Page 39 of Until Now

“So, what did Daddy and Kai want?” I sip my coffee joining him on the balcony. The sun high in the sky confirms it’s almost noon. Is this what normal people do on vacation — sleep until noon and eat breakfast on the balcony? I’ve never done this, but I think I could get used to it. Nick has laid breakfast out on the square wooden coffee table — avocado toast with a side of eggs and potatoes from Little Bird. They took him to my favorite restaurant without me? Rude.

“Just wanted to see how I’m liking it here.”

“That all?”

“And you.”

I rip open the hot sauce packet with my teeth and pour it on my eggs, ignoring his stare. I have to. From the way this morning has been going, I can’t promise we’ll be keeping our distance any longer.

“Asked about Pop and my brother.” He takes a sip of my coffee. “Wonder what your dad would think if he knew I was describing myself. You think he’d still be okay with you dating someone who isn’t making six figures a year?”

“Yes.” Finally, I meet his gaze and it’s softer. Like he really wants to know. Like he’s really thought about this. I know Daddy would be okay with it. As long as I’m happy.

“He thinks you and Lee have a right to talk things over without me and Teagan getting in the way.” It’s more of a question than a statement. He wants to know if I think the same, if I want the same.

“I don’t want him, Nick.”

“I didn’t say—”

“I don’t want him. Not as my boyfriend, not as a friend. I want nothing to do with him.”

“What do you want, Davina?”

You.

But, I can’t say that.

“Eat your breakfast, Dee,” Nick sighs. He kisses the top of my head lingering just a moment too long for it to be a friendly peck. “I’m gonna go find Kai. Help him in the garage.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

I can honestlysay I haven’t heard a word Eileen has said in the last two minutes. My attention solely on the man in front of me. I pull my lip between my teeth watching him toss the football across the driveway to my brother. The way his skin seems to glow under the sun. The way his arms flex with each toss of the ball. The way his legs move fluidly between catching and throwing stance, almost like a dance — like he’s done this a million times.

“You’re drooling.” Eileen nudges my shoulder.

“Am not.” But, I'm close. Nick meets my stare as he catches the ball. He sends me a wink before he returns it to Kai.

“Well, c’mon, before you start actually drooling.” Eileen loops her arm through mine and pulls me from the garden wall.

Nick wraps his arm around my waist and presses a lingering kiss to my temple. He whispers, “See something you like?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smile up at him and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“Finally, Madigan!” Kai calls up the front steps. Lee glares from the front door as Teagan skips down the steps, oblivious as always. “I was starting to think you were gonna bail.”

“In your dreams, Villa.” Lee catches the ball my brother throws his way tossing it between his hands. “Did you forget who won last time?”

“Inyourdreams, Madigan.”

The football game is a Villa family tradition every year around the Fourth of July. Daddy started it years ago to get Kai out of the house. My brother was always doing something with Mother or watching TV, while I was out exploring. It was Daddy’s way of getting Kai outdoors for a little bit. It used to just be Kai and me versus Daddy, but then we would bring friends over and it would be girls versus boys or kids versus adults. Mother never participates. Too likely to break a nail or get dirt on her clothes.

The game takes place in the sideyard, the only area relatively flat enough for space to run without trees in the way. The end zones have always remained the same: the stone steps leading around the house and the tree line fifty yards from the house. The line of scrimmage marked by a stake Daddy hammered into the ground the first game.

Nick maintains his hold on me, his arm slung over my shoulders, following the others into the yard. Lee tosses the ball back to Kai when he steps up to the front. “Okay, only one rule,” Kai says. “No tackling. None of us are trying to end up in the hospital.” That has always been the only rule we abide by because one wrong move and someone is going to need stitches. Once everyone agrees, Kai declares himself and Lee team captains. Kai picks first, “Nina.”

“Thank you,” I mouth to my brother.

“Eileen.”

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