Page 1 of From A to Us

prologue

DECEMBER

Nolan had a problem.

And that problem was sitting across from him at a high-top table at one of Burlington, Vermont’s sports bars.

On the one hand, Eli Parker was Nolan’s ex’s little brother.

On the other, Nolan and Michelle’s relationship had ended more than a decade ago.

Eli was no longer the braces-wearing, tangle-haired, long-limbed fifteen-year-old Nolan had once known. Well, no, he was still long-limbed, but he’d grown into his body, topping out just an inch or so shorter than Nolan’s six-two. Blond, blue-eyed, and freckled to hell and back, Eli looked like an older, more filled-in, and very ripped version of the teenager Nolan had known. The freckles went all the way down his arms to cover the backs of his hands like someone had thrown stardust into the air and it had all landed on his pale skin

The problem, firstly, was that Eli was Michelle’s brother. Yes, Nolan and Michelle’s relationship was truly dead and buried—Nolan hadn’t thought about her in years. But it was still—not unethical by any means—just . . . weird . . . to be attracted to Eli.

The problem, secondly, was that Eli was twenty-five to Nolan’s thirty-five. Which, now that Nolan was thinking about the age difference, he found that he didn’t care that much about it, so maybe it wasn’t a problem?

The problem, thirdly⁠—

“How much longer are you in town visiting Coach Madolora for?” Eli asked.

—was that Nolan’s dad was the head coach of the Vermont Trailblazers—the same NHL team that Eli played for. And dating one of his dad’s players would be even weirder than dating the brother of his long-ago ex-girlfriend.

Not that Nolan planned on dating Eli. Just that when Nolan had arrived at the Sport U Arena a couple of weeks ago to visit his dad, there Eli had been, all grown up and filled in and walking with a confidence that had been sexy as hell. It had been the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he belonged. To Nolan, who hadn’t felt like he fit anywhere since his parents divorced when he was a kid, it had been attractive as fuck. Nolan’s first thought on seeing him, before he’d realized he’d been looking at Eli, had been Damn, who’s this guy?

Of course, this guy turned out to be Eli, which had made Nolan feel kind of pervy until he’d remembered that Eli wasn’t fifteen anymore.

Nolan grabbed a piece of soft pretzel from the appetizer plate between them and dunked it in cheese sauce. “I head back to San Francisco tomorrow.”

“Ooh, San Francisco.” Eli nodded his thanks at the server who delivered his second beer of the night. “Did you know there are more dogs than children in San Francisco?”

“I did not know that.”

“Also, it’s illegal to wash your car with used underwear.”

Nolan paused with the pretzel halfway to his mouth. “But clean underwear is okay?”

Eli shrugged. “I guess. Watch out for those hills, though. I went down one on a scooter when I was there a couple years ago. Lost my balance and shredded the skin off my knee. I still have a scar.”

“Ouch.”

“Ouch and a half,” Eli said, and Nolan laughed. “So what takes you to San Francisco? Last I heard, you were in Toronto.”

That had been ten years ago. Nolan’s move from Saskatoon—where he’d been living with his dad while Dad coached Eli’s junior team, which was how Nolan had met both Eli and Michelle—to Toronto had been the catalyst for his breakup with Michelle. It had also been the last time he’d seen or spoken with Eli until recently.

“I was for a long time,” Nolan said. “I actually moved back to Saskatoon a couple of years ago for work, but I moved to San Francisco last month. I start a new job there next week. Which is why I’m here. Pretty sure I’m going to be thrown into the deep end at work, so I figured I’d visit my dad before starting. Last week, I was in Toronto visiting my best friend and before that I was in Montreal with my mom and stepdad.”

Plunking his elbow on the tabletop, Eli rested his chin in his hand. He wore a slim-fitting suit in royal blue paired with a white shirt and a red tie with cartoon Santa heads and Christmas trees—a nod to the holiday, which was less than ten days away—plus black boots in deference to the chilly December weather. His blazer hung off the back of his chair, and with his shirt-sleeves rolled up to the elbows, he looked like a cross between a magazine model and a grad student on a date.

If this were a date, though, Nolan would’ve taken him somewhere nicer than a sports bar.

Not a thought he should be having.

“Did you visit my sister when you were in Saskatoon?” Eli asked.

“No,” Nolan said with a laugh. “There wasn’t much point. We haven’t spoken since we broke up.”

“She’s engaged now,” Eli told him, repeating the information he’d already given him when they’d bumped into each other at the arena. His blue eyes were steady on Nolan’s, like he was waiting for Nolan’s reaction.