Page 95 of Undone

He groaned. “I have… baggage.” He gestured to Gracie, indicating he wasn’t going to say anything in front of her.

But we both know without her, he was not nearly as open, so it was a lose-lose situation if I ever wanted to know what the hell went on in his head.

“You don’t have baggage, Uncle Colt,” she said with a small pout, clearly confused by the term. “Wait, what’s baggage?”

Colt smiled faintly, shaking his head. “It’s nothing, G.”

Gracie seemed satisfied with that answer and went back to her menu, but I wasn’t letting it go so easily. I studied Colt for a second, noting the tension still lingering in his shoulders.

“So, this woman you think would never be interested in you,” I said, keeping my tone casual, “have you maybe asked her?”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Trust me. She knows.”

“Well,” I said slowly, leaning back in my seat, “maybe you should give yourself more credit. Despite the whole grumpy thing, you’re not as much of a jackass as you think.”

Colt let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, thanks for that, Doc.”

Gracie suddenly perked up, her eyes wide as the waitress approached with our food.

“Ooh, food’s here!” she chirped, bouncing in her seat again. Colt helped make sure she didn’t knock over her drink in her excitement.

“What about you? You’re the one with googly eyes lately.” He raised a brow at me.

I scoffed. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Not at all.”

Gracie, who seemed too engrossed in her food to notice our conversation, suddenly perked up. “Uncle Colt, are you talking about Noah? I mean, Miss Reid? I think my daddy likes her too!”

I let out a groan as Colt burst into laughter. I quickly ignored the turn in conversation, unsure of how to respond.

The truth was, I didn’t even know what Noah and I were, if we were anything at all.

But I wasn’t ready to talk about that, especially to my brother.

THIRTY-THREE

Noah - September

BUTTERFLIES - ABE PARKER

Dorian stood in the kitchen,leaning against the counter with a relaxed smile that never failed to send butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I walked in.

“Hi,” I said, taking in his casual attire—a T-shirt that hugged his shoulders just right and black joggers that managed to be loose but still cling perfectly to his muscular thighs.

He was effortlessly handsome, and my pace quickened as I walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a water from the fridge, our fingers brushing for a moment. It was the kind of touch that was electric.

I nodded in thanks. “Long day?”

“Yeah,” he said, pushing off the counter and moving toward the living room. “You?”

“Same,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light as I followed him into the cozy, dimly lit living room. “With the wedding planning, I’ve been on the phone constantly trying to get everything figured out.”

He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made me smile. “I take it she finally let you take something off her hands?”

“Yeah, I’m in charge of the cake and flowers,” I said, moving to sit on the couch while he settled in next to me.

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