Page 3 of My Return to the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #2)

Which was, quite honestly, the last thing I wanted to do. Hightailing it down the hallway, I abandoned my suitcase in an effort to escape. I’d almost reached the safety of Katherine’s old art studio when a hand circled my wrist.

“Hey,” Alex said, gently tugging me away from the door. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Since I caught him dry humping Kim, I thought the answer to his question was obvious: anywhere that wasn’t his bedroom. But when I looked up at Alex for the first time since leaving, all I could do was open and close my mouth like an idiot.

Summer had been good to Alex Walter. He was sporting golden, sun-kissed skin, and his blond curls were lighter than normal, like he had spent every moment of the past few months outside.

He’d hit a growth spurt too, because he now stood a full head taller than me.

His lips curved into a smile as I took in each change.

It wasn’t cocky, like a certain older brother’s, but it was decidedly knowing.

“Um, hi.” I offered him a hesitant smile and pretended there wasn’t a blush creeping up my neck. “This isn’t awkward at all.”

Alex slipped his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Well, I’m not the one who barged in without knocking.”

“Right,” I said with a grimace. “I can’t say this enough, but I’m so sorry. I heard the music and thought it was Nathan.”

“I’m sorry too,” he replied. “This wasn’t how I planned for you to find out about us, but all is forgiven as long as you promise not to be mad at Kim? She’s worried you won’t want to be friends anymore.” Judging by the expression on Alex’s face, Kim wasn’t the only one who was worried.

His concern was sweet but unnecessary. Spending the summer in New York only confirmed that our decision to split was the right one, because I’d hardly thought about him at all.

“She has nothing to worry about. We broke up, remember?”

“Yeah, I was there.” His tone was light and teasing, but I could hear relief as well. “So we’re good?”

“Better than. Honestly, I’m happy for you both,” I told him, “but…um…I really did want to see Nathan. Any idea where he’s at?”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Alex was still shirtless, so when he folded his arms and smirked down at me from his recently acquired height, I had to make a conscious effort not to look.

Just because we weren’t together anymore didn’t mean I was blind.

“You dump me, and Nathan steals my spot as your favorite Walter? I’m hurt, Jackie. ”

I almost shot back that he was never my favorite but bit my tongue at the last second. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to get back to?”

“Touché.” He pushed off the wall and headed back in the direction of his room. “Nathan’s been spending a lot of time in the loft, so I’d check there,” he told me. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Alex, wait! Do you know if—I mean, will your brother be home tonight?” If so, I needed to brace myself for the encounter.

He paused but didn’t turn around. “Which brother? I have a few of those.”

“You know who I’m talking about,” I said gently.

“And you know we don’t talk, so you’re asking the wrong person.”

“Okay,” I said, letting the subject drop. I should’ve known better than to bring up Cole with him. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

After retrieving my suitcase and depositing it in my room, I set out in search of Nathan, mind whirling as I chewed over the afternoon’s bombshell of a revelation.

My ex, who I lived with, was dating my friend, neither of whom bothered to tell me about their newfound relationship.

Not that they owed me an explanation, but some kind of warning would have been nice.

I didn’t lie when I said I was happy for the both of them.

Alex and Kim were friends long before I came into the picture.

Plus, they shared all the same nerdy hobbies.

It had always been a point of contention in our relationship—my disinterest in GoG and his inability to understand the importance I placed on doing well in school.

That said, this development would take time to get used to.

Alex and Kim might fit well together, but it was still a startling change.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I made the five-minute walk to the barn on autopilot.

When I cleared the top of the ladder and the loft came into view, I blinked in surprise.

Here was another change. A dozen plastic dairy crates were stacked against the back wall to form a makeshift storage unit, and Nathan’s collection of vinyl was housed inside.

Additionally, the ancient TV was missing from the media cabinet; in its place sat a record player.

Nathan was stretched out across one of the lumpy couches, pencil in one hand and a book in the other.

He must have heard my entrance and assumed I was someone else, because he let out a long-suffering sigh without looking up from what he was reading.

“Jordan, I know I promised to help curate the soundtrack for your documentary, but you have to give me more than a couple hours. I haven’t started yet. ”

“Not Jordan.”

The pencil clattered on the floor as Nathan’s head snapped up.

“ Jackie ?” he exclaimed, a grin stretching across his face. He tossed his book aside and scrambled to his feet. “You’re back! I’ve been so— Wait, why do you look angry?”

I propped my hands on my hips. “Because you have some major explaining to do.” Since I wasn’t actually mad at him, I only waited a moment before dropping my angry act and pulling Nathan into a hug.

Like Alex, he’d grown more than a few inches over the summer, and I grumbled to myself as he rested his chin on top of my head.

There was a hesitant look on his face when we broke apart. “About what exactly?”

“Hmm, let’s think. Does Alex and Kim ring a bell?”

Nathan blinked at me. “But…you only just got here. How do you even know about that?”

“I heard music coming from your room when I went to put my suitcase away.” The partial explanation was all it took for Nathan to cringe, and I had a feeling he knew exactly where my story was going. “It’s no excuse, but we haven’t seen each other in nearly three months, and I missed you.”

“Oh no,” he muttered, flopping onto the couch. “You walked in on them, didn’t you?”

Nodding, I took a seat beside him. “They were half-naked and in the middle of a full-blown make-out session. Do you know how awkward that was?”

“Are you so traumatized that you forgot I share a room with Alex?” Nathan asked. “Why do you think I’m hiding out here? I’ve basically exiled myself to the loft since they started dating.”

Oof, I hadn’t considered that.

If the changes to the loft were anything to go by, he spent more than a fair amount of time in the barn.

On second glance, I spotted a wicker basket filled with blankets and pillows.

The thought of Nathan sleeping out here because Alex and Kim were getting busy frustrated me on his behalf.

Unfortunately, a precedent of discourtesy toward one’s roommate was already set in the Walter household—Danny once confessed sharing a room with Cole was a contributing factor as to why he was such a night owl—and the dark circles under Nathan’s eyes were telling.

Just how long had this been going on for?

When I asked him, he winced. “Er…they got together a couple of days after you left, so pretty much the entire time?”

“Are you serious ?”

Nathan misconstrued my reaction. He muttered something to himself that sounded suspiciously like “shitshow” before launching into a misplaced apology. “I’m really sorry, Jackie. I knew this would happen. I’ve been trying all week to think of the best way to break the news to you, but—”

“Nathan,” I said sharply, and he pressed himself so deep into the couch, it looked like he was trying to meld with the cushions.

“I’m not upset because of what I found out but when I found out.

We’ve had, what, half a dozen conversations this summer?

Why didn’t you tell me?” Even though I was fine with Alex and Kim’s relationship, it would have been nice to process the news while in New York instead of being caught flat-footed the moment I returned.

“I know. It’s just…you were gone, and it wasn’t my place to say anything.

Plus, it seemed like you needed a break from the drama.

Honest to God, I planned on warning you once you got back.

I figured I’d have more than a millisecond to do so, but I guess I should’ve known better considering my own experience this summer. ”

“Are they really that bad?” I asked after deciding to let things go. That Nathan had kept this secret from me was still upsetting, but I couldn’t blame him for sticking to whatever bro code he had with his brothers.

“Remember when Isaac was hooking up with one of Danny’s friends from drama club? You know, the girl with the lip mole who always dressed like someone from a period piece?”

“No. I think that was before my time, and honestly? I don’t want to know the gruesome details of your cousin’s love life.”

“That’s fair. You can picture it, though, right? Isaac and the odd but pretty theater geek? They were one of those couples that exemplify why people hate PDA.”

“What’s your point?”

Nathan sighed. “Alex and Kim are a thousand times worse.”

Yikes. No wonder Nathan was practically living in the barn.

“So…” he said when I didn’t immediately respond. “Just to be clear—are you sure there’s no hard feelings about the Kilex situation?”

“Kilex?”

“I thought it had a better ring to it than Aim. You don’t like it?”

I screwed up my face. “It sounds like an off-brand Kleenex for assassins.”

“Kilex! The only tissue that will blow you away!” Nathan said like one of those late night infomercials that sold products by shouting at people. He snorted at his own joke. “You’re right. That’s terrible.”

“Obviously,” I drawled.

“Hey, it’s not like you’re throwing out any good suggestions.”