Page 21 of Santa Is A Sl*t

I can only imagine how it would feel to not only have your work life change drastically but to also have major changes at home.

“It has to be tough but it sounds like you are being pretty strong through it all. The way you told off Nico was fucking hot.” I do my best to give her a playful smolder, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible.

Noel gives me a smug smirk, “He deserved it.”

He did. Someone had to give Nico a little bit of a fight. We’ve never really sat down and had a full-on conversation about his work. I can’t help but think that something is weighing down on him.

“I don’t disagree with you but I’m wondering if there’s a bigger picture at play. Companies don’t make a bunch of budget cuts as quickly as Nico did for no reason.”

Eve hasn’t mentioned anything specific but I know she’s seen the signs too.

Noel looks contemplative as if she didn’t consider that there could be something more going on.

“Maybe it’s nothing but I wanted to point out that we don’t always know why someone is making their decisions,” I say, making sure my tone isn’t condescending. “And maybe I wanted to help humanize our office Grinch too.”

That earns me another laugh and the sound filters through my ears and settles in my chest with pride.

She rolls her eyes at me. “I don’treallyhate him, you know? He was just so damn…bossy.”

I chuckle. “That is kind of his job.”

We settle into a brief, comfortable silence for a few moments before I make a move.

“With all of those changes in your life, would one more be too much?”

Her eyes sparkle with interest. “I guess that depends on what it is.”

I turn in the booth so we’re face to face but keep her hands cupped in mine. “Give us a real chance.”

Her teeth bite down on her lips nervously. “You mean…like an exclusive relationship?”

“Yes. The four of us.” Making it clear that we want her and Nico.

“Nico, too?” She asks.

“I’m talking to you first, one one-on-one, because we didn’t want to overwhelm or scare you. We’ve thought about it a lot and this isn’t the first time we’ve wanted to try to have a real relationshipwith you. But joining a couple with as much history as Eve and I, we thought it might be too much.”

Any relationship is going to have challenges but with more people to consider, those challenges can be even harder to overcome. I think we can handle it.

“Is Eve going to talk to Nico, too?”

I nod in confirmation. “We want you both onboard but you should know that even if he says no, it’s not going to change how we feel about you or what we want.”

I mean every word I say.

Noel should be with us and if she says no today, we’ll wait until she’s ready. But we’re done searching for something that we’ve already found.

“Take the next couple of days to think about it. Do whatever you need to do. We’ll be waiting whenever you’re ready to talk and we’ll continue to care about you no matter what you decide.”

I kiss her on the top of her head before leaving her in the booth.

On my way out of the coffee shop, I let the nerves I’ve been hiding rise to the surface. I really hope they both want this too.

Chapter Ten

NOEL

Having a couple of days off was exactly what I needed to clear my mind. After my conversation with Kane, I had a lot to think about.

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