“Gah, don’t call me that,” Chris grumbled, just like he always did when I called him the nickname I’d given him as a baby.
It was a ten-minute drive from our hotel in town to Gabe’s beautiful house just on the outskirts, but there were already cars all over the property, indicating we were one of the last to arrive.
“Big surprise,” Chris complained, “We’re late.”
Before I’d even had a chance to take off my seatbelt, he was out of the car and bounding up to the house, eager to get to his father and the new family he already loved so much.
I got out with a sigh, wishing I didn’t have to enter the house by myself, but resigned to the fact that this was the way things were now. Although I was unsure of my decision, and the selfish part of me wanted to hop back in the car and drive back to North Carolina, I knew this was the best thing for Christopher.
And that was really all that mattered.
Chapter Three ~ Reardon
I couldn’t stop looking at her.
So beautiful, yet distant. Confident on the exterior, but so obviously feeling out of place, wondering how long she had to stay before she could sneak out without offending anyone.
Over the last nine months, since Chloe had reappeared back in my life, I’d gotten to know everything I could about her. Not just by doing background checks and such for Gabe, but by observing her whenever we were near each other.
Shit, that makes me sound fucking creepy, I thought as I tore my gaze away from where Chloe was standing by herself on the deck, overlooking the dark backyard pensively.
I looked down to see Shauna watching me curiously, and mentally berated myself for being such an obvious dick.
“Do you need anything?” I asked. “Another drink?”
“Why don’t you just go talk to her?” my date asked, perfectly comfortable calling me on my bullshit.
“Huh? No…” I stammered. “I don’t want to talk to her.”
Shauna rolled her eyes, then squeezed my bicep.
“I think you like her,” she whispered, leaning in so no one could hear. “You’re different with her than I’ve ever seen you.”
Shauna had been my plus one, and I hers, whenever either of us needed one for as long as I could remember. We’d both had serious relationships, her even a short stint of marriage, but we were always there for each other if we were single.
“Nah, she’s like family,” I replied lamely, sneaking another glance at Chloe and not feeling the least bit familial about the way she looked in that skirt.
Shauna snorted, indicating she didn’t believe me in the least.
“Whatever you say, hot shot, I’m not gonna make you talk to her,” Shauna said, then effectively changed the subject when she added, “Oh, and my roommate is out of town this weekend, so, if you want to come by after this, I’m game.”
Shauna winked, then walked over to where Dillon was piling a mound of shrimp cocktail on his plate and said something that made him laugh.
Yeah, so Shauna and I also had sex, in addition to being each other’s plus ones, whenever we were both single.
We’d never been serious, had never even hinted at it. It was a weird relationship, one Jasmine never understood, but Dillon wished he could have. We didn’t want anything from each other, other than to be there to lend occasional support and fuck like bunnies when the need arose.
I enjoyed Shauna, but I was getting tired of being in relationships that didn’t go anywhere.
I looked over to where Gabe and Zoey were talking with Gabe’s parents. Gabe had his hand around her shoulder, a huge smile on his face, and Zoey was absently rubbing her baby bump.
As usual, my cousin was one lucky bastard, and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous over his good fortune. Once again, he and I had been together when a woman had come wandering up to us, and once again, she’d gone for him. First Chloe, then Zoey … and they were sisters. Maybe something in their DNA was attracted to large, built, rich football players…
No, that was in every woman’s DNA.
Not liking the direction of my thoughts, which were heading into self-pity land, I turned from my happy cousin, my gaze catching on Chloe once more. I could see her sigh deeply, her shoulders hunching slightly, making her seem sad or upset, and before I could tell them to stop, my feet started in her direction.
The noise from my loud family’s raised voices dimmed as I stepped outside and closed the glass door quietly behind me. Hearing the door latch, Chloe looked over at me, her face betraying that she wasn’t very excited to see me approaching.