Page 14 of No One Wants That (Blitzen Bay)

“Give me a day. Okay? I really don’t want to talk about it yet. Can we get to Blitzen Bay? I need its healing powers all around me.”

“We’re not going anywhere if you two don’t release me,” Nash says from above us. “Is the hugging done yet?”

I tilt my head up and smile at him. “For now. I’m probably going to need more later if it’s okay with Elle.”

“It’s so okay. Nash’s chest is made for hugging—and crying against if you need that.” Her eyes start to well up. “Do you need that, Kit? Crying? You know it’s okay to cry in front of us.”

“Stop!” I say as I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her toward the exit doors. “You know the rule. You can’t cry about my stuff if I don’t cry about it. We’ve talked about that so many times.”

She sniffs loudly, but somehow wills the tears to sink back into her head. “Okay, but I don’t want you to bury your emotions. It’s bad for you. Let your sadness out.”

“I’m not sad. I’m with my favorite person on earth.” I look at Nash who’s pulling my bags behind us. “And his girlfriend.”

He shakes his head and sighs. “I’m guessing since Mateo’s not here that I have two girlfriends for the week.”

“You guess correctly. Unless you set me up with one of your friends. Didn’t you say Alex Molina is coming in for the week? I’d be more than fine hanging out with him.”

“Alex has a serious girlfriend,” Elle says. “I met her when they came to Pepperdine. She’s cool and he’s really into her.”

“He must be if he’s skipping the All-Star game to hang out with her, especially in his last year of playing.”

“That’s what I said,” Nash says. “I’d do anything to play in the major leagues, not to mention the All-Star game, but I guess when you’ve played in it as many years as he has, it’s not that exciting anymore.”

“Alex invited his teammate to come to Blitzen this week, too,” Elle says, “but I think this Seb guy is playing in the All-Star game.”

“By ‘this Seb guy,’ I’m guessing you’re referring to Seb Miller—the most famous baseball player in the world,” I say, exchanging an eye roll with Nash. “And arguably one of the most famous athletes in the world.”

“I guess,” she says. “You know I don’t pay attention to sports. But anyway, Alex said Seb skipped the All-Star thingy last year to get married, so he’s playing this year.”

“Damn,” I say. “Seb’s one of my favorite players. It would have been cool to meet him.”

“Kit,” Elle says, grabbing my shoulders. “I said he was married.”

“I said it would be cool to meet him, not have sex with him. Although I definitely wouldn’t turn that down if he were single.”

“And if you were single,” she says, her eyes getting wider. “Are you?”

I push her away as Nash clicks open the doors of a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

“Wait, did you get a new car? I can’t believe you got rid of your truck.”

“I’ll never get rid of that truck since the first time Elle and I met was when she was hiding in the back of it,” he says. “I bought this for Elle. Her car wasn’t reliable enough for the L.A. to Blitzen trips every weekend.”

He opens the passengers’ side doors for us, gets us settled, and then walks around to put my bags in the back.

“He bought you a car?” I whisper as I lean up into the front seat. “It’s that kind of serious now?”

She nods—a huge smile erupting all over her face. She covers it quickly with her hands then jerks her left hand back down and sits on it.

“What the hell was that?” I say, grabbing at her arm.

“Nothing!” she says, scooting away from me.

“Noelle Ivy Clark,” I say as Nash crawls into the driver’s seat. “Give me your left hand immediately.”

Nash looks quickly between us. “I thought we weren’t going to tell her yet.”

Elle scrunches up her face. “I forgot to take off the ring.”

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