“Anyone hungry?” Mom asks. “We have food and drinks. I didn’t know what you guys liked, so I got a little of everything. Want to come look?”
Nash perks up at the mention of food, so Mom, Tasha, and Elena go over to try and feed the kids because that’s just what they do. James follows them over.
Hannah wraps her arm around me and drops her head against my shoulder. “I better get to be the best woman at your wedding,” she says softly.
“What about me?” Kota teases.
“You want to be the best woman?” she asks him.
“You know what I mean.”
“Arm wrestle you for it?” Han asks as Nash and Sadie pile finger foods on their plates, and I know everything will be okay.
CHAPTER THIRTY
James
Sometimes, over thelast few weeks, I’ll just sit back and watch Colton or think about him. How light and silly he can be when the time calls for it, and how serious he can be when that’s needed. About the way he’s always there for people, whether it’s me, the kids, Hannah, or a random person around campus. I watched him once after class help a woman who’d dropped her bag and all her things spilled out. That may seem like a small thing, but other students just walked by. Not him. He doesn’t have it in him to just walk by.
And now, today, being around his family, I see where he gets it from. They’re great. He and his brother don’t stop giving each other shit. They tease each other all day, but you can see—no, you canfeel—the love there. He helps Christine in the kitchen and gets up to get Tasha a napkin. He literally picked the mushrooms out of a portion of food for Hannah because she doesn’t like them and Christine forgot. Christine offered to make hermorebecause she forgot, and all that is normal to them—being there for people, showing up for people, making sure those around them know they care.
And that’s not even counting how attentive he’s been to me, Sadie, and Nash. I don’t think he would leave my side allday if he didn’t have to, and I know that’s mostly for me—wanting to make sure I’m comfortable and don’t feel alone. What he doesn’t realize is, I haven’t felt alone at all since he came into my life, something I’ve never experienced before.
We’re all sitting around the living room, our stomachs filled with food, when Colton taps his foot against Nash’s. “Wanna play ball?”
I can feel my brother come alive beside me, the spark of excitement nearly catching me ablaze too. “I always want to play ball.”
“Come on. Everyone has to this time.” Colton stands and holds his hand out for me. “That includes you.”
“I’m not a real sports ball kind of guy.”
“That’s okay. It’s my birthday, and I want to play with you.”
He’s absolutely trying to bite back a smirk. He phrased it like that on purpose, and if I didn’t have my dick in a cage, I’d be sporting a chub right about now.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Nash says, but I hear the disappointment, the soft tone that says it’s not okay, that says he wants this from me.
“I’ll play.” I let Colton take my hand and pull me to my feet. “You too, Sades,” I tell her, and she grins.
“Okay!” She jumps up.
“Only if I get to be on the opposite team as you, big bro.” Dakota nudges him. “I need to show off for my girl. We’re gonna beat you.”
“You don’t have to show off for me.” Elena smirks, then mouths to me, “He’s not good,” and I can’t help but laugh.
Everyone gets up, including Christine, and we all put our jackets on. It’s a cold day, but not as cold as it could be this time of year. We have an odd number of players, so it’s me, Nash, Dakota, and Sadie against Colton, Hannah, Christine,Elena, and Tasha, with Christine and Tasha subbing for each other.
Surprisingly, I’m not that bad. I suck at dribbling and lose the ball, but when I get the chance to shoot, I hit every shot. Nash and Colton are the best, the two of them carrying most of the weight of the game, but Hannah is right up there with them, and Dakota is better than me, at least at dribbling.
Like always, Nash is a good brother to Sadie, passing her the ball and making sure she’s involved. He really is the best kid. Somehow, despite being the kind of person she was, Sandra raised two incredible kids. Well, not raised them; birthed them.
I don’t quite know how it happens, but I end up with the ball, Colton guarding me. He bites his bottom lip, smirking at me and almost making me lose my dribble. “I won’t let you score on me…in this game, at least.” His voice is low, just for me. I still feel my face flame, the ball bouncing off my foot, but somehow I keep possession of it.
“I feel it every time I move,” I counter, and the way Colton’s pupils flare tells me he knows exactly what I mean. That I feel the cage around me—his cage—which makes him flush with want and lose his train of thought. I pull up, hoping like hell I can make this shot and shoot over him before Colton can do anything to stop me. The ball swooshes through the net, and then I’m jumping up and down, fist-pumping in this way that’s absolutely not normal for me. The only time I do anything like this is now that I watch Nash play, but never for me, never for myself.
“Yes!” Nash cheers, then walks over, holding his hand up for a high five. I’m so surprised, I almost don’t respond, but then I’m smacking my palm against his, biting my cheeks so I don’t give a wide, clown smile at how happy I am. At how much I feel like a family.
I ride that high as we continue to play. A few minutes later, I have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. When I finish up, I see Christine in the kitchen.
