cassi wraps her arms around herself as the evening wind picks up, gusting through the parking lot and tossing her red hair over her shoulder.
Instinctually, I take a step towards her.
Like I can block the wind for her, like I can take away the cold in her bones.
Then I take a breath and come to the realization that’s a really stupid fucking thing to even think let alone do.
“I’ve got dinner in the slow cooker at home, Cass. You coming?” Mary asks as Cassi heads to her car.
“No, Alec texted me. Wants to grab dinner. I’ll see you guys tonight.”
“Drive safe, sweetheart,” Henry says.
She smiles and nods as she opens her door, stepping inside before casting me a look.
“Thanks…for the boat. It was fun.”
I don’t have any words, none that are appropriate or eloquent or make any relative goddamn sense. So, instead of answering, I give her a terse nod. She returns it with a tight lipped smile before she’s sliding into the drivers seat and taking off a few moments later to god knows where. With Alec.
I’m not sure what it is about the guy that makes me want to punch him in the fucking mouth.
Maybe it’s just the fact that he seems like the type of guy who has never had it, and is long overdue.
Something is off about him. He’s too…friendly, convenient.
Or maybe I just fucking hate the idea that the little shit has had his cock inside Cassi.
That would be crazy, though, right? Crazy to be psycho jealous over an ex-boyfriend to a girl that isn’t even my girlfriend.
She’s my girlfriend’s sister. Admittedly, one that I’ve slept with, but still.
I have no claim over her, and she should have no power over me.
My head is clearly fucked up and I need to just go lie down or have a drink or do fucking something to shake off this weird mood that has suddenly taken over me.
“I swear, it’s like she’s back in high school all over again,” Mary laughs lightly as Henry holds the door open for her.
She slides into her seat as I sit in the back and tilt my head.
“What do you mean?”
Mary turns in her seat to face me with a smile.
“When Cassi and Alec were together they were inseparable. We’d almost never see her. Mornings and nights, that’s about it.”
Henry nods his agreement as he fires up the car.
I frown at that. “Didn’t that bother you?”
Mary shrugs. “She was in love. She always told us where she was and who she was with and Alec is a good kid from a good family.”
She pauses for a moment, wincing with a shake of her head. “I can’t believe his parents are gone. The poor thing has nobody. No one.”
A feeling I’m uncomfortably familiar with, and Mary seems to sense it too. Her eyes widen slightly, and she reaches her hand out to me in apology.
“Nico, I’m so sorry. I know you lost your parents and—”
“It’s okay, Mary. I get what you’re saying, and you’re not wrong. It’s hard to grow up without a family, no matter how old we are.”
She nods sympathetically before patting my knee.
“Well, you’ve got one now.”
I smile at her words in thanks and nod as she turns around. I really like them, more than I anticipated. I knew that Carly was the spoiled one of her family, but I didn’t realize everyone besides her would be so…kind, welcoming, warm.
Too many thoughts are buzzing through my mind, far too many for my comfortability so doing my best, I shove them all to the side and focus on the city lights zooming beside us as we head to the Fischer family home.
Once we get back to the house, Mary finishes prepping dinner and Carly shows up just in time.
When she leans in to kiss my cheek, for once in the last week or so, I don’t pull away.
Forcing myself to lean into her affection is good, it’s what I need or at the very least what I should do.
The whole point we came out to Seattle was to meet her family.
Because we have been together for so long and if our relationship would ever go any further, introductions were absolutely the next step.
Somewhere along the way that idea got distorted, it happened between the breakup at the airport and having the most incredible night with her sister if I had to guess.
I know, I know. I’m a real fucking class act.
“Did you have a good time with Hannah and the girls?” Mary asks Carly as she begins setting the table.
Surprisingly, Carly lends a hand, taking the plates from her and setting them at the dining room table.
“Yeah, we went to that new spa that opened in town. We drank way too much champagne, laughed way too hard. It was perfect,” she says with a smile as her eyes move to mine.
There is a sparkle in them. One I haven’t seen in a long fucking time. Maybe it’s just because she’s buzzed, maybe it’s because she was able to get grounded at her roots. Or maybe it’s a one off, honestly, you never know with this girl.
“What about you guys?” Carly asks, her eyes coming to me. “How was the boat?”
I nod my head once as I respond.
“Good.”
“It was better than good!” Mary cuts in. “Nico rented an entire yacht. Can you believe it? We had wait staff coming out of our ears with delicious food and drinks! And your father caught so many fish!”
“It was a great day,” Henry agrees as he carefully takes the job of scooping the hot food out of the slow cooker and into a serving dish.
“Well, had I known it was a yacht I probably would have come,” Carly says, though her words lack the usual bratty undertone.
Instead, she’s smiling to me like it’s an inside joke of sorts.
Like I would find her comment amusing. I don’t know what the hell is going on with her but it’s putting me on edge.
Did the spa do body transplants or something?
Because I suddenly am very unfamiliar with my girlfriend of three years.
I grab the pan of fresh rolls out of the oven before Mary can attempt to before I gesture towards the table.
“Sit, I’ve got it.”
She smiles at me gratefully and moves to take her seat, Henry sitting beside her next.
Carly takes a seat as well as I set the rolls onto a serving plate and bring it over.
There are two open chairs at the table, one across from Carly and one beside her.
Though instinctually, I want to go for the further one, I decide to sit beside her.
The simple gesture isn’t lost on her, either.
She practically beams up at me, pressing another kiss to my cheek before her hand rests on my thigh.
Guilt and confliction war inside me. It feels wrong to have her lips on my skin when mere hours ago I almost snapped and crushed my own to her sister.
It feels wrong to sit beside her willingly because I know that if Cassi was here, I’d have taken every opportunity to sit beside her.
She’s not here, though. She’s out. With Alec.
And I’m here, with Carly. As we both should be.
Dinner goes by actually quite lovely. Henry and Mary tells us some stories about when they were young and living in this house and Henry tried his hand at some do it yourself handy work around the house.
Suffice it to say, they ended up calling a service each time.
Carly also surprisingly stayed quiet for most of the dinner.
She didn’t feel the need to fill the space with empty jabbering, she didn’t need the spotlight on her.
She was…nice. It felt good. Like I hadn’t wasted the last three years of my life with an ungrateful brat.
After, she helped clear the table and Henry and I tackled the dishes before the girls went to the back deck and chatted.
Once we were finished, we joined them and I’m proud to announce I only found my eyes watching the door, waiting for Cassi to be back from her date three times.
Which, if you think about it, isn’t that much.
Eventually, Mary and Henry head to bed for the night and say goodnight to us before leaving Carly and I alone, bathed in moonlight and porchlight. Her hand comes to my thigh as she rests it gently and smiles.
“That was really nice of you to take my family out today. You didn’t have to.”
I shrug.
“It was nothing. I enjoy them…your dad especially,” I tack on.
Carly grins, a smile that reminds me of a thousand memories as she nods.
“He’s the best, and he adores you too. So does my mom, she might even be more in love with you than I am,” she laughs.
She sobers for a moment before shrugging one shoulder.
“My sister, she’s a hard one. She’s hard to get along with honestly. I wouldn’t break my back trying to please that one if I were you.”
I don’t respond because this suddenly feels like dangerous territory and with us having a nice night, so far, I don’t want to ruin it.
“I want you to know, Nicholas, how much I appreciate you. I’ve never taken our relationship for granted but I also don’t think I’ve been as communicative for my appreciation of you as I could have been. I’m sorry.”
Skepticism has officially entered the conversation. This has to be an act of sorts. She’s laying it on too thick. Too sincere for Carly. What kind of spa was that again? Did she spend time in the exorcism room?
“I know, you might not be able to ignore all of this shit I’ve pulled over the last few years but I want to start over, if that’s okay,” she continues, her eyes practically glittering with emotion as she looks at me.