Page 57 of Quiet Confessions: Part Two

He grabs one for Rooke and shrugs. “It was good. Nate whooped my ass in DDR, but it was fun.” He looks at the mess on the counter and winces. “We did already eat, though. We split a pizza.”

I throw a dish towel at him and pretend to be pissed. Frowning, I move over to him and he pulls me into a hug. I lean up so I can whisper in his ear. “Well, it’s a good thing that I only made enough for me and Ki,” I say, and he laughs.

“That was mean, babe,” he grumbles, and I give him a smirk.

Rooke is still playing with the cat and Nate is just now walking into the apartment. He’s holding a takeout container and the smell of honey mustard wings has me groaning.

“And that’s why you’re my favorite,” I say, and he gives me a huge grin as he places them in front of me on the counter. I don’t hesitate and soon I have sauce dripping down my chin and I’m moaning as I eat.

“Fuck, baby girl, I love to watch you eat,” Rooke mutters and I laugh. Nate walks behind me and grabs me a paper towel so I can clean off my face. I hum as I finish my wings, then jump when I feel someone stand behind me and press me into the counter.

I grind my butt back against them and Cal growls. “We don’t have time for this right now, your time is just about out,” he says, then steps away with my chicken bones.

I watch in amazement as he puts them inside a bag, then ties it tight and puts it in the trash. “We can’t have Mouse eating these and choking” is his explanation, and fuck, I think I just fell even more in love with my grumpy fiancé.

The oven beeps and I turn, grabbing a potholder to pull the casserole out. I set it on the counter and make a quick salad.

“Can one of you set the table and tell Ki dinner is ready, please?” Rooke leaves the room and Nate walks to the cupboard for plates. I shuffle closer to him and pull him into a deep kiss.

“Thank you for my snack,” I mumble against his lips and he laughs, kissing me one more time before moving away.

Cal is the only one remaining with me and he looks like he has something on his mind.

“What’s wrong?”

Sighing, he turns to face me, then rubs his hand over his face. “You know I love you, Patience, but there are these moments between you and Nate and it just reminds me that he’s the one you should be marrying.”

“Okay, then how about after the wedding we have a small ceremony and handfast us all? This way, we’re all connected. I’m figuring out things as we go, and sometimes I’m winging it. It’s actually really sweet that you would think of your brother and his happiness,” I tell him with a smile. The back of Cal’s neck turns red with embarrassment, but I wisely ignore it. “You don’t have to count yourself out. I love you, Cal. I always have. Even when you were being a huge dick. You’re one of my best friends.”

I leave him to his thoughts and bring the food over to the table. Ki is waiting for me and he still seems to have a lot on his mind.

“This looks amazing, baby girl. Thank you,” he says and gives me a quick kiss before making me a plate and setting it in front of me.

“I may have eaten my weight in wings a few minutes ago,” I mumble, looking at the large portion he gave me.

He laughs and digs in. Rooke and Nate take a seat at the table with us and I giggle when Rooke piles his plate full. His appetite astounds me.

It’s quiet and I startle as Ki begins to talk. “My dad is back in town. Your mom is still in Italy and plans to stay there until a few days before the wedding.” I roll my eyes and scoff.

“Yeah, she’s not thrilled that I’m interrupting her plans. Honestly, I’d be fine if she didn’t even come.”

Nate reaches over to take my hand and Cal gives me a small smile from across the table. I know he would do anything to have his mom attend, as I would my dad. It sucks that our amazing parents died and left us with the shitty ones.

“Sharon Gatem is requesting a meeting with you and Cal,” Kian tells me after his plate is empty. I choke on a sip of my water and Nate pats me on the back.

“What? Why?” I stumble on my words and Cal laughs.

“Because she’s a greedy little opportunist. She’s probably pissed we bumped up the wedding.”

Sighing, I stand and start to clean up the table. Rooke grabs the leftovers and carries them into the kitchen to put away. “I really don’t want to deal with any more drama. Can we just go one week without it?"

“God, I wish,” I sigh. “What’s the deal with this woman anyway? Why does she want the company so badly?”

“That’s what I want to talk about,” Ki says. “We need to figure out why she’s got such a hard-on for this company. This feels personal.”

“Well, I think it may be time we pay this woman a visit. I don’t think I’ve ever even met her. What makes her so special that she would get our family's company?”

“She was our mother’s best friend. They worked together. I think they even went to school together or something, but after she died we never heard from her again,” Nate grumbles and moves closer to me.

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