Page 11 of Tangled Hearts
“Fucking gross, dude. They’re myuncles.”
“But not by blood,” Liam argues, earning him another slap from Molly. How kind of him to point that out to me when I’m already spiraling about being replaced by the elusive Nic.
“Anyway,” I say, trying to change the subject. “I’m going to dinner tonight because my dads can’t make it. I’m kind of freaking out a bit.”
Molly gives me a knowing smile. “You know Holden would send someone to the fiery pits of hell with his bare hands before he’d let anyone hurt you.”
I do know that. I also know that Holden spent his entire life wanting a family of his own. And sure, he has that with us. But not even his kids share his blood. This is hisrealfamily.Theonlyfamily he has with an actual blood tie to him. What if that means more to him than the family he’s cobbled together on his own?
Nope. I know better than that. God, I’m a fucking mess. I have a feeling I won’t feel better until I actually see Holden and Nic together. Until I get the chance to interact with them in the same room. Until I have real, tangible proof that Holden isn’t going to cast me aside.
“At any rate, if hedoeslook like Holden, I want to meet him,” Liam says, making me burst into laughter. “As long as he’s gay and single. And he’s gotta have the waves too. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.”
“Oh, is that all?” I ask, still laughing. Well, I guess if there’s anything I can count on with these two, it’s that I’m going to be laughing. And if thinking about a similar version of Holden being bombarded by an overeager Liam is what it takes to make the man less terrifying to my anxiety, I’ll take it. “Probably unlikely, though. Uncle Hold is like… ethereal. No way the other dude got any of the looks. Hold probably hoarded them all for himself.”
Liam sighs. “Isn’t that the truth?”
Molly rolls her eyes. “You’re insufferable.” She turns her full attention to me, her eyebrows drawing together in concern. “You’ll call if you need me, right?”
“Of course.” I hope I don’t, though. Surely to God, I’ll be fine. I’ve been in this family for six years. Holden took me under his wing immediately. I have not a single bit of reason to doubt his love for me.
Molly stares me down like she’s trying to dissect me. “And you know this changes nothing, yes?”
How does she do that? Fucking uncanny. “Uh, yes?”
After a few seconds of narrowed eyes, she smiles brightly. “Good.”
We spend the next couple of hours hanging out and catching up. No one told me being a grownup would suck so much. I miss the days when it was just the three of us against the world, hanging out on the couch in my dads’ living room and just enjoying being teenagers. Why didn’t anyone warn me that when your age starts with two, life is no longer as fun?
By the time we’re all ready to head out, I’ve consumed my weight in boba and my stomach hurts. I can’t really tell if it’s from the aforementioned boba or if it’s because my anxiety has started a mental countdown to 6 p.m., when I have to be at Uncle Holden’s house, but it’s not a vibe.
My heart is pounding. This is ridiculous. There’s no reason for me to be freaking out this way, and yet… I’ve had to reapply my stupid eyeliner six times because my hand is shaking so badly I can barely keep from stabbing myself in the eyeball.
I went back and forth on whether I wanted to wear makeup, but ultimately, I need a bit of armor. So here we are, shaky-ass fucking wings, eyelashes touching my eyebrows, blinding highlight, and my favorite lip gloss.
I’m feeling more like myself and projecting confidence, though, so winning. I roll my eyes at my reflection before glancing at the clock. Fuck, I’m going to be late. I jump up and basically run out the door because if there’s anything I don’t want to do, it’s let Uncle Holden down.
I’m so nervous that I can’t even listen to the radio, and my left foot won’t stop bouncing. I guess it’s a good thing I never could figure outmy manual transmission driving lessons because that clutch leg would be killing me if I actually had to use it.
When I pull into Uncle Hold and Uncle Julian’s driveway, there’s already an unfamiliar Jeep parked there. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I really hope Holden doesn’t think I’m trying to stand him up.
I turn off my car and damn near rip the key from the ignition in my hurry to get to the front door, and when I make it, I don’t stop. I barrel through the door and slam straight into the back of a solid body—hitting it so hard that I lose my balance and tumble to the ground with a crash and a groan.
I close my eyes, hot embarrassment washing over me, and when I open them, I’m staring into the most gorgeous set of hazel eyes I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
Do I have a concussion? Who the fuck around here has hazel eyes? “I’m so fucking sorry,” someone says, and I blink up, my eyes tracking the face of the person talking to me. Holy fuck. I think I might actually have a concussion because this is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my entire life. “Here, let me help you up.”
Warm hands slide into mine, then I’m being pulled to my feet and steadied with gentle fingers dusting over my forearms.
“Hey, Nic. Oh shit. What did you do to Eli?” I hear Holden ask from somewhere in my fuzzy, fucked-up brain.
“Eli?” the man asks and then drops his hands. Nic? Oh fuck. Oh, absolutely fucking not. “I’m so sorry for knocking you over,” he says, warm gaze peering into the depths of my soul. “Are you okay?”
Nic. This is Nic. Perfect. Love this for me. Is it possible for a brain to do a factory reset? I can’t look anywhere except at the concerned hazel of Holden’s brother’s eyes. I can’t even think about turning to find Holden, even though I can feel his presence in the room. The only logical explanation is the brain-factory-reset thing. I can’t move because it’s still booting up.
Have I mentioned I think I may have a concussion? It’s the only explanation for what comes out of my mouth. “You havegotto be fucking kidding me. Fucking Liam.”
Chapter 5
