“Adam,” he said softly as he placed his hand on my bouncing leg. I turned to look into his beautiful hazel eyes. They were more brown than green today.
“This is going to be fine. I’m right here, by your side, the entire way.”
I nodded and leaned in to kiss his lips. They were soft and warm and never failed to work their calming magic on me.
“Let’s go. I’m ready,” I said, turning to look out the front window.
Michael patted my leg, then turned to put the car in drive. “Besides, I’m gonna fuck you silly after we check in at the hotel tonight. Think about that.”
I released a laugh, and it helped settle my nerves.
It only took a few minutes to reach the address on the GPS. “Have you been here before?”
“No. I met him at a coffee shop.”
Michael pulled up in front of a two-story home built with brown stucco. A big Christmas tree stood decorated in the front window, making me wonder what Christmas must have looked like here.
He cut the engine, and we stared at the cozy home that was surrounded by lots of foliage. The houses were close together, and I imagined this was an expensive piece of property being only a few blocks from the beach.
We sat for a few more minutes before he put his hand on my thigh. “Ready to go meet your other family?”
Nodding, I looked at him. My stomach roiled, and I knew I needed to get out of the car. I also knew Michael loved me and wouldn’t lead me into something that could hurt me. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
He got out and rounded the car. I’d gotten used to him opening the door, so I waited and tried to calm my nerves.
Once we were out, he took my hand and led me up the driveway to the sidewalk that ended at the front door. Music could be heard through the door, making me smile.
I extended my hand to ring the bell and waited. My heart was beating rapidly, but Michael squeezed my hand to calm me. “Breathe baby. This is gonna be great.”
I huffed out a breath as the door lock disengaged. I looked down at the brick porch as the door swung open. Looking up, I met the eyes of a young guy who looked a lot like me. He was dressed in ripped jeans and aU2t-shirt that made me smile.
His eyes went wide with recognition, and then he grinned at me with disbelief. I chuckled as the kid laughed and squealed in a high-pitched tone. “Holy fucking shit. You’re Adam Spencer. Fallen Angel’s Adam Spencer. Are you seriously my cousin? Oh my god, I can’t believe this. The guys are gonna fucking die. Holy shit, holy shit.”
Michael and I laughed at his reception as an older man walked up. “Jayden, who are you—”
His words trailed off as the man, who looked even more like me, studied me from head to toe. I looked over at Michael, who gave me a single nod to let me know this was the man he’d spoken to.
My uncle Grant pushed my cousin out of the way and stepped forward. His eyes never left mine, and I could see he was taking in the family resemblance our loquacious Jayden was rambling on about.
“Adam,” he whispered as he held out his hand to me. “I’m your uncle Grant.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, then was immediately pulled into a hug.
“It’s really good to meet you, nephew.”
“Fuck yes, holy shit, holy shit!” Jayden squealed from the doorway, making us laugh.
“Excuse your cousin's potty mouth. He’s at that age where every sentence must contain a mandatory minimum of six expletives,” he said, pulling back.
I laughed as he looked at Michael, then held out his hand to him. “Thank you for finding me, Michael.”
“My pleasure, sir. And thank you for not being an asshole to my boyfriend.”
We all laughed as Jayden danced around like he was in that old Tom Cruise movie,Risky Business. Thank God he wasn’t in his underwear.
“Come in, come in,” he said, leading us into the house. “Let’s go out onto the patio. I hope you’re hungry. Your aunt Grace has gone to pick up some deli trays.”
I smiled, the emotion building in my heart as I walked through the house, taking in the family pictures hanging on the wall. I wondered if I’d be in the ones that went up next.
