Page 85 of A Little Jaded
He chuckles while dragging me into him and hugging me, letting me steal his warmth as he rubs his hands up and down my arms and back. “Want to build a fort?”
“A fort?”
When he nods, his chin hits the top of my head. “Yeah. Fin and I used to build them all the time when we were kids. What do you say?”
“I’ve never built a fort.”
“You’ve never built a fort?”
I shake my head, but before I can feel embarrassed, a grin practically splits his face in two. “Stay here.”
Like a whirlwind, he disappears down the hall, reappearing with his arms full of blankets and pillows. Dropping them at my feet, he jogs into the kitchen and returns with a container full of chip clips.
“Here.” He offers them to me, dashes back to the kitchen, and drags each of the chairs into the family room, creating a large half circle in front of the fire. When I finally catch on to what he’s doing, I grab the blankets from the floor, help spread them out, and use the chip clips to secure the edges to the chairs, creating our own homemade cave. The entrance opens to the fire, and despite the lack of a furnace, once we’re tucked inside, all I feel is warmth.
It’s…peaceful.
The crackling fire acts like our own personal DJ and flashlight all at once, making me want to curl up and read a book. I would, too, if it wasn’t so late. It’s been a long day—a really long day—and I’m not the only one feeling it.
I peek at Everett as he shifts the blankets around us,mentally checking every box on his list to make sure we’re comfortable for the night.
“Do you always take care of everyone around you?” I ask.
He hesitates. “What?”
“I said, do you always take care of everyone around you? Me. Reeves. Dylan. Finley.”
His mouth twitches. “Reeves would kill you if he knew you added him to the list.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I argue, not even bothering to hide my amusement. “He’d probably call you his man-wife for all the heavy lifting you’ve done in his life lately.”
He snorts. “At least it makes me the husband in the relationship.”
“What about Griff? Are you his man-wife, too?”
“Nah.” He shakes his head. “Griffin’s the real rock. Keeps his head down. Focuses on hockey. Tries to make his dad proud.”
“I bet,” I murmur. “Not sure what’s up with him and Fin, though.”
Everett frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” I hedge. “It’s just…Finley told us Drew made her promise to kind of…cut ties with him.”
Everett’s eyes widen. “Who, Griffin?”
I nod.
“Why?”
My shoulder lifts. “I don’t know? I think Drew is jealous.”
Everett chuckles dryly. “Drew has nothing to worry about.”
“You sure?”
“Griff doesn’t look at her in that way.”
I bite my lip to keep from arguing with him, well aware he’s more in tune with his family’s dynamics than I’ll ever be.