Page 42 of Keep You Close

“Yeah. It’s been nice to be here. Seeing everyone.”

I wasn’t just saying that, either.

The more time I spent with my siblings, in-laws, and the kids, the more I wanted to spend time with them.

That was what I always knew would happen. And part of why I spent such little time in Navesink Bank. Because I knew the longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave. And I’d never been ready to set down roots.

Now, though?

Now, I was thinking of it.

And as much as I couldn’t admit this aloud—could barely admit it to myself—a part of that was absolutely because of AJ.

As much as I loved my brothers’ wives, I never really understood why they would rather be with just one woman than out being single, and getting to know many women.

Not until I found myself in the house with AJ. And her silly puzzles. Her great cooking. The way she carefully mixed several different kinds of bird food, so she could cater to all of the local birds. How she apologized to the squirrels if she didn’t throw peanuts out for them at their scheduled time. Listening to her sing to herself as she cleaned. Watching her interact with Samson, or talk about all the dogs at work.

I just… I don’t know… I got it now.

Because I still wasn’t sick of her.

In fact, it was making me really fucking crazy that she was avoiding me when I definitely wanted more of her.

“Atlas, like I get that you’re on your own all the time and used to not talking to people about shit, but…” Kingston trailed off, exhaling hard. “We used to talk about everything.”

I felt it then, a tug that I don’t think I’d really felt since I’d first taken off on my own, leaving my family behind. We’d never been apart. Until I’d gone off in search of… everything. And yet nothing at all somehow at the same time.

That string that bound all of us. The one that used to be pulled so tightly. But now? Now, it was stretched almost to breaking.

I suddenly wanted to walk it back, to twist some knots in the weak spots.

“AJ is avoiding me,” I blurted out, watching King’s brows shoot up.

“AJ? Why?” he asked, shaking his head.

I exhaled hard, gaze sliding away.

“For chrissakes,” Kingston said with a strange, choked sigh. “You could practically be in a full fucking body cast, and you’re fucking the girl you’re rooming with?”

“To be precise, we’re not fucking,” I said, getting another head shake out of him.

“But something happened.”

“Something… small,” I said, shrugging, not wanting to share details because I had a feeling AJ would be mortified if I did. “And since right after… I’ve barely seen her.”

“How? You live together?”

“Apparently, she now has approximately twelve thousand errands she needs to run a week. Samson has been to the groomer twice. The second time, he came home with painted nails. She’s grasping at straws here,” I said, sighing.

It was a sad fucking day when a woman would take her dog to get his nails painted neon green just to avoid sharing a meal or conversation with you.

Kingston’s gaze moved out the window for a moment, lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out the right way to say what was on his mind.

He was a fuckuva lot better at that than I was. Than any of my siblings were. I guess that came with the responsibility of the feelings of a bunch of people you were in charge of.

“I get the feeling that… that AJ didn’t have it easy before she came to Navesink Bank. I have no concrete reason to say that. It’s just… a feeling I get based on how she’s reacted to some shit since she moved in.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Kind of put that together myself too.”

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