Page 67
Story: Hold Me
“See, your boyfriend obviously likes me,” Mom tells me joyfully. “You need to bring him along more often.”
“Maybe I should ask you to visit us and cook for us once in a while,” I say, not ready to promise her to visit more often.
“That would be fun,” Noel says. “Though I like your cooking too.”
“You cook, Aden?” Linda, Kayden’s fiancée, asks.
“I am trying to, at least,” I tell her.
“Don’t be so modest,” Noel intervenes. “His cooking kicks ass. Must run in the family.”
Linda and Francis’ wife exchange a look and burst into laughter. “It doesn’t,” Linda grins. “Emily and I know fromexperience. Though from what I’ve heard, it seems Oliver is doing okay-ish in the kitchen.”
“Francis can’t cook to save his life,” Emily grins.
“But I help,” he says.
Emily smiles, kissing his cheek. “You do,” she says softly.
“Martin is trying, too,” Mom muses.
“Then it’s just you who picked up cooking skills?” Noel asks me. It’s so obvious he’s using this chance to have a subtle dig at my brothers. It’s hilarious. “Must be great to be a genius.”
“I am not a genius,” I chuckle.
“You totally are. The whole package, really.” His cheeks flush slightly, as if he only just realizes what he said. “Well, it’s true,” he mutters more to himself than to anyone else.
Obviously, Mom is head over heels for him. She has always been worried about me never introducing anyone to her, and for barely sharing anything about my life. Now she looks like she is bursting with joy. I guess from her perspective, I can understand how she feels. She must be relieved to see how much Noel seems to like me.
“Wait till you see Mom’s dessert,” Kayden says. “She went completely overboard this time.”
“Of course I did. It’s rare that we are all together.”
I turn to Noel. “Her desserts are fantastic.”
“We used to fight over the last pieces of her cakes all the time,” Martin adds. The others discuss this a bit further, while I can’t help but fall silent. There is not much I can say about it. He is right, we always fought about dessert, though it was rather them fighting and me not even daring to make a go for it. I never had any chance.
I wonder how life is for siblings who receive love from their older siblings. I get why Martin saw me as a rival, as we were closer in age, but Kayden is ten years older and didn’t feel the urge to protect me much either.
Under the table, I can feel Noel’s warm hand reaching out and resting on my knee.
Yes, bringing him along was the best idea I’ve had in a long time. That and deciding to date him.
“Noel is a sweetheart,” Mom says to me when Kayden and I help her with the dishes. She sent the others off to do some other tasks. Only refusing help from Noel, Linda and Emily.
“He is,” I say.
“It’s obvious how much he loves you,” Kayden adds.
I stay silent at his words, but when Mom turns to me and smiles, I can’t help but return the smile. “You are happy, aren’t you?”
“Noel makes me happy,” I say honestly. “He brings so much warmth into my life.”
“How did you get to know each other?”
I don’t mind telling my mother, but I don’t want to have all my brothers know so many details about my private life. “Come and visit us,” I tell her. “And you will get the whole story.”
“Then I will come for sure,” she beams. “Do you know when you have the next free weekend?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99