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He tips his head back with a groan. “Okay, I’m walking away from you now before all semblance of control snaps out of me.”
I stand and follow him to the door. He slips on his coat and grabs his keys from his pocket.
“Text me when you get home?”
“Of course.” He slips a finger into the cleavage of my tank and pulls me into his body. “Goodbye, little dove.” Another fierce kiss is pressed to my mouth before he turns to the door and walks to his truck.
I am in way over my fucking head with this one. Aren’t I?
CHAPTER 12
Nolan
“You cheating bastard!” Matthew yells at me as I race down the field with the soccer ball at my feet.
I laugh over my shoulder at him, unable to stop myself from rubbing dirt into the wound. “You’re getting slow in your old age.”
He flips me off as he chases after me. Sara’s up ahead, and I kick the ball to her to give her the chance to score. The ball slams into the back of the net, causing Matthew and Adam to groan.
I let out a whoop, grabbing Sara around the waist and spinning her around. She yells in excitement. The brown strands of hair that have fallen from her ponytail stick to her sweaty forehead.
“That was dirty,” she teases.
“But it worked.”
Adam, Matthew, and Carter saunter up next to us, their breath puffing out in the chilly air.
Matthew crosses his arms over his chest. “That move should be put into our cheating rules.”
“Don’t pout, big bro. You won the last game.” For years, my siblings and I have been getting together for these pickup soccer games. It’s the best way we’ve found to ensure we spend time together outside of the regular family dinners my mom hosts. All five of us lead busy lives, and despite us living in the same area, it’s hard to find time to get together. With Carter and Sam now living in Sonoma, where we grew up, it’s even more true. They just moved into their new house together, and if I’m honest with myself, I’m a little sad about it.
I used to be able to drop by Carter’s place on a whim. He’d usually have a delicious dinner made, and I used that as an excuse to see him. He’s my best friend. Or was, I guess. Now he’s got Sam, and they’re going to start fostering, and I don’t know where that leaves me.
“Earth to Nolan.” Adam waves his hand in front of my face, shaking me out of my morose thoughts.
“Sorry, what?”
“We’re ready to quit. It’s fucking cold tonight. That okay with you?” Adam blows air into his hands.
“Yeah, sure. Anyone want to grab a drink at O’Malley’s instead?”
“Ohhh, a coffee with some Bailey’s sounds amazing right now.” Sara groans.
“I’m down. Tilly’s writing tonight, which means I won’t exist to her for a while.” Matthew leads us over to the benches, where we pack up our stuff.
Sara laughs. “How’s her next book coming along?”
“Great. She’s been writing like crazy the past couple of weeks.”
“What number is this one? Three?” I ask, throwing my duffle over my shoulder. We walk toward the parking lot as a group, our cars parked right next to each other.
“Yeah, the first two have done incredibly well, so she’s been pushing herself to get the next one done faster than the last.” The pride in Matthew’s voice is obvious. “See you guys at the bar?”
We all confirm before separating to get into our cars. I crank the heat the second the engine starts and check my phone while I wait for my siblings to leave before me. When the screen illuminates, I find several messages from friends asking if I want to hang out with them tonight. One of which is no doubt an offer for a hookup. I delete that one instead of responding.
I quickly respond to the others, letting them know I have other plans, and ignore the disappointment swirling in my gut when I don’t see a message from the only person I want to see there.
It’s been almost a week since the night I spent with Katie and Cody.
