Page 81 of Stuck with Me

I bark out another laugh. “Jones, why are you always talking out of your ass? Who sayshot and heavy? And we were just talking.”

“I mean, we weren’tjusttalking.”

My attention flies to Nico and we make eye contact. A thousand thoughts and feelings race through me.

“We were arguing.”

His response takes me by surprise, and I open my mouth to speak and then clamp it shut again before any words can come out.

“I’m definitely on this one’s shit list.” He hikes a thumb in my direction. “And probably all of yours, too.”

I still don’t know what to say. Because I don’t hate him. Not anymore. I mean, we still haven’t worked out a deal regarding the cabin, but I don’t hate him. We’ve been through too much now.

“Anyway, I’m beat. I worked up quite a sweat out there. So I’m gonna take advantage of the hot shower and then go to bed. Night y’all.” He gives me what looks like a forced smile and retreats down the hall, taking his glass of spiked eggnog with him.

A chorus of “Nights” follow but I stand there blinking at his back.

I knew things between us wouldn’t be the same once everyone got here. But I guess I had hoped we wouldn’t go back to being enemies. Or worse—go back to being strangers.

Cammie jumps up and rounds the couch, touching my arm. “What’s going on?” she hisses in a whisper.

Shaking my head, I say, “The hell if I know.”

“I thought you two were getting along.” She waggles her brows at me suggestively.

“We are…were…” I take a sip of my eggnog.

Maverick enters the kitchen to get a refill of his drink. “It’s obviously us.”

I just peer up at him, my mind still slugging through the events of the day that led us here.

“Whatever you two had going on before we got here, I hate to break it to you, but it’s over.” Maverick loops an arm around Cammie’s middle from behind, pulling her in close to his chest.

Cammie elbows him softly in the gut and he exhales a puff of breath. “That’s not true. Maybe they just want to keep things between them a secret. Have you forgotten about us?”

“How could I forget? Sneaking around with you was my favorite hobby.” He presses a kiss to the side of her cheek, and I roll my eyes.

Sure, it’s great. I’m happy for them. But whatever, I’m over it. Maverick is so gone for Cammie, he’s like a lovesick puppy dog.

“All right you two, get a room already,” I complain as I twist open the bottle of rum and add more to my glass.

“Don’t mind if I do.” He tickles Cammie and she giggles and bolts toward the stairs and he chases her.

“Hey! No!” Jones barks. “Get back down here. Besides that I don’t want to even think about you and my sister, we have a ton of traditions to catch up on.”

“He’s right,” Cammie relents.

Maverick throws back his head and groans so loudly we can hear it downstairs. He leans close to her ear and whispers something that leaves her smiling and blushing.

And okay, I’m still as happy for her as I was when the two of them decided to make their relationship official last year.

But I also can’t help but wonder, when is it my turn?

* * *

We don’t makeit to any games tonight. We’ve all had too much spiked eggnog for any real competition. So we take it easy and relax on the couch and watch Home Alone. The first one of course because the second one sucks. Maverick and Cammie are snuggled in one corner and Jones and Sabrina are in the other. Dean and I are sprawled out in the middle of the sectional.

I try and fail at not peering down the hall to check if Nico’s bedroom light is off. I hate that when I see it’s still on, anticipation hums in my core. I’m anxious to find out what happened to him outside. Maybe he heard from family and that set him off? I hate that I care.

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