Chapter 10 #2
“I said help.” I laugh, glaring up at him as I open a packed box and inspect the contents.
“Oh, I have a few ideas for helping.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Not sure they involve cardboard, though.” Ashton gestures at the boxes at my feet.
“You’re useless,” I grumble and dump all my clothes on the bed, on top of him.
Ashton laughs and grabs a pair of my yellow bikini panties and twirls them on his finger. “Look what I can do.”
“You can put my stuff in that top drawer,” I say and point at the dresser.
He mumbles something under his breath.
“What’s that?” I glare at him.
“Feels like we’re married. You, bossing me around.”
“Well, we are living together.” I smirk and put my hands on my hips. “Better get used to it, boyfriend.”
Ashton rolls his eyes and throws a pair of my panties at me.
I catch them as they land on my chest.
Ashton wrestles out of the clothes and stands, leaving all my things on my mattress. “This is boring. I’m going to see if—”
“If what—Harper and Luca need help? You’ll help them unpack?” I glare at him. “There are dishes and pots and pans that still need unpacking in the kitchen,” I remind him.
He’s less than useless. I’m happy that his room is done, but he’s been zero help with the rest of the house.
“I was going to see if they need help with Zeke,” Ashton says as he hurries to the door.
I almost feel bad, remembering that my brother and his girlfriend have a kid. Right. Zeke.
“Okay, fine. But don’t teach that kid anything bad,” I warn him. “No fart noises or anything stupid.”
“First up on the agenda, fart noises it is,” Ashton teases, and I yank my pillow off the mattress and fling it at him.
He ducks, and the pillow hits my door. He bends down, picks it up and tosses it back on the bed.
“I’ll take a raincheck for the pillow fight,” Ashton says and tosses open my bedroom door. He hurries out into the hallway. Apparently, he couldn’t get out fast enough.
“And spoiling Zeke is my job!” I shout. “Don’t forget that. I’m his aunt!”
Ten minutes later, Zeke comes tearing into my room screaming in hysterics.
I glance up and Ashton is chasing after him, his arms out like a monster. “I’m going to get you,” Ashton roars in a deep voice, and Zeke rushes at me, throwing his arms around my leg.
“You’re scaring him!” I bend down, lifting Zeke into my arms.
There are no tears as I examine him a little more closely, just smiles and laughter. He holds out his arms to Ashton.
“The kid loves me,” Ashton beams and takes him from my arms. “I’m his favorite.”
“Good, because I’m still mad that you’re not helping.” I pretend to glare at him, but it’s hard to stay mad when I see how good he is with Zeke. And I hate to admit that he is helping, just in a different manner.
“Zeke, do you want to help this pretty girl put her panties away?” Ashton asks Zeke.
My eyes widen in horror. “Oh my gosh. I swear you’re going to corrupt him! Harper!” I squeal.
“Is Zeke bothering you?” Harper’s voice carries from down the hallway.
This time, Ashton glares at me. “Everything’s fine! Nova is being a drama queen.”
I want to throw something at him, but he’s holding Zeke in his arms.
“You’re such a—” I can’t even curse because the kid is staring right at me!
“Such a what?” Ashton grins, clearly amused by the situation as he keeps Zeke close to his chest. He turns Zeke to face me, and then Ashton sticks his tongue out at me and uses Zeke as a human shield.
“I can’t with you!” I point at the door. “Out! No boys allowed!”
“Somebody’s in a mood.” Ashton laughs, clearly amused by my anger. He leans down, whispering to Zeke, but clearly loud enough for me to hear. “I think someone’s PMSing.”
“I’m going to kill you, Ashton!” I shout at him as I chase him out of my room and into the hallway.
He takes a step back, retreating with Zeke in his arms.
“Everything okay?” Luca asks, stepping over boxes in the hallway that are labeled for the bathroom and hall closet. Clearly, the bathroom boxes weren’t even put into the bathroom.
Luca doesn’t have any clue about Ashton and me hooking up. I can’t even categorize it as dating. We haven’t officially gone out on a date. But we hang out together whenever we get the opportunity, which, in my mind, isn’t often enough.
I’m hoping that’ll change now that we live together.
Which sort of complicates matters, but it’s no worse than Luca discovering the relationship between Ashton and me.
He can’t find out.
Luca will kill Ashton.
At least he’ll try to. I’m not sure Ashton won’t have the upper hand and kick Luca’s ass, or worse.
Ashton leaves me to do the talking. Standing in the hallway, he lifts Zeke into the air and pretends to drop him, which earns him a fit of giggles from the toddler.
“Your teammate is just being a jerk,” I say.
Luca glances at Ashton. “Be nice to my sister. I know you two don’t always get along, but there’s plenty of room in this place not to murder each other. Okay?”
“She’s the one starting fights,” Ashton says, glaring at me. But I can see the hint of a smile playing under his lips. He’s milking this fight, trying to make Luca believe we actually hate each other.
I don’t know why my brother would think that, since I hang out around here often enough and watch movies with Ashton. But I do give him a ton of shit for the documentaries he plays. They’re boring as hell, and I swear he does it to piss me off.
“I’m not sure the house is big enough with his ego,” I quip.
“Truce,” Luca demands, glancing between us. “Or I swear I’ll make the two of you share a bedroom, with two beds, and keep you locked in there until classes resume.”
“You’re mean,” I feign annoyance with Luca. “But fine. Truce.” I hold out my hand to Ashton to shake on it.
Ashton begins to hold out a hand but pauses his movements. “As long as I can still have girls in my room while she’s in there, I don’t care.”
I yank my hand back and ball it into a fist.
“You’re really risking your life,” I threaten.
Luca scowls at Ashton. “He’s joking. There will be no wild parties or countless girls coming into your room. We have Zeke here, who needs a normal life.”
“Normal,” Ashton says and raises an eyebrow, glancing at me. Nothing about our situation or circumstance is normal. “Right,” he slowly draws out.
“Don’t make me regret all of us moving in together,” Luca says. It sounds like a threat, but none of this was up to him. His parents pulled the strings, like they always do.
Zeke squirms in Ashton’s arms, growing restless, and he lifts him into the air, pretending to throw him, this time at Luca. “Catch?”
“Don’t you dare throw my son!” Harper’s voice emanates through the hallway.
“Just kidding,” Ashton says. “Aren’t we?” He nuzzles Zeke, who grabs at Ashton’s nose.
Harper stalks her way past the boxes toward us. “Give him here,” she says, holding out her arms for Zeke.
The moment Zeke sees his mama, he starts squirming for her and holds his arms out.
Ashton relinquishes his hold on the little boy, and I smirk proudly. “Good, now you can help with unpacking,” I say.
Luca points at the boxes labeled bathroom. “Might as well get started, since you’re finished in your bedroom.”
“Can I help Nova unpack? She has a lot of boxes in her room,” Ashton asks, but he’s looking at me, waiting for my answer.
“No,” Luca and I both say in unison.
“You’re no fun,” he mutters as he grabs the nearest bathroom box abandoned in the hallway and shoves it into the bathroom.
“It could be worse,” I say. “Mom and Dad offered to help. We could have the entire mafia crew unpacking our things.”
“And planting bugs,” Harper quips, carrying Zeke with her back down the hallway.
“They wouldn’t do that—right?” I ask, glancing at Luca and Ashton.
Ashton doesn’t answer. He goes into the bathroom with the box and shuts the door.
I doubt he’s unpacking, probably just sulking that I got him into trouble.