“Definitely not,” my mom agrees. “She’s bursting at the seams.”
“He’s coming over with Bran,” I tell them. “We’re going to ride the trails, and I want him to meet the dogs.” I smile at the look my grandma gives me and quickly add, “And I want you both to get to know him better, of course.”
“Bring him by later when you want a slice of pie,” my grandma says. “Boris won’t keep secrets from your dad, but I think I can work my magic and convince him to stay quiet since it’ll be less than twenty-four hours.”
My mom says a quick, “Eww,” while giving me a wink in the rearview mirror.
My grandma laughs and nudges her daughter’s arm. “You’re the one who took that to a place it didn’t need to go. I kept it PG with the whole ‘work my magic’ line.”
“How on earth could I not read sex into that line?” my mom asks, making us all laugh.
My grandma shrugs and says, “That’s on you, sweetheart. Either way, I’ll make sure Boris doesn’t spill the beans. Don’t worry about how I accomplish that. Just like I never ask you questions about your magical ways.”
“Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there,” my mom says while I mutter a quick, “Thank god.”
My grandma laughs and turns her head to look at me. “You come by it honest, Sitka honey. I’ll spare you the details of the noises I heard coming out of my parents’ bedroom. Let’s just say the women in this family apparently have a gift.” She looks from me to my mom. “How much you wanna bet Damien’s still wearing a smile he can’t hide?”
“You sure you want to bet again, Mom? You lost the last one,” my mom says.
Grandma gives me a wink. “I thought maybe Ev had caught your eye. I can see now that Damien’s the better fit for you. You’re an outdoorsy girl at heart, and you’ll always need to feel the salty air on your face and breathe in the scent of pine trees. Ev seems great, but that man is dead-set on his goal of becoming a lawyer right now. You’d wilt like a flower kept from the sun if you had to stay in the city 24/7.”
“Yeah,” I agree, knowing it’s true but also wondering how in the hell we’re going to make this cross-country thing work. I worry about it until we drive past the guards and then drop my grandma off.
“Don’t forget about the pie,” she reminds me before giving me a hug.
“I won’t, Grandma. Thanks.” I hop in the front seat for the short drive back to our house, and when we pull into the garage, my mom stops the car and looks at me.
“Any regrets?” she asks.
“Not a single one,” I tell her, unable to hide my grin when I think about how amazing last night and this morning had been.
She smiles back at me and nods her head. “Okay then. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Between the two of us, we can make your dad see reason.”
“I hope so,” I say before getting out of the car.
Nyx greets me at the door, and I kneel down so I can properly love on her. I can’t wait to show her off to Damien. Hex and Ghost come barreling over, not wanting to miss out on the praise and butt scratches. When I tell them they have to be nice to Damien when he shows up, they grunt and lick my hand, which I’m taking as a solemn vow to behave.
When Bran and Damien show up an hour later, my mom and I are sitting in rocking chairs on the patio, watching the seagulls and cormorants dive for fish. Nature never ceases to amaze me, and when one of the gulls surfaces with a big fish in its mouth, I look over at my mom and grin, catching sight of Damien over her shoulder. He’s watching my reaction to what I just saw with a sexy grin playing at his lips.
I get up and run to him as Bran walks out behind him.Hey,I sign to him while I hug Damien. He dips his face to the crook of my neck and kisses me.
“I missed you,besyonok.”
“Me too,” I tell him before I kiss his cheek and slide my fingers between his. Holding his hand, I turn to face my mom. She’s trying to play it cool, but she looks so happy I’m worried she’s going to start crying and planning the wedding.
“Maddie, it’s good to see you again,” Damien says. “Thanks for letting me come over for a little bit. I don’t want to make this awkward for you, but I thought it might help if we talked.”
Before my mom can say anything, Nyx barks and starts running towards us. She’d been in the woods with her brothers, but the sight and sound of someone new finally caught her attention.
Damien watches the hundred-pound dog come barreling towards him, and I can’t help but be impressed that he doesn’t tense up at the sight.
When I look up at him and ask, “Not even a little bit scared?”
He gives me a wink and says, “I know you won’t let her hurt me.”
“You’re right about that. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
His lip curls up at that as he cups the back of my neck and kisses my head. “There’s mybesyonok. Always so fierce. I would never let you put yourself in danger for me, though.” Lowering his lips to my ear, he whispers so only I can hear, “I’d spank your sweet ass so red for even trying.”
