Chapter 24 Kat
Coming back home is almost surreal and just slightly disappointing.
No, that's a lie; it’s very disappointing.
I might not have initially loved the idea of an expensive vacation, but Italy was on my bucket list. The beauty and history alone were enough to love it, but to know this is where these men I’m beginning to have very real feelings for come from is so wonderful.
It also makes me want to take one of those DNA tests that tell me where I come from, because saying 'Maine' feels even more lame now.
At least, when we have babies, they will be half-cool.
Woah!
Pause, rewind.
If we have babies.
If, not when.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
Pressing my hands to my face, I walk up the front steps and hope any redness on my cheeks will be misconstrued as being from the cold.
Yet another reason to be disappointed about being back.
I love looking at the snow.
I do not, in fact, like the cold, though.
But November means decorating for Christmas! I wonder if the guys will mind? Maybe I shouldn’t even ask right now. I mean, we did just get home from Italy.
I stop dead, my feet glued to the porch just outside the door.
“Whoa, what's wrong, Kat?” Alex asks, and I hear him come up behind me. I always know it's serious when he doesn’t call me Cherry. Which means he won’t accept me simply brushing this off.
I plaster a smile on my face and spin around to face him. “Nothing, I was just thinking about how amazing the house is going to look decked out in Christmas decorations.”
It’s not a lie; I had just been thinking about that, and it seems like the lesser of two evils, given the real reason for my minor freak-out was because, without realizing it, this has become my home.
Not just the house but them, us.
Any fakeness in my smile melts away at the thought, and when I look up at Alex, I almost melt when I find him smiling down at me with so much emotion in his eyes I fear I might just cry if I look at him for too long.
“Looks like we’ll have to make time soon for some tree shopping!” Des announces from near the car where he holds Addy, and she cheers in agreement.
“Wait, no, you all just missed a bunch of work. I’m sure you're going to be busy for a little while. There's no rush; it’s only just about to be November.” I rush to assure them. This is what I was afraid of.
“Nah,” Des waves me off, and Alex pulls me to his side, and he walks us into the house, everyone else following behind us.
“What are they going to do, fire us?” he laughs, and I shake my head at him because yeah, I guess he’s right, but still, I don’t want their company to suffer because of me.
They worked their whole lives to achieve what they have.
“I promise it’s not a problem, love. We want to spend time as a family and often take time off for these things already,” Nathan assures me, and when I turn to look at him, I know he’s telling the truth.
Of course, they already did these things before me; they were still raising Addy.
Now I feel silly for thinking they were doing it just for me. My emotions are all over the place, and I’ve never experienced jet lag before, but I can’t say it’s fun.
“I think I need a nap.”
I look at Addy still in Des’s arms and think she might benefit from one as well.
“What do you say, princess? Want to go curl up and watch some Tangled with me?” I hold my arms out for her, and instead of jumping toward me the way she usually does, all she manages is to hold her arms out and nod, making me chuckle.
Tangled is her favorite princess this week; if she’s not jumping to watch it, she must be exhausted.
Yeah, vacation is hard on little ones. I probably wouldn’t be so tired if I'd been able to sleep on the flight home, but even if it hadn’t been as bad as the first time, I'd still say I hate flying. I’d much rather spend hours in a car if possible.
“I could go for a nap,” Des says, pushing my hands away when I reach for Addy, tucking her closer into his chest.
Yeah, right.
“An actual nap, Desmond,” I tell him, because I know what his idea of a nap usually is. Not only do I actually need sleep, but Addy will be there, too.
“I know!” he says, pressing a hand to his chest in mock horror, making me roll my eyes.
I attempt to move away from Alex, but his arm tightens around my waist. “Leaving without saying goodbye? No goodnight kisses?” he pouts, and it’s fake, I know it is, but still I press up on my toes, and he quickly leans down to meet me.
His lips are soft and taste like the whiskey he drank on the flight back.
For all the times I see him drink, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him drunk, but he tastes delicious—all the flavor and none of the burn.
When he finally pulls back, he leaves me breathless and wanting, something he’s more than aware of based on the smirk on his lips.
“Jerk,” I grumble, taking a step back only to walk into Nathan’s arms. He doesn’t waste a moment, twirling me around, and I let out a squeak of surprise when he dips me and kisses me as if we might never see each other again, as if he’s trying to tell me something with this kiss.
It’s there, just at the edge of my subconscious, but I don’t dare think too much about it.
He couldn’t possibly.
When he finally pulls away, I’m left breathless, speechless, and fucking senseless as I stare up at him. The question sits on the tip of my tongue, and my own confession burns in my throat. Afraid of what might come out if I open my mouth right now, I clamp it closed instead.
“Get some sleep. We do have to go to the office tomorrow, but we’re off for Halloween so that we can take Addy out together. And then we can go to the tree farm soon, too,” he tells me, but his eyes say a million other things, and all I can do is nod.
Des reaches out and links his fingers through mine, leading us up the stairs, with me still half in a daze. I’m so lost in my thoughts that I almost miss Oliver calling after us.
“Sweet dreams, Kat.” I turn back, looking over my shoulder, and our eyes meet a moment before we turn the corner, and he disappears from view.
Three little words, and just like that, my heart is racing again. These men are going to kill me. I press my free hand to my lips as my stomach does a little flip.
Home.
The next day, Addy, Oliver, Vince, and I go out in search of the perfect Halloween costume. Des is at the office but insists we video call him while we’re in the store. Addy happily shows him around the entire store before we stop at, you guessed it, the princess section.
“So what are we feeling, Princess? Is it going to be Rapunzel or Anna?” Addy chews on her lip as she looks between the two.
“Get them both.” Alex’s voice calls through the phone, and with it, Addy’s troubles melt away, no longer plagued with the choice. “It’s not like she’ll only wear it once. She can use it for dress-up. Or not; either way, it’s really not a big deal.”
In the end, we get both dresses and two others because Alex was right: these are perfect for dress-up, and Addy loves imaginative play.
Addy looks around at the animatronics for a few, convincing Vince to take her closer when I refuse.
I might enjoy Halloween, but I’m not a fan of clowns or jump scares.
Oliver seems to keep a healthy distance from them, too, and I fight with myself to talk to him, even if it’s just something stupid, but I can’t do it.
I’d thought we'd made progress in Italy, that he didn’t hate me, that he might even want more with me, even if just a little bit.
But now… I feel like he can’t even look at me anymore. I’m not sure if I did something, or if it’s from the ‘family meeting’ Nathan called, but I hate it. I enjoy Oliver’s company.
Steeling myself, I take a deep breath and mentally tell myself to suck it up. I make it two steps before his phone dings and stops me in my tracks. He fishes it from his pocket, and I watch his face turn a bright red before his eyes dart up to meet mine.
“I-I have to, um,” he looks around in a panic, and I take a step back, not understanding. “I have to use the restroom.”
He’s gone before I can even think of something to say, and I’m left standing there, alone.
“What was that about?” Vince asks as he comes up behind me, and all I can do is shrug.
“He said he had to go to the bathroom.” I look up at him to see if he has any clue, but he looks just as confused as I feel.
“Oh well, let's get her dresses and get out of here. I think she’s had enough scary stuff to give her nightmares for the next week.”
For a second, I’m worried. Why hadn’t I thought about nightmares? But she doesn’t look scared at all; if anything, I’d say she looks bored.
I’ll just keep an extra eye on her for the next few days.
I pay and cringe when the teen who’s working the register gets wide-eyed at my black card, which makes Vince laugh.
Asshole.
By the time we pile in the car, Oliver is there, with a bag of his own, and while I’m curious, I bite my tongue.
The next day is Halloween, and I’m shocked to see everyone home in the morning. I wake to find Des in my bed, shirtless, a mask on his face, and I damn near fall off the bed.
“Shit, sorry, Kitten, I forgot you're so jumpy,” he says with a laugh, reaching out and saving me at the last second.
It takes me a second to get my breathing under control enough to be able to think properly, but when I do, I smack him square in the chest.
“My jumpiness has nothing to do with you being masked in my bed first thing in the morning. That would scare anyone, jerk.”
He laughs, reaching out to pull me to him, but I refuse.
“Oh, don’t be like that. I was only playing. I thought book girls liked masks.” I can’t see his smirk, but damn it if I can’t hear it.
“You did not just say that.”
“What, I might not read much, but I have TikTok too, you know.” This time, when he grabs for me, I duck out of his hold and move to the bathroom.
It’s too early to deal with his brand of crazy right now.