Page 29 of Tangled Hearts
“This is gonna make me sound like a spoiled brat, but my dads bought my house. They paid cash. So, um—I guess you can help with groceries. Uncle Julian put a shitload of insulation in it, so it’s pretty cheap on electric, but you can pay part of that too if you want.”
Nic holds his hand out, and I giggle, taking it to shake it. Something strange and tingly happens to my hand and arm at the contact. Hesmiles. “Deal. But I’m serious, if you want me out, just say the word. No hard feelings.”
I think it’s gonna be just fine.
It’s not fine.
It’s notbad,and it hasn’t blown up in our faces. Other than some curious looks and Holden quietly pulling me to the side and asking if I was sure, everything’s gone okay. The real problem is that Nic is ignoring me. And look, I know that he doesn’thaveto be my friend just because he lives with me, but I was hoping he would be. I hoped that he’d actually want to spend time with me.
He’s also a bit of a slob. I mean, not in like a bad way, I guess. But when you spend most of your formative years living in absolute filth, having a couple of dishes in the sink feels like too much.
It’s only been two weeks, but I think he’s already decided I’m too much because he’s basically barricaded himself in his room. I feel bad. We don’t talk. There’s no playful teasing. But there’s also no me yelling at him, so I’m sure he probably appreciates that.
There’s a knock at my door. There’s literally only one person it can be, so I tell Nic to come in.
The door swings open. “I’m going to Holden’s.”
I nod, swallowing down my discomfort. “Okay.”
He closes the door without another word. There’s also been a lot of that. Him going to Holden’s. He also hasn’t spent any time with me at the center. He met my dads without me. At a dinner I wasn’t invited to. Not that I could have gone anyway, since I was working late at Safe Haven, but an invitation still would have been nice. He visitsHolden without me. For that matter, even Holden has barely talked to me. Sure, we’ve texted, but usually he’s calling me all the time. He hasn’t even called me his little bestie in, like, three days.
I know that’s probably incredibly stupid.
I sigh, glancing over at Kassie. She stares at me with her big brown eyes. “What do you think, girl? Am I being overdramatic?”
I could probably call Molly and Liam to come keep me company, but I’d likely be shitty company tonight anyway. Nah, it’s best if I just wallow in my own bullshit alone.
I should try to get out of this funk, so I climb out of my bed and change into something comfortable—a pair of baggy sweats I stole from Beck and a t-shirt I stole from Roman. I kinda just want to feel close to them. They trusted my choice to have Nic live with me, and I can’t let them think it was the wrong one.
I whistle for Kassie and she hops off my bed, following me into the living room. I curl up on the couch, and when she jumps up beside me, I rest my head on her. This whiny mood calls for a comfort show, so I get settled with a blanket from the back of the couch and turn on Grey’s Anatomy.
Dad and Uncle Holden both hate this show. Uncle Holden especially. He constantly complains about the lack of nurses and how nurses are the backbone of any hospital. I agree with him, but dammit, sometimes a guy just wants to watch some relationship drama and Alex Karev in peace.
I let my fingers run through Kassie’s fur as the show plays. It’s mostly background noise at this point, and I’m exhausted, so I close my eyes and listen.
Chapter 11
Nic
Eli is… not doing well. I think it’s me. It has to be me, right? All his fire and spunk and things I enjoy about him? Gone.
The first few days I stayed with him, we hung out a little. It wasn’t even anything crazy. The first morning, I was the recipient of a delicious breakfast of waffles that Eli shared with Kassie. He only offered them to her after he double-checked with me that it was safe for her to eat them. It was endearing and sweet. Thankfully, her vet appointment went fine and they couldn’t find any obvious cause for her seizure. I’ve taken it upon myself to keep an eye on her in case I notice anything that needs to be checked out.
The next night, I showed him my mom’s baked mac and cheese recipe. I actually just needed a bit of home, and in that moment, it was perfect. We talked through dinner. About nothing of consequence, but it was still nice. For the first time in months, I felt like a person. I don’t really know what I did wrong, but he started spending more and more time at work. I do anything I can to stay out of his way so I don’t make him uncomfortable.
I didn’t even get to see him at Holden’s the night I met Beck and Roman. I told him I was going to dinner and was about to ask him if he was going to be there too—I figured we could ride together if so—when he cut me off and told me that he had to stay late at the group home.
And even that hasn’t gone the way I thought it would. I kept waiting for an invitation. For him to bring up me going with him, but it never came.
Then one day, he went into his room and just stopped coming out. Two days later, I set up a search on my phone for rentals and houses for sale. Anything to get out of his hair and let him be happy.
“Uncle Nic.” Warren’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, little buddy?”
Big blue eyes blink at me. “Do you want to see my new airplane Daddy got me?”
“Of course.” I give him a smile and follow him into his bedroom.
