Chapter 28
Nate
O HOLY NIGHT
I thought we were going to be slick and get away with no one noticing we weren’t at each other’s throats.
I was at least hopeful they would be too busy with the wedding to notice a shift in how we were acting toward each other.
I was so wrong. I seemed to be wrong a lot these days.
Like when I thought it was a good idea to kiss her in the bathroom.
Then the good idea to sleep with her one more time. Then over and over again.
Now I don’t think I can walk into my kitchen and make coffee without looking over at her.
Next week will be a whole different reality, and it’s not one I want to think about.
She looks up at me and all I can do is grin at her.
I know she’s nervously speaking right now and it’s so funny that Jack hasn’t picked up on it.
When she’s nervous, she blinks more often than normal. “A truce.”
“I smell a rat,” Evie accuses, looking at us trying to see if we’ll give anything up. When the door opens, I hear a couple of gasps coming from the aunts’ tables in back.
“Is that?” Elizabeth asks, putting her hand on my arm. “Is that Lexi?” She mentions her cousin who, from what I gathered the last couple of months from conversations here and there, left her husband who was controlling her.
“It is,” Ariella confirms. “She was nervous about coming.”
“What?” Jack snaps out. “Why?”
“This is the first wedding she’s been to since she left her husband,” Ariella explains and I see her father, Viktor, walking over to her mother.
“Well, trouble just got here,” Elizabeth says, pushing away from the table, “Zara is here.”
“She’s the one with the cowboy husband?” Evie asks Jack, who nods his head.
“He’s the definition of save a horse and ride a cowboy,” Evie declares, earning a glare from Jack. “I mean he’s nothing compared to you, but….” She leans over to kiss him. “He’s high up on that list.”
“Good to know if I ever kick the bucket,” he hisses, “you’ll be okay to move on.”
She puts her hand on his cheek. “Never.”
“Gross.” Elizabeth fake vomits to the side as the waiter comes over and pours champagne in our glasses.
Everyone is now in their seats as they stopped on their way to the table, giving hugs and kisses on the way.
I put my arm around Elizabeth’s chair, as if I’ve always done it, and she looks over at me.
Someone hits their crystal glass and everyone goes quiet while Zack gets up to talk.
“Speeches,” Elizabeth mumbles, coming to whisper in my ear, “shouldn’t we be saving this for tomorrow? ”
“Shh.” My thumb rubs up and down her side arm as Zack gives a speech, welcoming Macy’s relatives into the family.
“Isn’t that bad luck?” Elizabeth leans in again. “Like she didn’t say I do, what if she has second thoughts?” I look down, trying not to burst out laughing. “What happens if she doesn’t show up? Will he give another speech?”
I look over at her, seeing the light in her eyes and wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss her. I’m debating it all when I hear everyone else say, “Cheers.”
She breaks the eye contact to grab her glass and then waits for me to do the same before clinking it with mine. “To hoping she shows up,” Elizabeth toasts and Ariella chokes from beside us.
I shake my head, taking a long sip of the chilled champagne.
The first dish comes out as we talk about everything.
Zack and Denise get up from their chairs and head to the dance floor, followed by a few other couples.
I put my napkin on the table at the same time Jack puts his.
He pushes away from the table and holds out his hand to Evie, who takes it without a question.
The two of them head to the dance floor.
I do the same and hold out my hand, Elizabeth just looks up at me. “Yes?” She smirks.
“Can I have this dance?” I ask her and she puts her own napkin beside her plate.
“I guess so, it will keep up the appearance that we’re making a truce.”
I hold her hand in mine as I lead her to the dance floor, my arm wrapping around her waist, and I bring the hand that holds hers, folding it up as I hold it on my chest. “Isn’t this better than the two of you at each’s other throat?” Zack says from beside us.
“The answer is yes, Elizabeth,” my mother hisses. “Now is when you both answer yes.”
“I didn’t start it,” Elizabeth tries to defend herself.
“Well, you didn’t not start it,” I correct her, and she tries to rip her hand out of mine, but I squeeze my hand to keep hers closer to mine.
“This is about to be the shortest truce in the history of all truces,” she hisses and stops when I wink at her. “Don’t you even with that.”
“Oh, look,” Jack says and points up. I look up to see a mistletoe above our heads. “It’s customary to kiss.”
“They aren’t going to kiss,” Zack states.
“I don’t know,” Evie adds, a sly grin on her face, “it’s customary to kiss.”
I look at her and bend my head, and I can see her eyes widen until I move my head to the side and kiss her cheek. “There, are you all happy?” she says. “Crisis averted. Nothing bad is going to happen. Well, unless Macy decides she doesn’t want to be part of this crazy and takes off.”
“Bite your tongue,” Zack hisses as he moves away from us.
“I thought you were really going to kiss me.” She moves her hand out of mine, wrapping both hands around my neck loosely. “That would have been one way to say the truce is real.”
I put my hands on her hips and pull her closer to me. “That would have opened a whole can of worms and a bigger discussion on what we’ve been doing at home.”
She shakes her head and looks down. The song finishes, and Zack comes over and grabs her while I dance with Denise, but it doesn’t last long. Jack comes by and we trade partners. By the end of the second song, I’ve danced with the majority of her aunts.
It’s almost eight thirty by the time we get up to leave. “Tomorrow,” Joshua reminds me, “you have to be at my parents’ house by nine a.m.”
“I know,” I reassure him. “I got the itinerary you sent last week, along with the daily reminders from my calendar.” I slap his chest. “I’ll be there as soon as I drop off your sister.
” I motion with my head toward Elizabeth, who is giving Max a hug.
“Text me tomorrow if you need anything.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
“It’s going to be the most amazing day.”
“It is.” He smiles at me. “It fucking is.” He looks down. “I can’t wait to repay the favor and watch you get married.”
I don’t say anything to him as I look over at his sister and realize I’ve never fucking felt this way before. Not even close. Not even for one fucking day. “I look forward to it,” I reply before Elizabeth joins me.
“I’m ready,” she announces and I nods at her as I put my hand on her lower back and usher her out of the venue. She takes one step outside and shivers. “It’s colder than before.”
“The sun was out,” I remind her, shrugging off my jacket and putting it around her shoulders.
She uses two fingers to hold the jacket closed in front of her as I put a hand around her waist and walk to my truck.
“Thank you,” she says when I open the door for her, and for the first time tonight, she leans up and kisses me.
A soft kiss on the corner of my lips as she gets into the cab of the truck.
I wait for her to reach for her seat belt before I close the door and head over to the driver’s side. Sliding in, I start the car and turn on the heat right way, the cold air fills the cab as I look around, seeing it’s just the two of us. Turning to her, I see she’s watching me.
“What’s—” That is the last thing she says to me because I grab her face in my hands and turn my head to the side.
My mouth craves hers. As soon as my lips touch hers, my tongue slides into her mouth.
My body, which was tense and on edge the whole time we were in there from the fear I would touch her the wrong way in front of people, or by mistake just kiss her, and then I’d have to explain what the fuck I was doing, escapes me.
All of the tension is in this kiss. One of her hands goes to my cheek while the other holds the wrist of my right hand.
“We should really get home,” she mentions breathlessly, “so you can do me against the door.” My forehead falls to hers as I burst out laughing.
“Yes,” I agree, trying not to harp on the fact the way that sentence hit me right in the middle of my chest.
I pull out of the parking lot, looking right and left, when I feel her reach over the center console and put her hand on my thigh. One of my hands automatically goes to hers as I link our fingers together.
The minute I turn off the truck in the driveway, I turn to her.
“Wait for me,” I tell her as she proceeds to unbuckle her seat belt.
I get out, walking over to her side of the truck, the cold night going straight through my white button-down shirt.
I open her door and smile at her, holding out my hand.
She puts her hand in mine as she takes one step down, her other hand holding the jacket closed in front of her so it doesn’t fall off her shoulders.
She steps out of the truck and I slam the door shut and then press her against it.
“You look more beautiful now than you did before we left.” I push the hair back from the sides of her face so I can cup her face in my hands.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more beautiful as the days go by.
” I rub my nose with hers softly, back and forth.
“I was wrong.” My lips kiss hers gently.
“So fucking wrong.” Her mouth opens to ask me a question but it just gives me the opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth.
I use one of my arms to wrap around her waist and pick her up off her feet, walking toward the front door. She lets go of my lips to laugh out. “I can walk, you know.”
“You could,” I tell her, “but this is faster.” I walk up the steps and place her down right in front of the door. Her mouth sucks in my neck as I lift my hand to punch in the code. Her hand rubs my hard cock, squeezing it in her palm.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you outside the door.”
“It’s cold.” Her voice is soft. “But I’m sure you’ll keep me warm.”
I bend to take her mouth with mine, her hands now wrapped around my neck.
My jacket falls from her shoulders to our feet.
My hand moves from her waist to grip her ass, while the other hand opens the door and pushes it open.
She steps back into the house, her hands gripping my shirt, pulling me with her.
I step into the house and slam the door shut with my foot, turning her so her back is to the door at the same time her hands frantically pull my shirt out of my pants. Her hands then go to my belt, at the same time I feel something by my feet, then against my legs.
She lets go of my mouth to laugh. “I don’t think Whiskey got the memo you are supposed to do me against the door.
” She looks down at Whiskey, who is going in and out of our legs.
The thumping sound of his excited tail hitting the door and then the wall as he moves through my legs and then comes back in.
“Whiskey, you are interrupting your father trying to do me.” She leans down to rub Whiskey’s neck.
“Do you think if we ignore him, he’ll go away?” I close my eyes when she asks me that question because I know the answer.
“No,” I finally groan out. “Let’s get you outside,” I tell Whiskey, then look back at Elizabeth. “I want you to stay there.” I point to her. “I’m going to let him out and then I’ll be right back to bang you against the door.”
“I’ll be here waiting.” She kisses under my jaw.
“Let’s go.” I motion with my head toward the kitchen door and Whiskey follows me. I open the door, and he looks at me. “Are you kidding me?” I question him as I step outside and he follows me. “Hurry up,” I hiss at him as he runs through the snow and I watch him. Turning to look over my shoulder.
“I said not to move!” I shout to her, and she throws her head back and laughs through the door’s opening.
“Do you want your jacket?” she asks me and I just shake my head.
“I want you to stay where I told you to stay.” I point to her and she laughs again, closing the door as I watch her walk away from the door, my heart clenching in my chest. “It’s her,” I declare out to the dark quiet night, “it’s always been fucking her.
” There, in the cold, dark night, with a few stars blinking in the sky, I realize I’ve been holding back over the last seven years for one reason and one reason only. Her.