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Chapter thirty-nine

Ashia

Never have I woken up so excited to start the day. Sure, yesterday was a catastrophe, and stepping foot in the city could cost me my life, but I have never been as giddy as I was when I woke up. I didn’t need coffee or felt the need to tiptoe around. Today I’m just a girl excited to go out of town with her boyfriend. We didn’t sleep much, but it might have been the best sleep of my life. I slept so hard, and I was so comfortable that I was probably fully recharged after about an hour.

I was totally right about the bed. I don’t know what it’s made out of, but it might be the most comfortable thing I've ever laid on. Well, besides Damien’s chest, but that’s partially based of my feelings for him. Materially? The bed is superb. Even with how large it is, we both stayed cuddled up in the middle the little bit we slept, but it felt so nice to lay next to him and not have to worry if he had enough room or not.

We only got about four hours of sleep before we got up and got ready. I'm sure he’s exhausted, poor thing. We’re only going a couple of hours away, from what he said, and we’re staying overnight. So, maybe he can take a nap if he needs to. I'm sure when we check into the hotel we’ll have some time before whatever he has planned. If he even has something planned outside of where we’re staying.

Much to my surprise, I finally found my mint green sundress. It was here, along with the white and tan wedges I’d been looking for. He’s slowly been bringing over some of my clothes for when he finally brought me here. I should’ve known, really, considering I don’t have many clothes. It was highly unlikely that I’d misplace them, but I definitely like this scenario more.

Damien checked on Carter and Serena before we came downstairs, and good thing he did and not me. Apparently, he was spread eagle on top of the bed next to her, only a sliver of blanket covering them both. But they were both breathing, and that was our main concern. What the hell did Serena do to him? He looked like he was in a car crash, or a horse bucked him off. Carter’s in charge while we’re gone, so she better not distract him too much. Damien was going to talk to him before we left and fill him in on what to watch out for, but he said he could just call him later on.

He still hasn’t told me where we’re going, and he just told me to get ready. Didn’t tell me how I should look or anything. Which, he never has before, so I'm not sure why I thought he would. I braided my hair after our shower last night, which of course only led to more sex. I think he likes my hair braided; it was easier for him to pull on. But this morning it’s cute and wavy. So, two birds one stone, I guess.

We’re walking into the garage, and I see him pull his keys off of the key hook by the door, but when I look back at the car, I get confused by this very different looking black vehicle. It was black last night too, but I could have sworn that the car from last night was not a Dodge. It was too curvy and round. This car is much boxier, and longer. If a car could have a muscular build, this car would have it.

“Damien?” He puts our bags into the trunk.

“Yeah, baby?” He looks up at me as he shuts it.

“I know a lot happened yesterday, and there was a lot of adrenaline and shock, but um… this is not your car.” I point to it as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“It is now.” He smirks.

“Okay, um, when did you get this car?”

“They dropped it off about an hour ago.” I stare at him dumbfounded. My head spinning with questions.

“Oh, it’s a rental?”

“Nope.” There’s a deep pause. The only sound filling the room is the small breeze outside.

“Okay, I'm confused. Did you have a new car on back order or something?”

“I ordered it last night.” Why the hell would he have a new car delivered to his house? What happened to the other car?

“Did something happen to the Audi last night? I thought you took the bike?”

“I did take the bike.” He puts his hands in his pockets and looks at me with a smug expression.

“Then why?” I scrunch my brows.

“I heard you didn’t like Audis.” Now my mind goes blank. How would he possibly know that? We’ve never talked about cars, and I haven’t had the chance to tell him about Cooper’s old Audi. After a few beats, realization smacks me in the face. Fucking Serena. What the hell did she say to him while I was passed out?

“So, because my abusive ex had an Audi, you got rid of yours and bought a brand new car?”

“Damn right.” He says proudly.

“Damien, that’s ridiculous, you did not have to do that.” He walks up to me and gently pulls on my chin. Pulling my lips only close enough to graze our mouths together.

“If I say, do, or own anything that reminds you of that piece of shit, it’ll be gone in a matter of minutes. Slang term? I'll never speak it again. Same car? I'll blow it up. Something about our home reminds you of him? Consider it sold. I’ll make sure there’s nothing left on this planet that will even resemble the smallest bits of him. He’s beneath you, and I'll do anything to rid this planet of every reminder of him.”

I melt. He certainly has a way with words. He doesn’t speak like a scholar, or a literary genius, but he says how he feels. Nothing is ever confusing about what he says, and it could be his deep, soothing voice, but he always intends for it to be a compliment. I gently lay my hand on his wrist.

“Nothing about you reminds me of him. You two are nothing alike, and a car wouldn't change that.” He nudges our noses together before quickly placing a quick kiss on my lips.

“Yeah, but just in case.” He smirks at me, and opens my door to this very nice, all black, luxury, Dodge Charger.

About five minutes into the drive, I made him play twenty questions. So far I’ve learned that, his middle name is Alexander, he loves to go to the movies, his favorite season is fall, he does not have any allergies, his favorite animals are dogs, and that his parents own a lake house where he used to spend his summers. We have almost all of that in common, except my parents didn’t own a lake house. They had a favorite spot by the lake and lived in a tent for a week once, and I had to call in a missing person’s report for them at fifteen. They found them at that spot on the lake, but it's so not the same.

“What did you want to be when you grew up?” I ask. “I’m going to guess and say not a vigilante.”

“For the longest time, I wanted to be an astronaut. I always believed it was like they showed on Star Wars or Star Trek. Of course, when I turned eleven and found out it was all a lie, I didn’t want to be an astronaut anymore.”

I giggle, finding his answer endearingly innocent.

“That’s adorable.”

“What about you?” He asks.

“I wanted to be a teacher until I was about fourteen and I was told how little money they made.” We laugh. “I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I love kids, but you know, life. So, I took cosmetology in high school instead so I could work as soon as I got my license, and Emmett taught me the rest.” I try and contemplate my next question, knowing that I'll also have to answer it. “What did you love as a kid, but you hate now as an adult?”

“Cotton candy.” I gasp and gently nudge his shoulder.

“Shut up! I love cotton candy! Why do you hate it?”

“It’s not the flavor, it’s the texture. I feel like I'm eating spider webs.” He shudders his shoulders and slightly sticks out his tongue as I laugh.

“Oh, okay, so you like cotton candy flavored things?”

“Yes.” He nods confidently.

“Perfect, I'll let it slide then.” We giggle and glance at each other.

“You?” He arches a brow.

“Commercials.” He scrunches his eyes and gives me a curious look behind his smile. “Well, you know when we were kids they had the best commercials. Even on the adult channels they would always have some hilarious punch line or cute animal. Example, do you remember the ‘cootie queen’ one? Hilarious. I'll never forget that one. I hated the gum, but fantastic commercial.” He starts laughing. “Now? It’s nothing but depression medication with shots of a woman who is delusional, and way too happy. They always have so many side effects, one of which being depression. Can you believe that? A depression medication that may cause depression. Why take it then?” We burst into laughter, so much so, that he barely keeps his eyes on the road.

God, he looks so hot when he drives. Especially because it was just yesterday I jumped him covered in blood after being in a high-speed car chase. My next questions comes flying out of my mouth so quickly, I wasn’t even sure I was asking it.

“How many kids do you want?” He looks over, a surprised expression taking over his features briefly, and then he chews on his bottom lip.

“As many as you'll let me have, baby. And we can get started whenever you want.” Oh, my God, I think my ovaries just chanted ‘fuck birth control’ and exploded. He smiles wide and looks back to the road. I should’ve expected an answer like that, but his answer has an effect on me that I didn’t expect. I have to ignore the heat on my cheeks and clench my thighs together to hide the feelings of butterflies in my stomach. Why was that so damn hot?

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

“Do you have a big family? Any siblings?” His face relaxes slightly.

“Yeah, I’ve got a big family, and I had one sibling. My sister, Emma.”

“Had?” I tilt my head.

“She died when I was twelve. Neuroblastoma.” I feel my face sink as my stomach drops. How could he not have told me about that before?

“Oh. I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah, me too. She was my favorite person back then.” I can tell his mind wanders as he grins.

“She still can be, baby.”

“I know, but she’s not.” He grabs my hand, and I look into his eyes. He’s so drained. I know these past few weeks have been rough on him. Crazy shit like we’ve been dealing with has got to bring other feelings to the surface. I know it has for me. I can’t even imagine losing a sibling. If I had lost Serena, especially at such a young age, I’m not sure I would have survived it. That’s way too young to know that kind of pain…

“Twelve is such a shitty age…” I say as I look back to the road, but I feel his gaze as he looks over at me.

“What happened when you were twelve?” My heart drops to my feet. He really doesn’t know already? I figured with how much he hates my parents, he would’ve found the information somewhere. What’s a good way I can put this without telling him?

“I just realized how much I was worth to my parents. You know, more great times.”

“Ashia.” I look back over from the window and see his serious gaze. My body shivers, and he squeezes my hand. I take a deep breath and prepare myself.

“The night of my twelve birthday, my dad… ‘rented’ me, I guess is a good way to put it…to his crack dealer for a couple of hours in exchange for two rocks…that’s how much my innocence was worth to him. My mom’s response when she found out was ‘That’s all you got for her?’ That was the first time DCFS placed me with Serena’s parents.” I feel his grip tighten on my hand, and I hear the engine rev, knowing his anger is getting to him.

“Give me a God damn name.” He says, practically growling.

“It doesn’t matter, baby. He died six months later, OD’ed in our living room, about a week after I had to go back.” I turn my attention back to the road.

“A week?” He growls. “You were back for a week, and they let that piece of shit near you again?’ I nod gently. “I wish I could say that I didn’t know how you survived those people, but I know how strong you are.”

“I’m much stronger now.” I say as I look back at him, and I know he hears the confidence in my words. He makes me feel invincible, and while my whole life I may have felt worthless, I know that to him there is nothing more valuable than me. This man worships the ground I walk on, and I’ll gladly kneel next to him to show him that he means just as much to me.

I unbuckle my seat belt and put my knees in the seat. He takes two in my direction, shifting his gaze from me to the road quickly.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Showing you just a fraction of what you’re worth to me.” I kiss his cheek before I move to his neck, kissing and biting as I unbutton his pants.

“Don’t make me pull this car over, Ashia.” I move my lips back to his ear as I yank his fly open.

“Are you going to punish me baby?” I reach into his pants to feel his already hardened cock in my hand, and his deep, growling groan releases from his throat. I slide his pants and briefs down enough to reveal his erection. The thick, hard appendage bouncing free. “I’m going to use one of your rules.” I kiss his neck. “And make one of my own.” I kiss him again as I feel every muscle in his body tense. “You are not allowed to pull this car over, and you don’t come until I signal you too. If you do so before, you'll be punished. Do you understand?”

He nods as I begin to run my hand up down his thick, veiny shaft. Reveling in the feelings of my fingers running over each ridge. He rests his head against the seat, and I can tell that his breathing has already picked up. He’s crumbling beneath me. Trembling lightly and clenching his muscles as he attempts to hold back. I lean down and wrap my mouth around his dick. Not bothering to start off slow or teasingly.

Fitting his large size down my throat has gotten much easier since the first time, and it isn’t long before I feel his hand on the back of my head. I retract from him just enough to swirl my tongue around his head just like he likes, before going for a plunge and taking him all the way back down my throat. I hear his moaning grow deeper and his body goes taut.

“Damn, Ashia.” I hear the engine rev as I grab the base of his dick and slowly stroke, following my tongue’s trail. I can taste his precum and feel his cock pulse on my tongue, and I know he’s about to fall over the edge. I can feel as his body begins to tremble lightly with the will power it takes to hold back. I haven’t signaled for him to come yet, and that makes this much more enjoyable. Knowing that I can control this beast of a man has my heart soaring, and now I can see why he does it to me.

His hand tightens in my hair as he bobs my head up and down on his length, and thrusts upward again and again. Fucking my face at the pace he needs. I feel the car speeding up. The revving engine is so intense that I can feel the vibrations through both of our legs. I suppose I should release him before he kills us, but I feel the need to attempt one last trick. Forcing him as deeply as I can, I growl. Pushing that same vibrating feeling through the column of my throat, I feel his body lift out of the seat.

“Oh fuck!” He yells out. If I can have him sound like this all the time, I’ll never get off my knees. Tapping out on his leg, he lets go violently with a loud roar, releasing into my throat. Thick, hot ropes of cum explode in my mouth and down my throat, and I have to force myself to swallow all of it this time. Taking large gulps to ingest it all. His grip in my hair is still iron-clad, and I find it hard to breathe with my nose pressed against his abdomen, but I would gladly suffocate for this man. Sadly, I feel him release his hold. Allowing me to clean what little mess was left on his cock as I pull off of him.

“I see you learned my trick.” He says through harsh breaths, and I don’t resist the need to reach up and kiss his cheek.

“I learned from the best.” I say as I kiss him on those delicious lips. What I had planned to only be a sweet gesture has now turned into a full blown war. His mouth launches an attack on mine, and in only a matter of seconds, his hand reaches under me, around my thong, and slides three fingers inside me at one time. I gasp in his ear from the pleasure as he begins to massage and curl into me like I like. Thrusting his fingers at a building pace. Causing lewd, wet sounds to overtake the car.

“You haven’t learned everything yet, little wolf.” He groans against my lips. “You should know that you can’t ask me questions like that and expect me to control myself.” The car speeds up, and the rumble from the engine shoots through my body, only enhancing the pleasure his hand is giving me. “Do you know how fucking badly I’ve wanted to throw your birth control in the trash?” My pussy clenches at his words. “Does my little wolf like that? Is that why you love my cum filling up that tight little cunt so much?” That pressure in my lower stomach rumbles to life and my pussy clenches again. Giving him an answer.

“Pull the car over, Damien.” I moan through my pleasure.

“That’s against your rules, baby girl.” He taunts. Damn it, I should’ve known better. I feel my body tighten to the purposeful rev of the engine, and as he uses two fingers to spread me apart, while the other two move around inside me. Curling and digging into me, hitting the most pleasurable spots every time.

“Damien, pull this fucking car over!” I moan as I start to pant, and I feel as he jerks the car to the side of the road, into a line of trees, and I swear he’s hopping out the car before it even stops fully. I crawl out of my side, and by the time I turn around, he’s already picking me up and carrying me to the front of the car. He’s laid his jacket out on top of it so I don’t burn my ass cheeks on the hot metal. Thank God. That’ll spare me a solid week of jokes about sex injuries from Ser. He sets me on top and forcefully rams into me. Not giving me even a second to prepare before I scream out in pleasure.

“You like how this engine revs, little wolf?”

“Yes!” I yell out as he rams into me over and over, the vibration from the car stimulating every inch of my vagina. The sound of our skin slapping together takes over the tree line and accompanies the moans and grunts coming out of our mouths. He pulls me close with one arm and I arch against him. Desperate to have him deeper inside me.

“If you don’t want a baby in this little womb of yours, you better double up on some Plan-B, baby, because not even your birth control is going to stop me.” The climb comes on hard and fast, the pressure of my impending orgasm screaming to break free. He grabs my hair and yanks my head back. Forcing me to look at those dominant blue eyes before he bites into my neck. The pain mixes with pleasure before b-lining straight to my core. I release as forcefully as it came on, and my legs shake around him while my arms shake underneath me. Struggling to keep myself upright.

He comes again with a feral roar that echoes through the trees. His body shakes. Trembling with the excessive force of his orgasm. The familiar feeling of him exploding inside me only serves to extend my own pleasure, and my body arches into him more on its own accord. Absorbing every ounce of him. Once the feeling subsides, he rests his forehead against mine and runs his hand over my head. Leading to him cradling the back of my neck.

“Fuck you have me coming like a horny teenager.” He says through a breathless chuckle. I giggle as he wraps his arms around my body, and I wrap mine around his neck as we just sit in this position and take a moment to embrace each other. He presses his lips to mine as I run my thumb over his jaw. Enjoying the feeling of his soft skin mixed with the stubble on his face. When he pulls away, I look up at him. He’s staring into my eyes, and I watch his pupils dilate. That handsome face softens, and a grin sprouts, crinkling his eyes.

“What?” I ask him, smiling. He moves a hand to my cheek, and I nudge my face into it. Feeling my heart grow in size at the feeling of his gentle touch.

“I…” He hesitates. Go on baby, tell me you love me. “You are just so perfect…” That’ll suffice for now. I smile as he kisses me again before removing himself from me and helping me down. “We’re probably only about twenty minutes out now.”

“I thought you said it was a couple of hours away?”

“It is, but we’ve been driving for over an hour already, and I was going about one-twenty just now, and I’m not sure for how long. Safe to say we’re close.” He smirks.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” He kisses me again quickly before walking back to the driver’s seat. A mischievous glint in his eyes.

“My parents house.” He throws his jacket in the back seat and gets in the car. HIS WHAT!? My breath smells like his dick, my thong is soaked with both our cum, and we’re going to his parents’ house!? Oh my God, someone shoot me. I can’t meet them like this!

“Damien Alexander Hartley!” I walk over to the passenger side.

“Ashia Morgan Hartley!” He smirks and says playfully as I look at him through the open door.

“That’s not my name.” I shake my head.

“Not yet.” He cocks an eyebrow.

“Damien!” He laughs “You couldn’t have mentioned that to me earlier!?” He shrugs his shoulders.

“I didn’t want you to be nervous.”

“Well, now I smell like sex. How am I supposed to make a good first impression on your parents like that!?”

“Are you worried about my parents liking you?” He smiles as that comes out of his mouth. His icy eyes scan my body, and he throws a sharp glance at me as I lean over the passenger seat. I see that familiar hunger grow on his face as he lightly licks his bottom lip, and even though I just came, I can feel myself getting wet again.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I say smiling back at him.

“Like what?”

“Like you want to fuck me again.”

“But I do.” He pouts his bottom lip before flashing his teeth at me.

“Damien…” I whine.

“Don’t worry, baby girl. Look in the glove box.” I open it to see a pack of wet wipes, some of the deodorant I like to use, Listerine, my perfume, and one of my thongs. I snap my eyes back to him.

“You're amazing.”

“What can I say? I know you.” I stare into those hypnotizing eyes, and I feel my heartbeat speed up. He’s taken the time to notice ever little detail about me, and I don’t have any doubts anymore that he loves all of them.

“Yes. Yes you do.” I say to him as I grab the things out of the glove box to start cleaning myself up.

As always, he was right. About twenty more minutes in the car and we’re pulling up a long driveway to his parents’ house. It’s elegant, and huge. The outside is made of tan brick and light green siding with brick columns. Plenty of windows and a large front covered porch. They have a garage to the left, but not near big enough apparently. Either they have a million cars, or there’s a shit ton of people here. I count twenty cars at least parked in the grass and up and down the driveway.

“Damien? Is there something else you want to tell me?” I look over and tilt my head. He inhales through his teeth and then looks at me all innocently. It's actually quite cute, but I don’t let him know that.

“Okay. Today is Emma’s birthday. Every year the whole family comes and we just hang out all day. We hang outside, we play board games, we drink. Whole nine yards. It’s a really fun time.” His fingers drum on the steering wheel as he talks, and his mouth might be dry. He actually looks nervous at the fact that I might be slightly upset at him.

“So, not only am I meeting your parents, but I'm meeting your whole family? On your dead sister’s birthday?” He gently nods his head and licks his lips.

“Yeah.” He slightly winces in anticipation.

“You didn’t think to prepare me for that?” I squint my eyes at him as I lean on the middle console. He lets out a nervous breath and places his hand on mine.

“I did, but I just want you to be yourself. I didn’t want you to try and act differently to impress them. You're perfect for me, and they’re going to love you. My mom already thinks she does.” I catch myself relaxing to that comment. My anxiety slowly subsiding.

“You told your mom about me?”

“Of course I did. I first called her a couple of weeks ago, and then I called her two nights ago and told her I was bringing you.” He’s had this planned? He actually wants to introduce me to his parents? This isn't just because he felt he couldn’t leave me alone with everything else going on? I can almost literally feel my chest swell… “I needed her to know how important you are to me before I brought you.” He squeezes my hand. “Are you ready? If we don’t go in soon, they’ll come out looking for us.” I smile at him and squeeze his hand.

“Yeah baby, I am.” He gets out, comes around, and opens my door as he grabs me by my hand, entangling our fingers, and we walk up to the door. I take in the vast size of the house, and try to prepare myself to meet his family. I've never had to do this before. Cooper never cared if I met his parents, and the only people’s opinions I ever cared about were the Anderson’s. Taking a deep breath, I steel my spine. Determined to get through this in one piece. He stops us for a moment in front of the door and turns to me.

“By the way, most of my cousins work for me, but our parents don’t know. My family can be a little much sometimes.” He warns.

“You keep the fact that you’re a vigilante away from your parents? You don’t say?” He grins as he opens the door. “And knowing you and your craziness, I'm sure I'm plenty prepared for your family.” I continue as I step inside. We walk into this huge house, and I’m immediately smacked by the overwhelming presence of his family. There has to be at least fifty people in the living area alone.

Holy shit…never mind. I'm not prepared for anything today.

“Oh my God! There she is!” I hear a squealing voice yell as a tall, dark-haired woman runs up to us. Well, to me, as she swings her arms around me, hugging me. “We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Jesus Christ, Dani, you’re going to give her a stroke.” Damien says as he shuts the door.

“Oh, she’s fine!” No, I'm not. I feel my face get hot and my hands start to tremble. She pulls away from me and grabs my hands. “Hi, I'm Danielle, D’s cousin, but you can call me Dani.”

“Hi Dani…” I say nervously.

“Damn it, Danielle! Can’t you let the girl get in the door?” I see a tall, dark blonde man walk up to us.

“Hey, I'm Zander. Nice to meet you.” He sticks his hand out and I shake it.

“Hi. I’m Ashia.” I say a little calmer than previously.

“Oh my God, is she here?!” I hear another woman yell from the living room.

“Yes Mel, we’re here! Damn.” Damien says as he chuckles.

“Damien!” Multiple little voices ring out as four kids run up to us.

“What’s up, munchkins!?” He yells back as he picks two up and the other two hang on him. One on his arm and the other grabbing onto his leg.

“Kids get off Damien! I told you he’s not going to feel well today!”

“I'm fine, Lauren! It’s not often I see them! Let’s go kids!” He runs through the house and leads them into the living room as a light red-haired woman walks up to me.

“Hey, I'm Lauren.” She shakes my hand. “Sorry, we are all so chaotic. Come in the living room.” I should have stayed in the car. How the hell am I supposed to handle fifty versions of him?

She leads me further into the house to see the large open space. There’s a living area and a den area that are filled with people, the dining area is filled, and there’s at least five people in the kitchen.

“How many of you are there?” I say chuckling, nervous as hell.

“So, we have our Nana, she’s eighty.” I look to where she’s pointing as an old lady, clearly roller-set, grey blue hair, gently waves to me, and I wave back. “Then we have our parents, seven siblings in that bunch, and there’s twenty-five of us cousins. Then half of us have kids of our own.” Danielle says.

“Oh my God.” I hope my voice is not as shaky as I think it is. I'm going to kick his ass for leaving me inside without him.

“Yeah there’s a lot of us.” Zander says as I turn to someone touching my shoulder.

“You must be Ashia. I'm Leanne, Damien’s mom, and this is his dad, John.” Oh my God, just breathe… She points to a tall, hardened man. About as tall as Damien, maybe slightly shorter. Toned, but not huge. Bald, and standing with his hands behind his back like he's standing at attention. I know Damien said he was military, but my God. He’s not void of emotion, but very stern.

Whereas she is smaller and has a very warm presence. Shoulder length, straight blonde hair, the same piercing, ever-changing blue eyes as Damien. Only slightly taller than me. How the hell did she give birth to him? She reaches her arms out, telling me she expects a hug.

“O-oh my God, hi.” I hug her back even though I'm dying inside. Her embrace is warm, kind of like his, and it’s not quite as awkward as I was expecting. How much did he tell her about me?

“Would you like a drink? Damien said you like Malibu. You and Sarah will get along.” Well, obviously he told her enough to tell her I drink sometimes.

“Hey girl!” The girl, who I assume is Sarah, waves to me from the kitchen. I gently wave back.

“Um, yes please. I’d love one. Hello, Mr. Hartley.” I look him in the eyes as I say that.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He says somewhat coldly and his face remains stoic and stern.

“Perfect! Right this way.” Mrs. Hartley gestures in the direction, and I follow her to the sea of white they have as a kitchen. All white counters, counter tops, and appliances that match well with the beige wooden floors. Completing the bright scene with the laughter of Damien’s family.

As she makes me a drink I watch Damien, who’s moved out onto the back deck. He’s playing with what looks to be about ten kids, and I don’t know what the hell he’s doing, but it’s so cute. He has his arms stretched out, wrists dangling, rocking side to side on his feet like Frankenstein, but he has his eyes closed and his tongue hanging out like a zombie. The kids are running around and screaming, but smiling and laughing at the same time. He’ll be a good dad one day…

What am I saying? I shouldn't be thinking that way now. Especially after what he said earlier, and now as I watch him, I can’t get the thought of our possible kids out of my head. He should not be so paternal. Or look so hot being around so many kids.

“He’s great with the kids isn’t he?” I snap out of my trance and to my left to see his mom holding a glass to me.

“Yeah, he is.” I take it from her and she looks back at him with me. Practically in awe over him. Her lip pokes out slightly and she eyes him with such love and tenderness it makes me weak.

“They just love him. He’s always been good with other kids. So protective, even over Emma. It didn’t matter that she was eleven minutes older than him.” My heart sinks all the way to my feet.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I say, almost in a panic.

“He didn’t tell you they were twins?” She raises her eyebrows in genuine confusion, and I shake my head in disbelief.

“No, ma’am.” Today’s his birthday? I knew I should’ve asked during twenty questions. Why wouldn’t he tell me? I don’t have anything for him, and I didn’t get the chance to make him breakfast or do any of the things girlfriends are supposed to do for their boyfriends birthday.

“Well, I'm sure he’ll tell you tomorrow, dear. Don’t take offense.” She swats her hand, like I shouldn’t think anything of it. “He always wanted Emma to have the spotlight on their day. He even made a fuss about getting him gifts when they were ten. If he got money, he gave it to her. If she wanted a toy, he gave it to her. She always got the first piece of cake, and when we sing happy birthday, her name has to come first. He’s always been such a sweet thing. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. They both played soccer until they were twelve, but once he realized that their schedules over lapped that year, he quit. Said he didn’t want to miss a single game of hers.” Hearing about him this way brings a warmth to my chest, even though I’m not surprised to hear any of it. He is very thoughtful, and caring. He never seems to think of himself.

I walk over and start to look at all of the pictures on the walls and shelves, and they look like any normal family. There’s a whole shelf of just kids’ pictures, and in the very middle I recognize the small boy with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, next to a little blonde girl with those same eyes. Both making funny faces to the camera. Damien’s eyes are crossed, cheeks puffed out, and he’s holding two fingers behind her head, while she has her lip curled up on one side and her tongue hanging out. They look so sweet.

“That was taken a week before she passed. Right before one of her games.” His mom walks up to me and says in a sad tone. “They were so close.” I don’t remember seeing a picture of her in his house. Well, any pictures for that matter. I'll have to ask him about that. Family is obviously very important to him. Why doesn't he have anything about them back home?

We turn to the sound of children screaming, and Damien running in with a little girl tossed over his shoulder.

“Damien Alexander! You know no rough housing inside!” His mom says with a stern tone. I giggle at the thought of his small, petite, mother fussing at my tall, dark, and toned man. Damien looks up at us and smiles as he gently puts the girl down.

“Sorry, mom. Alright kiddos, the monster needs a break.” They all exclaim with their disappointment and run back outside. He walks up to me and grabs my hips from behind, lightly resting his head on mine.

“You should feel special, Ashia. He’s never brought a girl home before.” She raises her eyebrows and winks at me.

“Mom.” He says sternly.

“Don’t mom me, mister. She should know how special she is.” She points at him like he’s a kid, and I'm taken aback by her swift change in demeanor. “What have I always told you? You don’t tell a woman her worth…”

“You show her.” He finishes for her.

Showing is better than telling…

“He does. Show me, I mean.” I say to her. “He’s very loving.” I look up at him and he smiles back at me.

“Well good, because if he brought you today, you must mean a whole hell of a lot to him.” She walks away and starts talking to other people in the room. The moment she’s far enough away, I look back up at him.

“You are in trouble.” I whisper to him.

“I am?” He says to me in a confused tone.

“Yes, why didn’t you tell me today is also your birthday? That’s like the third thing you haven’t told me about today.” I squint my eyes as I interrogate him.

“Ah, so the cat’s out of the bag?” He smiles and rests his head on mine again. I go back to looking at all of the photos.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” I ask him genuinely.

“Because I don’t want today about me. I want it about Emma, and I want it about you. I brought you here to show you my life. I want you to feel like you know me. I don’t want the fact that it’s my birthday to overshadow that.” We continue looking at all of the pictures on the walls and shelves, and my eyes are brought back to the one of him and his sister.

“I’m sorry about Emma.” He tightens his grip on me.

“Me too.” He plants a gently kiss to the top of my head.

“Ashia! Come play Twister! I stole a pair of Damien’s old basketball shorts you can wear!” We snap our gaze to see Danielle yelling at me from across the room.

“She’s drunk.” Damien chuckles.

“Good, then she won’t remember how bad I am at Twister.” I slightly cringe inside.

“I have a hard time believing you’re bad at Twister with how flexible you are.” He laughs as I hit his shoulder.

“I'm keeping those shorts.” I say as I reach up and kiss him on the cheek before walking over.

I might throw up. His mom’s food is so good. I can see where he got his cooking skills from, but with how much she’s made me eat I feel like a bloated mess. Vomiting at his parents house the first time I meet them would surely send me spiraling into a nervous pit, so I'm fighting like hell not to.

Most everyone is pretty drunk, and the men have moved into his dad’s office to play poker. The women and kids stayed out here, and I recognize a few of their names from Damien’s conversations with Carter.

I think Danielle and Lauren help handle the women and kids they rescue, and I could see that from them. Danielle doesn’t have kids, but she is a very open, comforting person, and Lauren has four children ranging from age two to eight. She’s so good with them. Patient and kind, and in some situations I’ve seen today I’d expect her to lose her temper, but she hasn’t. I admire that because I don’t know if I'll be that patient with our kids.

Kelsey is Zander’s sister, and she helps him with the fake ID’s and documentation they create. Melanie was over seeing their new housing project for the women they rescue, but she had her baby about a month ago, and that’s when Carter took it over. She normally handles Damien’s real estate and finances. She helped him buy and set up The Basement and now The Attic, is what they’re calling the new ‘HQ’, and assisted in the construction of his house and found the land for him.

They are all very close, and it’s so comfortable here. They all act like they’ve known me forever. Very wide open people. Their other cousin, Rachel, asked Danielle what happened to Damien. Why he was so bruised and cut up and she told her I beat him. Which of course she made very clear that it was just a joke, but it about sent me spiraling until they laughed.

“So, Ashia, how did you and Damien meet?” Amy, another cousin who isn’t involved, asks.

“His friend came and got his haircut a couple of weeks before we actually met, and he came with him the next time. He found me in a bar that night while I was out with my friend.”

“He crashed girls night? How rude.” They all laugh.

“It was fine. I kind of felt bad because he asked me out while his friend was getting his haircut, and I turned him down.”

“Then he went and found you anyway. D is suave.” Danielle says, winking at me to let me know she knows more than that.

“Yes he is.” We all laugh and some of the women comment on how Damien is ‘so smitten’. It makes me blush.

“So, do you have favorites when it comes to your clients?” Lauren asks me.

“Well yeah, you know you have some really good ones, and then some really bad ones.”

“D was telling me about this one client she has that’s, like, ninety or something, and he constantly flirts with her.” Melanie says.

“Ewe, I’m sure that’s awkward.” Amy says.

“It’s not like that.” I say to them. “I’ve had Charlie as a client since my second day there. His wife had just died, and he came in for Emmett, my boss, to cut his hair, but he was too busy, so I took him. He’s come to me ever since. Even when I…” I stop myself and shut my mouth as quickly as I can. I can’t believe I’m about to say all of this to these women. I just met them. I guess sharing with Damien has gotten so easy I just spill my guts on anything now. Great, thanks babe.

“When what?” Dani asks. I know she and Lauren have seen some pretty terrible things, but what about the others? Would they look at me differently if they knew about my past? I trust Damien so much, and I can't imagine his family being much different from him. I definitely don't need to tell them everything, but if I say forget it they might get offended, and I don't want that.

“When I was in a previous relationship, he attacked me. Hurt me pretty badly, and I couldn’t work for a few months. I was in the hospital for two weeks, and Charlie came to see me every day after he found out. Then when I tried to come back to work, I had to retrain my arm to do the things I needed to do. So, Charlie came in every day then too. We just shaved his head for a while so my arm could get used to holding the weight of the clippers again. Once I got that down, we let his hair grow out some and he’s let me cut it with scissors ever since. It was probably about two years ago that he came in one day after I had a really good day and he heard me sing. Come to find out that was his first date since his wife died, and he was coming in to build up some confidence. He said he didn’t even need a haircut after that. So now he comes in whenever he has a date. Haircut or not, and I wash his hair and sing for him. Charlie’s sweet, he’s not just a creeper, I promise. He’s crude, but sweet.”

“Oh my God, I feel like such a bitch now.” Amy says with her hand covering her mouth.

“No, don’t. I haven’t told Damien that story yet, so he doesn’t know. He’s very protective, so I can see how Charlie would make things seem weird.”

“Does Damien know about your attack?” Sarah asks and everyone’s eyes go wide.

“Oh my God, Sarah!” Melanie says.

“No, it’s okay. Damien knows everything about me.” I actually feel really proud to say that. He does pretty much know everything, and he’s been patient and gentle. Never really asking me himself, but just allowing me to talk about things. He’s never judged me, or looked at me different because of it, and I'm sure his family won’t either. I’d kill to have a family like his. I guess I sort of do now.

While we’ve been talking, all of the kids have been getting ready for bed. They have a room especially for the grandkids when they stay. It’s filled with bunk beds, star lights on the ceiling, and toys. It’s really cute how they all camp out together once a year. The adults all share rooms, but we’ll be staying in Damien’s old room tonight. I can’t wait to see what teenage Damien had in his room. Especially now knowing the secret nerd he is.

I look over to his mom washing the dishes. You would think that with all of these people they’d use things like paper plates and cups, but apparently they use this set every year. I feel terrible that she’s in there doing all of that by herself, so I get up and walk over to help her. She looks up at me and smiles as I get closer to her.

“Oh, you’re fine sweetheart, you go and have a good time.” She tells me as I walk up and stand next to her.

“I am having a good time, but I would like to help.”

“Damien said you’re a people pleaser.” She smiles as she says that, so I know he meant it as a good thing. “If you would grab a towel and start drying, dear. That would be great.”

“Yes ma’am.” I start drying the dishes in the dish rack and sorting them so I can put them away. She looks around the room at all of the women, and as the kids come and go she makes sure they’re in the living areas before glancing at me.

“So, I assume you support Damien’s business?” She says in a hushed tone so no one else can hear us over their loud laughter.

Play it cool, Ashia.

“Yeah, of course. I am also a fairly big nerd. So, I love his shop. It’s crazy how many collectibles he’s obtained.”

“That’s not the business I mean, dear.” My stomach drops, and the anxiety creeps in. I look over to her and she gives me a very serious look.

“You know?” I'm sure to keep my voice low.

“For about a year now. You'll find out soon enough, Ashia. Children can't truly hide anything from their parents. Especially with fathers like them.” She nods in their direction. “John’s been watching Damien for about three years. We’re proud of the work he does. Especially John. Has Damien told you about him?” I shake my head. “He was Special Ops, then a hired assassin. He did a lot of things he’s not proud of. The country he defended told him a target, he took them out. That’s all it was to him then. It wasn’t until I was taken he realized the mistakes he made. How innocent most of the lives truly were.” I snap my head back toward her. I watch her jaw clench as the painful memories resurface. Taken? Like one of his targets found out about the family and came for her?

“That’s awful, I'm so sorry.”

“I was gone two months when Damien and Emma were two. He says they were the worst two months of his life. They were also mine.” She swallows hard, and I stay silent, not knowing what to say. “They make a lot of enemies in the work they do, and they’re ruthless when they come for you. But we stay, and we wait, because we are what makes our men strong. Not the guns, not the tools, not even the men that surround them. Us.” She turns to me, very seriously, and I look at her. Focusing on her determined stare. “I don’t need to know all of the details of what Damien does, and I make that very clear to John. I don’t need to know a body count, or the money spent. I just need to know that you'll keep him strong. I need to know that you won’t break his heart. He is my son. The only baby I have left. If you can’t handle his life, then own up to it. Are you going to hurt my son?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The words come flying out of my mouth. I even surprise myself, but I don’t hesitate, because I mean it. Down to the marrow of my bones I mean it. I’ve never felt so sure about anyone or anything in my entire life, and I plan to prove that to both of them. “He has me. Always. I know I haven’t known him long, and I know I just met you, but you'll be seeing a lot more of me. You'll get to know just how serious I am about him.” I killed someone for him for fucks sake, but I won’t mention that. That is definitely not normal ‘hey I just met you’ conversation. This may not be either, but every mom questions their son’s girlfriends. She grins and nods her head confidently. Almost as if she’s impressed by my answer.

“Good.” She turns back to the dishes. “So, I don’t need to threaten you then?” I huff out a laugh.

“No ma’am.” I feel a smile grow on my face, just as one grows on hers.

“Good girl.” She gently pats my arm.