Page 51 of Tangled Vows

“You did most of the cooking. Let us handle this,” Easton said, handing me a glass of wine. “Relax. Kick your feet up. Pick out what monster you want to be,” he added, pointing to the game board. I shot him a questioning glare, and he grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “It’s a Godzilla themed Monopoly set.”

“She can’t be Godzilla. That’s always my piece,” Max said, staking his claim, and I giggled. It made sense considering howhis room was decorated. The kid was obsessed. I had to admit, it was pretty cool. Easton spared no expense to make the room special for his nephew.

Easton and Roni finished up and joined us just as Max was divvying out the money. To absolutely no one’s surprise, Max kicked our asses. He was competitive and ruthless, traits I’d witnessed from Easton when he was on the ice.

“It’s getting late. We should probably turn in for the night,” Roni announced as the game pieces were packed away.

Roni, Max, and David retired to their rooms, leaving Easton and me alone. Silence fell between us, and I busied myself with putting away the freshly washed dishes. I felt Easton’s gaze on me, but I couldn’t look at him. Today felt too real, like our families joining solidified our places in each other’s lives. And it felt good,righteven, but I couldn’t let myself want it.

“Thank you,” he said finally.

“For what?” I asked, continuing with my task, despite my heart leaping in my throat.

“For making today special. For welcoming my family into our lives without hesitation. I know you weren’t expecting them when they showed up, and I feel like a complete ass for forgetting to tell you they were coming.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal,” I assured him. “This is your home. You can?—”

“Ourhome,” he corrected, his gaze intense. “You live here now too.”

“Right, I just…” I began, but my voice trailed off. “This is a big change, and there will be growing pains along the way, but we just gotta make it through the next year, maybe even less, then things will go back to normal.”

His eyes darkened then, and his jaw hardened. An indiscernible emotion fell over his features before he shuttered them and nodded his agreement.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out.

What the hell? What did I say? He seemed upset, but I couldn’t fathom why. Baffled by his abrupt change in mood and wanting to give him some space, I hung back and finished putting away dishes.

The room was dark and quiet when I entered. Easton lay on his side, his breaths even. I retreated to the bathroom and quietly shut the door so I wouldn’t wake him. Turning on the shower, I stepped inside and let the luxurious rainfall showerhead relax my tight muscles. There was another, more insistent tension that needed to be relieved, but I couldn’t risk doingthatin here in case Easton heard me. When I stayed upstairs, I could perform all manners of self-care without worry, but Easton was too close now. As bad as I needed the release, it would have to wait until I was completely alone.

The bed was empty when I awoke the next morning. Easton didn’t have practice until later, so I wondered where he was. Slipping out of bed, I padded to the bathroom and began my morning routine. When I entered the kitchen thirty minutes later, Easton was nowhere to be found. There was fresh coffee in the pot, so I poured a cup and began sipping from it.

Grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl, I lazily peeled it as I replayed our conversation from last night. Something was nagging at me. I couldn’t figure out what I’d said that had made him do a complete one-eighty. He’d been appreciative and kind one minute and surly the next.

I was still contemplating his reaction as I began to take a bite. Just then, Easton walked into the room, rubbing a hand towel over his damp head. He wore gym shorts slung low on his hips and sneakers. His chest glistened with a light sheen of sweat. The towel in his hand was one he kept in his home gym. He must've been working out, and that was why I didn’t see him.

I paused with the banana in my mouth, teeth poised to sink into the soft flesh. He had yet to notice me, and I didn’t want him to catch me standing there, staring at him while I stuffed a phallic-shaped fruit into my mouth. So I quickly bit off a chunk and chewed.

He looked up as he drew closer and paused, dropping his hand to his side. Uncertainty flitted in his gaze, and the skin around his eyes tightened.

“Hey,” he offered with a subtle nod.

“Hey,” I returned, then took another bite of banana to avoid asking him what his problem was. This man was infuriating when he taunted me, but now I missed it. I didn’t like this somber version of Easton whose eyes didn’t dance with mischief. I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I wanted the old one back.

He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, guzzling half of it in one go. His throat bobbed as he drank it down. I found the motion oddly sensual. I turned away and nibbled on my food.

“Are you going shopping this morning?” he asked.

“Absolutely not,” I declared, and his lips quirked. “There’s no deal worth fighting that crowd for.” The tension fell from his shoulders as he released a breathy chuckle. I wasn’t fond of crowds under normal circumstances, so going into to a store on Black Friday sounded like torture.

His expression sobered, and he took a step toward me. I fought the urge to retreat at the serious look in his eyes.

“Look, about?—”

“Good morning!” Max chirped as he skipped into the kitchen, cutting off whatever Easton was about to say. Roni shuffled in after him, decidedly less energetic.

“Mornin’, Roni,” Easton greeted, and she grunted, heading straight for the coffee pot. Max chattered away as Roni prepared her coffee and finally perked up after taking a sip.

“I have practice later. Will you and Gramps be okay for a few hours while I’m gone?”

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