Page 17 of Family Forever
Chapter Six
Marissa watched through the kitchen window as Cole pulled into the driveway and parked his forest green Subaru just outside the second garage stall door. Nate and Luke raced to him. The tall man scooped Luke up, tossed him over his shoulder, and bounced him up and down before returning him to the ground. He gave Nate a quick hug before reaching into the backseat of his car to pull out a large duffle bag, which he immediately handed to Nate. The nine-year-old slung the bag over his shoulder and walked lopsided toward the house.
“I see he’s finally here,” Dylan commented as he leaned over the sink and looked out the kitchen window as well.
His shoulder brushed against hers, and the heat of his body nearly melted her. She didn’t have much experience with men and it was showing. Over the past couple months, she’d sent out every vibe possible to get his attention, short of stripping naked in front of him, and he hadn’t a clue. He still looked at her like she was some sort of helpless wounded duck.
Aric and Braden eagerly bounded into the kitchen as Cole, Nate, and Luke entered from outside. Cole stepped toward them and hugged them both before zoning in on Dylan. He nodded at his older brother. "Hey."
“Glad you could make it home for the weekend. I’m surprised you could get off work at the gallery for the holiday weekend.”
“I worked Memorial Day weekend and I’m scheduled for Labor Day weekend, so they gave me off for the Fourth.”
Marissa watched the two men as they eyed each other for a moment. Though they both had the same dark mesmerizing eyes, many of their other features were different. Cole was nearly the same height as Dylan, but his build was lankier. He had higher cheekbones and a thin face, whereas Dylan’s was more filled out with a strong, square jaw. They both had the same thick, wavy hair but Dylan’s was trimmed short, and Cole’s flowed over his shoulders, and down his back.
Cole shifted his gaze to her. “Hey, Marissa, how’s it going?”
She smiled. “Good.”
He winked at her. “Have you whipped these boys into shape yet?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I’ve heard you’ve been doing a pretty good job.” He swung his gaze between all his brothers. “And with this group I can’t imagine it’s been easy.”
A tinge of nervousness crept through her. Who had he been talking to? Or was he just kidding? She could never tell with this group.
Cole looked at Nate. “Why don’t you go throw my bag in my room and then we can all catch up over lunch.”
Dylan chuckled.
“What?” Cole asked.
“You kind of don’t have a room right now.”
“So the room at the top of the stairs, down the hall on the left has disappeared.”
“I took it,” Aric chimed in. “I needed more space so I moved out of mine and Braden’s room.”
Cole pulled a teasing frown. “I leave to further my education and you take my room?”
Aric smiled. “Yep, you snooze, you lose.”
“Dare I ask where my bed is?”
“Your bed is in the den,” Dylan informed him. “Marissa is using it. I moved my office into my bedroom.”
A sly grin spanned Cole’s face as his gaze raked over her. “Works for me.”
Marissa’s cheeks heated.
Dylan’s gaze bore into Cole. “You’re bunking in Luke’s bed and Luke can sleep with me while you're here.”
It crossed her mind to volunteer to sleep with Dylan as to not displace Luke, but she feared her idea would get rejected. She didn’t want to think about that now. Lunch. That sounded like a good idea. She spun and stepped toward the fridge where she pulled out the tuna and ham, and the pasta salads she made earlier, wondering if she’d made enough. It was hard enough to keep up with Dylan, Aric and Braden’s appetites but for the next few days she had to add Cole to the mix. She couldn’t believe the amount of food these men ate. In fear of not having enough, she had prepared a raw vegetable tray as well.
The boys interrupted each other, informing Cole of all their adventures since they’d last seen him at Easter. He listened attentively to them. In this respect, he was very similar to his older brother, making sure each boy had his undivided attention.
They were nearly finished with lunch when Luke leaned toward Dylan and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, “Can we have the cake now?”
