Chapter 15
Tiny
“ M om, she’s not going to give a shit that my forks are different,” I say for the umpteenth time. I’ve been listening to my mom bitch about the fact that I have three different sets of silverware in my drawer for the past half an hour.
Aunt Evie giggles from her spot on the barstool next to me while sipping from her third glass of wine.
“Nathan, if you expect this girl to want to marry you and give me grandbabies, you should have at least one full set of matching silverware! You look like a 40-year-old bachelor with this mess!”
“Woah there, lady, I am only 33. That’s not even close to 40 yet.”
“You know what I mean!”
Getting off my stool, I round the counter and pull my mom into a hug. I got my height from my mom. It's not that I know my dad to know if he was tall, but I give my mom all the credit. The top of her head stops right below my chin. I squeeze her tight and then let go. “If Kourtney seems disgusted by my lack of matching silverware, I promise I will make a special trip to Williams Sonoma and spend an absolute fortune on cutlery.”
Mom smacks my stomach, rolling her eyes. “Alright, smartass. I’ll admit, I’m nervous. You’ve never mentioned her to me, let alone ever even let me meet one of your girlfriends.”
I shrug. “That’s cause I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
“Well, you better not fuck this one up. Oh hell, you can never have sex with her! She’ll take one look at your stupid tattoo and run for the hills!”
I’m good with my mom knowing my dick is tattooed. I’m even good with her knowing about Kourtney! But if it means that my mom won’t ever mention my dick tattoo again, I’ll pretend that Kourtney has never seen my dick. This is not a conversation I enjoy having.
I’m saved by the doorbell and know I owe Kourtney the biggest fucking kiss for saving me from that conversation.
“Oh Lord! She’s here,” my mom says excitedly.
“Jesus, Em. It’s like you’re meeting the Queen,” Evie jokes.
“I’m excited!” I hear her yell at her sister from behind me as I head for the door.
Pulling the door open, a smile immediately pulls at my lips as I take in the gorgeous sight standing on my doorstep.
Kourtney is wearing light-wash denim jeans that hug her just right, showing off her perfect hips. A three-quarter-sleeve pale blue sweater makes her cornflower eyes pop. Holding a bottle of wine up in her left hand, she smiles. Her smile wrecks something in my chest. I reach for her waist and pull her inside. The sounds of her giggles as she crashes into me are music to my ears.
I could care less that my mom is in the other room as I wrap my hands gently around her neck and secure her lips to mine. Pressing my tongue between her lips, I groan in relief as she returns the kiss. Her taste is divine. Like chocolate and mint. Her delicious floral scent, which I can only describe as her, infiltrates my nose as I inhale. I’m in sensory overload and have no intention of coming up for air until I hear a throat clear behind me.
Reluctantly, I pull away and smile at Kourtney’s reddening cheeks. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I spin around and tuck her under my arm. We face my mom, who has the biggest smile on her face, and Evie, who looks like she’s just swallowed a lemon.
I eye Evie curiously, but she can’t seem to take her sour gaze off Kourtney. When Kourtney’s gaze moves from my mom’s to Evie’s, I briefly feel her stiffening under my arm. Before I can acknowledge it, my mom is rushing forward, pulling her into a tight hug.
Moving to the side, I tilt my head at Evie, who, at my gesture, shakes her head and forces a tiny smile.
My mom pulls away from Kourtney and reaches back for Evie’s hand. “Kourtney, it is so amazing to meet you. This is my sister and Nathan’s aunt, Evie.”
Almost as if my mom didn’t even say her name, Evie doesn't move. Her feet stay cemented to the floor. “Ev?” my mom questions.
Evie shakes her head again and finally steps forward. I watch curiously as Kourtney seems to curl in on herself, making herself seem smaller.
What the hell’s going on?
Kourtney tentatively reaches forward, and Evie returns the handshake, but from my angle, it seems that Evie is looking at the wall directly behind Kourtney’s head.
As if oblivious to both of their discomfort, Mom claps her hands together. “Dinner is done! Let’s move this chat to the dining room.”
Evie spins on her heel fast and mumbles something about needing to go to the bathroom. Mom heads in the opposite direction to the kitchen.
I wrap Kourtney under my arm once again and press a kiss against her head. “That was awkward. Do you know my aunt?” Kourtney quickly shakes her head. I decide to leave it be for now and lead her away from the entryway and through the hall towards the kitchen and dining room.
I pull out the chair next to my usual spot and wait for Kourtney to settle before taking her bottle of wine. “I’m just gonna grab a glass and an opener for this. I’ll be right back.”
My mom is bent at the waist, pulling garlic bread out of the oven, when she notices me. “Oh my God! She is so beautiful!” she whisper-yells.
I smile at her giddy excitement. “I know, Mom.”
Searching through the big ass drawer of kitchen utensils, I riffle through the many spoons and spatulas, looking for the bottle opener.
“No, seriously, Nathan! She is gorgeous.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I smile at her. I can feel her enthusiasm from across the kitchen. “I think so, too.”
“Good! You guys are absolutely adorable together. You said she was a lawyer? So she’s smart too! And oh my gosh, her blonde hair and blue eyes? You two are going to make absolutely beautiful babies.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head at that. “Alright, lady. Slow your roll there. We just ‘made it official’ like five seconds ago.” I added air quotes since I know my mother would scoff if I called Kourtney my ol’ lady. She finds it barbaric that we call our other halves that, but she doesn’t understand the importance of that title. If she did, I think she’d feel differently.
I finally find the damn bottle opener on the counter near Evie’s empty bottle after searching through every drawer in my kitchen. Grabbing a glass and a beer from the fridge for myself, I head back to the dining room.
I walk through the archway just in time to hear Evie cursing something under her breath as she glares at my ol’ lady.
“What the fuck’s going on in here?” I spit, setting Kourtney’s wine glass and my beer bottle down on the table with a little more force than necessary.
“Nothing,” the both of them say in tandem. Evie’s seated in the chair across from Kourtney with her arms crossed, avoiding eye contact with me. Kourtney has her eyes transfixed on the wine glass I just sat down, and it pisses me the fuck off that she won’t meet my gaze.
As soon as my mom enters through the doorway, it’s as if nothing even happened. Evie smiles at my mom, and Kourtney straightens in her chair, watching my mom put the lasagna on the table in front of us with a neutral expression.
I wait until my mom’s seated before taking my own seat. Opening the bottle of wine, I pour some in a glass and hand it to Kourtney. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with her and my aunt, but I make it a point to press a kiss to the side of her face. “You ok?” I say against her ear and pull her chair closer to me.
She nods and turns her full attention to my mom as she gushes about their drive down from Phoenix, which makes Kourtney flinch.
It really pisses me off to be in the dark. Kourtney’s and Evie’s moods seemed to be absolutely fine until they saw each other. So what the fuck is going on?
Thankfully, the majority of dinner seems to go okay as my mom asks Kourtney about herself and her family.
“So, Kourtney, what made you want to be a lawyer?” my mom asks after finishing her last bite of pasta.
Kourtney swallows a sip of her wine and clears her throat. “My dad’s a lawyer. Growing up, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow in my mom’s steps or my dad’s. My mom ran a small boutique, and she passed on her love of fashion to me, but there was never a doubt in my dad’s mind that I was going to be just like him.”
Evie scoffs and rolls her eyes, and I’ve finally had about enough of her nasty fucking attitude since Kourtney got here. Even Mom has turned an inquisitive eye on her sister's bizarre behavior.
“What the fuck, Ev?” I bellow. “Kourtney hasn’t done a goddamned thing to you. Why the fuck have you been so nasty to her? And under my damn roof!”
I can feel more than see my mom’s head rear back. I have never spoken to her or Evie with any disrespect before. But yesterday, I made a promise to Kourtney by claiming her as my ol’ lady, and that was never to let anyone treat her less than she deserves, even if it is my own flesh and blood.
Evie’s eyes widen at me in shock, but then her face hardens and she zeroes her glare in on Kourtney. “Why don’t you ask your little girlfriend, Nathan? Ask her why she suddenly moved from Phoenix to little old Desert Rose.”
Turning my gaze to Kourtney’s, I see a small tear line on her lid, and she pushes it away before it falls. She shakes her head ‘no’ as if doing so will keep Evie from saying whatever she’s about to say.
“How about the fact that she dated Benjamin? Yes, my brother-in-law Benjamin, and when he couldn’t do enough for her, she went and fucked my husband for a promotion.”
It’s my turn for my head to whip back as if I’ve just been sucker punched in the jaw. “What?” I scoff. My brows furrow in confusion as my eyes search for the truth in Evie’s hateful stare at the woman sitting next to me. The woman I am no doubt falling for as the minutes tick by.
Is the woman I’ve been infatuated with capable of doing something like that? Sleeping with my ‘Uncle’ for all intents and purposes? No. She’s not like that.
When I feel movement next to me, I reach for her, but I’m too late. Kourtney hurriedly pulls her bag off the back of her chair and dashes out of the room, mumbling something about not dealing with this on her rush out.
Shoving away from the table, I go to run after her but am pulled back by a small hand at my elbow. I turn to see my mom shaking her head.
I slam one fist down on the table and stab the other one in the air pointing at my aunt. “Start fucking talking because your accusations just caused the woman I’m real fucking close to loving to run out my front door.”
My confession appears to shock Evie, and tears begin to fill her eyes. “What do you want me to say, Nathan? Matthew cheated on me with multiple women at his office! Multiple! Your little girlfriend just so happened to be one of them.”
“You’re sure about that?” I yell. “I’m really fucking sorry your husband was cheating on you, Aunt Ev.” I scrub both hands down my face in frustration and point toward the door where Kourtney just escaped. “But are you absolutely fucking sure that she is one of the ones he cheated with?”
My aunt’s face drops, and her lip quivers under my stare. “I… I think so. I never got proof, but why else would she have been fired? And why did she randomly move here right after word got out about Matthew’s multiple affairs at the office?”
“You think it was her!” I roar. “So you just probably ruined any bit of relationship I had with her by the possibility that your douchebag husband is a cheater?”
“A girl at the office told me she was fired because she was sleeping with him!” she cries.
“Okay, let’s calm down,” my mom says gently.
“Calm down? How the fuck do you want me to do that, Mom? From where I’m sitting, it looks like my only choices are to screw over Evie to go after the girl I love or take Evie at her word and believe that Kourtney is a homewrecker, even though I love her. I don’t know how either of those options could be considered calm!”
It doesn't escape my notice that I yelled, not once, but twice, that I love Kourtney. Is it fast? Probably. Is it a surprise? No, not really. I’ve been infatuated with her since the day I laid eyes on her. But now I have to decide what the fuck to do.
Picking my chair up, I throw it against the wall, and even as the wood crumples from the contact, I don’t feel any relief. I stomp out of the dining room and up the stairs to my bedroom. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dial Kourtney’s number.
When it immediately goes to voicemail, I let out a huff in frustration. There’s no way she’s home yet, but I pull up the app to the cameras in her house anyway. No movement, of course. I close it out and call her again. It’s comical that I think it’d ring this time.
I contemplate whether to go after her. But what if Evie isn’t lying? What if Kourtney really was one of the women Matthew had an affair with? Can I really be in a relationship with the woman who ruined my aunt’s life?
Aside from my mom, Evie is the only other blood family I have. It’s Mom, Evie, and the club. That’s all I have.
Could I learn to ignore it? Forget about it? Could I live a life with Kourtney that Evie isn’t a part of?
Part of me thinks it’s silly to feel this strongly about it, considering Kourtney and I just became official, but I would be lying if I said that the thought of her not being in my life already makes me nauseous and ready to murder.
That thought answers it for me.
Picking up my phone from the bed beside me, I press her name again. Directly to voicemail. “You’ve reached Kourtney Walker. You know what to do. – beep.”
“Kourt, honey, please call me.”
Pressing the red button at the bottom of the screen, I immediately hit her name again. Voicemail.
Over the next thirty minutes, I volley between checking the cameras at her house and leaving voicemails and texts apologizing for not going after her. She still isn’t home, so where the fuck is she?
I curse myself for not hooking up her office cameras to my phone, so instead, I rush down to my office and check those.
Nothing.
Fuck.
My fingers fly across the keys as I pull up street cameras and follow her car as she made her way across town to a small gated neighborhood. It takes a little more time to get into those cameras, but once I do, it has her pulling up to a small white house. I zoom in when she gets out of the car and curse myself when I see the sadness clear as day on her face. Thoughts of murder flood my system when I notice a man open the door for her, but when I zoom in, Reggie steps up behind the man and pulls Kourtney in for a hug.
I feel better knowing that she’s with Reggie. I fast forward the footage to the current time and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding when her car is still in its spot in their driveway. So, for the moment, I know she’s safe.