I hold the bag up. “I brought popcorn and drinks. I wasn’t sure if you had any.”
“Oh.” She looks taken aback and clutches the towel tighter to her chest. “That was… uh… nice of you.”
“Who’s that, Em?” the sister asks in a small voice.
I glance down and see her peeking out from behind Emberleigh. Her eyes are just as striking as Emberleigh’s, and her hair is the same blonde. Emberleigh looks down at her and reaches back to bring the girl forward.
“This is my friend, Nathan.” Emberleigh looks at me. “My sister, Avery.”
I adjust the bag to my other arm and squat down, holding out a hand. “Hi, Miss Avery. It’s nice to meet you.”
Timidly, she reaches out and takes my hand, offering a sweet smile. “Hi. Are you going to watch a movie with us?”
I look up at Emberleigh and lift a brow, leaving it up to her. She’s frowning as she looks at me, then to Avery.
“I think Nathan may have plans tonight, Avery. Maybe next—”
“Do you have plans?” Avery interrupts her, and I look back at her. It’s uncanny how much they look alike.
“I don’t know,” I tell her, tipping my head to the side. “Depends on if your sister will allow me to crash your girls’ night.”
Dimples appear in her cheeks when she smiles up at Emberleigh. “Can he, Em? I don’t care if he watches a movie with us.”
Emberleigh takes a step toward me, and I stand. Her brows dip when she leans in a couple of inches. I fight the need to look down at her chest.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. I wouldn’t say I have an aversion to kids, I’ve just never been around them enough to know if I like being around them. But for some reason, I really want to sit and watch a movie with Emberleigh and her little sister.
She watches me for several moments, her eyes going back and forth between mine, before nodding and stepping back.
“Yah!” Avery hollers, earning a chuckle from me and a smile from Emberleigh.
I walk in and close and lock the door. Tipping my chin toward the kitchen, I tell Emberleigh, “I’ll get the popcorn started and make some hot chocolate. Why don’t you go get dressed?”
I lower my eyes to the hand holding the towel between her tits, then lift them back to Emberleigh to find a blush forming on her cheeks. The pink turns brighter when she sees the lingering desire I’m trying my best not to feel in current company.
She turns to Avery and shoos her to the living room. “Can you make room for Nathan on the couch while I get dressed?”
“Yep!” she chirps.
I chuckle as I take the bag to the kitchen and pull the popcorn and hot chocolate pouches out of the paper bag and place them on the counter. I throw the popcorn in the microwave and rummage around until I find a couple of big bowls. Finding a pot in one of the bottom cabinets, I grab the milk out of the fridge, pour some into the pot, and set it on the stove.
That’s where I’m at, stirring the milk, when I feel a presence at my back. I pull the pot off the burner, then turn around and find Emberleigh standing in the doorway, much more dressed than she was before in a black V-neck T-shirt and yoga pants. She still fucking looks delicious.
“Avery looks just like you,” I state, then eye her closely.
She looks behind her to the living before walking the rest of the way into the kitchen. She goes to the bag of popcorn I set on the counter and pulls it open, then dumps half in one bowl, the rest in the other.
“She does.”
Carrying the pot of milk with me, I stand beside her and pour some into the mugs.
“How old were you when you had her?” I make sure to keep my voice quiet.
Her gasp of shock has me looking over at her. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is open. It takes her a minute, but then she closes her mouth and swallows deeply. “How—” She clears her throat before trying again. “How did you know?” she whispers.
“I didn’t. Or rather, I only suspected, until you just confirmed it.”