Page 44 of Promise Yule Be Mine
"Sure. Use the one upstairs, second door on the left. The downstairs bathroom is having a moment."
"‘A moment’?"
He laughed and went up the stairs. Two seconds later Nikita appeared.
"Hey. What's Nova doing here?" he asked.
I told him about the plan for the day and his expression darkened.
"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
"You're spending an awful lot of time with Nova, aren't you?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous, little bro?"
"Moi? Jealoús?" he said in a mock French accent.
"I thought you liked Nova."
"Pfft. That's yesterday's news. Literally. But why do you care?"
I made a face and shook my head. "I don't."
"Right. Because you decided to call it quits on love and start a family."
"Correct," I said.
"With your best friend, AKA chaotic mess of a girl."
"Hey!" I groaned.
"Come on, Kody. I love her like a sister but sheisa mess. And she's dragged you into it with thisarrangement."
"She didn't drag me into anything. We both agreed."
"But you've changed your mind, haven't you?"
"No," I said, a tad too defensively.
"So you don't like Nova?"
I shook my head but even that felt like a betrayal to the kaleidoscope of butterflies that had spread their wings all over my chest and belly.
"Is that why you're spending so much time with him?"
"He's my wedding planner, Niki. Of course I have to spend time with him, or did you forget Jenna is stuck abroad?"
"Right," Niki said. "Stuck. Abroad. No, I didn't forget. But no one would blame you if you did."
"You're talking out of your ass now."
Niki shrugged. "What can I say. It likes to sing."
"Gross."
"Whatever, big bro. I'm taking the dogs out. Don't be nice. Get a little wild while I'm gone, won't you?"
I grumbled but he didn't seem to care. He turned his back, clipped the dogs on their leads and shot out of the door, leaving me to stare after him.
