“You said you’d love to take your time and road trip across the country. Your brothers hated the idea, but I don’t care. You should. You’re an adult now.” Briggs glares at the boys, challenging them, and I’m envious of her at this moment. “This means you’ll have to leave a bit earlier.”
“But her plane ticket,” Zeke starts, but Briggs shrugs.
“She can defer,” she says. “I checked with the airline. Just switch the date and use it to fly home for Easter or something.”
Zeke’s gaze darkens for a moment before he pushes it out. I see through it and suspect Tabby does, too, the way she’s looking at him.
“Thanks,” she says. “This will be so much fun!”
“It’s winter. How are you road tripping?” Jet leans forward, and Cade smacks his chest, pushing him back in his seat.
“Oh, for shit’s sake.” Cade rolls her eyes. “When are you going to let this poor girl make her own life choices? Stop coddling her.”
Cade is like Briggs, but times a thousand. I’ve gotten the impression that she says and does what she wants, when she wants and feels very little shame. I’m not at all envious of her brashness, though. I know that her level is a level I’ll never achieve. She might be in a world of her own.
Tabby’s cheeks flush, and she holds the key tight in her palm. “Can you please not fight about me right now?”
Each of her brothers looks to their laps like scolded children, and the tension swirls through the room. This is a make-or-break moment, and anxiety grips my chest so tight I hold my breath.
“You’re right.” Xan finally claps his hands on his knees. “Who’s up for some games before we leave?”
Zeke shakes his head. “We’re going to head back downstairs. Nova’s tired.”
“I—” I start, ready to tell him not to speak for me, but he’s totally right. I’m absolutely exhausted, to the point I can barely feel my fingers. “I am tired. I should lie down. But thank you.”
Goodbyes are brief, and Zeke basically drags me out of the house to the back stairs. When we’ve shut out the noise, I tug him to a stop.
“Are you upset?” I ask, still feeling this odd energy flowing off him.
“No, why?” I can’t see him well in the dimly lit staircase.
“You seem off. Are you upset Tabby’s leaving early? I know you were going to drive her to the airport.”
His hand tightens around mine for a moment—a flinch. “No. It’s all good. I just want to get out of there. They are exhausting.”
“They are great, Zeke. You have such a loving family.”
He makes a short noise and turns from me. It’s disbelieving and proof that there’s a lot more to their dynamics than I know. Something has him on edge. I thought it was Tabby, but now that I think about it, he’s been off since after we had sex. My thoughts stutter over the experience, the intensity of my attraction to him, and I wonder if he regrets it.
I’m about to ask as he pulls me through the door to the apartment. Twinkling Christmas lights stop me as I take in the room. White lights dimly illuminate the space, hung around the windows haphazardly across the ceiling. There are blue and silver decorations stuck in random places with a small white tree next to the TV. It looks terrible, really, but I burst into flames with how happy it makes me.
“Did you do this?”
“Very quickly. I know it’s hideous.” He curls his lip dramatically. “I was trying to make it more like home.”
“I love it. It’s hideous. But I love it.”
Zeke pulls me in for a hug, and I cling to him, the force of my affection tearing through my bones.
“Merry Christmas, Nova.”
Figgy weaves between our feet, butting his head against my leg. He still hates it anytime Zeke is near me, but I burrow deeper into Zeke’s chest.
He walks me back to the couch and sits down, pulling me into his lap. He’s lightly laughing into my hair, and I cling to him like one of those monkeys as he rubs my back, leaning forward to grab a remote.
The smells of popcorn and chocolate and the sounds of my favourite Christmas movie wash over my senses, and I sit straight up. I gawk at Zeke, who’s sitting under me, looking pretty proud of himself. Aloof posture, cocky grin, and those damn eyes.
“When? How?” I stutter, ripping the remote from his hands and pausing the movie. “Explain yourself.”
His slight chuckle tips into a full-blown laugh. “I care about you, Forrester. Do I need a reason beyond that?”
Zeke puts a hand on my belly, and I explode into my feelings, wrapping them around me like a blanket. I crush my lips to his, kissing him long and hard, like maybe I can meld myself to him, crawl into him, and become part of him. Eventually, he stops me and nods to the TV.
I adjust and cuddle into his side as we nibble at the popcorn, but really, I’m still stuffed from dinner. I make my way to lay down with my head in his lap, and I squeeze all my muscles tight, trying to trap this feeling inside. This full-body giddiness at how he was paying attention. He listened to what I said, but also what I didn’t say. I didn’t ask for this, but he somehow knew it was exactly what I needed.
Zeke pulls his fingers through my hair and laughs with me through the elf movie, and eventually, exhaustion creeps back in. My eyes flutter shut, and I fall asleep with the smallest flicker of belonging still burning in my heart.