Page 94 of Stuck with Me

And I’m so relieved Nico and I are in this place of teasing again. Even if I do glance his way every three seconds to check out his washboard abs.

Jones pops his head inside the cabin, hand shielding his face. “Is it safe to come in and use the bathroom?”

Maverick huffs a laugh. “It’s safe. Your little sister has the most clothes on out of all of us.”

“Dude, what makes you think I want to seeyournaked ass?”

“Because everyone wants to see me naked.”

He’s not wrong. Maverick has one of the nicest bodies I’ve ever seen. But thank God, I’ve never seen him fully naked. I can honestly say I’ve never had a sexual thought about Maverick since he and Cammie started hooking up.

Lucky for all of us, he’s super competitive and the best at UNO.

Jones comes inside and surveys the room, hands pressed to his hips. He purses his lips. I follow his line of vision straight to Dean and then as it flicks to Sabrina. I try to put myself in Jones’s shoes. The image of Dean wearing Sabrina’s hot pink bra, the rest of us in questionable attire, and her sitting too closely to a passed-out Dean.

Even though Jones isn’t the jealous type, the room is thick with tension.

“I’m hungry for s’mores. You got that fire ready yet?” I say, breaking through the uneasiness.

“Yeah, it’s ready.”

“Great, thanks. We’ll grab the stuff and meet you outside.”

Jones nods and spins around, going back out the front door.

We all bundle up and I hand out the stuff for s’mores to Maverick and Cammie. I find the roasting sticks in the closet and give them to Nico. He studies them in his hands, twisting them, until his eyes lift and find mine.

I hunch a shoulder. “Yeah, those are the ones Pete made. And now we know he made them for your granddad. For the birthday he never made it back home for.”

I bite my lip after the realization sets in that I referred to Maple Ridge and the cabin as home for Nico’s granddad. But he doesn’t call me on it.

“Pete was right, these are good quality. Especially for them to last all these years.”

“No kidding. S’mores are Cammie’s favorite, so you have no idea how much use they’ve gotten.”

“Do Cammie’s grandparents come to the cabin often?”

My heart pinches. “Not as much anymore. Since Gigi…but they used to spend a lot of time here. Summers mostly. And so did Cammie’s parents. The cabin has been a haven for a lot of us.”

Nico gives me a half smile. It’s one that tells me he’s thinking. Maybe he’s realizing how important this place is to me and the people who remain in my life. It’s not just a wood structure. It’s a hideaway, it’s a refuge, it’s family.

“It’s nice y’all have had this place.”

“Do you have a place like this back home?”

He glances away wistfully. “Not really.”

“What’s your favorite place back home?”

“It sounds stupid in comparison to the cabin, but my porch. I have a small house on the ranch and the porch has a view of the land. When you sit there, you have a front row seat to the best sunsets.”

“Sounds amazing.”

He gives me a pensive look. “Maybe if we’d met under different circumstances…you’d want to come see it.”

“Maybe.” I bite my cheek before I say something further.

He takes a few steps backward, toward the front door and lifts his brows. “S’mores?”

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