31. Katie

CHAPTER 31

Katie

N olan places his palm on my bouncing knee. I don’t know why I’m nervous. I know every person who will be at dinner. Hell, we just spent an entire day with them a couple of weeks ago for Cody’s birthday.

This feels different, though. Being best friends with Ellie, I understand the significance of attending an Ellis family dinner. No one brings whomever they feel like for that week. If they’ve invited someone, it’s because they’re important. It doesn’t seem to matter that Nolan and I have exchanged I love yous . This is still a monumental moment. It’s the official “welcome to the family.”

I can’t deny I’ve wanted this more than I can say.

Granted, I hadn’t pictured doing this with Nolan, but I’ve always wanted to be a part of the Ellis family. Seeing the way they’ve taken in Ellie and given her the unconditional love she deserves has always brought me a tiny bit of jealousy. I think that’s why I’ve kept my distance from them. I never believed they could feel the same about me as they do about Ellie.

After spending more time with them recently, I understand how wrong I was, but when you’re used to doing whatever it takes to protect yourself, it’s hard to change the way you think.

“Nolan, is Noah going to be there today?” Cody asks from the backseat.

“Yep! Natalie told me he brought some books from the library that he wants to show you.”

“Awesome. I’ve been dying to tell him about our science class for forever.”

Nolan and I grin at each other at his exaggeration as he puts the car in park. Steve and Cindy’s house is a gorgeous cottage with pointed roofs and tons of windows. It’s packed with cars, so Nolan parked on the street out front. Before I’m ready, the three of us are walking into the chaos that is the Ellis clan. My eyes widen at seeing Matthew and Sara in the middle of the living room, grappling as if their lives depend on it.

“You started without me!” Nolan exclaims, heading straight for his siblings.

Cody looks up at me with eyes as wide as mine. I shrug because I have no clue what’s going on.

“You get used to their crazy after a while,” Sam says, stepping up to my right.

“Why are they fighting?” Cody asks him.

“They’re not fighting, kiddo. Matthew thought it would be a good idea to test Sara’s self-defense skills, and Sara was more than happy to put him in his place. She’s done it twice now, yet Matthew seems to think this time will be different.”

Noah catches sight of us and sprints over to Cody. “Come with me. It’s quieter over there.” Cody follows Noah, talking a mile a minute about everything he’s wanted to tell Noah.

It makes me happy to see him this comfortable despite whatever it is we walked in on. I make my way toward the couch where Ellie is sitting next to Adam. She squeezes me in a tight hug. “You have no idea how happy it makes me that you’re here—and with Nolan. ”

“I’ve got to be honest. I was nervous to come, even though we’ve hung out plenty of times.”

“This is different. I totally understand.” She nods.

I tilt my head toward the floor where Sara is currently pinning Matthew. “Is this something that happens regularly?”

“It used to happen a lot, but now that Sara is almost certified to teach a class, it’s happening less. None of them can take her anymore.”

“Do you ever…?”

“Oh, fuck no.” Ellie laughs.

“Even though you could take them down in minutes?” Ellie and I took self-defense classes for a couple of years together. She attends them, but when Cody started joining clubs, I stopped going so I could pay for the activities he wanted to try out.

“Yeah, that’s a negative for me, Ghost Rider. I have nothing to prove unless we’re playing Mario Kart ,” Ellie responds.

“Fair enough.”

The wrestling match finally comes to an end when Matthew taps out. He sits up with a curse. “You’re fucking lethal.” He cringes as he looks around the room, likely trying to find where the kids are.

Sara is panting, her grin wide as she stands and holds a hand out to Matthew. “Thanks.” She waggles her eyebrows at Nolan. “You want a turn?”

He narrows his eyes at her in thought. “I really want to say yes, but after that display, I think I’m going to pass. I’d rather Katie keep her good opinion of me than have her look at me in pity.”

I roll my eyes as everyone laughs.

“You do realize Katie could take you down in minutes, right?” Ellie eggs him on.

Nolan goads me with his stare.

“Absolutely not. It won’t happen,” I protest .

“Come on, little dove. I wanna see what you can do.”

“No. It’s been almost a year since I took a class. Ellie doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” She scoffs at my statement.

“Fine. You can show me later.” Nolan winks.

“Ow, ow,” Natalie catcalls while Matthew whistles.

My cheeks immediately turn pink. It only makes Nolan happier, the bastard. He leans over me and scoops me off the couch. He sits down, forcing me to sit half on his lap and half on the couch. I should feel uncomfortable by his display, but for some reason, it makes me happy instead. A part of me likes that he’s unafraid to show affection in front of his family. Another part enjoys how his family doesn’t even bat an eye. Knowing Nolan, these types of antics don’t even come close to what he’s done before.

“Katie, have you heard anything from King Douche?” Matthew asks.

I snort at the nickname for Bryce. “Nope. I imagine he’ll make himself known soon, though.” My eyes flick to Cody. He’s fully engrossed in whatever he’s doing with Noah. I’m sure he’s listening, but at this point, I’m not going to hide anything from him. If he has questions later, I’ll tell him what I know.

“Can he really sue you for custody?” Natalie asks with worry. She puts her hand on Tucker’s thigh as he entertains Carson with silly faces.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“He’d never win, though, right? How could he, when he hasn’t been around for nine years?” Sara frowns.

“If he’s showing interest now, there’s a good chance they would at least award visitation, if not joint custody. He’d never get full, though, unless he could prove Katie was unfit,” Sam says.

“It’s fu—freaking stupid. This asshole gets to swoop in as if he’s father of the year and gets access when he doesn’t deserve it.” Nolan shakes his head. His muscles are tight with tension. I love him a little more for his worry.

I slide my fingers through the hair on the back of his head to ease some of his stress.

“Whatever happens, we’ll stand behind you, Katie. You just let us know what you need.” Adam’s words leave no room for argument, so I just nod, grateful for their concern.

“It’s time to eat, kids!” Cindy calls from around the corner.

Nolan slides my legs off his lap and then helps me off the couch as we make our way to the dining room. The biggest table I’ve ever seen has been set with food dishes down the middle. It’s big enough to fit an army, not to mention the quantity of food sitting out.

“I told you that you’d need a bigger table, Mom,” Nolan says.

“Yes, and I happily bought one we could customize, just like I told you I would when all my kids brought home their significant others.”

Nolan kisses her cheek. “Fair enough.” He pulls my chair out for me to sit. It seems the manners run in the family because I see Steve, Adam, Matthew, Carter, Sara’s fiancé Ben, and Tucker do the same. Cody sits down on the other side of Nolan with Noah next to him. Everyone begins to dig in as conversations flow. The love between this family fills the room, and I bite my cheek to keep my emotions in check.

I’m beyond grateful to have been invited to see this beautiful moment. Something tells me to soak in every second. That way, when the other shoe drops, I’ll have the memories of today to get me through.