13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Jordan

W ith the weekend came more Ellis family obligations.

Truthfully, I wanted to see Nick. Hell, I wanted to bring Nick along to my family obligations so I didn’t have to suffer by myself. Except he’d slipped out the other morning, and we still hadn’t gotten the chance to talk.

Even if we did, I wasn’t sure what to say.

Did I want him to be my boyfriend? That felt…too easy. We’d already been best friends and knew everything about each other, especially now that I’d fucked him senseless. Being with Nick would be a blast, and hell, wasn’t that what life was about? I’d been chasing after thrills for as long as I could remember, and the idea of getting to spend more time by Nick’s side was the biggest thrill I could imagine.

So maybe that was what I wanted.

Mom and Henry were bundled up and waiting. Dad probably escorted around Daisy, her husband, and Harrison and Jessie because the munchkins had the patience of a peanut. The cold strained my cheeks, and I tugged my ratty scarf tighter. The scent of motor oil clung to it, and I breathed it in, loving the comfort .

“I’m not the last here?” I asked.

“By some miracle,” Henry said. He looked extra punchable today. I loved my brother, but the holier-than-thou shit could get tossed out a damn window. It had only amped up in the last five years, and I wasn’t a fan.

“Sadie’s running a few minutes behind,” Mom said. “Don’t know where Logan and Cooper are.”

“Here,” Coop called. Based on the way they both were panting and the disheveled state of their hair, it was obvious why they’d gotten held up.

“Whatever could’ve kept you from meeting up in a timely manner?” I asked, lifting a hand over my mouth. “Must’ve been all the traffic coming into town.” I squinted and stared at the empty road. “So. Much. Traffic.”

Coop glowered, which I ate up like candy. Pissing off my siblings was a pastime I’d never tired of.

Logan winked. “Coop lost his keys in the car.”

“Mm, that’s a nope.” Mom made an X with her arms. “Let’s change the subject.”

“Jordan, can I get your help?” Coop asked. “My truck’s been acting up, and I could use a second pair of eyes on it.”

I lifted a brow. “And you’re bringing this up now?”

Coop rolled his eyes. “Stop being a little shit and help me.”

He walked off without waiting for me in typical Coop fashion. He’d parked farther down from where I had. I was half sure this was a flimsy excuse to ask me a question out of sight of the rest of the family. Or Logan. If it was a lecture, I would bolt in the opposite direction.

“All right,” I said when we reached his truck. “Crack the hood, and I’ll begin diagnostics.”

Coop heaved a sigh. “My truck’s fucking fine.”

Ah, so question it was.

He headed to the cab of his truck and hopped in. There were a few items covered in tarp, and he whipped one open to reveal a gorgeous white birdcage. A big one at that.

“You had a bird before, so I figured I could pick your brain. Jim Squawkins has seemed a bit lonely, so I thought for Christmas, I’d get Lo another friend for him. Is this cage large enough for two birds?”

My heart squeezed tight. Damn, it was so good seeing my brother in the right relationship. He’d been even grumpier before Logan, but in his defense, we’d all taken turns driving him nuts, which had aged him prematurely.

“That looks like an eighteen by eighteen by thirty, which will fit a pair of parakeets just fine. Logan’s going to fucking love it.”

Coop’s soft smile struck me square in the chest. As much as he gave me shit, maybe Nick was right. Maybe I needed to offer a little seriousness back once in a while.

“I’m interested in someone,” I blurted out.

Coop stopped short, his brows raising. Man, did I really deflect that much?

I licked my lips, the urge to make a joke rising to my lips, but I squashed it. Sweat broke out on my palms. “Uh, he’s a guy.”

Coop’s eyes widened, and I waited for his admonishment to stop fucking around with whoever floated my way. Except it didn’t come.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me in a hug.

“Uh, are you possessed?” I asked, even though my eyes prickled a bit, and my throat got tight.

“Thanks for coming out to me,” he said, his seriousness settling in my bones. Normally, I’d push back or crack a joke, but damn, Coop’s support was what I needed right now. He stepped back and coughed as if that righted the situation between us.

“I don’t know if it’s going to turn into something more, but I want it to,” I said.

“Okay, keep dropping serious talk like this, and I’m going to think my brother’s been body-snatched. Maybe deliver it in small bits,” he teased. “But seriously, I’m happy for you. The fact that you brought him up in the first place tells me he means a lot to you.”

Coop wasn’t wrong. Nick had already been one of my best friends, and he was becoming so much more to me.

“Look, maybe I’m just trying to steal the power couple title from you and Logan,” I said, unable to stay serious any longer. My insides were about to cramp from the attempt.

Coop’s shoulders relaxed. Clearly, he was also relieved I returned to normal. “All right, let’s get back to the shopping crew before they sound out the alarms.”

“We’ll be lucky if Sadie’s arrived yet.” I unclenched my jaw. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been about coming out to Coop until it had happened. My chest warmed. And Coop had handled the situation with a smooth ease I was grateful for, and I knew the rest of the family would react similarly. If I did date Nick, I’d have to come out to the entire town. And the townsfolk would be gossipy and probably a little smug.

Except getting to date Nick would be worth the headache.

Getting to date Nick would be the whole damn jackpot.

Any conflicted thoughts were swept away like leaves in a fall breeze.

We joined the family, who had assembled en masse on the street corner. Except now it looked like a town party was going on with the sheer amount of attention the Ellis family had garnered. It didn’t hurt that Dad had arrived with Daisy, Ben, and the kidlets, and Sadie had shown up and was gesticulating wildly at Mom about something. Logan chatted with Mrs. Hendricks, and guaranteed they’d be making a stop at Ellis Books to see Gramps. Henry chatted with Will, who worked at CC’s, and Colton, his boyfriend.

“Can I run the other way?” I muttered.

“If I’m stuck going, then you are too.” Coop clapped a hand on my shoulder. Nash approached farther down the street, and Coop lifted a hand in a wave.

“Now you’re beckoning more chaos over?”

Another figure walked toward us.

My mouth dried at the sight of Nick strolling along the street, a shopping bag in hand since he’d clearly gotten his errands done early in the day, unlike our unruly crew. His blond hair was pulled into a bun like usual, and a maroon scarf was wound around his neck. His gray peacoat highlighted his long, lean form, which was hot as fuck. God, I wanted to peel it off and taste him.

“You coming?” Coop asked. He followed my gaze and lifted his brows. “Hm.”

Annoying asshole didn’t say anything beyond that.

Instead, he quick-walked toward our family, plunging right into the chaos. Which thankfully left room for me to sneak around the outskirts rather than getting drawn into the Ellis maelstrom.

Nick’s gaze landed on mine, and the grin that broke out on his face was blinding. Better than a Wyoming sunrise.

My heart thumped hard, and my legs carried me forward.

We stopped in front of each other and then halted. The impulse to lean in and kiss him rose in a fierce way, but hell, did Nick even want more, or was he just humoring me? My heart said he wanted this too, but the tiny burst of nerves inside me said “fuck.”

“What are you up to?” I asked, a little breathless .

“Picked up a gift for Amanda and Brian’s wedding. Bastards are getting greedy with sandwiching it so close to Christmas.” Nick joked, but his tone was off.

Because he had a plus-one and no one to take.

At least I hoped he wasn’t planning on taking another guy.

Fuck.

Heat burned up through me at the thought of him showing up with some jerk on his arm. Of him slow dancing with some jerk on the dance floor. Of him kissing some jerk when the New Year’s ball dropped.

Fuck no.

“Take me,” I blurted out.

“Wait, what?” Nick blinked.

I glanced back at my horde of a family. I wasn’t having this conversation in earshot. Right next to Jake’s a block down was an alley. Fuck it. I grabbed Nick’s hand and dragged him forward.

“Where the fuck are we going?” Nick asked, even though he loped behind me without resistance.

“Away,” I said, not bothering to clarify. A second later, we’d reached the alley, and since Jake’s wasn’t open yet, employees wouldn’t be wandering through to catch us. When we fell into the shadows between the buildings, I whipped around. In a few steps, I had him pressed up against the wall.

My mouth descended on his. As I claimed him, hunger roared through me, a fierceness thrumming through my veins. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging at his bun. I wished the layers of fabric weren’t keeping us apart, but I savored the sweetness of his mouth, the way he melted for me. Plastered together like this, I was in heaven, his hard body against mine the exact thing I’d been craving.

I could kiss him forever, and still, it wouldn’t be enough .

As we separated, we gasped, our puffed breaths visible in the short space between us.

Nick shook his head, a grin twitching his lips. “Damn, that’s one way to greet a guy.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “Mm, my other idea was a bit more X-rated.”

“Was that what you meant by ‘Take me?’”

I stepped back and released my grip on his hair. Right. Speaking out loud my impulsive thought required an explanation. “Unless you’ve already figured out a plus-one for the wedding, I was going to say I’m free.”

Real suave, man.

Nick opened his mouth and closed it. Shit, did he not want to go with me? Well, this was about to get really fucking awkward.

“You’re not kidding, right?” Nick asked, a softness in his voice that slammed right into my sternum.

“No.” I leaned in and nipped his lower lip. “And if you don’t take me with you, I’m going to crash Amanda’s wedding.”

“You fucking would too,” he said, a goofy grin on his lips. The sight struck me mute for a moment, the beautiful crinkle of those hazel eyes, a few strands of his hair curling across his forehead.

“So what’s it going to be, Rogue? Add me as your plus-one, or have me crash your sister’s wedding?” I teased, even though my gut flip-flopped. I hadn’t even considered the rejection until now, but with the way he hadn’t given me a straight answer…

“You stupid shit.” Nick shook his head. “Of course I want you to come with me. You’ll make the wedding a thousand times more fun.”

My heart thumped so hard I was surprised it hadn’t burst out of my chest. Nick’s blinder of a grin had me wondering how the fuck I’d spent so long around the guy without realizing how damn perfect he was. How well we meshed together both in and outside the bedroom.

“Get ready, then. We’ll make it a wedding to remember.”

And if we were together? Fuck, that’d be so damn perfect.

“Jordan?” Coop called from far too close for my liking. While he knew I was bi, the rest of the family wasn’t aware yet. And right in the middle of town wasn’t the best place to drop that on them either.

“Oh, shit,” Nick said, pulling away first. He headed down the alley. “Family’s calling.”

“Right,” I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. The temptation to blow off my family shopping extravaganza and find somewhere private to fuck Nick rose in a fierce way. However, everyone would notice if I suddenly vanished. And then I’d be barraged by phone calls and manhunts and whatever other nonsense my family got into.

Nick stepped out first, and his voice mingled with several other familiar ones.

I snuck down the alley, my heart still thumping hard. At sneaking off for a kiss. At asking to be his plus-one for his sister’s wedding. At almost getting caught.

When I emerged, Nick was talking to Logan and Henry, who thankfully had their backs turned.

“Ah, so there you are.”

My shoulders tensed. Coop stood to my right, hulking over me with his older brother arm cross and an amused grin on his lips.

“Not a fucking word,” I said, arching a brow.

“Who’s the loudmouth in the family? Because it sure as fuck isn’t me.”

“Probably your boyfriend,” I teased as we both walked to meet up with the rest of the congregation .

“You’re not wrong,” Coop said, even though a wry grin remained on his lips.

That. That goddamned smile.

I knew it looked familiar. It was the same type Nick had flashed me over the years, again and again, whenever we got caught up in my antics.

If I’d ever needed a sign, that was it.

Nick was my person.