I laugh because he’s not wrong. Mom tries, she really does, but she has a really hard time keeping anything from us.
“Come on,” my dad says, standing up and motioning for me to do the same.
“What’s going on?”
“I texted Max before we sat down and asked him to bring Damien over. There’s no reason for you two to be separated if everyone already knows your little secret.”
I hug him again and say, “Thanks, Dad. I really think you’re going to grow to love him.”
He laughs and kisses the top of my head. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. I think I’m doing pretty good not killing him. We can work from there.”
I grin and say, “Okay, I can agree to that. You all learned to love Max, and this will be the same.”
“You’re an optimist, just like your mom,” my dad teases as we head back inside.
I look over at him and say, “She told me how you two meet. Smooth, Dad. Real smooth.”
He gives a good-natured laugh. “It worked. She fell madly in love with me and insisted I keep her.”
“Is that how that worked?” my mom asks, grinning from the kitchen.
He winks and walks over to her. “I skipped the part where I tied you up and brought you here because I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing you again.”
“Well, you tied me up because you thought I was Kaylee,” my mom reminds him.
My dad grins and pulls her against him. “I would’ve still taken you that night,kiska, and we both know it.”
I share a look with my brothers right before I hear the knock at the door. Pointing my finger at my family, I say, “Be nice,” before running to let Damien in.
As soon as I fling open the door and see him, I jump into his arms. He catches me with a surprised laugh and then cups the back of my head, pressing his face against my neck while I wrap my arms and legs around him in a tight hug. Neither one of us breaks the silence, both of us content to just feel the other while we convince ourselves that everything is okay and we can stop worrying.
When I cup his face and pull back to look at him, my mouth drops open in surprise. I’d been so happy to see him that I hadn’t noticed his bruised and swollen cheek.
“I’m fine,” he says before I can ask. “Your brothers and I needed to talk about some things, but it’s over now.”
I lightly brush my fingers over his bruised skin. “This is talking?”
The corner of his mouth tips up when he says, “We were all pissed. It needed to happen,besyonok, so stop worrying. How’d it go when you told your dad?”
Leaning closer, I say, “Surprisingly well. They’re all inside waiting for you.”
“Perfect,” he says, and I grin at the sarcasm.
“It really is okay now. I had a good talk with my family, and they’re ready to act like reasonable adults.”
He grins when he says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Prepare to be amazed,” I tell him before lightly brushing my lips over his brushed cheek. I cover the swollen skin in soft kisses while I whisper, “I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry they didn’t listen to me when we came out of the woods.”
“Besyonok, you have nothing to be sorry for.” He lets out a soft sigh when I tangle my fingers in his hair and kiss the corner of his mouth. “This isn’t your fault, and if I’d been in your brothers’ shoes, I’d have done the same damn thing.”
Surprised, I pull back just enough for me to see him better.
He grins and says, “Baby, we came out of those woods looking like we’d just fucked the hell out of each other. You’re their little sister. I understand why they were furious.” He pauses for just a second before saying, “I’m not sure I understand all theit must be geneticsjokes, though. You want to explain that one to me?”
“Not really,” I say, and he smiles at the groan I give. “All right, fine. Apparently, my dad likes to chase my mom through the woods. Also, my brothers are really into it as well. These are details I shouldn’t know about my family and wish I could ignorethe fact that I do, but it is what it is, I guess, and I’m apparently proof of our family’s odd connection to nature.”
The full smile he gives me tugs at the corners of my own mouth, because I find it impossible to be on the receiving end of one of his smiles and not return it. He leans in close and kisses me. “I think that’s perfect,” he whispers against my lips. “I love that you love to be chased through the woods, and I really love how much you enjoy getting caught.”
