The moment Butch spotted them, he made a beeline for Noel, who ducked behind Nick.
“Uh-uh, you got me on the way in, you turkey!”
Suddenly, Noel fell into his back face first, propelling him forward until he caught himself on the counter.
“Really dude?” Noel’s voice was muffled between his shoulder blades. “You can’t get to my front, so you hit me in the back?”
“It’s a sign of affection,” Chris called. “Dogs sniff each other’s rears to say hello.”
“I wish he’d get it through his head I am not a dog,” Noel mumbled. “I don’t need either my front or my back inspected.”
Chris chuckled, whistling at his dog. “Butch. Get over here. Noel doesn’t like you.”
“I like him!” she protested. “I just don’t appreciate him getting so personal.”
“You two joining in?” Nick asked.
“The girls said Noel needed us.” Victoria grabbed a drawstring bag and poured a handful of M&M’s inside. “We’re family. This is what we do. We band together in a crisis.”
Nick caught the sheen of tears in Noel’s good eye and squeezed her hand. “See. Nothing we can’t do.”
“How did you hurt your eye?” his dad asked.
“Food fight with Nick’s ex.”
“Ohhhweee, they fighting over you, Nicky Boy?”
Noel shook her head, taking the seat next to his sister, Holly. “Nah, we’ve never gotten along. She used to pick on me in high school.”
“Me too,” Merry said.
Holly laughed. “Now I feel left out. I was too beneath her to be tortured.”
Nick stood behind Noel, his hands on her shoulders. “How did I not know this?”
“Because you’re a guy and she has big—” Holly held her hands two feet out from her chest.
“Holly!” his mother warned.
“What, I’m just saying. Even my perfect brother isn’t immune to being a guy.”
Nick sat down next to Noel. “You might not be wrong about my powers of observation. Seems I missed quite a few red flags.”
Noel snickered and he squeezed her above her knee. She burst out laughing, her leg flying up and pain shot up his arm when it slammed into the top of the table.
“Ow!”
Noel reached for his hand, her brown eyes filled with remorse. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“Were you trying to cop a feel?” Merry teased.
“No!” Nick and Noel shouted together.
The Winters family laughed, and pretty soon, Nick chuckled right along with them, while Noel’s face stayed tomato red.
“Noel has a habit of reminding me how obtuse I can be. I only squeezed her knee so she wouldn’t tell me she told me so. I forgot how ticklish she is.”
“We all make mistakes, my love,” his mom said, stacking the bags neatly in the center of the table. “We want to see the best in people, even when they show us their true nature time and again.”
Merry nodded. “Yep. I dropped most of my high school friends because they were toxic as hell. You’re lucky to have Noel and your boys, big brother. Not everyone is blessed with healthy relationships from our childhood.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call Nick and Noel just friends, would you?” Holly quipped.
“Not with his hands all over her—”
“Girls. Enough,” his mother snapped and the two of them buttoned their lips. “Nick, why don’t you help me make dinner? I’m sure Noel wants to eat before she leaves for work and I think the four of them can handle these favors without us.”
“Sure.” Noel squeezed his hand as he got up, and he kissed her knuckle. “Be right back.”
Nick followed his mom into the kitchen, knowing it was code for wanting to talk. He’d been waiting for her to pull him aside since she’d discovered them last night, but he hadn’t expected her to act almost grim. He knew she loved Noel, so why the long face?
He stood off to the side while she pulled items out of the fridge, waiting for her to kick off the conversation.
“Nick, I need to ask you…are you two serious?”
“We are just getting started, Mom.”
His mom put a pot of water on the stove before facing him again. “You’re not even dating yet and already sleeping together?” His mother cleared her throat, lowering her voice. “I didn’t mean to sound so judgmental. I just worry that the two of you are jumping into this too fast without really considering what’s at stake.”