Sarah, though?
My gaze slid to her. She was nodding eagerly at Asuka, who was giggling as he told his mother a story. She seemed sweet and very motherly, but I’d seen something in her and I couldn’t forget it. She’d been ready to strike without regret. I suspected she could be part of the same organization as Jiro.
I didn’t ask or tempt fate, though. In circumstances like this, it was better not to know.
“I’m sorry about my father.” I winced and rubbed the side of my face. “He’s always been this way.Always.”
“And you grew up with that?” Sarah gestured at me with a concerned smile. “You are one of a kind. It would be easy to fall into the trap of copying his attitude. Good for you, Micah.”
Jiro hummed in agreement and shook his head. “Men like that shouldn’t be fathers. They aren’t cut out for it.”
Sarah grabbed a napkin and wiped the corner of Asuka’s mouth. “All we ever want for our children is their happiness.” She winked at me. “And Yukio’s pretty happy with you.”
“Yeah, I definitely am.” Yukio nudged his forehead against my jaw and tilted his head, and I gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, which he accepted. “I’m not giving you up for the world. I’d burn it down for you.”
I groaned and heat spread across my entire body. I buried my face against his neck. He laughed, and it was a beautiful sound to my ears, but what was even better was when he whispered, “I love you, Hanii.”
“I love you, too.”
19
YUKIO
Loungingagainst the blue marble accent wall in the entertainment room at Milo’s parents’ house, I stared out the closed glass doors at the snow falling on the patio. A few brave smokers had gone outside to enjoy the freezing temperatures. I had no idea why half the guys on the basketball team vaped because it was terrible for someone playing a sport, but it wasn’t unusual. The dudes standing outside in a huddle laughed, and one of them dropped their beer, followed by an explosion of hooting. I had zero desire to be out there in this weather.
I glanced down at the sleek wooden bracelet Micah had given me this morning as a birthday present and grinned, running my thumb over the smooth surface. I paused to rub the blue topaz in the center. I hadn’t known the gem was my birthstone until he explained it—because that just wasn’t my kind of thing to learn about—but the thoughtfulness was sweet.
I already had plans to find a matching one for his birthday.
Smiling, I glanced around the room full of my teammates and half the Parilla family. Even Coach was plopped on a leather armchair near a fireplace. An unlit cigar dangled from his mouth while he drank a glass of what I thought might be bourbon with Milo’s dad. They were clearly talking a mile a minute, probably about game strategy, if the guys edging away from them were any indication of the topic. No one wanted to get Coach started on anything that would lead to work when we were in the middle of a party.
“There you are! I finally pulled myself away from Mrs. Parilla. Did you know that woman knows a startling amount of information about basketball? I brought you this!” Micah held up a cupcake with blue icing and snowflake sprinkles on top. “It reminded me of you. Happy birthday!”
With a grin, I took the cupcake from him and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as I licked a stripe of frosting from the middle. Pink attacked his cheeks, and I winked at him. “Why are you making such a big deal out of my birthday?”
He shrugged and came over to lean against the wall next to me with his arm touching my shoulder. I took a step closer to him until we were pressed together. “My birthday was so close to Christmas, I always had to pick what we celebrated. I either got birthday presents or Christmas presents. So, I don’t know.” He touched my wrist, and I made him take a bite of my cupcake by holding it in front of his lips. He smiled and nibbled, then pushed it gently back in my direction. “I just want to make sure you feel appreciated.”
“Between you and my parents, I know I’m loved. You don’t have to try so hard.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek, getting another one of those blushes that I was already addicted to; they were my real present.
“But I want you to know.”
Shaking my head with a smirk, I leaned against him. He watched me while I ate my cupcake, which maybe would’ve been off-putting if someone else did it, but I loved having his attention on me. My dick twitched in my jeans when he bit his bottom lip.
“Hey!” Milo’s voice carried over everything else, and I could tell he was already drunk. Across the room was a huge table of food and drinks, and he’d started on whatever the hell was in the punch bowl before anyone else had arrived. “It’s this guy’s birthday! I forgot! I was gonna have everyone sing.” He whirled around, pointing at me. “Hey, it’s Yukio’s birthday! Sing!”
There was laughter, and I endured a boisterous round of “Happy Birthday.” Alexander got up out of his chair and wandered over to stand next to us as the song ended, and he had a sheepish smile slapped on his face. I could barely understand the transformation that had taken place. He’d gone from an asshole always in my way to someone who was afraid to talk to me, and I had no idea which was the real Alexander—or if they both were—but if he’d acted this way to begin with, we would’ve had far fewer problems.
“Hi,” I said, trying to be polite. We were still a little uncomfortable with each other, but I’d noticed him trying, and for Micah’s sake, I refused to act like a dick anymore.
“Uh.” Alexander glanced at Micah, who nodded at him with a bright smile. “Usually for birthdays in our family, I bake. It’s something I’ve always liked to do. Um, so what type of cake do you prefer?”
Not long ago I would’ve found some way to turn this new info into a big joke, but he’d offered to do something nice, and Micah was blinking at me expectantly. He mouthedthank youat Alexander, as if I wouldn’t notice, and I bumped my shoulder against his arm.
“Vanilla, but cake is cake. I’ll eat anything.”
Alexander frowned. “Golden vanilla or the almond flavor?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know there was a difference. The only thing I find truly weird food wise is minty stuff. I’m not a fan of mint chocolate.”
