Page 101 of I Blame the Club

The couch dips beside me as my dad reappears with a plate of cookies in his hand. He passes it to me, shaking his head sagely, “Eat with caution.”

“Carlos!” She reaches around me and gives him a slap upside the head, “Keep it up and you’ll be making your own dinners from now on.”

He scoffs, “As if you would ever let me in the kitchen.”

She clucks her tongue in disapproval and turns to me with a smile, “Ignore your father. He doesn't understand his place in this family.”

I let out a small laugh, the ache in my chest refusing to let me do much else. My mom frowns, reaching out to smooth the frown line between my brows.

“Tell us what’s wrong, Nico.”

My dad grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. My throat tightens at the simple display of love and support, the one thing I was never without growing up in this house.

Taking a deep breath, I push the words out.

“I fell in love.”

And then I burst into tears.

Chapter 27

Mo

“What do you think?”

Stella sighs, taking a sip of her protein shake, “I think you should have come to me sooner.”

I raise my brow, “So you could invite me to another ABC party?”

She points her drink at me threateningly, “Don’t get snappy with me, brother. My matchmaking skills were in top performance that night.”

“I barely saw you at that party.”

She smirks, “And yet somehow Nico knew exactly where to find you.”

I groan, already regretting my decision to consult Stella about my plans.

“You're insufferable.”

She grins, “I know.”

I shake my head, ready to end this conversation when Stella speaks up.

“There’s only a couple of unpredictable variables with this plan.” She holds up two fingers, counting one off, “Nico being the first. We really don’t know where his head is at or how he will react.”

She taps the second finger with a grimace, “And the second one being-

“Jonathan.” I breathe out my father’s name, wishing it didn’t trigger a familiar bout of anxiety.

She nods, “Jonathan.”

I give her a pointed look, “Those are the only two variables in this situation.”

“Well then, let’s hope you figure out the best solution to appease both.” Stella grins, wiggling her eyebrows at me, “How was that for corporate jargon?”

I shake my head with a laugh, “Father would be proud.”

She tilts her head, twirling the straw of her drink mindlessly, “He’s not the one I want to make proud.”

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