Page 9 of Tangled Hearts (Mended Hearts #4)

Eli

“ I should head home. Kassie probably needs to go out.” Nic looks slightly confused, so I clarify. “My dog.” His eyes light up a little and it surprises me, but then I remember what he said about being a vet tech. Man, I really was being a little shit.

“It’s getting late, so I should go too,” Nic says.

“Damn. A whole brother and a whole nephew, and both of you are leaving me here alone?”

I laugh. “If I were you, I’d enjoy the seven seconds of peace and quiet you’ll get before Uncle Julian gets back with the kids.”

Holden gets a contemplative look on his face. “Very good point. See, I knew I kept you around for something.”

I give Holden a hug and glance toward the front door.

I still can’t believe I slammed into Nic like that and then turned into a grade-A asshole.

It’s not my fault, really. I mean, yeah, okay, it is, but like…

truly? Not only is Nic trying to steal my uncle from me, but he has the audacity to look that fucking hot while he’s doing it?

Unacceptable. So my defenses kicked in, and, well… we all know how that went .

Thankfully, he gave me the chance to start fresh and redo our first meeting because I would be even more upset about someone in our family not liking me than someone in our family taking Holden from me.

And even if I don’t want to admit it, Nic is part of the family.

Holden won’t have it any other way, which means I can’t have it any other way.

Nic and I both stand, and I watch, slightly jealous, when Holden stands too and pulls Nic into a hug. He’s taller than Holden, but probably not taller than my dads are. To be fair, though, most people are taller than Uncle Hold.

I’m already on my way to the door when Nic’s voice stops me. “Hey, give me a sec, and we can walk out together?”

I turn to face him, and Holden is staring at me with big eyes, basically begging me without words to let Nic do this and be nice. I think I’m done being a dickhead, though, so I nod and lean against the wall. “Anything for a fellow bean water hater.”

I avert my eyes to allow the two of them a little privacy for their goodbye, and when Nic’s footsteps catch my attention, I look back. Holden gives me a wave, and I wave back, then I slip out the door, holding it open so Nic can walk out too.

It’s dark and chilly. I should have dressed for the weather since it may be spring during the day, but when the sun goes down, so does the temperature. No dice. I shiver, rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

“You cold?”

“Little bit,” I answer, glancing at Nic.

“I can give you my jacket.”

That stops me dead in my tracks, both literally and figuratively. Nic makes it a couple of steps ahead of me and then halts, turning around to look at me. “Why would you do that? ”

He shrugs. “You’re cold. I have a jacket.”

“I also have heat,” I say, gesturing to my car.

“It takes a while to warm up, yeah? I know mine does.” Before I can either agree or protest, Nic is sliding his black leather jacket off and standing in front of me, wrapping it around my shoulders.

It really is fucking warm, and it smells so good. Great. Hot. Trying to steal my uncle. Smells good. This man is going to be the end of me. “Thank you,” I force myself to say.

His lips tilt up in a smirk. “Don’t mention it. Have a good night, Eli. It was very nice to meet you.” Without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving me standing dumbfounded in the middle of the driveway.

He’s opening the door to his car when my brain catches up and I dart after him. “Wait.”

Nic pauses, hand on the handle, and glances up at me. “Yeah?”

The way this is going to be a mistake, I just fucking know it. “Let me give you my phone number.”

Surprise flashes across his face. “Why? ”

“Can’t you just take the damn win?” I snap, my cheeks burning the second the words are out of my mouth. “I’m sorry. Let me try that again, yeah? I want you to have it in case you need to talk to me about anything. Welcome to the family.”

The smile on his face has me rolling my eyes. “Sure. Sounds nice.”

I dig my phone out of my pocket and ask for his number, sending him a quick text with my name after he rattles it off. When his phone dings, he takes it out of his pocket and glances at it, his smile blooming brighter. “Thank you.”

Ugh. Why do I like his smile so much? “Don’t mention it. Have a good night.”

I all but run to my car and duck inside. I’m trembling a little when I reach up to turn the key. Must be the cold. Although, this jacket is really damn warm. Tonight wasn’t the shitshow I thought it was going to be. I’m about to back out of the driveway when I catch sight of Nic in his car.

He looks… sad. Really fucking sad—eyes downcast, the smile that he wore a few seconds ago completely gone.

Damn. Why does that make my stomach feel all funny?

He catches me staring, and I resist the urge to look away.

Mostly because I want to see if he tries to slip his mask back on.

It takes him a second, but he does. His eyes brighten, and a grin stretches his lips as he gives me a little wave.

What exactly are you hiding, Nic? And why the fuck do I want to find out what it is so bad?

The second I walk in the door at home and let Kassie out, I FaceTime Liam. When his face pops up on the screen, he’s already in bed. “Hey.”

“You were right,” I blurt out.

He sits up, rubbing a hand down his face. “What do you mean?”

“He’s stupidly fucking hot. And he smells good.”

Liam blinks at me. “How do you know he smells good?”

I roll my eyes. “He gave me his jacket.” Liam’s jaw drops. “Anyway, not the point. He’s nice. And funny. And did I mention hot? Stupidly fucking hot. It’s obscene. It’s unfair.”

Liam laughs. “Why are you so upset about that?”

“Because,” I say, glaring at him. “He’s not supposed to be friendly and approachable and hot. He’s supposed to be a fucking gutter troll with a beer gut and a shitty personality. He’s prettier than Holden. ”

Liam scoffs. “Not a fucking chance.”

If only I were lying. When I first met Holden, I thought he was the most beautiful person in the world, and truly? He is gorgeous. But Nic? Now he’s something else entirely. “It’s just the audacity.”

Liam goes back to blinking at me. “The audacity?”

“Yes,” I groan. “He’s trying to steal my family and he has the audacity to be that fucking hot while he’s doing it? How am I even supposed to be mean to him? And then we leave at the same time, and he sees that I’m cold and gives me his fucking jacket. Like right off his body. It’s terrible.”

Liam nods, his expression morose. “Yes. He seems positively awful.”

“I wasn’t supposed to like him. I was supposed to be casually indifferent and survive by pretending he wasn’t a real person.”

“Eli, listen to yourself right now,” Liam says, concern marring his features.

“First off, he’s not trying to steal your family.

” I open my mouth to speak, but I’m silenced by a glare.

“No. Not doing it. He can’t. He literally can’t.

I know your family. Longer than you have, even.

Holden’s brother doesn’t threaten your place in his life. You’re smarter than this.”

“I hate you.” I know I’m being a brat. I know I am. I can’t help it, though. I feel like everything is spiraling out of control, and I’m fourteen again, standing in the middle of my room at Safe Haven, sobbing my eyes out because I just found out my bio dad didn’t want me anymore.

Liam laughs. “You don’t.”

“I don’t.” I sigh. “I’m being overdramatic, huh?”

“Little bit.” Liam punctuates his words by doing the gesture with his hand .

“You’re right. I just… I built it up in my head so much and I wanted to dislike him, but I don’t think I can. He’s nice.”

“I want to meet him.”

I glare at him through the screen, my stomach going a little tight, but I’m not sure why. “No. It’s bad enough that you objectify Holden. I’m not going to let you do the same with Nic.”

“Interesting that you’re already protective of him,” Liam muses.

Well, I don’t really have a response to that. Of course I’m already protective of him. I can tell he’s already important to Holden, which makes him important to me. “Maybe that’s the answer.”

Liam’s brows pull together. “What are you talking about?”

I nod. Yeah, I like that. If I just ‘take him under my wing,’ so to speak, and be friends with him, maybe I can keep myself from being pushed out of my own family.

It doesn’t have to be a competition at all.

Not that I’d really be competing. Like Liam said, no one can take my place. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Uhh, okay. Have a good night, you fucking weirdo.”

I grin at Liam and hang up the phone.

I do my nighttime routine, washing off my makeup and getting undressed before slipping into bed. Kassie jumps up after me, curling herself against my body. I lie in the dark, thinking.

It’s not necessarily a good thing, nor is it bad. It just is. Before I can talk myself out of it, I pick up my phone.

Me

Thank you for letting me use your jacket. I’ll bring it back tomorrow?

I hit send and toss my phone off to the side. It’s late. Later than I realized, which makes sense given Liam was in bed when I called him, so I’m not expecting a message back tonight, but when my phone buzzes a few seconds later, I fumble for it in the dark.

Nic

You’re very welcome. No rush. I have others.

I stare at my phone for a few seconds, not really sure if I should respond. “What should I do, Kas?”

She huffs, turning her head away from me. Wholly unhelpful, of course.

My thumbs hover over the keys while I try to decide what to do. I roll to my side, staring at Nic’s message. With a heavy sigh, I start typing.

Me

I really am so sorry about my behavior tonight. It was uncalled for. I didn’t need to act like that.

I backspace the whole message. I’ve already apologized to the guy once. I don’t need to do it again. Good God.

Me

Thanks. It’s nice. Really warm. Smells good too.

I blink down at what I’ve typed. That is not the move. I’m about to backspace again, but Kassie bumps my elbow, and I accidentally hit send instead. My whole body flushes hot. “You’re actually joking. This can not be my life.”

I’m frantically trying to figure out how to unsend the message when the read receipt shows up. “Goddammit, Kassie. This is all your fault.”

The chat bubble pops up and goes away. Then it pops up and goes away again. I’m going to die. Like, I really might just actually die from embarrassment.

A message comes through, and I slam my eyes shut. If I just keep my eyes closed, I can pretend the entire thing never happened. Easy-peasy. Only I can’t do that. I crack an eye open, and then the other, steeling myself for what I’m about to read.

Nic

I’ll take that as a compliment. You can keep it. It’s all yours.

No. No no no. I cannot. But I do kind of want to. Dammit. With a groan, I close out of the app—what we can’t see can’t hurt us—and toss my phone to the end table. I roll over and press my face into Kassie’s fur, closing my eyes.

When I wake up, my bed is empty. Traitor dog. Makes me send a text that was supposed to be deleted and then abandons me in my time of need. I open my eyes, and the very first thing I see is Nic’s stupid leather jacket, hung over the back of the stupid chair by my stupid vanity.

I have to give the stupid thing back to him .

I grab my phone and fire off a quick text.

Me

I really can’t keep it. Let me know where I should take it. Or I can just drop it off at Holden’s.

Nic

It’s yours, really. I don’t want it back.

I bite my lower lip. It’s way too early to be dealing with this level of petulance.

Me

You can’t just give all your clothes away.

Nic

It’s one jacket. I’ll survive.

Me

That’s not how jackets work.

That’s not how jackets work. What does that even mean? I squeeze my eyes closed. I’m pretty sure embarrassing myself is going to be Eli’s Greatest Hits when it comes to Nic freaking… Whatever his last name is.

Nic

……that’s not how jackets work? What does that even mean?

Kill. Me. Now.

Me

Why won’t you just take the stupid jacket back? Also, what's your last name?

Nic

Adler. Also, sorry, can’t hear you—losing connection.

I stare at my phone for a few seconds before spiraling into laughter.

This is ridiculous. Fine, I’ll keep the stupid jacket.

But I’m gonna do it with a belly full of boba.

I fling the blankets off myself and get dressed.

My eyes keep darting to the stupid jacket against my will, and finally, with a huff and an eye-roll at myself, I grab it off the back of the chair and put it on.

After I let Kassie out, I leave home to go to the bakery.

My mind is still preoccupied with leather jackets and annoying brothers of my favorite uncle, which is my only excuse for barreling through the door of the bakery and slamming directly into a wall of a human.

I stumble, but I’m caught by a hand gently gripping my bicep.

“I am so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was…

” My voice dies off into nothing when I look up and come face-to-face with Nic.

“Going?” he finishes for me, his lips tilted up in a smirk. His eyes drop, then flare when he sees what I’m wearing.

“I’m giving it back,” I say defensively. Probably more defensively than is necessary. And why is he still holding my arm? “What are you even doing here? ”

Nic’s eyes find mine again, his smirk still firmly in place. “Are all of our interactions going to be you questioning what I’m doing in any particular place and then apologizing for being snarky?”

I have to work hard to keep a straight face because I really am making a habit of that, huh? “Possibly,” I answer, turning my nose up a little.

Nic laughs. It’s deep and warm, and I feel it all the way to my toes. “Noted.” He gives my arm a gentle squeeze and lets go of me. “You should really keep it. It looks far better on you than it does on me.”

And with that, he walks past me and right out the door.