28. Nolan

CHAPTER 28

Nolan

I glance over at Cody for the millionth time today. He’s been abnormally quiet since yesterday afternoon. Katie has been, too, for that matter. Something happened with Bryce, and neither one has been willing to talk about it yet. It’s starting to scare me a little, and I’m out of my depth about how to handle it.

I dip my brush into the paint tray and continue to edge the ceiling. Cody is painting the walls with a roller, his little tongue stuck out in concentration. Katie has been going through the stuff she’s kept stored in here. She’s got piles of things spread throughout the center of the room. We’ve been working quietly for the last hour while music plays in the background. I don’t think there’s ever been a time when we’ve all been so in our heads that we barely acknowledge one another. It’s disconcerting.

My paintbrush swipes across the wall one last time to finish the edging. The bluish-grey paint we picked out looks great against the white trim I put up earlier today. Katie and Cody decided this room should be a yoga space until they decide what they want to do with it long term. It’s big enough for all three of us to participate without bumping into each other.

I clean up my tools before grabbing a second roller to help Cody finish the spots he can’t reach. It’s taking everything in me not to ask what’s going on. Neither of them was ready to talk about it when I brought it up at the hardware store yesterday. To be fair, it wasn’t the right place or time. I’m hoping that if I bide my time, they’ll open up when they need me.

For now, I’m just trying to show them I’m not going anywhere, whether they talk to me or not.

A couple of hours later, the walls are painted, and Katie has finished sorting their stuff. We kept the windows open to mitigate the overwhelming paint smell. Now, we just need to get everything cleaned up. We work together to get the trash bagged up, and then we load my truck with all the stuff they’re going to donate. What’s left is some decorations Katie wants to put around the house and a few odds and ends she’s going to keep in the garage.

We stand in the middle of the empty room, taking in our hard work. The silence is starting to suffocate me, and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to hold my questions back.

“We should test it out,” Cody says.

“You want to do some yoga before dinner?” Katie asks.

Cody nods. “Yeah, I think it could help.”

Katie raises her eyebrows at me. I shrug. “I’m down. Probably would be a good idea.”

We bring the yoga equipment down from the living room and set it up. Katie has her mat perpendicular to mine and Cody’s so that she can lead us through a gentle flow. I never would’ve believed that doing yoga would connect us better than just spending time together. There’s something to breathing and moving as if we’re one. It’s helping to center me better than anything else I could’ve tried.

When we’re done, the tension in the room has dissipated. We sit up on our mats, our legs crossed and our bodies turned toward each other.

“That was a great idea, baby. Thank you for suggesting it.” Katie smiles at Cody.

“Are you guys ready to talk about what happened with Bryce?” I ask the question with as much gentleness as I can muster. I don’t want them to feel like I’m pushing them to talk, but I can’t waste this moment of calm.

Katie raises her eyebrows at Cody, silently asking if he wants to start. He turns to me. “I’m not going to see Bryce anymore. After he tried to teach me to throw the football and failed, I went to play on the playground. I was distracted, and when I looked up, I saw Mom hit him in the throat. Then she came and got me, and we left.”

I whip my head over to look at Katie. Her shoulders are slumped, defeat clear in every line of her body. “He grabbed my arm, and when he wouldn’t let me go, I just reacted. And then I threatened him.”

“You threatened him?” I ask incredulously.

She nods. “It was not my finest moment. Something about the way he grabbed my arm triggered me. Despite my threat, he won’t let this go. I don’t know what he’ll do, but I’m sure it won’t be pretty.”

“Jesus, I’m so sorry you had to go through that yesterday. I should’ve been there.”

“I should’ve been watching out for Mom, but I was too busy playing,” Cody reprimands himself.

“Oh, no, baby.” Katie holds out her arms, and Cody dives straight into them. “You were doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing. It’s my fault that I started to believe Bryce’s nice act.”

“He tricked both of us, Mom.”

I scoot closer to them and put my arm around Katie. “We’ll handle whatever consequences that come together, okay? ”

“I took pictures of my arm. There are bruises there to prove how hard he grabbed me and to justify my actions.”

I pull back in shock, lifting her shirt sleeve to see the very obvious fingerprint bruises. “Motherfucker.” I growl.

“I’m okay,” Katie reassures me.

“You shouldn’t have had to deal with this. Either of you. Why did he grab you like that?”

“He wanted to take me out to dinner. I said no—that I was seeing you, and even if I wasn’t, I would have no interest in getting back with him.”

“What an asshole.”

“Agreed,” Cody says. Katie and I grin at each other.

“What do you guys think about ordering some Mexican food for dinner? I’m too tired to cook,” I suggest.

“Sounds good to me.” Cody sits up from Katie’s lap.

“Me, too,” Katie agrees.

We work together to pick up our mats and close the windows. Cody heads to his room to change. I stop Katie at the bottom of the stairs. “Do you think Bryce will come after you?”

“He won’t take what I did lightly. We need to be prepared for anything.” She looks at me with a serious expression.

“Are you two in danger?”

Katie shakes her head. “No, he was never violent, despite his recent behavior. He’ll use his money against us.”

“All right. just keep an eye out, okay? I don’t trust him not to hurt you, given he wasn’t afraid to manhandle you.”

She presses up on her toes to kiss me. “Thank you for worrying about us and being patient while we worked out what happened.”

“I’m always going to be here for you two. You’re my whole world.”

“I know. It’s one of the many things I love about you.” Katie’s eyes sparkle with laughter while I stare at her in shock .

“What?”

“I love you, Nolan Ellis.”

I palm Katie’s face and kiss the hell out of her. “You have no idea how amazing it is to hear that from you. I love you more than words can even say.”

“Good. I’d have had to kick you if you didn’t.”

I drop my head back as I laugh. “Come on. Let’s go change clothes.” I’ve started leaving clothes here for the nights I stay over. Katie has relaxed a little when it comes to me spending the night when Cody is home. He doesn’t bat an eye if I’m here when he wakes up anymore, and it’s let Katie ease up on some of her rules.

When we get to Katie’s bedroom, I stop her from going into the bathroom. “What are the chances Cody would come looking for us if we showered together?”

“High. You’re not quick about anything when I’m naked, and he’d start wondering what we were doing.”

“Damn my need to worship your body. It’s your fault. You’re too tempting.”

Katie laughs as she walks away from me, and I swat her on the ass.

She loves me. And she said it first.

If only this thing with Bryce wasn’t hanging over our heads. We haven’t seen the last of him, that’s for sure. How he’ll punish Katie for her act of defiance is what scares me the most, though.