Chapter 1 #2
“No, they were just a little something to say thank you for having me. Some Christmas cookies. There’s a box for each of you.” I winced and looked at Harper. “Except you, Harper. I’m sorry, Nick didn’t tell me you would be here.”
“That’s okay, it was a surprise.”
Oakley slung an arm around Harper’s shoulders as he accepted the box I passed him, our fingers touching briefly. “She can share with me.”
“Dinner won’t be ready for a while,” Rachel called back as she led us through the grand entryway and into a smaller, less formal kitchen set-up. “So I thought perhaps a hot drink in the meantime?”
We all murmured our assent and Nick threaded his fingers through mine as we took a seat at the breakfast bar while his mom flitted around making tea, coffee, and a hot chocolate each for Oakley and me.
There was no real cooking apparatus in the kitchen, like it was more for show than anything else, and I wondered where the real kitchen was and who was cooking our dinner. The Hart’s had staff and it was freaking me out.
Once we were all settled with our drinks in hand, Nick’s mom opened the box of round cookies I’d given to her and Lyn and bit into one, the snap pleasing me. They were a damn good batch.
While Rachel ate hers delicately, Lyn dunked his immediately into his coffee and swirled it around before cramming the whole thing into his mouth in one go.
“That’s the only way to eat ‘em,” he said a moment later around his mouthful of baked goods.
“They’re stunning, Ember. Thank you.” Rachel beamed and I could feel a blush climbing my cheeks again.
“You’re w-welome,” I stuttered and then busied myself with a gulp of hot chocolate, burning my mouth a little in the process.
Soft chatter broke out and I felt myself relaxing little by little until the conversation turned to me.
“So Ember, what is it that you do?”
I smiled at Rachel. Now this was one area I didn’t mind talking about, in fact I was used to being my own advocate. “I run an independent bookstore.”
“And coffee shop,” Nick chimed in and I laughed lightly.
“Yes, and coffee shop.”
“Oh wow, that’s so cool.” Harper practically had hearts in her eyes and I had to say that it was a reaction I got a lot — there were a lot of people who assumed I was living the dream. And I was, in a way, but it wasn’t without its difficulties.
Nick’s parents nodded. “So who’s watching the store while you’re away?”
I sipped my hot chocolate before replying. “Well, we’re open til Christmas Eve and I have staff members working at the store while I’m not there. My best friend is my store manager, so she’s holding down the fort.”
The attention moved away from me and I exhaled a shaky breath of relief.
“And you, darling? How’re things going at the University?”
Nick nodded. “Good, thanks. Still teaching. Still loving it.”
His mom looked disappointed at the lack of detail and I could empathise, Nick was often a man of few words. It had never bothered me, though. Not when he could do so many other talented things with his mouth.
I nudged him and he blinked, continuing on. “I, ah, they’re talking about promoting me, actually. Head of the department.”
“Oh that’s wonderful, darling!”
It was wonderful — and this was the first I was hearing about it.
The glance he sent me was apologetic and I looked away, sipping my hot chocolate as Harper tried to explain her job to a very lost-looking Lyn.
Oakley glanced between me and his brother, one brow rising slightly as if to ask if I was okay, and I lifted a shoulder before quickly letting it drop.
Nick was who he was and I loved him, even if his frequent tight-lipped stoicism sometimes annoyed me.
Nobody was perfect, after all. And our relationship was new-ish, we were still learning and figuring out what the other needed. We would get there. I hoped.
After dinner, we found our bags already in the room we’d been given to stay in. Apparently, it was Nick’s favorite guest room and used to be his childhood bedroom three renovations ago.
Dinner had been gorgeous. Braised pork and mashed potatoes with caramelised onion and creamed greens, with plenty of wine to keep the nerves at bay and the conversation flowing. Yet, despite my pleasantly full belly, things remained tense between Nick and me.
He’d dimmed the overhead light and closed the burgundy curtains, hiding the snow flurries outside, bathing the large room in a golden glow. Making his way around the side of the bed closest to the window, he pulled his sweater up and over his head before speaking. “Everything okay? You seem quiet.”
I shrugged. “I’m fine.” The zipper on my boots snagged and I grunted as I forced the thing down and toed them off by the door.
My socks followed suit and I sighed when the soft carpet met my feet.
It was cream, a bold choice for a guest room if you asked me — but then again, perhaps the Hart’s guests were more civilised than the rowdy friends I had.
My thoughts flashed to Morgan, my best friend, and I bit my lip on a smirk as I imagined how she’d react if she saw this place.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Nick move closer. “Fine? Are you sure?” His hands dropped onto my shoulders, pressing gently but with a firmness that made me sigh.
“You have a favorite guest room.”
He paused before continuing his massage. “Yeah.”
“You’re up for a promotion.”
This time, his pause was longer, his voice graveled. “Yes.”
“Do I know you at all, Nick Hart?”
His hands pressed gently on the sides of my shoulders as he turned me around, levelling me with a soft look full of love and heat. “Better than anyone.”
I considered him, the earnest tilt to his lips and the wide desperation of his eyes. “Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”
Nick chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed and then flopping back against the red and cream checkered sheets while he considered my request. “You know Oakley and I went to college together, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, wondering where this was going as I laid down next to him. There was only a year between the two brothers, Nick being the slightly older of the pair.
“Well…” He hesitated, mouth opening and closing before he glanced at me and held my gaze.
“One time, we were out at a bar and a girl agreed to go home with us. The both of us.” Was that it?
His big secret that he’d never told anyone else was a threesome?
I scoffed and he held up a hand to indicate he wasn’t done.
“So we took her home. Had a great night. But then… we both liked her, and she liked both of us.”
“Okay…”
“So for a while, Oakley and I shared a girlfriend.”
I blinked. “Huh.”
Nick’s mouth twitched. “That’s all you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
He shrugged, sitting up and running a hand over his hair to smooth the mess he’d made.
“I figured you might have questions or something.” Nick hopped off the bed and wrapped one hand around the dark wood of the bed frame as he walked back to his side of the bed and unbuckled his belt.
The sound of his zipper made my body stand to attention and I watched leisurely as he tugged his jeans down until he was left in a pair of black boxer briefs and his tee.
“How long did you date her for?”
“About six months.”
“Was she the only one?”
He shook his head. “We tried a few different times but after a while, the spark fizzled and being with only one of us just wasn’t the same.
” The muscles in his chest and stomach clenched and stretched as he pulled his tee off over his head and dropped it to the floor before climbing into the bed. “Does it bother you?”
I snapped out of my stare. “What? No. I mean, I assume you and Oakley weren’t—”
“No, no. It was all about her. The girl.”
“Sounds nice,” I murmured and he smiled.
“Yeah, it was. It’s just a shame we never found the right girl.
One who would stay.” For a moment his eyes were heavy on me as I turned and began to strip out of my clothes and into the soft cotton pajamas I’d packed.
But the tension had eased by the time I turned back around.
“Anyway, my point is that you do know me. And I know you, Ember.” A knock sounded at the door and Nick smirked. “You should get that.”
Slowly, I turned to the door and pulled it open, unsure what I’d find on the other side. A slightly older man blinked at me as I peered around the door before opening it wider. He passed over a silver tray and smiled, hurrying away once I’d accepted it.
“Thank you,” I called, shocked at how fast he’d run off. The door closed behind me with a soft thud and I looked down at the tray. “Is this…?”
“Chamomile before bed, just like you have at home, water for your bedside, and chocolates for the morning – because I love you,” he added, and I laughed.
“Thank you. That was sweet of you.” I set the tray down on top of the dresser that was next to the bedroom door and carefully took the mug of tea into my hands, letting the soothing scent wash over me before I had my first sip. “Though I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to you having staff.”
He chuckled and I settled in next to him on the bed with my mug, the warmth driving into me until my limbs felt like jelly and my eyes were struggling to stay open.
“Come here,” he murmured, taking the mug from me and pulling the covers up and over us. “Goodnight, Ember.”
“Night,” I mumbled, sleep claiming me as soon as Nick tucked my head against his chest and stroked his hand over my hair.