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I jab her in the ribs with my fingers. “If you don’t drop this, I’m going to hurt you.”
Ellie grins, batting her eyelashes at me. “You’d never hurt Kitten.”
I scrunch up my face. “Dammit. No, I wouldn’t. But please, let this go. At the very least for today.”
She sighs as if I’m asking her to carry the biggest burden of her life. “Fine. But I swear to God, Nolan Ellis, if you hurt my best friend, I will castrate you.”
My eyes widen. “Jesus, you’re scary. I swear I won’t hurt her, okay? I want to do the exact opposite, actually.”
“Good.” She nods her head and goes to the back door of the limo, where Tilly and Katie are standing.
I walk past Adam to stuff my bag into the trunk of the limo. “Your wife is mean.”
“What did you do?”
I gasp. “I didn’t do anything! I tell you she’s mean and you blame me. Where’s the sibling loyalty we used to have?”
“It dropped down a peg after I met Ellie,” Adam deadpans.
“Psh. Whatever,” I grumble. Jealousy of my siblings’ relationships has become an emotion I’ve gotten very used to experiencing. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I am so happy for the four of my siblings. They found the one person in the world they wanted to spend their lives with. But every now and then, a swift kick of longing hits me straight in the gut, and I get a little jealous of how easily it seems to have come to them.
Which isn’t even close to fair. I know how much effort they’ve all put into making their relationships work. I’m not a total idiot when it comes to dating. I just wish it would happen to me one day.
As the thought passes through my head, I glance at Katie, who’s looking out the window in the back of the limo. The scenery passes by in a blur while we cruise back to Westlake. We’re headed to Adam’s house since everyone’s cars are there.
She looks so fucking beautiful. Her dark hair is up in one of those messy buns that makes me want to yank it down to watch all her silky hair fall around her shoulders. She doesn’t have an ounce of makeup on her oval face, or if she does, it’s subtle. I am utterly bewitched by her.
The ride goes by quickly, with little conversations to pass the time. The mood is much different than it was last night, even though it’s still comfortable. This is why I love spending time with my siblings. It doesn’t seem to matter if we’re partying or having a chill day; we’ll have a good time, regardless.
When we pull up to Adam’s house, we pile out of the car and say our goodbyes. Hugs are given out, and promises to get together again soon are made. I keep my eyes on my siblings to make sure they’re no longer paying attention as I follow Katie to her car.
“Little dove.”
She freezes at the nickname I never planned to call her until she was standing in my hotel room looking so breathtakingly beautiful. She spins to look at me, her eyes wide with nerves.
“I’m not sure where our wires got crossed last night, and that’s on me for not communicating my feelings clearly, but what happened between us was not a onetime thing. I’m not even close to being done with you yet, and I plan on doing whatever it takes to woo you until you’re ready for more.”
I step back away from Katie, knowing if I give myself any more time to stand there, I’ll kiss the hell out of her, my siblings be damned.
Her shocked face is everything I wanted to see, and when I wink at her, her cheeks flush.
Look out, Katie Cole. I’m going to make you mine.
CHAPTER 7
Katie
Cody’s soft brown hair glides through my fingers. It’s starting to get too long. He’ll need a haircut soon.
His little round face is relaxed in sleep. I don’t love waking him up before he’s ready, but I’ve learned that the fallout of not giving him the choice to get up with me is worse. He’s my little best friend. We do everything together, and he always feels left out when I start our morning routine without him.
His dark eyelashes slowly rise until his sparkling hazel eyes meet mine. He looks so much like his dad, but he has my tan complexion.
“Good morning, baby. Would you like to join me for yoga today?”
Cash, our Australian Shepherd mix, grumbles his annoyance at being woken up.
“Don’t be mad.” Cody blinks at me, his face a mask of guilt.
