Chapter 12
12
KILLIAN
I woke up early that morning, thinking about how nice it was to spend time with Noelle's family. I'd seen them over the years around the lodge, but I'd never been to their house, and I enjoyed their dynamic. There was so much love.
Last night meant more to me than any championship win. It was real. Noelle might be hanging around with me because it was her job, but her disposition was genuine. So unlike the women I met in my line of work.
She didn't want anything from me. She was surprised when I offered to let her move in with me, and she was grateful to use the lodge's kitchen. She didn't take anything for granted.
Tonight, we had to spend time with my family. I hoped they didn't see this attraction I was sporting for my assistant.
Holding her hand last night felt right, as if giving her comfort was natural for me. Like she belonged to me. Which was crazy. She was a family friend. Nothing more.
I'd screwed everything up when I hadn't reacted to her kiss when we were younger. To be fair, I hadn't realized there was something between us. I was a stupid teenager, but I was very aware now.
I couldn't ignore the woman she was, especially not when we were spending so much time together and she was living in my condo.
I got in the shower, quickly washed up, then pulled on sweats and a T-shirt. I slowly made my way to the kitchen where I smelled eggs and bacon.
I rested the crutches against the counter as I slid onto a stool. "You don't have to cook breakfast for me. Didn't you get up early to make donuts?"
"Yes, but it's so much quicker in that kitchen, I was done early. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought I'd make breakfast for us."
"How are things with Cal?" I asked, watching her carefully.
Her shoulders stiffened. "I haven't gone back to get the rest of my trays."
"Do you not want me to go with you?" I asked slowly.
"He's been sending messages, and I don't want to deal with it. It's okay.”
I didn't like the sound of that. "I'll take care of it."
She turned, her shocked gaze landing on mine. "How are you going to take care of it?"
"I'll take my brothers with me. Don't worry."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can get them myself."
I narrowed my gaze. "Yeah, that's not happening. I don't want you interacting with Cal anymore."
She raised a brow. "Since when do you tell me what to do?"
I let out a breath. I didn't want to screw this up. "I'm worried about this situation. Cal seems volatile, and I don't want you to get hurt. I'd prefer if you let me handle it on your behalf. He won't be able to bully me and my brothers."
Her shoulders lowered. "Actually, that would be kind of nice. Is it awful that I don't want to deal with him?"
I grabbed my crutches and made my way over to her. I rested on one, letting the second lean against the counter. Then I pulled her into my body for a hug. It was awkward with my crutch in the way, but she came easily. Her body curled against my chest. I held her tightly for a few seconds, then pulled back so I could see her face. "You shouldn't have to deal with this. Let me handle it for you."
She sighed heavily, her hand pressed against my chest as if she needed the contact. "Okay."
"That's settled then." Eli wouldn't want her handling this on her own either. He considered her his employee now, and he wouldn't want other business owners badgering her.
When she turned back to the stove, I leaned a hip against the counter and typed out a quick message to my brothers' group text chat.
Killian: Cal is giving Noelle a hard time about returning her donut trays. She doesn't feel comfortable going to his shop to get them back.
Eli: I don't like the sound of this.
Killian: I told her we'd take care of it.
Xander: Damn straight. That's messed up.
Eli: He doesn't like that we took his vendor away from him. But he didn't know what he had.
Xander: The best donut maker in Telluride. Speaking of which, did she make donuts today?
Killian: She's already done making them and cooking me breakfast.
Xander: You got a sweet deal moving the donut maker into your place. Enjoy.
I shook my head, chuckling to myself.
"What? Who are you talking to?" Noelle asked.
"My stupid brothers," I said, keeping my attention on my screen.
"About?"
"Your situation."
"They're on board with helping me?" she asked, her tone tentative. I feel bad. They shouldn't have to deal with my problem."
"Cal's messing with our most important vendor. We can’t let that continue." It was more than a business thing for me. I didn't want Cal upsetting her. He was bullying her, and it wasn't going to work. Not with the Wilde family at her back.
"Please tell them thank you."
Killian: Noelle says thank you.
Xander: She's pissed that you're interfering, isn't she?
Killian: She was at first.
Eli: You tell her you're into her yet?
Xander: What? Did I miss something?
I checked to make sure that Noelle wasn't anywhere near me when I typed out another message.
Killian: You didn't miss anything.
Xander: Where's Oliver? He needs to see this.
Oliver: You know I don't like long text chains.
Eli: You don't like any messages.
Oliver: Thanks for reminding me how much I hate them. Can you take me off this one?
Xander: No can do, brother. If I have to suffer…
Eli: You love it, Xan.
Xander: Eh. I love when Tori tries to get my attention more. Speaking of, I gotta go. A better offer just came up.
Oliver: Seriously? You boys woke me up for this?
Eli: We all know it was Joey that woke you up, not us.
I was more than a little jealous that Xander was in a relationship. That he didn't have to navigate a crush on his roommate anymore. He'd figured his situation out.
Oliver: I just read through the messages. Tell me when we're going to Cal's.
Killian: Will do. Thank you.
I'd taken my brothers for granted over the years. But they'd really stepped up when I needed them: giving me a place to stay, finding me an amazing assistant, and now helping me with a sticky situation.
Noelle plated the eggs. "What are you smiling about?"
"How lucky I am to have my family surrounding me."
Noelle smiled. "You have a great family."
"When I was injured, I was devastated, but coming home hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be."
Noelle frowned as she moved to sit next to me. "Was it just being sidelined from the sport you love? Or was it something else?"
"I think I was scared of the unknown. I didn't know who I was without snowboarding. I've been doing it as long as I can remember. My life is kind of set out for me. But now, I can see how things could be different."
"Do you like it?"
I smiled again. "Yeah, I do like the slower pace. My life isn't ruled by wins and losses, numbers and placements. I have goals in physical therapy, but otherwise, I have downtime. I'm learning more about you, and I get to spend more time with my family. It's been nice."
"I'm glad for you then. Maybe this was what you needed."
I nodded. "Yeah, I think that's it. I needed a change of pace."
Noelle smiled. "Then when you go back to training, you'll be refreshed and ready to go."
I wasn't so sure about that anymore. I wasn't as eager to get back to work. I kind of liked living here in the condo with Noelle. It was like we were in our own little world, and I wasn't ready to leave.
We ate breakfast. Then Noelle suggested we go outside for a bit to enjoy the outdoors. I couldn't walk far with my crutches, but it was nice to get outside.
We eventually made our way to the back patio in front of one of the fireplaces. Not many people were here this time of the day, so we had the space to ourselves.
"When I'm better, I'm taking you up there." I nodded toward the slope where we could see dots of skiers flying down the mountain in a zigzag pattern."
"I don't have money for equipment right now."
"You should know that's not a problem."
"Yeah, but that wouldn't be fair."
"My sponsor would be happy to outfit you with everything you need."
Noelle sighed. "What if I don't want to go up there?"
"There's something holding you back."
"What if I'm no good at it anymore? What if I forgot how to do it?" Noelle broke off, her hands twisting.
I covered her hands with mine. "There's no way you forgot how to do it. You might be a little rusty at first. But I have faith that you'll get it."
We stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Noelle grabbed us sandwiches and hot chocolate. Then we went inside to watch TV. Except this time, I didn't fall asleep, and we sat together on the couch, enjoying a sappy romance movie. In this one, there were two royals, and they felt compelled to get engaged. It seemed like they had to, but I didn't pay close enough attention to know why.
Noelle seemed to enjoy it, which made me think she was into romance. She just didn't trust anyone to get close to her. That's why this approach was the best. We were working together, becoming friends again, and maybe if I played my cards right, I'd make the move this time, and she'd welcome it.
On the way to my parents, Noelle said, "Your parents have been home for a while."
"They came home when we found out about Dakota. They wanted to get to know her and support Walker."
"I always thought it was amazing that they took Walker in and made him a part of your family. He was just another Wilde brother to me."
"I'm not sure he felt that way. Mom said it was something he had to work through though. Because we never made him feel like an outsider. Or at least we didn't mean to."
"Your dad would always say what's one more Wilde," Noelle said with a grin.
"My parents are great."
Noelle glanced over at me. "Christopher talks about Dakota a lot. I think they're friends."
"Walker's worried there's something more there, but if there is, Christopher's a good kid. Besides, he's got six Wildes who'd get on his case if he didn't treat her right."
Noelle shrugged. "Maybe they'll just be friends."
"Or maybe they'll be friends for years, and one day, they'll admit that they always liked each other as more than that."
"Wouldn't that be something?"
I watched the smile that spread over her face. "You are a romantic."
"What? No." She glanced over at me in shock.
"You wanted to watch that sappy royal romance movie on TV, and now you think it's sweet if Christopher and Dakota have a friends-to-lovers story."
"First of all, they're only thirteen. There shouldn't be any talk of love, much less lovers." Her cheeks turned pink.
"Does it embarrass you to say the word lover? "
"No," Noelle dragged out the word.
I chuckled. "I'm not sure I believe you. You're blushing."
"I can't believe we're even talking about this. They're kids. I just thought it would be sweet if it turned into something more. But not anytime soon."
"But it would be okay, in maybe ten, fifteen years?" I asked her, wondering if she'd see the parallels.
She glanced over at me. "Are you getting at something? I know Tori and Xander worked out, and they were friends as kids."
"And Walker and Addison dated in high school and got back together. I'm just saying maybe those relationships shouldn't be dismissed so easily. They're important because they shape us."
"That's an interesting idea."
"I'm feeling sentimental since I'm home," I said, suddenly uncomfortable that she hadn't seen the parallel with our relationship. But then again, we had been friends but not in the way that Xander and Tori were. We had been teammates, and I was her captain; it was a little different.
"I like this new side of you. You used to be all about snowboarding."
"I still am, but I'm starting to see that there's so much more out there. It's like I was living half a life before. Now I want to spend time with Joey and get to know Dakota. I don't want life to pass me by."
Noelle reached across the console and touched my thigh, squeezing it. "You're a good man, Killian."
All the air whooshed out of my lungs at the contact. My heart was beating overtime. She moved her hand away too soon. She pulled up to my parents' house that was tucked into the woods, giving us privacy from the resort.
The driveway was lined with trucks and SUVs. It looked like everyone was already here. "Are you ready to hang out with my family?"
"Are you sure it's okay that I'm here?" Noelle asked.
I smiled reassuringly at her. "They won't even notice an extra person."
Noelle gave me a dubious look right before the door opened, and my mom stood there, her gaze shifting from me to Noelle. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Mom held her arms out, and Noelle walked into them.
"Thank you for taking care of my boy. He can be stubborn sometimes."
"Mom," I chided but couldn't help but chuckle when Noelle said, "He is grumpy."
Dad appeared behind Mom's shoulder. "Dinner's almost ready, and everyone's here."
Noelle hugged my dad while I greeted Mom. "I'm so glad Noelle is here."
"Me too," I said.
I greeted Dad, and then we headed inside to the kitchen where everyone was gathered around the island. There was finger food to snack on and glasses for drinks. Dakota was playing with Joey in the living room. It looked like some kind of card game.
I greeted my brothers one by one, starting with Xander.
"You came to see me, didn't you?" Xander asked with a smirk.
Tori looped her hand through his elbow. "Ignore him. He's giving Killian a hard time."
Noelle's brow furrowed. "Why would he do that?"
I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Because he's my brother and he can."
Oliver stepped forward next. "Good to have you here, Noelle. You remember Carolina?"
"It's good to see you again," Noelle said.
Carolina guided Noelle around the rest of the room.
I didn't like her being away from me. I wasn't sure what my idiot brothers were going to say to her. I moved to follow her when Oliver approached, stopping me.
He raised a brow. "You brought her here because?—"
"It's family dinner night, and she's staying with me."
He raised a brow. "Don't roommates eat dinner sometimes by themselves?"
I cleared my dry throat. "Sure. Sometimes."
Oliver elbowed me. "Relax. I'm just giving you a hard time. If you can't handle my ribbing, you're not going to be able to withstand everyone else's curiosity."
I needed to relax. Act like Noelle was just my assistant and not my girlfriend that I was introducing to my family for the first time. "I was hoping Noelle could be friends with the significant others. She's already friends with Tori, but she could use more fun in her life."
Oliver grinned. "That's a better excuse. They'll totally buy that."
"It's not an excuse."
He leveled me with a look. "There's nothing wrong with liking Noelle."
"You know I can't act on it. My life is elsewhere, and hers is most definitely here. She just signed a year-long contract to make donuts for Eli."
Oliver shook his head. "I hadn't thought about that. But if you want to make it happen, you can."
I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. When I returned to Oliver's side, I said, "I don't even know if she feels the same."
"We thought she had a crush on you in high school." Oliver tipped his head in Noelle's direction where she was huddled with the other women laughing about something or the other.
"A heads-up would have been nice." Then maybe I wouldn't have been so blindsided by that kiss.
"I guess we thought you knew. But maybe you only had eyes for cheerleaders back then."
"Yeah, I was an idiot." Since I was a professional snowboarder, women flocked to me, and it had gotten old. I wanted more of a connection with someone. I wanted what I had with Noelle. But what if she didn't see it? What if she couldn't get over that awkward kiss?