Chapter 28

~Ding Dong~

The bell chimed from the kitchen as I was busy packing leftovers into containers for the week—or rather, for the next day, considering my brothers’ voracious appetites.

Loud greetings echoed through the kitchen door, but I continued my task, undeterred. The door swung open, and Boomer, our family dog, skidded across the kitchen tiles, making a beeline for me. He began to playfully nibble at my feet just as Sam and Tyson entered the kitchen.

“All I’m saying, bro, is you need to get your shit together before the next game, or the coach will drop your ass. You haven’t been playing well at all! Your arm is not in good shape right now,” Tyson admonished the person trailing behind him.

“I know, I know. I just have some things on my mind right now. I’ll be fine before the next game! Just hitting a rough patch right now,” Knox responded, entering the kitchen with little Adam cradled in his arms.

“Alex!” My eyes shot up to the little boy nestled in the arms of the towering Knox. Dressed in a red sweater, crisp white shirt, and tiny navy slacks, Adam looked absolutely adorable.

He wiggled his little hands at me, signaling for me to take him from Knox. I wiped my hands on a towel and moved towards them.

“Well, doesn’t my boyfriend look adorable in his little outfit!” I cooed, opening my arms to take Adam. I lifted him out of Knox’s arms and cradled him in my own.

Adam gave me a tight hug, and I returned it, placing my hand on the back of his head.

“I missed you, Alex!” He beamed at me as he pulled back, but remained comfortably seated in my arms. I adjusted my weight to keep myself stable with him in my arms and shifted him over to my hip.

“I missed you too, little bud! I hope Santa was good to you this year. I know you’ve been such a good boy.”

I walked back to the counter to pick up the containers and put them into the refrigerator so the food wouldn’t start to smell.

“Yeah! I got a toy car and a real one! I got a surfboard too from Uncle Knox! Now you can teach me to surf,” Adam excitedly shared his Christmas haul.

I hadn’t looked at Knox the entire time he’d been in the kitchen. It was a little awkward, I won’t lie, but it was really my fault.

“You got a real car? What? Are you serious?” I finally looked up at Knox, giving him a disbelieving look. He simply shook his head at me, explaining it was a mini hummer type of thing.

“Of course I’ll teach you how to surf, Adam. How about this summer? In Savannah?” He nodded enthusiastically at my suggestion. I tossed my phone to Sam.

“Here, take a pic of me and my boyfriend. You know, for my followers and whatnot.” I smirked at her, teasing her about her earlier comment. I received a glare and an eye roll in return.

She took a few pictures of me with Adam in my arms, capturing our shared affection. I couldn’t resist taking a photo with Adam in his adorable outfit.

We scrolled through each of the photos, and Adam picked out his favorite—the one where he was kissing me on my cheek.

“That one! That one!” he yelled, pointing at the screen. I uploaded it to my Instagram with the caption ‘Me and my boyfriend ❤️ #couplegoals’.

Original, I know.

As soon as I uploaded it, the likes started pouring in. Some people really have no chill. Who was the first to like it?

Yep. Knox. I looked up to see him engrossed in his phone, a smirk slowly spreading across his face as if he knew I was watching him.

People started tagging him in the post, just like they did with Sam’s picture. Wes even commented on it.

@Alex.T Adam my man! Swap places with me? 😉

I liked his comment and showed my phone to Adam. “Aren’t you Mr. Popular?” I tickled him, put my phone back into my pocket, and carried him into the living room where the other little ones were.

I set him down on the couch and told them I’d be right back. I returned to the kitchen where Sam and Tyson were sitting at the table, out of earshot.

I continued to pack the containers into the refrigerator, arranging them like a jigsaw puzzle. I was so focused on the task that I forgot Knox was still in the room.

“You ignoring me now?”

“No, just concentrating.”

“It seems like you are.”

“Does it? Well, I’m not.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I heard him sigh and the squeal of the chair as he stood up. Maybe he’d leave me to my task now?

As I bent down to rearrange the containers, an arm reached over my shoulder, helping me slot them into place. I added more containers until I was finished and closed the refrigerator door.

Turning around to face him, I avoided making eye contact. “Thanks,” I finally said, starting to clean the counter where some scraps of food were left from packing the containers.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him lean on his elbows on the counter.

“Baby doll, I think you are ignoring me. You’ve only looked at me once since I’ve come in.”

“Alex! Sweetheart! You look fabulous! My god, that is so your color, right Knox?”

I knew what she was trying to do. Ignoring Knox’s response, I walked over to Delilah to give her a hug.

“I brought some more cupcakes for you, but I don’t want any more food fights between you two now, do you hear?” Delilah certainly knew how to make an entrance as she pointed between Knox and me.

I guess stirring the pot runs in the family?

“Don’t fret, Delilah,” I murmured, a smile playing on my lips. I took the box of cupcakes from Ace’s hands and wrapped him in a tight hug. He was like a second father to me.

Ace had always been a pillar of support for me and my family. Over the years, he and Eric had become inseparable, their friendship as solid as a rock. Ace ran his own successful company, and that’s where the boys were working, all except for Knox.

Knox would join the company once he was done with the NFL. My brothers, on the other hand, were working for Eric’s business, starting from the bottom and working their way up. Eric never let them off easy, always pushing them to do their best. Sam, my sister, worked as a nurse in Mount Sinai Hospital’s children’s ward. She was great with kids, probably because she was still one at heart.

“How are you holding up, kiddo?” Ace asked, his arms still wrapped around me.

I nodded into his chest. “I’m good, thanks! How about you?” I stepped back, looking up at him. He towered over me, his striking features radiating the aura of a well-respected businessman. The boys had inherited their looks from him, but their charm? That was all Delilah. Dressed in a charcoal grey suit and a burgundy tie, Ace was always impeccably dressed.

I leaned against the counter, smiling up at him. “Good, good! It’s great to see you, kiddo! You’re growing up so fast, sometimes I can hardly believe it’s you! You’re as beautiful as your mother and sister,” he complimented me.

“Thank you, Ace. I appreciate the pity flirting,” I teased him.

“Oh, Alex, it’s not pity, I assure you. But, would you mind if I asked you for a dance later?” he quipped back.

Usually, this kind of banter was reserved for Sam, not me. But Ace had always teased me as a kid, so I was used to it. Like father, like son.

“Only if it’s okay with your wife,” I said, pointing to Delilah who was watching us with a smirk on her lips.

“Oh, I don’t mind, honey. But you might want to check with your son. He looks like he’s about to send you to Timbuktu and back.”

We both turned to see Knox glaring at his father. When his gaze shifted from Ace to me, I quickly looked back at Delilah, who was watching us with a curious expression.

I took the long way around to avoid Knox, grabbing a bottle of water to quench the thirst that had been nagging at me all morning. It was a tell-tale sign that I was coming down with something.

When I turned back to Ace, I saw his hands raised in surrender, a smile on his face. He was saying something to Knox in a hushed tone, but Knox was still glaring at him.

I took a sip of water and returned to the couch, where the little ones were all glued to the TV screen. I greeted the rest of the Carters in the house and settled onto the couch, pulling my feet up and wrapping a blanket around me to keep warm.

Kyle was starting a fire with Max’s help, hoping to warm up the room a bit.

Adam sauntered over to me, leaning his hands on the couch and bending over me slightly. “Can I lie down with you, Alex?”

I smiled up at him, lifting my arm and the blanket to let him snuggle in. “Of course, sweetie.”

Adam’s back was against my front, his head propped up on my arm. We lay there, watching the movie with the others in the room. Every now and then, Adam would squirm and laugh at something funny on the screen. He was so adorable, my heart was melting.

“Why are you so cute, Adam?” I asked, unable to contain my affection. He giggled at me, his face lighting up with a huge smile. I couldn’t help but smile back. He was such a breath of fresh air.

As we continued to watch the movie, I noticed Adam making faces at someone. Curious, I followed his gaze and found myself locking eyes with Knox.

When did he come in?

I should’ve known. He was such a big kid himself. I saw him smile at me before turning his attention back to Adam, sticking out his tongue in a playful gesture. Adam responded in kind.

They continued their little game for a while, distracting me from the movie.

“Are you two going to keep messing around or watch the movie?” I asked, tickling Adam and making him squirm with laughter.

“Don’t be jealous, baby doll,” Knox retorted.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the screen. We watched the movie a while longer until more people started to fill the room, and we had to sit up to make space on the sofa.

Adam sat on my lap, the blanket still wrapped around us. I still couldn’t shake off the chill. I wrapped my arms around Adam as we watched the movie, feeling someone’s gaze on me from time to time.

I refused to look around to see who it was. It could’ve been just my paranoia. Every now and then, Adam would rest his head against mine, and I would kiss the crown of his head.

I had a lot of love for this little boy. He was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

“He adores you,” Mila, Adam’s mom and Knox’s eldest brother’s wife, whispered to me. I snuggled Adam closer to me.

“I adore him. He’s such a good kid! You’re so lucky to have him. I have all the time in the world for this little guy,” I said, smiling at her.

“He’s always talking about you, Al. I swear, he’s got a little crush on you. He looks forward to seeing you so much, he even cried when we had to leave Savannah after Thanksgiving.”

“Really? That’s so sweet. I miss him too. He’s such a joy to be around. I miss him the most out of everyone. If you’re ever in California, let me know. I’d be thrilled to babysit him and take him to the beach with me.”

“We might just take you up on that offer. We could use some alone time every now and then,” she said, smirking over at Adam who was watching her every move. He returned her smirk, as if he knew exactly what we were talking about.

“He’s always around Knox because Knox is always over here, and around you. So in a way, he uses his uncle as an excuse to see you,” she said, laughing. This caused Adam to turn his head around at me and his mom.

“You’re a smart kid, you know that?” He smiled at us and then turned his attention back to the movie.

“He adores you too,” she said, her gaze fixed on Noah playing with Eden, who was sitting on top of Knox and Kyle.

“Yeah, I know. Noah is my blood. I absolutely adore that kid. He’s super shy but such a cutie pie. They’ll both be little heartbreakers when they’re older,” I said, beaming at her.

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t mean Noah,” she said, giving me a knowing look.

Rolling my eyes at her, I turned my focus back to the screen. “He doesn’t, he never has and never will. You were there when we were in high school, he was so rude to me.”

“You’re so blind, Al. He one hundred percent does. Ever heard of the saying, when guys are mean to girls it’s usually because they like them?”

“The key words there are usually. He’s an exception, Mila. That one percent. The rare case. The outlier. However, you want to put it.”

“You keep telling yourself that, girl. But everyone can see it. Well, maybe not Kyle. But everyone else can.”

“Nothing will ever happen between us. I can assure you, Mila, we’re not each other’s type.”

She shook her head with a laugh and let it go. I was thankful she didn’t continue the conversation. I couldn’t stop myself from looking over at Knox messing around with Eden, who was sitting back on the chair.

He was waving her dolls above her, with her trying to reach up to them. She gave him the puppy eyes that I knew he would give in to, and he handed her back her dolls.

As he handed them over, he caught my gaze and smirked. I quickly brought my eyes back to the movie we had put on.

~Dammit!~

Delilah came in with her cupcakes and every single person had one, no matter how full you were. I took the chocolate one and Adam took the same one as I did.

Looking at the cupcake, I smiled down at the memory of mine and Knox’s food fight a few days ago.

Then the kiss. That delicious kiss. The memory of his lips on mine. Moving in sync with each other. The way our tongues battled one another for dominance that neither one of us was backing down from.

I felt the sudden rise of heat meeting my cheeks, shaking my head to get it out of my mind. I shifted my eyes briefly to Knox, only to find him staring at the chocolate cupcake too, a soft smile slowly forming on his lips.

~Was he remembering it too?~

His eyes shot up to mine and I quickly looked away from him once again. I looked to see Adam smiling up at me with his cupcake in hand, licking the icing off the top.

I gave him a small laugh and scooped my own icing from the top of my cupcake onto my finger, ready to lick. I changed my gaze back to him and found him looking at me, licking the icing off his thumb.

I put my finger in my mouth and once again looked away. I repeated this until all the icing was gone. I needed to stop looking over at him. The rest of the night, I didn’t look at him once. I couldn’t.

It was too embarrassing to be caught so many times staring at him.