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We had a stare down. “Your family that cornered you in the elevator.”
His nostrils flared. “They are not my family, and why the hell would I ever invite them up here?”
“I mean, it’s pretty obvious they want to get to know you.”
“And you got that from that little interaction yesterday?”
“Well, yes.”
He squinted. “Are you ill?”
I pursed my lips. “If it’s true that your brothers never knew about you then it’s not entirely fair that they don’t get to have their brother in their life.”
He snarled. “Fuck them. I didn’t get a lot of things, who gives a fuck what they want?”
“Baby, calm down please.”
The ringing kicked up again and Titan snatched the phone to his ear.
“I’m coming.” He ended the call and turned back to me. “That’s the delivery service. Not unwelcomed visitors whose lives I would never fit into and vice versa.”
He rose from the bed and walked toward the room’s exit.
“You don’t need to fit into their lives,” I said at his back. He paused but didn’t turn around. “You just need to be. If they are willing to spend time with you and you with them, you can create the world around you to be what you wish. It doesn’t have to look one way or the other. It can be completely different from their world and your world because it will be one you create together. That won’t get in the way of who you are or what you do, and the same goes for them.”
He stood there another second then disappeared from the doorway. It wasn’t my intention to pressure Titan to make a decision when it came to his family. But deep down I felt he wanted a relationship with them. I couldn’t explain why I felt that way, but I did.
Seconds later, the smell of Cuban foods permeated the air, and I threw the covers back and scrambled from the bed.
“Is that—”
“Your favorite food?” Titan asked, standing in front of a tray of dishes as I slid to a stop in the dining room.
My eyes grew and I smiled. “Yes!”
He removed the top to one of the cloche’s and I squealed. “Cuban Empanadas! Did you cook this?”
“Of course I did. But I was out of lemonade, so I had some delivered.”
He poured a glass, and I skipped to the table and paused before sitting. “Wait. What time is it? This is lunch.”
“It’s three pm.”
I gawked. “Are you serious?”
He laughed, deep and heartily. “Why are you so shocked?”
“Because you let me sleep the day away!”
“You were exhausted, lover.” He drew me into an embrace, his mouth sinking into mine as I moaned.
“Well… when you mention that, sure.”
I sat and he pushed the chair underneath me then took a seat across the table. I said a quick prayer and ate at a rate that had him smirking.
“Famished?”
“You have no idea.”