Page 258 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“No problem,” Brody says. He slowly eases the truck out of the parking lot. “The wood stove in the living room does a great job of keeping the house warm. At least the first floor. And Kate loves it when the house is full of people.”
“Will the power stay out long?” Tatum asks.
“Not more than a day or two,” I answer. “Depends on how long it snows.”
“Tyler told me he’s taking Olivia and the baby over to Mom and Dad’s,” Brody says. “And Perry has a fireplace at his place, so I’m sure he and Lila will stay home.” He shoots me a questioning look. “So that means it’ll just be the four of us?”
Tatum shifts in the back seat, and I look over my shoulder to see her gaze on me—something like anticipation—maybe even excitement?—dancing in her eyes.
I raise my eyebrows in question, and she shrugs the slightest bit. “I think it sounds fun.”
Brody eases his truck to a stop outside my house. “It’s your call, man.”
I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I’ll walk down in a bit,” I say. “I’ve just got to get a few things together first.”
Get a few things together . . . and shower. And trim my beard and put on clean clothes and do my best tonotlook like I just rolled out of bed and spent two hours fighting with a giant oaktree. The water will be ice cold, but if I’m spending the day with Tatum, holed up by the fire in my brother's living room, that’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Chapter Fourteen
Tatum
The sun is barelyup when we pull into the driveway at Kate and Brody’s house, but Kate is awake anyway, standing on the front porch to greet us as we climb the steps.
She pulls me into a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe and everything is okay.”
The comment takes me by surprise, only because I hadn’t considered the possibility of anyone being worried formysafety. It was snowing inside the kitchen, which felt like more than enough reason to be concerned. But they were worried about me, too?
“Come on,” Brody says, nudging Kate toward the door. “Let’s get inside where it’s warm. I’ll build the fire up.”
Less than ten minutes later, I’m wrapped up in a blanket sitting next to the fire, Toby curled up at my feet. Pale morning light filters into the room, but it’s still dim, giving the entire space a sleepy, cozy feel. Considering how long I’ve been awake, I should probably nap—I’ll never make it through the day if I don’t. But that would require me to stop obsessing about when, exactly, Lennox intends to show up.
He said he’d walk down in a bit. Does that mean in an hour? Two hours?
The power is off at his house too, so if he waits that long, won’t he be cold?
I groan and grab a book off the side table. Lennox is a grown man who can regulate his own body heat. I don’t need to worry about him.
Still, as I open the book and flip to the first chapter, I can’t stop thinking about the way it felt to walk through the dark catering kitchen holding Lennox’s hand. I don’tneedto worry about him.
But maybe Iwantto.
“That’s a good one,” Kate says as she settles into the chair opposite me. She motions toward the book. “I just finished it.”
I turn the book around and look at the cover, which I barely noticed when I picked it up. It’s romcom-y and cute and looks exactly like the kind of book I would enjoy. “I was trying to decide if I should read or sleep,” I say, stifling a yawn.
“Brody just went up to sleep for a few more hours. You’re welcome to stretch out on the couch if you want. If you can get Charlie to move.”
The basset hound taking up the left half of the couch thumps his tail against the cushion when he hears his name, but otherwise, he doesn’t stir.
I pull my feet up under me and extend them toward the dog, nudging him to the side. “I’m used to sharing a couch with Toby,” I say. “I can make this work.” Honestly, I’m surprised Toby isn’t up here with me too, but I’m glad he’s opting to stay closer to the fire. That would be a lot of dog on one couch.
“Try and sleep,” Kate says as she stands up. “After the night you’ve had, I’m sure you could use it.”
I nestle down into the couch and read a few pages, but I must doze off at some point, because when I startle awake, the bookhas fallen to the floor, bright light is streaming through the window, and both dogs have abandoned the room.
I hear them though, collars jingling, paws tapping against the floor like they’re excited about something. The front door creaks open, and suddenly, I understand. Either Brody or Kate must be taking the dogs outside.
I stretch my arms over my head to stretch, then glance at my watch. It’s already eleven a.m.?Dang.I didn’t just nap, Islept.
