Page 22 of Courting the Krampus
“No,” Cole says, a careful mask in place that I’m guessing runs in the family, now that I’m seeing them together.
“Not yet,” I correct.
Nick’s smile is wistful as he says, “How incredibly fortunate you two are. Maybe I’ll get lucky and have someone inexplicably bonded to me, too. I can only hope they fight as fiercely for me as Natalie is fighting for you. She has the potential to change your lives.”
I swallow hard and realize how true that is. Nick never dates. Just works and makes toys, and keeps everyone around him happy. I hope he’ll have someone sent along his way soon, because I’m not sharing Natalie. I also suspect Nick might perhaps be a little scared of her too.
Nick slaps his palms to his knees, his lips pressing into a thin line before he takes a deep breath. “Anyway, I best be going. Got a new line of toys they’re doing up at Pyörä I want to oversee. I’ll send over one of my sleighs tomorrow morning so you can get going sooner rather than later. Would you mind sending me a plan of your route? I’d love to follow along on your adventure. Maybe check in a time or two?”
“Yeah, no problem. We can definitely do that,” Cole says. I sense lots of bonding coming between these two brothers. Natalie might have put more in motion than she set out to do.
All of us stand and I move to Cole’s side when Nick asks, “Would a month be enough time for this trip? I think that’s the maximum amount of time I can give you before we would need to start production on whatever you pick, if we’re planning to get things done by Christmas.”
I place an arm around Cole’s shoulders. Thankfully, he’s not nervous or stiff, just leans into me as the shock of the visit most probably has thrown his defenses off.
“Yes. Definitely. That’s really generous. Thank you,” Cole says, gratefulness for his big brother shining in his eyes.
“Maybe spending time in the villages will also give the other elves the opportunity to get to know you. To see what a great male you are.”
Cole shakes his head. “Yeah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One thing at a time.”
We see Nick out and promise to keep in touch.
Chapter eleven
Cole
The door snicks shut behind me and I take a moment to lean against it, dragging in a fortifying breath as I sift through everything that has happened this morning.
There’s a lightness in me that I didn’t know stemmed from how much I dread my work, and Natalie has gone and shifted the trajectory of my—our—lives, all in the span of a single conversation.
Today was monumental, both in terms of my relationship with Nick, as well as my career. I don’t think Natalie has any idea how seriously Nick takes others’ happiness and that he will do everything in his power to help me and Jasper. By speaking up, she helped me shave years off my plan to breach the topic.
Still, I can’t decide if I’m annoyed that she said something without consulting either of us, or grateful for charging ahead and possibly realigning our lives.
“Where’s Natalie?” I ask Jasper when I finally feel like I have a grip on my emotions, needing to share with her that we’re leaving in the morning.
“I think she’s in her room. She most likely wanted to give us space to talk to Nick.”
My bare feet thud against the floors as I make my way toward Natalie’s bedroom, Jasper hot on my heels. He slips in front of me as I enter the hallway leading to her room. Placing a hand on the center of my chest, lines of worry form on his face.
“Cole, don’t be angry at her. I think she really tried to help. Maybe it was a tad more abrupt than you had planned, but surely this is a good thing? We’re going on an adventure!” Jasper tries to reason.
Something melts in my cold heart at Jasper’s concern for Natalie. My shoulders slump and I rest my forehead against his shoulder. “I know. I’m not angry, perhaps I was annoyed there for a second that she risked my relationship with Nick, but I’m grateful to her for saying something we’ve been dancing around and avoiding for years. She just swept in here and changed the course of our lives in a day.”
“Surely that’s not a bad thing? What if she’s meant to be part of our lives, too?” Jasper asks gently.
I lean back and look at Jasper’s face. He’s so beautiful. Sweet, considerate, patient, and has the heart of a lion at the center of his being.
“I’m starting to think she is,” I say softly, cupping his face and rubbing my thumb along his lips.
Joy sparks in his eyes and a mischievous smile forms on his lips. “You can still make her apologize for overstepping. I’d love to see her pretty lips wrapped around your cock as she chokes out her apology. Save the good news for after.”
My own grin kicks up the corners of my mouth. “Better get ready for a show then.”
I rap my knuckles against Natalie’s door and push it open after hearing her call, “Come in.”
Natalie lies on her bed, drawing something in a leather-bound sketchbook. Tucking her pen into an inside pocket, she closes the book before I can make out the image. She ties the string with a calm meticulousness that makes me think she is stalling for time, unsure of what our reactions are to this morning.
