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Cody looks up at me with eyes as wide as mine. I shrug because I have no clue what’s going on.
“You get used to their crazy after a while,” Sam says, stepping up to my right.
“Why are they fighting?” Cody asks him.
“They’re not fighting, kiddo. Matthew thought it would be a good idea to test Sara’s self-defense skills, and Sara was more than happy to put him in his place. She’s done it twice now, yet Matthew seems to think this time will be different.”
Noah catches sight of us and sprints over to Cody. “Come with me. It’s quieter over there.” Cody follows Noah, talking a mile a minute about everything he’s wanted to tell Noah.
It makes me happy to see him this comfortable despite whatever it is we walked in on. I make my way toward the couch where Ellie is sitting next to Adam. She squeezes me in a tight hug. “You have no idea how happy it makes me that you’re here—and with Nolan.”
“I’ve got to be honest. I was nervous to come, even though we’ve hung out plenty of times.”
“This is different. I totally understand.” She nods.
I tilt my head toward the floor where Sara is currently pinning Matthew. “Is this something that happens regularly?”
“It used to happen a lot, but now that Sara is almost certified to teach a class, it’s happening less. None of them can take her anymore.”
“Do you ever…?”
“Oh, fuck no.” Ellie laughs.
“Even though you could take them down in minutes?” Ellie and I took self-defense classes for a couple of years together. She attends them, but when Cody started joining clubs, I stopped going so I could pay for the activities he wanted to try out.
“Yeah, that’s a negative for me, Ghost Rider. I have nothing to prove unless we’re playing Mario Kart,” Ellie responds.
“Fair enough.”
The wrestling match finally comes to an end when Matthew taps out. He sits up with a curse. “You’re fucking lethal.” He cringes as he looks around the room, likely trying to find where the kids are.
Sara is panting, her grin wide as she stands and holds a hand out to Matthew. “Thanks.” She waggles her eyebrows at Nolan. “You want a turn?”
He narrows his eyes at her in thought. “I really want to say yes, but after that display, I think I’m going to pass. I’d rather Katie keep her good opinion of me than have her look at me in pity.”
I roll my eyes as everyone laughs.
“You do realize Katie could take you down in minutes, right?” Ellie eggs him on.
Nolan goads me with his stare.
“Absolutely not. It won’t happen,” I protest.
“Come on, little dove. I wanna see what you can do.”
“No. It’s been almost a year since I took a class. Ellie doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” She scoffs at my statement.
“Fine. You can show me later.” Nolan winks.
“Ow, ow,” Natalie catcalls while Matthew whistles.
My cheeks immediately turn pink. It only makes Nolan happier, the bastard. He leans over me and scoops me off the couch. He sits down, forcing me to sit half on his lap and half on the couch. I should feel uncomfortable by his display, but for some reason, it makes me happy instead. A part of me likes that he’s unafraid to show affection in front of his family. Another part enjoys how his family doesn’t even bat an eye. Knowing Nolan, these types of antics don’t even come close to what he’s done before.
“Katie, have you heard anything from King Douche?” Matthew asks.
I snort at the nickname for Bryce. “Nope. I imagine he’ll make himself known soon, though.” My eyes flick to Cody. He’s fully engrossed in whatever he’s doing with Noah. I’m sure he’s listening, but at this point, I’m not going to hide anything from him. If he has questions later, I’ll tell him what I know.
“Can he really sue you for custody?” Natalie asks with worry. She puts her hand on Tucker’s thigh as he entertains Carson with silly faces.
