Imperfectly Beautiful (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #3)

Friendships and French Toast

-NATALIE-

"You guys mind if I interrupt for a second?"

I blinked as I pulled myself from somewhere deep in my thoughts and paused from wrapping a box in shiny gold paper to see Nathan leaning against one of the pillars that framed the family room.

"Of course not, we're not doing much anyway," DJ spoke up and grabbed the remote control from underneath a pile of loose wrapping paper that was scattered across the floor and muted the TV. I shot him a look.

"Thanks," Nate said as he stepped a little further into the room and I noticed a duffle bag in his hands.

"Are you leaving?" I asked as my eyes widened.

Nate looked down, "No, well, yeah, but not Boston. I'm just going a little across town," he explained. "Are you guys old enough to remember my ex-girlfriend, Michelle?"

"I don't think so," Danielle shook her head.

"I vaguely think she babysat us when Grace was born or something like that, right, Natalie?" Logan looked at me.

"Yeah, she did," I nodded. "She used to be around a lot. She was pretty."

"And nice," DJ added in an underhanded tone while looking at me out of the corner of his eye and I knew he was referring to our disagreement earlier.

I gave him another menacing glare.

I was still reeling from his suggestion that I had poor judgement in guys and was somehow "desperate" for a boyfriend. I wasn't judging him for how he managed his love life and I didn't need him judging mine. He could stick his tongue down the throat of a million girls or keep lying to himself that he didn't have feelings for Maya, who was clearly way out of his league and I didn't care.

Who I did or didn't date and how I went about it wasn't his business or anybody's else's and I wasn't sure exactly where he got the idea that he was somehow privy to jump to conclusions on my relationships.

He'd apologized, but he'd still kept making little comments all night and I had half a mind to jump across the floor and choke the life out of him. He drove me insane.

"Yeah," Nathan nodded. "That's Michelle. Well, I went by her house tonight and we did some catching up and it's a long story, but I found out I have a son named Nicky and so you all are getting a new nephew."

"Really?" I asked, surprised and Nathan smiled as he held his phone out to show us a picture.

"Congratulations, big brother," Logan smiled. "Now I can get someone on my team when we play Candyland because Grace and Natalie double-team me. It's supposed to be individual, but they play two against one."

"We do not," I shook my head. "But congrats, Nate, he's so cute."

"He's adorable," Danielle cooed.

"He looks like you," DJ added.

"When do we get to meet him?" I questioned.

"Tomorrow," Nathan beamed. "I would've brought him over tonight, but he's only three. He goes to bed early."

"Aww," Danielle smiled. "I love little kids and their little tiny beds."

I stared at the picture, still in wonder, "You had no clue about him? Are you okay with everything?"

"Yeah, it's crazy," he shook his head. "Like I said it's a long story and I'm a little upset that I didn't know, but I'm excited at the same time. It's a lot to process, but I mean, she was my high school sweetheart. We'll figure it out."