I get in my car and slam the door.
A perfect night ruined.
CHAPTER 26
JOSIE
I spent another night on the couch, but this time I didn’t sleep. I stared at the floor, my hands, the picture window that Nick installed for me a few years ago – anything to keep my mind off the utter mess my life has become and the passed out man upstairs in my bedroom sleeping off his drunken ass.
When Liam texted me last night, I wanted to cry. Not just for me, but for Nick too. Through everything that has happened, everything that I’ve done wrong, no one stopped to consider his feelings. I should’ve put him first. He’s the one who has been there from day one, even before we were dating. He was there for Noah.
And now he’s suffering because of my inability to see past Liam. I never thought Liam would come back.
But he’s here and he makes me feel things I haven’t felt since I stopped thinking about him. Maybe I never truly stopped. Maybe I just masked my feelings. I love Nick, but not the same way I love Liam. Liam was my first everything, but that’s not enough to give up Nick.
When the coffee is done brewing, I pour Nick a cup and place it on a tray with some dry toast and bacon. He’s rarely like this, so I don’t know how he’ll handle a hangover, especially when we sit down to dinner with his parents in a few hours.
Climbing the stairs carefully, I push our bedroom door open with my toe. He’s lying on his back, arms spread out. Had I been in bed, he would’ve knocked me in the face. Standing there, I study him, his blonde hair in disarray. The comforter is on the floor at the foot of the bed, a sheet is covering him from the waist down. I watch as his defined chest moves up and down with his breath. I’m just happy he didn’t throw-up in the middle of the night.
I set the tray down on the nightstand, walk over to the window and open it for some fresh air. I crawl onto the bed next to him and can’t help but reach out and touch him. I run my fingers down his chest, tracing his muscles. He flinches a bit and bats my hand away. I try to stifle a laugh, but I know he can hear me.
Suddenly, his arm wraps around my waist and pulls me across his chest, his other arm resting on my back. He’s awake. He holds me as I snuggle in closer.
“How do you feel?”
“Like death.” His reply is hoarse. He has to cough a few times to clear out his throat.
“You had a pretty rough night.”
He doesn’t say anything. He rolls us over so that we’re face to face. He bunches up the hem of my shirt like he’s going to get lost if he’s not holding onto me. “I drank too much and have a feeling I did something stupid.”
I nod, not wanting to embarrass him. He’s done enough of that himself. I move his hair away from his face, a face that I fell in love with years ago.
“I made you some breakfast.”
“Are you going to tell me what I did?”
I shrug. “I don’t know it all, just the bit when I got there. I guess you and Liam exchanged some words because he texted me that you were drunk so I came and got you.”
Nick closes his eyes and buries his head into my chest. He pulls me closer, needing the same reassurance I do that everything will be okay.
“I’m trying, Josie. I really am. I don’t know what happened last night. I walked into Ralph’s and everyone was going crazy for him and all I could think about it is how I’m losing everything to this guy who doesn’t deserve it. I started drinking and I know I said something to him, but I can’t remember.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Nick.”
After breakfast, Nick showered while Noah and I waited for him to come downstairs. I’m certain Liam won’t say anything about their fight, especially in front of Noah, so I told Nick we don’t need to talk about it anymore.
He’s dressed in dark gray trousers and a white button down, his tie hanging open and loose when he comes down the stairs. I meet him at the bottom step and tie it for him. He pulls me into a deep embrace until Noah starts heckling us.
“You just wait until you get a girlfriend,” Nick says as he helps me into my coat.
“No way! Girls have cooties and don’t understand football.” Nick holds his hand up for a high-five that Noah hits dead on. I roll my eyes. My boys are incorrigible.
Thanksgiving dinner at Nick’s parents’ house is always interesting. My parents join us and it’s a huge feast. Christmas is a much smaller event. As we all gather around the table, holding hands for prayer, I’m thankful that my family is whole – at least for today.
After dinner the guys have cleaning duties while the women pour over the Black Friday ads for tomorrow’s shopping excursion. I haven’t a clue as what to get Noah and Nick for Christmas and I’m hoping that I’ll see something that will spark my interest.
Nick and I are able to dodge marriage talk, even though we’ve talked about setting a date after the holidays. We want to get through Christmas without the pressure of people asking where we're getting married.