Page 61 of No Rings Attached
I went to shake my head again, and before I could, my sister grabbed my cheeks and squished them to stop me from speaking.
“Nope. None of that. Just see where this goes with her. Don’t decide whether or not you can be together all by yourself. Okay? You deserve that magical kind of love, too. And if you tell anyone I said that, Iwillget someone to shank you.” She let go of my face with a final squeeze.
“I’m shaking with fear,” I joked and pretended to shiver.
“Good. You know your place.” She grinned, undeterred by the fact that I towered over her and she got her below-average height from our mom and grandmother.
I let her believe I was taking her comments to heart instead of contradicting her. Grace didn’t understand Ellie’s innate desire to please the people around her. If Ellie chose to stay and explore whatever this was between us, she was likely to stay here with me and accept the bare minimum because I was the first person to be good to her.
We passed through the large foyer and into the kitchen beyond. The wide open space was welcoming and new. My parents had redone the kitchen a few months ago and upgraded everything. The shiny white marble countertops with gray veining complimented the blue cabinets underneath and the gold hardware sprinkled throughout the space.
The kitchen buzzed with voices, clatter, and the smell of roasted chicken and garlic bread. Ellie was already seated at the table between Wyatt and Mom’s seat, her nerves visible in the way she fiddled with her cup of water.
“I would love to help. Please put me to work,” Ellie said to Mom.
“Sit, eat,” Mom said, setting food down. “Tonight you’re a guest, but next time you’re here as family so I won’t hesitate to do just that.”
Ellie’s smile wobbled, then steadied. “Deal. But only if you promise to boss me around like the others.”
Wyatt bumped her shoulder. “Careful what you wish for. She’ll have you peeling potatoes by Thanksgiving.”
“Better than peeling you off the floor after Drew trounces you at family game night,” Ellie shot back likely before she could think better of it if her wide eyes were any indication.
The table erupted in laughter—Wyatt loudest of all. “Oh, I like her.”
I tried glaring at him, but Ellie only leaned toward him conspiratorially, making my jaw clench.
“What the hell, dude? She’smygirlfriend. Get your own!” I growled before I could stop myself.
Wyatt grinned. “Maybe she is, but I bet she’s already figured out I’m more fun than you. And hella more handsome.”
This time I laughed. Wyatt was kidding and I needed to chill out.
Marcus sat on the other side of Wyatt. Dad was at the head of the table and Mom at the other, and I sat across from Ellie with Grace next to me.
We were missing someone. “Where’s Glamma?”
“She said she and her squad were going to drop off the rest of Ellie’s luggage at your house and then finish an errand, but that she’d be here for dessert.”
Ellie gasped. “My luggage. Shoot, Drew. I completely forgot. Your grandmother and her friends shouldn’t have to lift all that by themselves.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Glamma’s excellent at delegating. She likely hired the kid across the street to do it. I wouldn’t worry.”
“Okay.” Her shoulders crept up toward her ears. Ellie fiddled with her fork, and when she exhaled it was a tiny frustrated sigh. A frown pulled at the corner of her lips and I knew she was likely telling herself it was too much for my grandmother and that she never should’ve agreed to it.
I needed to help get her out of her head. Without being next to her, my options were limited.Distract Ellie. Distract Ellie,my inner voice chanted as my gaze searched the table, landing on the dinner roll on my plate.
I tossed the roll across the table. It bounced off her chest and ended up in her lap.
“Andrew Elliott Kingsley,” Mom scolded. “What is wrong with you?”
Ellie blinked, then burst out laughing, shoulder shaking. She lobbed the roll back at me, barely missing my plate. “Nice aim, slugger.”
The tension in her posture dissolved, just as I’d hoped.
I ran my foot alongside hers and she pressed hers to mine.
“Ellie, tell us something about yourself,” Dad said warmly as he passed her the rolls.
