“Oh, really?” I chewed on my cheek as he sat a glass of white wine down in front of me. Jeez, this boy already knew me so well. I would have been lucky if Teddy had even gotten me something to drink, let alone know what I like. “I’ll have to remember that.”
After dinner, Charlie asked Nick to help him out with something in the garage, so that left me to help Kelly clean up in the kitchen. I don’t know if it was planned, but I swear I saw Kelly’s eyes light up when she realized that she was finally going to have me alone.
That woman talked non-stop, barely taking the time to take a breath in between each sentence. She talked all about their very large family, telling me each name, which I’m sure I wouldn’t remember. Apparently, she and Charlie were the only ones in the family to have one child. Nick had endless amounts of uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, and more, all within driving distance of each other.
She grilled me about my family, too, but seemed to skirt around the subject of my failed marriage, even though she seemed like she knew. Nick must have warned her about that being a sore subject. I heard all about Nick as a kid, and she even pulled out the photo album of embarrassing pictures after we finished with the dishes. I knew my mom had the exact same thing sitting on her living room shelf back home.
Every once in a while, Nick would peek his head in and give me that dimpled smile of his, sneaking a cookie almost every time.
“Oh, and here’s Maria. I just cannot believe she’s getting married next weekend. I still remember the very day that she was born. She was the most precious baby, besides Nicholas, of course.” She tapped a picture of a baby with a full head of dark curls just as Nick came around the corner, one arm stretched above his head to grab the doorframe that he had to duck under to avoid bumping into.
“Make sure you wear something nice and cool for the wedding, Ally. She insisted on a beach wedding, which I’m sure will be so beautiful, but so hot and sticky, too.”
My eyes darted to Nick, who for the first time since I met him looked embarrassed. Until Kelly had said something, I had never heard any mention of a wedding. Not that I expected him to ask me or anything, it wasn’t like I was his girlfriend. If he wanted to take someone else as his date, he could, or he could go alone. I would definitely prefer the alone option, though.
“Mom, I didn’t bring it up to Ally. I wasn’t sure if she would really want to go to that sort of thing with me.”
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I just figured—” She covered her mouth with her hand as she stood up and snapped the album shut. I had a feeling she meant to let that slip all along. Well played, Kelly. Well played.
“I would love to go,” I said as Nick stepped into the kitchen and Kelly walked out. “That is, if you want me to.”
“Of course I would love for you to go with me,” he answered quickly and sat down next to me, sliding his thumb across my wrist. “I’ll let you know what time and all that, but it’ll make it so much better now that you’re going. I really wasn’t looking forward to facing all of my family after the whole thing with Kara.”
“Ugh, please do not mention that name in this house,” Kelly huffed out as she returned to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. “Of course, I would never want Nicholas to go through that sort of heartbreak, but none of us ever took a liking to her. You on the other hand, Ally, are welcome any time.” She turned to give me a bright smile, and Nick reached over to squeeze my hand, and didn’t let go.
“Well, I think we need to be heading out. Ally’s brother is in town and I’m sure she wants to spend a little more time with him.” He stood up, pulling me along with him, and kissed his mom on her cheek. “See you Sunday, Mom.”
“Bye, Nicholas. So nice to meet you, Ally, and I expect to see you around here more often.” She gave me a one armed hug, eyeing our hands that were still intertwined, and gave me a knowing smile. “You kids be good, now.”
It seemed like something changed in our relationship as we left the house. Nick pulled my hand to his lips and he gently kissed it, and then those lips finally moved to mine as he wrapped his arms around my waist, just like they belonged there.
When one of his hands landed on my bare thigh and slowly started to inch up, it took everything in me not to just jump on him and do all of the things I had been fantasizing about now for weeks. Those hands were magic and could make me forget just about anything… except for the fact that we were right in front of his parents’ house.
But maybe he could make me forget.
He massaged my ass through the thin material of the lacy boy shorts I had on, as he licked the seam of my mouth, and my hips involuntary pushed against him as if they had a mind of their own.
They really had the right idea.