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WHAT FAMILY IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE

When Damek picks me up the next morning, I am nervous. I think he can tell because he holds my hand the entire way to the airport.

“Are you okay?” he asks after a long moment.

My heart is racing, something I’m certain he noticed long before now.

I take a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m just… nervous.”

“What do you have to be nervous about?” He furrows his brows.

“Spending an entire week with your family—more specifically with your mom.” I lower my head. “And I’m also nervous about spending the week withyou.”

“Am I that bad? Do you not want to spend an entire week with me?” he teases.

I can’t help but grin. “It’s notthat.I’m more worried about how you will feel about me after spending an entire week with me.”

He squeezes my hand. “You’re not going to scare me away that easily.”

Will I not?

What if, once he gets to know me, he hates me?

Still, wouldn’t it be better to know now, before we get married?

“Part of me still can’t believe that this is real,” I admit. “I was always told that I was too ugly to get married—that nobody wouldwantme like that.”

Damek brings my hand up to his mouth and he kisses my knuckle. “Rest assured that I am very attracted to you, Madeline-soon-to-be-Rune.”

My heart skips a beat when I hear his last name attached to my first.

I suck in a sharp breath. “Madeline Rune doesn’t sound so bad.”

His grin widens. “No, it doesn’t. I think it sounds nice. I’ll be even happier once it’s officially yours. Part of me is kicking myself over the six month thing. If I were smart, I would’ve demanded we marry within two weeks.”

I can’t help but laugh.

It’s a little less than five months until our wedding now, but part of me agrees with Damek. It does seem like a long time to wait now that we’ve gotten to know one another.

“You don’t have to be nervous about my mom,” Damek says, continuing our earlier conversation. “I talked to her and made her promise to be nice.”

I have no doubts that she will be nice to me in front of Damek. I just worry about her getting me alone. But maybe she will be kinder since my mother isn’t there to make things worse.

“My mom promised to be nicer during wedding planning,” I tell him. “So maybe things will be better.”

“It will.” He nods firmly like it’s a guaranteed thing.

I, on the other hand, grew up with a lot of fighting and bickering. It’s hard to imagine our moms getting along.

We arrive at the small airfield. It’s different than the one that I flew into with my father. A private jet is waiting there for us, and I spot Queen Rune climbing the stairs to get on the plane.

Well, it’s too late to back out now…

I unbuckle my seatbelt and look at Damek. My stomach is in knots, but Damek doesn’t look nervous at all. He’s wearing a huge grin as he climbs out of his SUV and walks to my side. He opens the door for me and sweetly helps me out. As we walk toward the plane, somebody begins to unload our luggage for us and stow it away.

Damek holds my hand and I’m aware that my heart is racing slightly. He squeezes my hand, probably trying to reassure me. But it’s not Damek that I’m nervous about spending time with—it’s his family. Or, more specifically, his mother.