The thought of being caught taking things further only to be set upon by Nash’s brothers is enough to quell my lust, and after a few more moments, my cock is once again under control.
“Nancy’s sleeping over at Aidan’s tonight. Stay with me?” Nash asks.
I smile up at him, finding it hard to believe that we’re here.
It’s the easiest ‘yes’ I’ve ever given.
***
When the last box of art supplies has been stacked in the studio, Nash and I return to the flat and start organising my room. We make the bed with the new duvet set Andrew gifted me before I left. It’s a deep forest-green, light cotton set that feels as soft as butter. We unpacked my clothes – Nash grinning wickedly when he found his well-worn hoodie – and I set my few toiletries on one shelf of the bathroom cabinet. We head to the kitchen to help unpack in there, but when we find Emma alone, he presses a delicate kiss to the side of my neck before leaving the room to find his brothers. We can hear them being loudly instructed on where to place Emma’s bedroom furniture by a high-pitched child, and I smile at how comfortable Nancy is with her new family.
“I saw that,” Emma says, a knowing gleam in her eye. I swear this woman is a witch. She had her back to us when we walked in. How could she possibly have seen? My thoughts are interrupted when I look over and see her waving at me in the reflection of the window. The angle of the sun as it moves lower in the sky has made the windows like mirrors.
“Yeah, um. OK. About that,” I start, feeling bad about abandoning her on our first night inour new home.
“Ye staying at his tonight, eh?” I nod. “Finally,” she snarks. “I swear if I had to watch you two moon all over each other like you’re a pair o’ damsels in some Georgian period drama for much longer, I’d’ve been banging yer fuckin’ heeds together.” The tone of abject frustration makes me laugh.
“We weren’t that bad,” I say, indignantly.
“I beg to differ. Anyway, it’s good ye’ll be out ma hair. Wren’s stopping over th’night for some wine and a good catch-up.”
“A catch-up? I didn’t even realise you guys had met more than once.”
“We haven’t. But we got on well at Nash’s birthday, and we’ve been texting.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline in surprise. I’d had no idea.
“Women and men are very different animals, babe. Don’t worry yer pretty wee head about me. I’ll be glad to know yer finally getting yer man.”
I don’t even try to correct her. Nash is my man.
He loves me.
I still can’t believe it. Deciding that Emma, as my live-in bestie and the biggest ‘tea-drinker’ I’ve ever known, deserves a bit of hot gossip, I lean in quietly and whisper, “He told me he loves me.”
She gasps and spins in place to face me.
“He what?”
“He said he loves me. And I told him I did, too.”
She rolls her eyes in a ‘duh’ gesture and then wraps me in her arms.
“I’m so happy for ye, babe. You deserve this.” She doesn’t need to say the rest of the words in that sentence. After everything you’ve been through. She knows it. I know it, and for what feels like the first time in my life, I believe it. Deep in my heart, I know that I deserve to be loved by someone as incredible as Nash.
We join the others and watch from the doorway as Archer and Cole rebuild Emma’s enormous wardrobe, and Aidan works on her chest of drawers, all while Nancy sits in the middle of the bed, surveying their work like she’s being paid. When everything but a few last boxes is unpacked, Emma and Wren call time as they are ready for a glass of wine.
I hug Emma and Wren, both of them giving me a knowing smile as I head to where Nash is holding his free hand out to me. His other hand is holding onto Nancy’s as she all but drags us downstairs.
“Uncle Rain said we can make popcorn,” she wheezes, her whole body clenched tight in anticipation. I grin at her, and Nash just sighs resignedly.
“OK, but you have to finish all of your dinner first, young lady. Popcorn is a snack, not a meal.” His forceful tone and ‘I mean it’ attitude stir something in me that makes me want to experiment and see what it would take for me to be on the receiving end of that look.
“I will, Daddy. Have a fun sleepover with Bunny.”
Nash and I eye each other, neither of us sure how to respond.
“What d’you mean, poppet?” Nash asks tentatively. Nancy just looks at him, one eyebrow raised in disdain.
