“Then act like it,” I spit, whipping my head around to him. “Don’t come at me, asking if I’m sleeping with him as if it’s a mortal sin. You wanted me to work with him in the first place. You told me what a good guy he is deep down. And you know what? You were right. So you can shove this holier-than-thou attitude up your ass.” I pull away from him, aiming my finger in his direction. “You are not my keeper.”
Then I march back to my boyfriend, my brother’s best friend, and the man I’m head over heels for.
CHAPTER 29
CAMDEN
As hard asthis month has been without my parents, being with Nadine, Paisley, and Erik has made it a bit easier. My best friend has always been open, inviting me to hang out with his family, even before the accident, and having him and his family around now keeps me from sinking into grief. Though I suppose we’ll be spending all of our holidays together, once the truth comes out about Nadine and me.
Kai claps, his giggle infectious, after I’ve thrown him into the air for the fifth time. Molly laughs. “He’s not going to want you to leave since you’ve become his personal carnival ride.”
I blow a raspberry into Kai’s neck. “Yeah. Uncle Cam is your favorite, right?”
Kai’s giggle ratchets up when I tickle him as Nadine returns to the living room, sitting on the floor by my feet. She props her elbow up on the couch cushion, head in her hand, smile radiant. She looks stunning tonight, even in her simple sweater and dark jeans, her dark hair down and shining, river-blue eyes sparkling.
She hasn’t taken off the jewelry I gave her yet, and while I’m not able to tell the world about us, it makes me feel better to know she’s wearing something that shows she’s mine. Even if only we know.
Kai smacks at my cheeks, and I laugh, forcing my attention away from Nadine to the baby in my hands, tossing him in the air again. “All right, all right, you tiny tyrant.”
He kicks his feet, enjoying my roughhousing, but I realize his father has yet to return from when he said he was going to grab a drink. “Where’s Erik?”
“I don’t know.” Nadine flicks her hand. “Cleaning up or something.”
From the eye roll, I can only assume they’ve had an argument and that I might be at the center of it.
I’m proven right an hour later, when we’re all about to leave. As I slip on my coat, Erik yanks me around the corner. “I feel like something is going on between you and my sister.”
I try to play it off with a laugh. “Nah, man.”
“She’s never home anymore.”
I shrug, shoving my hands in my pockets. “You know how it is with play-offs coming up. By the time I get home at night, I’m not comfortable with her driving back here. It’s just easier for her to stay at my place.”
He eyes me suspiciously, but looking after his sister’s safety earns me some points, and he agrees eventually. “Yeah. She doesn’t need to be driving when it’s pitch black out.”
I nod.Exactly.
But also.
I have her tucked safely away in bed.
“You sure you’re not, like, developing feelings for her?” Erik asks, and for a moment, I wonder if my memories are playing out on my face. If he can recognize that my favorite way to sleep is with her next to me, her hair tickling my neck, restless feet accidentally kicking me in the middle of the night.
I’ve developed a preoccupation with his sister.
She is everything: my calm, my inspiration, my future.
But he doesn’t have to know that.
“The only feelings I have are about finishing strong. We’retwo games away from securing the first seed in the conference. That’s where I’m focused.”
Which is true. I am focused there. Because I know I have the support at home to do so.
I’ve never been more focused, more in tune with my body and mind. It’s amazing how security in personal matters can change a person’s entire outlook.
“We get the ring this year,” Erik says, holding his hand out to me, and I clasp it.
“Fuck right.”
