Chapter 24 Nora
NORA
Well, that backfired pretty fast.
I understood Colson had something happen with his father and it was bad enough that it made him want to rush out of here, but whatever it was, he could have taken two seconds to explain it to me.
Honestly, as much as I loved him, I wasn’t a doormat.
And for the life of me, I could not understand why he was throwing this relationship with his sister away.
My heart broke for her, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t just leave her. If I was the only link to Colson, then I’d do whatever I could to help her. Which apparently included finding my own way back to Macon.
It was Christmas Eve, Sherrie was gone, the three boys were out drinking or so Haley said, and Oliver was nowhere to be found. Great family.
Really fucking awesome.
I stood in the doorway of Haley’s room and watched as she packed a suitcase.
“Knock knock.”
I’d given her some space earlier because she and Oliver had gotten into a screaming match.
I only heard bits and pieces, deciding to stay in the room until all the yelling had finished.
I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, but my gut said I was doing the right thing by staying.
It was awkward as hell, but I still felt like it was necessary.
Haley looked up from her luggage and smiled.
“You’re still here.”
Pushing forward, I slumped onto her bed, watching as she packed her room.
“What are you doing?”
She grabbed pictures off her wall, putting them into a cardboard box.
Her hair was a sleek sheet down her back, hints of red blending into chestnut, her freckled skin was showing through her tank top.
“I’m leaving. Something I should have done a while ago.”
I popped my left leg over my right watching as she packed her bedroom into various boxes.
“How old are you?”
She seemed much too young to be saying things like “a while ago.”
Huffing a laugh, she said, “Twenty. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
She nodded, keeping her head down as she gripped her rather expensive Mac.
“Look, I know he hates me, but I really need to talk to him, and the only way I’m going to be able to do that is if I see him face-to-face. I’m not living here anymore. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I know I need to stop in your town and talk to him.”
Putting her hand to her hip, she turned to face me.
“So will you go back with me?”
“To Macon?”
She nodded, softening her green eyes, in what looked like hope.
“Of course.”
“It’ll take like seventeen hours’ drive time, I think, but if we take shifts…”
I stood from her bed. “Easy peasy.”
“Are you sure? You don’t even know me.”
Toying with the edge of her comforter, I let out a sigh.
“I know, but I believe you love your brother and I love your brother, so I think we’ll be okay.”
She nodded again, but her eyes watered.
“He hates me.”
“He hates the circumstance, not you.” I moved so I could rub her shoulder.
Before long, she was in my arms, and we were both crying over the boy who had flown back to Oregon without us.
Haley and I set out for Macon on Christmas morning.
She privately spoke with her parents, or at least I assumed she did. She was an adult who didn’t have to tell them if she didn’t want to, but I assumed she at least told her mother where she was going.
Haley had the twin to my new vehicle, except hers was a rugged SUV, made for driving in the snow. It was going to be perfect for Macon, and since frivolous things like gas money weren’t relevant to an heiress, it made the perfect road trip vehicle.
She also liked to drive really fast.
Like thirty-above-the-speed-limit fast.
By the time we pulled into Macon, we’d shaved two hours off our expected drive time.
It would have been more, but I hogged time behind the wheel, trying to increase my odds of staying alive.
Colson had texted and called, but I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet.
“Oh my gosh,” Haley whispered, plastering her face to the window as we pulled into the city limits of Macon.
Slowing to stay within the city speed limit, she got her fill of all the holiday decorations.
“This is the cutest freaking town that I have ever seen!”
“It’s fairly adorable.” I muttered, seeing the sunshine on Mount Macon, which the town was propped up against. It made the entire town look magical.
“So, if you want to head to your house, we can drop you off and I can look up a hotel.”
Turning the vehicle down Main Street, I clicked my tongue.
“I have a guest room, and a pretty nice guest bed, at least according to my best friend. But anyway, it’s yours for as long as you need it.”
Twisting toward me, she asked, “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure.” I veered onto my street and slowed.
Colson’s truck was in his drive, making my stomach somersault.
Pulling up against the curb in front of my house, I put the car into park.
“Oh, and by the way”—I unsnapped my buckle as my neighbor’s door opened and that messy head of golden hair poked through—“my neighbor is your brother.”
Colson darted off the porch in bare feet, heading toward us.
I was out the door, but I didn’t race to him, and I tried not to care that when he was close enough, his hands shoved into my hair, or that his lips urgently claimed mine.
I was upset with him, but there was still that part of me that felt tied to him, as if those strings we joked about not having had been tying us together all along. When I was close to him, I craved him, and so I caved and kissed him back.
Pulling away to catch his breath, he pinned his forehead to mine.
“I’m so fucking sorry.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” I said, then turned.
Haley gently shut her door, watching us.
Colson’s hand dropped to mine, tangling his fingers through mine as he turned to see his sister. They didn’t move or speak, they just watched one another.
“You’re not wearing socks or shoes…and there’s like fifteen feet of snow.” Haley mused, pushing her purse up her shoulder.
I looked down, realizing she was right.
“Colson, get inside. Oh my gosh.” I pushed his shoulder.
“Okay…um, Haley can we catch up later?”
My heart thundered in my chest at his inclusion of her. She gave him a small nod before he kissed me and jogged toward his house.
“So…you guys are neighbors…” Haley said, following me to my porch.
“Yep…it’s recent.”
She nodded, letting out a little laugh.
“Right.”
Haley was settled into my guest room, but we both realized how awkward it was that she was staying with me and not right next door, with her brother. I asked if she wanted to come over with me to his house, but she had said that she was too tired, and would try for tomorrow.
I left her clean towels and then explained that I’d be next door for a little while with Colson.
I didn’t knock on Colson’s door, assuming he knew I was coming over. When I pushed inside, I noticed he had all his lights off except the ones on his Christmas tree, and the few strung up around the room. Holiday music played from his television, and there were a few presents under the tree.
Setting my things down, I slowly made my way to the living room and settled into the couch.
Moments later, Colson came out, rubbing a towel over his wet hair.
“Hi.” He leaned down to kiss me.
“Hi.”
He hadn’t put a shirt on yet, and just had a pair of sweats hanging on his hips.
I hummed while he leaned in for another kiss.
“This is nice,” I said once he pulled back and moved to the kitchen.
Grabbing two mugs, he came back and set them down in front of us. I noticed the chocolate balls sitting in the midst of heated milk, slowly melting.
“I got you the peppermint one.”
My smile garnered a few tears because he’d remembered.
He saw them and rubbed his hand up my leg. “It’s Christmas, and I feel so insanely shitty that you spent the entire day on the road…that was never my intention when I took off. I’m so sorry.”
Reaching forward to grab the cocoa, I kept my eyes down.
“Yeah, it did suck…and what you did was pretty shitty, and I fully expect you to make up for it with back rubs, and orgasms, but I am actually glad I came with Haley. I have a feeling about her.”
He let out a long sigh, reaching for his mug. We both watched the fire flicker against the glass while the music played overhead.
I peeked over at the tree, seeing the gifts.
“Are any of those for me?”
Smirking, he set his cup down and jumped up. “One is for you.”
“And the rest?” I raised my brow in confusion, because who else was this man shopping for?
“Seraph, Maddy, and Mila.”
My God, this man.
“I love you.” It came out as an exhale, but I felt it in every fiber of my being.
He stopped where he was, crouched next to the tree, and stared at me with so much hunger and adoration that I nearly melted on the spot.
“I love you too.”
He grabbed a small, wrapped gift and brought it over, placing it in my palm.
Watching him settle next to me again, I tugged on the string and then lifted the top.
A silver key rested inside on a box of white fluff.
“Oh…a key.”
Colson smiled. “To my house.”
For two seconds my heart soared, rising on the wings of assumption that he was asking me to move in with him. But right as that thought entered, it plummeted to the ground.
“Just so you can be kept safe, in case your tree falls, or you run out of hot water or something.”
What?
Why was he making it seem like the key was only used for emergencies?
Why did I need more than that, though? This was still so new, what we shared in California didn’t mean that he’d jump to bring us closer…
it just meant we knew more about each other.
It was a nice gift…really it was. Shaking the weird feeling, I leaned over and kissed him.
“Thank you.”
It was quick, cold, but on his end…not mine.
He rubbed my shoulder, toying with my hair as he started a movie.
I rested against him, watching without seeing, the entire time wondering why we weren’t talking about why he’d left me in California.
Finally, halfway through the movie, I sat up.
“Are we going to talk about California?”
His brows arched like he had no idea what I was talking about. Then it was like it finally registered and he dismissed it like it had never happened.
“Yes, I’m so sorry, it was just a big misunderstanding. I overreacted.”
The movie played but my focus was completely on the man next to me.
“Okay…but I still want to know.”
Colson played with my hair, letting out a sigh. “Your dad was going to sell his company to my dad, and I guess I freaked out because of the issues I have with my dad. I didn’t want him to win that bid, so I rushed back to talk to your father.”
Feeling a little confused, I sat up so I could see him better.
“Why would your dad even know that my dad’s construction company was for sale?”
He tilted his head. “I told my brothers…”
That still didn’t make sense to me, so I shook my head. “You told your brothers it was for sale because you might lose your job? Why did you bring that up to them unless you planned on putting in your own bid? And if you were planning it, why not tell me?”
Pausing the movie, he shifted to see me better.
“I had mentioned it to them because it was in the line of what we were already talking about, and I guess they let it leak to my dad. Honestly, I have no idea how he found out.”
“But you wanted to put in a bid?” I clarified.
Dipping his head, his wet hair shifted, a little piece falling over his brow.
“Yes. I did. I have wanted his company since the day I started. It would be something to own, to have that’s just mine.
It would allow me to use up the last of my trust fund, severing the last tie to my father.
I know I could just spend it to spend it, but I want a legacy I can pass on to my own family someday…
but something that has nothing at all to do with the Hanes name. ”
My heart softened, realizing how important this was to him. Our relationship was still new, so I understood on some level why he hadn’t shared it. So, I cupped his jaw and brought his face up.
“Did you get the company?”
He smiled, his devastating jaw glinting in the firelight. “I’m in the process of getting it, but yes, he agreed to sell it to me and not my dad.”
Relief swelled in my chest, happy that he was going to get his dream.
“Okay, good. I know we’re still newish, but is there anything else I should know?”
Colson leaned in to kiss me. “No. Well, I mean…” He rubbed his neck, the muscle in his jaw tensing. “I was offered the bid first, but I walked away from it when we went to California, which was why I freaked out hearing that my dad had gotten it.”
“Why did you walk away from it?”
His eyes were soft as they landed on me. “Your dad wanted a promise from me that I wouldn’t be involved with you romantically.”
I laughed, feeling slightly frantic with disbelief that my father had interfered again.
No. Fucking. Way.
“Excuse me, he said what?”
Colson leaned his elbows on the tops of his knees as he tilted his head toward me. “Your dad hasn’t wanted us to be together from the beginning, so seeing an opportunity…”
“He took it.” I finished for him.
I sat there for a few moments processing all the information…
confused and heartbroken. But it still felt like there were pieces to this puzzle that Colson wasn’t sharing.
I watched him for any sign of deception because my gut twisted and screamed that there was something more that he wasn’t telling me.
When he didn’t elaborate, I extended some trust.
“I’m so sorry he did that. I’m not surprised, but I am sorry. I’m glad you were able to stand up to him.”
Something flickered in his eyes, and my chest felt hollow. What wasn’t he telling me?
Sinking back into his side, he resumed the show.
“Let’s just put it behind us.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled me closer.
Colson remained silent as his hands rubbed my back in slow strokes.
I should have known something was wrong when we kissed goodbye that night, and he didn’t ask me to stay.