“Gladly,” she answered, then lifted up on her toes to start the kiss back up again.
I was seconds away from hauling her up and fucking her right there on the kitchen counter when the front door slammedshut and a voice full of rage and disbelief bellowed, “What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”
Well, shit.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lennix
Iwould have been lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as Raylan guided his truck up my parents’ drive. I was a nervous freaking wreck. My stomach was a tangled mess, my heart was beating faster than was safe, and I couldn’t get my palms to stop sweating.
“Relax, baby.” Raylan reached over the center console and placed his hand on my knee, giving it a squeeze. “It’s all gonna be okay. You’ll see.”
I didn’t know how the hell he figured that. My brother had lost his freaking mind when he walked into my house and caught Raylan and me kissing. The only reason it hadn’t come to blows was because Rae was with him and put herself between my brother and my boyfriend. I’d attempted to do the same, but Raylan had shoved me behind him, determined to protectme—like I was the one who needed it. He’d stormed out shortly after, not giving either of us a chance to explain. Then I’d gotten a group text from my mother, summoning everyone to myparents’ house, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was in for some sort of reckoning.
“How can you say that? Raylan, he lost his shit. I’ve never seen him turn that shade of red before.”
Raylan threw his truck into park then killed the engine before twisting in his seat to face me. He took my chin in his hand and guided me to look at him. “Baby, it’ll be okay because I love you and you love me. Your brother can be as mad as he wants, but it won’t affect how we feel about each other. As long as we have each other, we can get through anything.”
I reverted to my default setting of smart ass whenever my emotions were feeling really big. “You know, for a guy who had his head shoved up his ass for way too long, you’re surprisingly good at this whole boyfriend thing.”
He gave me that crooked, dimpled smile that I adored. “You say the sweetest things. If you don’t stop, you’ll make me blush.”
Despite the fact that my brother was right inside, probably planning out exactly how he intended on killing the man I loved, I couldn’t help but smile. “What can I say, I’m a romantic like that.”
His face grew serious. “I love you. No matter what happens, just remember that, and everything else will work itself out.”
“I love you too.”
I caught movement from the corner of my eye and turned to see that my mother had stepped onto the front porch, her expression inscrutable as she watched us through the windshield.
I huffed out a wary sigh. “Guess we better get this over with.”
I reached for the handle, but was stopped by Raylan squeezing my thigh. “Stay there. I’ll get it.”
My heart flipped in my chest, a cheesy grin taking over my face as he rounded the back of his truck and opened my door for me. He helped me out, then laced his fingers through mineand held on tight, offering his silent support as we moved up the stairs together. As soon as I was within reach, my mother took my face in her hands and stared into my eyes. I wasn’t sure what she was searching for, but after a few tense, heavy seconds, a brilliant smile lit her face.
“There she is,” she whispered, and I got the distinct impression she was talking to herself. Then to me, she said, “Yeah, you’re going to be just fine, honey.”
Before I could ask what she meant, she moved on from me and pulled Raylan down so she could press a kiss on his cheek. “Welcome to the family officially, son. Cord and I have your back in there.”
I looked up in time to see Raylan’s throat work on a thick swallow, his eyes rimmed with emotion. “Thank you, ma’am.”
My mom turned back to me, her face growing serious. “Take it easy on your brother, okay? He can feel really big, and sometimes he doesn’t know how to handle it, but you know him, and you know that he’ll eventually see reason. All he wants is your happiness.”
I couldn’t speak past the lump that had swelled in my throat, so I simply nodded.
“All right, then. Let’s get this done.”
Raylan and I followed her into the house I’d grown up in, and as the comforts of my childhood home surrounded me, I was grateful to my parents for insisting we do this here. It was a safe place for both my brother and me. Raylan was steady beside me, his hand firm and unwavering in mine as we crossed into the living room. My father gave me a tender smile from his place resting against the wall, and Rae was sitting on the couch, anxiously fiddling with her fingers. Her smile was wobbly, but I could see the happiness she felt for me through the worry in her eyes.
Zach was pacing the room like a caged animal, and as soon as he spotted us, his eyes narrowed on a vicious glare.
“Get your goddamn hands off my sister, you piece of shit.”
“Zach!” I snapped, my own anger rising to the surface. I dropped Raylan’s had so I could step forward and go toe-to-toe with my brother. I couldn’t exactly get in his face since I was a foot shorter than he was, but what I lacked in height, I made up for in attitude. “You do not get to talk to him like that.Ever. Do you understand me? If you have an issue with us being together, we can talk it out like adults, but I won’t stand here and let you insult him. Especially when he hasn’t done anything to deserve it.”
My brother let out a guffaw of disbelief. “Not done anything to deserve it?” he spat in bewilderment. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? He’s been screwing my sister behind my back!”
