Chapter 7 Michael
Michael
“Well, you’re a special kind of fun this morning,” Luna says, frowning at Dani. “So glad you all decided to crash my trip with my guys to sit here and push around your crepe and look sad.”
I wince and take a bracing sip of my coffee.
“I’m sorry,” Dani says, absently.
“Don’t be sorry,” Luna says. “Have fun. Don’t be sad.”
Dani is sad, and that always destroys me. There is nothing I hate more than my wife or my kids being upset about something.
“This place is beautiful.” She gestures around us to the fully decorated dining room. “Christmas in Colorado is a vibe.”
“Are you missing the kids?” Alexsei asks Dani, sympathetically. “You haven’t spent much time away from them before this, have you?”
Dani shakes, slowly. “No, I haven’t. I do miss them.”
But…
I hear the silent but. I understand the but. It’s more that Nathan and Crew aren’t here yet. She both misses them and is worrying about them.
Cookie likes all her people together. When we’re not, she frets.
We’re at this gorgeous resort, having breakfast with some of our best friends, and I have a pit in my stomach because Dani isn’t happy.
The view from the dining room in the resort’s main hotel is incredible—snow capped mountains and the beginner slope peppered with new skiers tentatively making their way down the hill.
The spread of food in front of us is five star. Normally, given my love of cooking, I appreciate the opportunity to indulge in great food prepared by a world class chef, but the smoked salmon feels like it’s stuck in my throat.
Luna, as usual, cuts to the chase. “Dani. Let’s get real. You’re missing my lovable but idiotic brother and the devoted but bossy as hell Nathan, obviously. Not just the kids.”
“Yes. I’m not trying to be a downer, but last night I was annoyed with Nathan. Seriously pissed off.”
“That’s a strong statement from you,” Luna comments, reaching over and stealing a raspberry off of her boyfriend Cam’s plate. “Pissed off seems logical to me. Nathan was being ridiculous.”
Cam lightly smacks Luna’s hand. “You have raspberries. Eat your own.”
She smiles at him teasingly and sucks on the raspberry. “I like yours better.”
Cam gives her an exasperated but loving look. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.” Then he turns to Dani. “Sorry, you were saying?”
“Nathan was being ridiculous,” Dani says. “Which was why I was annoyed. But now I’m getting worried. We haven’t heard from either of them since last night.”
I’m not overly worried. Nathan can make anything happen if he throws money at the situation, which he does regularly, and Crew has a way of skating through life—no pun intended—while everything goes his way.
But it was a bad snowstorm they were driving in and Nathan was wound tight from his decision to detour to Decatur.
Not to mention being teased by Dani with that very sexy display of me fucking her on a video chat. I know her well enough to know she’ll feel absolutely terrible if Nathan was driving distracted because of her.
So yeah. I’m a little worried.
Yet I say, “I’m sure everything is fine, sweetheart.”
Owen, Luna’s husband, glances at his phone screen.
“It’s really early still. It’s only seven-thirty here.
They’re probably taking a quick nap or something.
But I understand. I worry all the time about Brady off at college.
And I worry about this one.” He kisses the side of Luna’s head.
“And her inability to slow down and stop working herself to death.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Luna protests. “To not work. While getting naked in our rental chalet’s hot tub.”
“I thought we were here to avoid having to do Christmas with multiple families,” Cam says. “That’s why I’m here, anyway.”
That makes me chuckle. Being in a polycule does make the holidays complicated.
“We’re still doing Christmas with everyone on the twenty-eighth when we get back,” Alexsei reminds him. “Don’t try to disappear and go to work.”
“That’s not Christmas. It’s the twenty-eighth. It’s just a party then.”
“Where’s Brady going to be for Christmas?” Dani asks.
“With his mom and his stepdad. He likes being around his siblings for Christmas morning.” Owen gives Luna a look. “Since we haven’t given him a sibling, I understand, though I’ll miss him.”
“We’re not having a baby yet,” Luna tells her husband, patting his arm. “Leave my ovaries out of this conversation, thank you very much.”
“I know that. I’m perfectly happy with our lives exactly as they are,” he reassures her. “I’m just happy to be here.”
Owen is the kind of guy who genuinely means that. He goes with the flow.
“I’m happy to be here, too, in this resort, away from the pressure of Christmas,” Cam says.
“Okay, Grinch, we get it,” Luna says affectionately.
“Remember our first Christmas together, Cookie?” I ask, hoping to make Dani smile. “We had a hell of a night in that RV.”
Though maybe that’s the wrong memory to bring up, given how the four of us managed to have very hot sex with Dani squished into Crew’s “surprise” transportation.
I know that when Dani and I have sex alone it’s enough for her, but she wants all of us together. It’s what makes our relationship so damn special.
Dani gives me a distracted smile and just moves her fork around her untouched plate.
“So you’re not here for any other reason?” Alexsei asks Cam, grinning. “Not because you love me and you love Luna and there’s a hot tub?”
“The hot tub was crowded,” Cam complains. “But I did enjoy it. And I do love you and Luna.” The corner of his mouth turns up in a brief smile. “Owen is just okay.”
Owen rolls his eyes, clearly not offended.
I’ve noticed that Owen and Cam share a bit of the same dynamic Crew and Nathan do. They have a deep respect for each other and a friendship but they like poking at each other. Or at least Cam likes poking Owen.
“We all enjoyed the hot tub.” Luna goes for another raspberry but Cam catches her by the wrist.
He draws her hand up to his mouth and acts like he’s going to kiss the back of it. But instead he drops it and steals a raspberry off of Luna’s plate in retaliation.
“Hey!” But Luna is giggling.
My phone buzzes.
It’s a message to our group text from Boss—aka Nathan.
We’re in Omaha. Be there asap. Xo
Followed by a text from Crew.
Can’t wait to see what Cookie wears tonight.
“See?” I say to Dani, turning my phone to show her, squeezing her knee under the table. “Everything is fine. They’ll be here before you know it.”
She takes the phone from me and reads, her lips silently moving. She breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank God they’re okay.” She starts to lean over to dig around and find her phone in her purse.
“You eat,” I tell her. “I’ll text them back.”
Dani nods, her shoulders visibly dropping. She finally puts a bite of her crepe into her mouth and chews.
Our girl will be wearing nothing tonight. Safe travels.
“So are you all going skiing today?” I ask the rest of the table.
Owen nods. “This should be interesting. I haven’t skied in a decade.”
The table settles into a casual chatter about the day’s plans and the impressive food, Isabel’s birthday we just celebrated, the view of the mountain and a suggestion that we book a private chef for our chalet the way Luna and her guys have.
It’s a relief to feel the tension leaving Dani as she works her way through her breakfast and a cup of herbal tea.
I get another text from my mother when I’m debating if I can eat one more bite or if it’s time to call it quits.
When I open the text it’s a picture of the kids in their high chairs, grinning their faces off, giant pancakes on the trays in front of them.
Oliver has syrup all over his face. He can barely sit up yet but he’s clearly enjoying breakfast.
It makes my heart swell. God, I love our kids. Our family.
“Look,” I say, showing Dani. “Being spoiled by the grandparents.”
“Aw,” Dani says. “They’re so cute I can’t stand it.”
I show the screen to Owen, who is sitting closest to me on the right.
“They really are impressively cute,” he says, taking my phone to show Luna and the guys.
“Little Oli,” Luna says, gripping her chest. “Look at him loving sugar. He’s going to be my best customer at the bakery in a few years. And Isabel looks like she’s mentally solving math equations in every picture. She’s absurdly smart, you guys.”
“I miss them,” I admit. “But I’m glad they’re spending time with my parents. That means a lot to me.”
Dani gives me a soft smile. “I know.”
Ever since my father had back to back heart attacks, I’ve been well aware these opportunities won’t last forever.
“I’m glad you’re here with us,” Owen says. “It’s important, both for your relationship and for the kids to bond with the grandparents.”
“It is,” Dani agrees. “Which is why I wanted to wring Nathan’s neck last night.”
Everyone laughs.
Speaking of, I have a text from him, direct to me, not our group text thread.
Call me.
God, I hate when he does that. This could be good or bad, you never know with him.
Not wanting to worry Dani, I excuse myself to go to the restroom. Instead, in the hallway, I call Nathan.
“You’d better be on your way west,” I tell him.
“We are.” He coughs a little. “By way of going north. We’re in Des Moines,” Nathan admits.
I swear, and glance back at the dining room. “What? Why?”
“Slight accident. The rental car might have slid off of the road and into a ditch in the storm.”
My heart skips a beat. “You’re okay? Crew’s okay?”
“We’re fine. Though I am beating myself up.”
This is no time for piling on. I’m sure Nathan feels bad enough already. “Do not tell Dani about running off of the road,” I tell him firmly. “She’ll think it’s her fault.”
“I’m not going to tell her, are you crazy? That would ruin Christmas. It was my fault, not hers.”
“It was no one’s fault,” I say. “It was the snow storm. Just get here safely, alright?”
“I intend to. I just wanted to tell you the truth so you can distract her, keep her occupied. I’m going to sort this out. We’ll be there by one at the latest.”
I rub my forehead as we both say goodbye and end the call.
I turn and nearly run into Luna.
Her arms are crossed over her chest and she’s eyeing me with suspicion.
“They’re not in Omaha, are they?” she asks.
I could lie to Luna, but she wouldn’t believe me.
I also know both her and Crew well enough to know that if I say no, she’ll call Crew and he won’t lie to her.
“No. They’re in Des Moines.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Luna says.
My sentiments exactly.