Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JADE
“I wanted to paint him like this, with his gaze latched onto mine. With a fire burning in the depths of his green eyes” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno
My eyebrows tug together as I double check the directions on the screen in my car and then look back up at the house in front of me. This is not the house I would have expected Matteo to live in. I was expecting him to live in a gate community or in some swanky bachelor pad, not a place like this.
It’s a gray, stone house that looks as if it could be a manor straight out of the Scottish Highlands. Instead, it’s tucked in the historic part of Hillford, just outside the main part of the city.
I pull into the driveway and to the right of the house, where the detached garage sits on the other side of the cobblestone drive. There are at least half a dozen cars parked in the grass and I find an empty space beside a white Porsche.
My phone chimes and I open up the email that came through, seeing it’s a message from my cardiologist. Relief washes over me as I read over his words.
My results all look normal—for my heart—and I’m supposed to keep an eye out for worsening symptoms. They’re not concerned with the palpitations, so long as it doesn’t bother me.
I tuck my phone into my bag and sling it over my shoulder.
I grab the reusable grocery bag filled with buffalo dip and chips, and slip out of my car before turning to the house.
I’m not sure which door I’m supposed to use.
It looks like there’s one on the back of the house, one at the front, and there’s an entrance on the side, facing the driveway.
I should have asked Matteo before I came.
Stop overthinking, Jade.
Shaking away the anxious thoughts, I opt for the side door. I head up the four short steps and the door pops open. A younger woman, who can’t be but a few years younger steps out, not noticing me at first.
Her head whips to the side, her dark hair shifting across her back. “Oh! I didn’t see you there.” She pauses, her dark gray eyes widening for a second. “Oh my gosh, you must be Jade!”
“Yes, hi,” I smile, nodding my head eagerly. My heart races and my palms are clammy.
“I’m Elena, Matty’s sister.” She holds open the door, stepping to the side. “Come in! I’m so glad to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
I step into Matteo’s home and am in awe of the elegant interior.
Light pours through tall windows, settling across dark polished wooden floors.
The walls are subtle tones of ivory and gray with various oil paintings hanging on the walls.
I take a moment to drink it all in. There’s nothing superfluous in the decor.
It’s as if every piece and every touch is deliberate, calculated.
I glance at the chandelier hanging above before looking at Elena again.
“Come on,” Elena waves me through the mudroom and into the kitchen. A massive skylight lets light spill in. “You can put your stuff in here. Everyone’s in the basement playing pool and hanging out right now.”
Elena shows me where to put the dip so it stays warm, and leads me down to the basement. Voices drift up the stairwell and Elena smiles, shaking her head with a soft laugh.
“Be prepared… the guys can be a bit of a handful, but the girls are the best ever.”
A nervousness washes over me as we reach the bottom of the steps.
I’m about to meet some of the people who are closest to Matteo.
I think it’s only normal for my stomach to be in knots.
We turn left into the open space and there’s a bar in the corner with a television hanging on the wall, a pool table, and an air hockey table.
Matteo’s bent over the table, his stick in his hands, lining up a shot. His eyes flicker to mine, a slow smirk tugging on his lips as he hits the cue ball, sending it into the black eight ball he was aiming for. It sinks into the left pocket and two of the guys whine in protest.
Matteo tosses the stick onto the table, ignoring them as he stalks across the room to me. A familiar warmth slides down my spine as my gaze locks with his.
“Hey, Sunny,” he breathes, his eyes shining bright as he stops in front of me. His hand shifts forward but then he stops himself from reaching out to me. My stomach does a somersault.
“Hey. Sorry I was a little late. I got caught up with some work things.”
He shakes his head. “I’m just glad you were able to come.”
His sister chuckles to herself, leaving the two of us as she walks over to the bar where a younger woman is sitting.
“Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone,” Matteo smiles, waving at me to follow him. He doesn’t walk in front of me, instead, he stays beside me as we walk over to the pool table. His presence is comforting and it chases away the nervousness.
There’s no reason to feel that way.
“Everyone, this is Jade,” he announces, looking at me with a grin. “Jade, this is Cameron Shaw and Warren Cross,” he motions to the two men at the pool table. They’re both tall and lean, around the same height as Matteo.
“Hey, Jade,” they say in unison. Cross makes a face and shoves at Shaw’s shoulder. Shaw ducks out of the way, bumping into Elena. He says something under his breath, his hands wrapping around her biceps as they share a look.
Matteo’s brow furrows for a second and the two men walk over.
“Everyone calls me Cross,” the one with dark, almost black hair and bright green eyes says as he shakes my hand.
“I go by Cam, or Shaw,” the one with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes smiles, shaking my hand too.
“You met Elena,” he nods to his sister. She looks over and smiles, although there’s a pink tint of frustration across her face as she takes a step back from Shaw.
“That’s Theo and Lucy,” he looks over at the bar to the younger woman and guy sitting together. She looks a bit younger than everyone else and her soft blue eyes meet mine from across the space.
“Hi, Jade!” Lucy calls out to me as Theo bobs his head, his dark brown hair shifting, and waves.
Two women stand behind the bar. “And that’s Posey and my youngest sister, Bella.”
Bella and Posey both smile and wave from where they’re standing.
The three Ford’s all look like they’re related. Bella and Elena both have beautiful long dark hair that’s the same shade as Matteo’s. The three of them all have similar facial features and striking gray eyes.
“Do you guys all play together?” I ask Matteo as he leads me over to the bar. I’m a little off-kilter, not knowing anyone, but I don’t think Matteo would have led me into a lion’s den.
He nods his head. “Do you want a drink?”
“Water’s fine,” I smile at him and glance at Posey who’s grabbing a bottle from the fridge behind her.
“Matty, I think the air hockey table’s broken,” Shaw calls over to him.
“Shit, give me a second,” Matteo says to me, his eyes scanning my face before he walks over to where the guys are.
Bella comes from around the bar, heading over to the pool table with her sister and Posey hands me a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” I take it from her, screwing off the top before taking a sip. I tilt my head to the side, playing out the words in my head before speaking them.“Are you guys related too?”
“No way,” Posey laughs, shaking her head. “Matteo and I grew up together. Same with Lucy and Theo. Our dads all played together, and our families are close.”
So, she’s just a friend. Jealousy strikes my chest like an iron fist. I wonder if she’s a friend like I am…
I can’t even hide the way my face falls.
Posey leans over the bar, closer to me. “We’ve always just been friends. You have nothing to worry about.” Her eyes flick past me for a second.
“Oh.” My eyes widen, heat creeping up my neck as I quickly shake my head. “No, I wasn’t thinking that—”
A smile creeps across Posey’s lips. “Girl, your face gave it all away. It’s okay, your secret is safe with me.”
Lucy slides over onto the bar stool next to where I’m standing. “What’s the secret? I love secrets.”
“Get out of here, Luce.” Posey waves her hand at her dismissively. “It was a joke,” Posey winks at me and relief washes over me.
“Whatever,” Lucy sighs, rolling her eyes. She turns to me. “I’m so excited to meet you, Jade. You’re the first girl Matteo has ever brought around anyone.”
Theo walks over, gripping the back of Lucy’s chair as he stops behind her. “Lucy doesn’t get out much,” he chuckles, looking down at her. “She’s not as civilized as the rest of us.”
She tips her head back, the crown of her head pressing against his abdomen as she looks at him upside down. “That’s not true.”
“Lucy’s finishing an accelerated master’s program to be an athletic trainer.” Theo glances at me with his eyebrows raised. “I promise you; she does not get out much.”
Lucy straightens herself, cutting her eyes at him over her shoulder. “Go away, Theodore.”
Theo laughs, taking a step away. “It’s nice to meet you, Jade.”
“You too.” I smile and nod. Theo joins Cross, Shaw, and Matteo who are congregated around the air hockey table. I look at Lucy. “Are you and Theo together?”
She lets out a laugh that sounds off key as she shakes her head. “My god, no. Theo and I have been best friends our entire lives.”
Posey chuckles softly from the other side of the bar. “So, Jade. We’ve heard a little bit about you, but Matty’s been keeping his cards close to his chest. How did you guys meet?”
“At a coffee shop,” I laugh, my mind drifting back to that day. I don’t want to overshare, since Matteo’s decided to keep our meeting to himself. “I accidentally got his drink, and he got mine.”
“Shut up, that’s the cutest thing ever,” Lucy swoons.
Bella and Elena come over. “What’d we miss?” Elena chimes in.
“Jade was telling us how she and Matteo met,” Posey explains to the two of them as Elena sits down next to Lucy and Bella stands at the end of the bar.
“His drinks are so gross,” Elena says, curling her lip up in disgust. “There’s no hint of coffee left after he’s done.”
“They’re like dessert drinks,” I laugh.
Bella shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think they’re bad.”
“Because your sense of taste sucks, just like his.”
Bella and Elena start bickering about coffee drinks. Lucy looks bored and pulls out her phone as Posey stands there, chin propped on her hand as she listens to the two of them with an animated expression.
“Sunny,” Matteo calls out to me, pulling my attention from the girls. I turn around and see him standing by the pool table. “Can I borrow you?”
“Excuse me,” I say to no one in particular, holding onto my water bottle as I walk over to Matteo. There’s so many new faces, so many people here I don’t know, it’s a bit overwhelming.
He lets out a soft sigh when I reach him, a ghost of a smile dancing across his lips. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I breathe, relief washing over me. Something about being near him provides a layer of comfort. Familiarity. Safety. “Did you figure out the air hockey table?”
Matteo shakes his head. “I think it’s done.” He tilts his head to the side. “Sorry for abandoning you.”
“No, it’s okay. Everyone seems so nice.” I roll my lips between my teeth, biting down before releasing them. “They said I’m the first girl you’ve ever brought to meet any of them.”
Matteo stares at me, his throat bobbing. “Yeah,” he says softly, his chin dipping. “I’ve never wanted them to meet anyone else before. No one else ever felt important enough for that.”
My heart stumbles inside my chest. “Are you saying I’m important?”
The gray hues swirl in his eyes like cool steel, his gaze burning into mine, captivating me. The room around us dissipates. The voices and the people—they all cease to exist. “Yeah, Sunny.” The corners of his mouth lift. He takes a step closer. “I think you might be.”
“Yo, Matty,” Shaw calls out, shattering the moment between us, thrusting us back into reality. Into the basement where all his friends and sisters are. “Can we eat since your girl is here?”
His girl.
Matteo doesn’t correct him.
“Yeah,” he answers, letting out a deep breath as he rakes a hand through his hair. He lets out a soft laugh, tearing his gaze from mine. “Yeah, let’s go.”
As if one unit, everyone heads toward the stairs and up to the kitchen where the food is, and we fall in step behind them.
Matteo stops at the bottom of the stairs and lifts a questioning brow as he motions for me to go first. “I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet?”
“You know me so well.” A crooked smile haunts my lips as I pass him..
And if I weren’t as tuned into him as I am, I would have missed the three words he murmurs under his breath as I head up the steps.
“Not well enough.”