Closure (Partners in Crime Book 5)

Chapter 15

Nicole felt overwhelmed by the fifty million questions she was getting. "I didn't invite him!" She explained for the third time. "Dom did."

Chloe bounced her daughter on her lap. "Sounds like him."

"You like him." Grace stated, matter of factly.

Nicole's face felt warm. "So what if I do?" She did. There was no getting out of it now. She might as well surrender.

"Yes!" Olivia fist bumped the air. "About time you opened up. Blake seems like a great guy. Let him spoil you. I saw those flowers." She added, knowingly.

Chloe took Aeden and Lesley and put them down for a nap in Nicole's guest room. When she came back, Nicole looked at her pleadingly. "Help."

Chloe laughed when she saw them all putting on their coats. "Are you all going outside?"

Hazel clapped her hands. "Snowball fight. The guys just finished with the lights. And there's no use wasting this perfect snow."

Nicole was shoved into her coat and hat and felt herself propelled outside. "Snowball fight!" Grace shouted.

The men stopped their chatting and looked at each other, grinning. "Oh it's on." Jack smirked.

Nicole decided to let go and have fun. She had admitted her attraction to her sisters and no doubt her brothers already suspected, and she knew how Blake felt. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to open up a little bit.

She felt a snowball hit her arm and explode. Cole looked at her and stuck his tongue out. "Hazel!" she cried.

Hazel ran over and handed her three snowballs, "Yes?"

Nicole straightened her hat. "Time to pellet your husband."

Hazel broke out in a huge smile, "On three. One, two....three!" She yelled.

Nicole chucked her snowballs at Cole with all her might and her and Hazel ended up knocking him down.

Hazel ran over to him "Gotcha."

Cole stuck out his hand so Hazel could help him up but pulled her down with him. "Nope. I got you."

Nicole looked around to see Dominic chasing a giggling Chloe across the yard. He caught up to her and swung her around, but Chloe stuffed snow down his back. "Chloe!" Dominic laughed. "That's cold!"

"I know." She laughed then ran away from him again.

Olivia and Jack were having an all out war, chucking snowballs at each other. When Olivia accidentally hit Jack in the face, she gasped and ran over to him. He just swept her up and spun her around.

Grace snuck up behind her husband and dumped a bunch of snow onto his head. He spun around and ran after her. "Grace! Get back here!" He grinned.

Grace stopped running and stuck her tongue out like Cole had done, "Catch me if you can." She ran and tripped on a pile of snow, but not before Hunter could catch her and shove snow in her face.

"Nicole."

She spun around and saw Blake tossing a snowball up into the air, then catching it. The mischievous smile on his face said it all.

"How good is your aim?" She taunted.

"Should we test it out?"

"Nicole! Duck!" Olivia shouted.

Nicole hit the ground like a rock and watched as a large snowball hit Blake in the chest. She laughed. "Thanks Jack."

"I was aiming for Liv!" He answered back.

Nicole rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Soon, she felt something wet and cold on her face. Opening her eyes, she saw Blake sprinkling snow over her.

She jumped up. And started to run. Blake followed.

Nicole ran into the small forest behind her house. It was a gorgeous winter wonderland, but there wasn't time for that now. She stopped to catch her breath and looked behind her. Blake was closing in. She laughed and continued to run.

At a dead end, she tried to stop, but slipped on unexpected ice. She yelped and Blake managed to catch her. With her back against him, she could feel the laughter rumbling off his chest.

She smiled. "I guess I lost."

Blake spun her around. She met his eyes, which were full of joy. "I like your family." He told her. "Do you do this all the time?"

"What? Play a game and it ends up with couples flirting with each other and stuff? Yep."

Blake threw his head back and laughed. Then he looked deep into her eyes. "Cole said I'd fit in well."

Nicole was now aware of his hand on the small of her back. "He did?" She asked, self-conscious.

"Yes. He also gave me a third degree for you."

He was invading her personal space. Why was she okay with it? "But we're not, I'm not, we don't, we aren't-"

Blake stopped her protests and kissed her. Nicole froze, then sank into the kiss. The overwhelming flood of emotion caused her heart to practically beat its way out of her chest.

Blake pulled away and let his finger twirl a loose piece of her hair. He smiled at her. "That felt good."

Nicole had to admit it, "Yeah." She couldn't believe herself. She was letting a man back in. Didn't she know she could get hurt? This wasn't a good idea. But it felt so good.

Blake tucked the hair he was playing with behind her ear, "Can I tell you something?"

Nicole heard laughter from the yard and she knew that they were still by themselves. "Sure." Anything to keep her in his arms longer.

"In high school, on that one day..."

Nicole swallowed when his voice trailed off.

"When Jessica Waters told everyone you had a thing for me..."

"Spit it out."

He grinned, "I had a thing for you too."

Her breath hitched. Time stopped.

"I did all through high school. But because I was self conscious about my stupid ego I never did anything about it. And I'm sorry."