Fable starts toward the stairs before pausing to look over her shoulder. “Are the Nikolaous coming for dinner?”
“I think so,” Mary answers, eyes still on her cards. “We invited them.”
“Great,” Fable grumbles, dragging out the word as she disappears up the stairs.
During our next round of Uno, the front door opens behind me with a creak, and boots hit the hardwood floors. I look over my shoulder and find a man, probably a little taller than me, wiping his shoes on the mat in the doorway.
He slides off his Fern River Volunteer Fire Department cap, hanging it on a hook by the door and smoothing a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. He’s followed by a curvy older woman with a kind smile and warm brown eyes to match his.
A flash of auburn hair and jean shorts whizzes by as Millie runs toward him from the kitchen and launches herself into his arms. Heat creeps up my spine, and my body tenses, but I force myself to stay in my seat.
Holding her off the ground, he spins a few circles, her arms around his neck and face against his green flannel. I wish I could hear what their muffled voices are saying.
“Uncle Finn,” Eloise nudges beside me. “Your turn.”
I play my red four and turn back to see the man lower Millie to the ground and tug the braid in her hair.
“It’s been too long, Mills. Good to see you.” His voice is soft and fond, and my teeth grind together.
Mills.I hate that he calls her the same name her friends do.
“What’s this?” Millie asks with a laugh, standing on her toes to rub her hand over his hair. “You forget how to drive to the barber?” She moves to hug the other woman as Avery pulls my elbow, bringing me back to the game.
I lay down a blue six and meet Mary’s eyes across the table. Her mouth is set in a knowing smirk as she looks over my shoulder where Millie and the man are.
“Theo and his mom, Eva.” She nods toward them. “He and his sister grew up with the girls.”
That information does little to relax my stiff jaw.
Millie looks so comfortable with this Theo guy. She just threw herself at him with no second thought. I want that level of familiarity with her. I want her to jump into my arms without overthinking it.
I catch myself evil-eyeing him and turn to lay my cards facedown on the table, trying to smooth out the crease I’ve made. Dave lets out a small, deep chuckle.
“Uno,” Avery calls out.
A hand slides over my shoulder as I play my next card. “This is Finn,” Millie says, pulling me to turn around.
Begrudgingly, I stand and reach my hand out to Theo. Forcing my jaw to unclench, I attempt to look as pleasant as I can under the circumstances. “Finn Ashford. I’m Millie’s...”
I pause, wanting to stop there. I’m Millie’s. Period.
A possessive urge to claim her trickles through my veins, making my fingers twitch to wrap around hers.
Millie’s eyes bulge as she dons a bright smile. “Friend,” she says to finish for me. My attempt at looking mildly pleasant must not be working, because she sends me an accusing glare.
Theo seems unaffected by my grimace. “Theo Nikolaou. Great to meet you,” he says, smiling wider than I ever have in my life.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
This fucking guy, with his movie-star smile, must be everyone’s favorite.
“I win,” Avery shouts from her seat, drawing our attention.
Millie walks around the table and kisses the top of her head. “Good job, Ave. My parents are hard to beat.”
While she introduces Theo and Eva to the girls, I catch Fable out of the corner of my eye.
She struts across the living room in a low-cut burgundy dress, her hair in golden waves behind her as she walks with an icy confidence she didn’t show before. Theo freezes where he’s talking to Dave, lips parted and eyes wide as he tracks Fable’s movement across the room. She never looks his way as she strides straight for the kitchen, hips swaying and chin high.
