“Why can’t I say no to you?” I asked, ready to accuse her of witchcraft.
She smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes. “Because you like me a whole lot and I can be persuasive?”
She was right about both things, butlikingher hadn’t cut it for a long time. And this was kind of a great moment to point that out.
Hell. That made me a little nervous, I couldn’t lie. But we had a great thing going here, didn’t we? If she didn’t feel the same way, she had to be close, right? I mean, she’d joked about babysitting Gray and Darius’s youngest being “good practice,” as if testing to see my reaction. We were using nicknames and terms of endearment for each other. I didn’t do that willy-nilly. We spent most nights together. My folks already liked her, and they hadn’t even met her for that official bring-home-the-girlfriend dinner, but it was coming right up this weekend. We’d be joined by Darius and Gray—and Nana, if she felt up to it.
I dipped down and pressed my lips to Nat’s forehead. “I think it’s safe to say I more than like you, baby,” I murmured. She peered up at me, and the uncertainty and hope in her eyes had an instant calming effect on me. I smiled and got her lips instead. “I love you.”
Her relief was evident, as was her happiness, and she locked her arms around my neck instead. “I love you too, Ethan. So, so much.”
Fuck me, that felt… I had no words.
I kissed her hard and cupped her face in my hands, and I just rolled around in the pleasure. And the fuck-ton of relief too. Goddamn.
Darius and I weren’t surprised when Pop said he wanted to throw the steaks on the grill. So my brother and I aimed for the backyard to haul the grill out from the garage.
“I don’t know why he’s so insistent on clearin’ the deck for winter when he’s using everything well into December.” Darius grunted as he dragged the grill back to where it stood most of the year, the corner of the patio. “Next week, he’ll wanna use the smoker for some random reason too.”
Next week was Thanksgiving, so I wouldn’t mind that one bit. One day of Ma’s cooking before I hit the road with Nat. She’d asked me if I wanted to tag along to visit her stores before the holidays, and I hadn’t hesitated for a second.
“It’s worth it if we get Ma’s smoked turkey casserole,” I replied, opening a bag of briquettes.
“Fair.” Darius nodded once, then glanced back to the kitchen door as it opened.
It was Nana.
“It’s cold out here, Nana,” Darius pointed out. “You might wanna get back inside.”
“Thank you for the weather report, my dear boy,” Nana said. “I think I can manage five minutes.”
Darius and I exchanged a grin. She may be short, all frail-looking, and nearing one hundred years old—seriously—but there was nothing wrong with her wit.
Ma’s gardening jacket hung off her shoulders, about three sizes too large, and she shuffled over to us with her walker.
She’d been doing better lately. Her doctor had put her on a new medication that got her out of her wheelchair more often. But I suspected the water exercises she did in the community pool at the home helped a lot too. I’d personally designed the program for their merry squad of residents.
“You still goin’ to water aerobics, Nana?” I asked. “You look more spry than ever.”
She flashed a wrinkly smile. “I go every darn day, sweetheart. Otherwise, I won’t allow myself my after-dinner cigarette.”
Hmpf. “You could skip it.” I threw that out there.
She legit rolled her eyes. “You know what I don’t worry about at my age, Ethan? Lung cancer.” She nodded at Darius next, and she sat down on her walker. “You should quit, however. Gray is half your age.”
I laughed.
Darius furrowed his brow. “Like I don’t know that? I’m workin’ on it. I’m down to two smokes a day now.”
Nana looked at him over the rim of her glasses. “What’s there to work on, sugar? Last time Gray came up to see me, he said you’re always up and about. You need to take it easy more. Your brother would agree.”
Whoa. She threw the Jake card at him. That was worse than using our full names.
Darius turned away to prepare the grill—and to grumble to himself about being attacked.
“That’s one down,” Nana said, turning to me. Shit. “You, Ethan, better treat that nice girl right. Ask her to marry you before she wises up.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even if she’d just insulted me to my face. She wanted us happy.
