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There’s a knock on the door that has us both pausing, our heads snapping towards the source of the noise. “They’re here,” I whisper from the side of my mouth.
“So, answer the door,” he whispers back, not moving.
Another knock.
“Okay,” I whisper back.
“Why are we whispering?”
I look over my shoulder as I go to open the door, shrugging. “In case they hear us?”
He chuckles, stepping closer as I open the door. What greets me comes as a surprise. I had expected Lake and her boyfriend, but instead, standing in front of me are two beautiful little girls, bouncing on the soles of their feet, two god-like men, and a beautiful woman… then a familiar face.
Lake waves, throwing her bright smile at me, and I relax.
A tug on my top has me looking down at a little girl with long, brown ringlets. “Please may we use your toilet? I really need to pee, and so does Lily. Pretty please?” she asks, holding her hands together.
Amused and slightly baffled, I slowly nod. “It’s that door over there,” I tell her, pointing her in the right direction. The beautiful little girl takes Lily’s hand, dragging her over to the bathroom.
“I’ll go first because I’ve waited the longest.”
Lily doesn’t say anything, letting her drag her away. When I glance back at Lake, she’s smiling.
“It was a long car ride and they’ve needed to pee every five minutes,” Lake explains, as I gesture for them to come in.
“And drink every two,” a dark-haired lad says, rolling his eyes. Lake elbows him, and he grunts. When his eyes land on me, a mischievous grin spreads across his face. He steps forward as I take one back, but he’s fast. A light squeal passes my lips when he picks me up in his arms and swings me around.
“I’m so happy to meet you,” he tells me, holding me tight. “Lake has talked about you non-stop, so I feel like we’re already best friends.”
He puts me down and I gape at him. He really isn’t shy. My eyes travel to Lake, ignoring the chuckles coming from the others in their group.
“This is Max, my boyfriend,” she tells me, rolling her eyes as if to say, ‘what can I do?’.
I wave lamely. “Hey, nice to meet you.”
“You won’t be saying that later,” the other man mutters. This one is older, and sporting many tattoos. He’s not as covered as Banner, from what I can see, but he’s got his fair share. He’s built, all muscle, like Max, yet he carries it differently—more intimidating. He exudes power, but when he notices me glancing his way, his smile completely transforms his face, and I begin to relax somewhat. “I’m Maverick, Max’s brother. This is my wife, Teagan.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell him.
The bathroom door opens and both girls come running out. The one with dark ringlets goes to her mother, but the quiet girl with golden locks—Lily—goes straight to Maverick.
I feel Max watching me from the corner of my eye, so I look up, hoping I didn’t space out and ignore someone.
“This is Lily,” he says, answering my silent question. He gestures to the blonde cuddling Maverick’s leg and I wave at her. “She’s my sister-niece, and the other troublemaker is Faith, my niece.”
“Sister-niece?” I ask, utterly confused, looking between the group. The woman they called Teagan, smiles, looking away.
“She’s technically their sister, but Maverick and Teagan adopted her. They’re still getting used to what to call her.”
I feel Banner press against my back. “Can’t choose between the cool uncle or the protective brother?”
Max looks Banner over with a sceptical eye. “Did someone run out of paper, dude?”
My eyes widen as I choke back laughter. Lake groans, hitting him in the stomach again.
Banner’s chest rumbles against my back. “Yeah. That and I like the pain,” he admits, and his declaration has Max taking a step back.
“I can’t believe you said that,” Lake hisses at Max, before turning to Banner. “How are you, Banner?”