Not being able to tell Clair about the relationship was going to be harder than he thought for an altogether different reason. When he’d dropped them off at the end of the evening, it was sheer torture to not be able to kiss Addison good-bye, especially since he wouldn’t see her again for weeks. He’d snuck in a few kisses here and there at his place when Clair had been preoccupied with Liv’s dogs, but there was no way he could be sneaky with her standing right there.
Another tough one was the fact that if it weren’t for Clair they might’ve hung out longer like Nathan’s girl, Kelli, did. Clair had school early the next day, so Addison had to get her home.
Kelli was still there when AJ got back from dropping off his girls. She was the only one who didn’t peer at him teasingly when he walked out back to the deck where everyone was now sitting by the fire pit having drinks. The only reason he kept up the act was because she was the only one there he didn’t know well enough to trust she wouldn’t leak the truth about him and Addison to anyone.
Luckily, she got a call and stood up to take it away from everyone before anyone could ask what he knew was coming. Her call actually distracted Nathan, and it was Isaiah who did the inquiring first.
“So let’s have it.” Isaiah said, tossing another log into the fire pit. “We know you’re full of shit now.”
“What?”
“Drop the act,” Emi said, leaning into her husband Sydney in the recliner they were sharing. “I saw you kiss her.”
AJ frowned, glancing over to where Kelli had strolled off onto the beach. She was so far now, and with the wind and the sound of the crashing waves, he was sure she couldn’t hear, so he spoke quickly. “Nate,” he said, trying to get the attention of his brother who kept glancing over to where Kelli was on the phone.
Nathan turned back to him, looking almost annoyed. “What?”
“She didn’t see, did she?” AJ asked, motioning toward Kelli.
Nathan shrugged with a frown. “If she did, she didn’t mention it. Why do you care if she saw?”
“No offense, but we don’t know her well enough yet, and I cannot let this get out.”
“I trust her,” Nathan said, his face going even sourer.
“Yeah?” AJ smirked. “Is that why you keep glancing over there? Who’s she giggling on the phone with?”
That had Nathan and a few of the others turning back to glimpse at Kelli. The barely-there smile she wore while she talked could hardly be construed as giggling. Still AJ knew his brother. It was almost laughable how irritated his comment had made Nathan. AJ might be the one dubbed Rage, but both his brothers were just as bad. AJ had noticed it earlier since this wasn’t the first call Kelli had wandered away to take. Each time he’d noticed Nathan got more uncomfortable with it.
If it weren’t for the one call Addison had stepped away to take earlier, AJ might say his brother was overreacting. But since AJ had taken the several calls he’d gotten right in front of Addison, it did make him wonder why she’d walk away to take hers.
“Real fast,” AJ said, eyeing Kelli, who was still on the phone, “before she gets back. I’ll tell you guys more about it another time, but for now, all I can say is, yes, I’m seeing Addison now, but she doesn’t want her daughter to know.
Isaiah laughed. “You don’t think that little genius hasn’t already figured it out?”
“No, she hasn’t,” AJ said firmly. “I’m telling you she’s been my little bud for months now. It’s not unusual that I’d be spending time with her and her mom, but Addison’s adamant that we keep things under wraps until she feels Clair is ready to know, so in the meantime, no one knows. Not even her parents. Understood? Anyone asks any of you, we’re just good friends.”
Kelli was on her way back to the deck, so AJ gave them all a warning glare before heading to the outdoor fridge to grab a beer. The moment Kelli sat down next to Nathan her phone dinged again. Both she and Nathan glanced at her phone’s screen.
“Who’s Raymond?” Nathan asked immediately.
Kelli shook her head, hitting something on her screen. As expected, Nathan whispered something to her, his expression as hard as it’d gone earlier when AJ had teased him about her giggling with someone on the phone. In the next few seconds, they were up and walking off toward the beach again.
The girls headed inside to grab more snacks and to make another pitcher of Margaritas, while the guys all gathered around the bar area.
Liv’s husband, Lorenzo, eyed Nathan and Kelli in the distance. “Something about that girl is a little shady,” he said, taking a swig from his beer. “How long has Nathan been with her?”
“Not too long,” Isaiah answered because AJ wasn’t around enough to be sure. “Few weeks.” Isaiah peered at Lorenzo just as curiously as AJ did but then brought his attention back to his beer bottle. “What makes you think she’s shady?”
“Don’t listen to this guy,” Lorenzo’s brother Vince said, shaking his head. “He was burned once, so he trusts no one. Your sister’s the only one who finally convinced him not all girls are liars.”
Lorenzo shrugged. “I could be wrong, but getting burned taught me one thing. I never ignore my gut feelings anymore.”
“That’s right,” AJ said as the memory of overhearing his sisters’ talk about Lorenzo’s ex came to him. “You were engaged once before Livi, right? Is that who you’re talking about?”
Lorenzo nodded, glancing back toward the house where the girls were. “Yep, and just like this one”—he motioned toward Kelli and Nathan—“she was always sneaking away to take calls and got texts at all hours. In my case, they were from her ex, and I knew it, but there was nothing I could do about it since he was her kid’s dad and she had to keep things amicable for the sake of her kid. At least that’s the bullshit she fed me and I bought it. Then boom. I find out she’s sleeping with him again.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying I think that’s what Nathan’s girl is doing,” he said, glancing back at Nathan and Kelli. “I’m just saying she hasn’t put that phone down once since they got here. And who the fuck is Raymond?”
AJ continued to peer at Lorenzo, suddenly beyond relieved Clair’s dad didn’t exist as far as Addison was concerned. He sure as hell wouldn’t be able to deal with that shit. He glanced over at his brother and Kelli, who were on their way back now, and neither looked too happy.
“Well,” Sabian said in a lowered voice as Nathan and Kelli approached them. “Looks like trouble in paradise.”
“I’m taking her home,” Nathan said simply as they neared.
“Good night,” Kelli said with a weak smile to Isaiah and AJ. Then she turned to the others. “Nice meeting you guys.”
They all waved and said goodnight but kept their thoughts to themselves until Nathan and Kelli were out of sight.
“Well, shit, Enzo,” AJ said when Nathan and Kelli had entered the house. “Did you just jinx my brother?”
“All I said,” Lorenzo said, holding a hand up in front of him, “was there’s something shady about her. Apparently, I wasn’t too far off.”
That worried AJ as much as it seemed to worry Isaiah, who was staring pensively in the direction Nathan and Kelli had gone. Just like AJ, both his brothers rarely brought a girl around the family. Nathan’s bringing Kelli around spoke volumes about what he was feeling for her, and he’d been with her for weeks now.
AJ had only been with Addison two days now, and he couldn’t imagine having to deal with what his brother might be dealing with, least of all what Lorenzo had. The only thing he could hope for was that Nathan was a pretty good judge of character. Despite what Lorenzo said, until she took all those calls today, AJ had thought Kelli was a nice enough girl. If Nathan was getting serious enough to bring her around the family, she couldn’t be too bad.