Page 19

BENNIE

Ever since Joska, life felt lighter. Easier.

It was a strange way to put it, but with every new morning I woke up, the happier I was. My chest was filled with love, and nothing ever ruined my mood. Not even the guy who accidentally walked right into me this morning and ruined my white sweater with the ketchup-covered hot dog he was holding.

I changed into a new sweater once I got to work, and I kept smiling all day long, unable to stop because I was just so happy.

“What’s up with her?” Sinclair walked into the shop looking as beautiful as ever.

I looked up at her and pursed my lips.

Dad let out a huff and waved a hand. “She’s been grinning like that the whole damn week.”

“Does that have something to do with your man, Bennie?” Sin asked with a smirk. “You haven’t told me much about you and Joska lately. But it looks like you’re enjoying the time with him.”

I felt my cheeks turn bright red as she mentioned his name. “I’m happy,” I admitted, smiling over at Dad before looking at Sin again. “Joska’s coming to dinner tomorrow night. We’ll have an early Christmas dinner.”

“Oh, really? That sounds fun.” She smiled and leaned against the counter in front of me. “That way he will officially meet you, Connor.”

Dad laughed. “Yeah, I guess I owe him that. I figured, showing up at his church wasn’t very classy, and I think I truly scared him. He’s making my daughter happy, and I want him to know that I’m fine with him dating her.”

“That’s sweet of you. Joska’s a good guy,” Sin assured him. “And it’s clear Bennie here is happy.”

“My sister will come too. I hope she’ll behave. She’s still angry at the world for getting divorced, and every time I try to talk to her, she snaps at me.” When I called my sister to invited her to dinner tomorrow, I told her that my new boyfriend would be there too. And that I would be excited for her to meet him. She wasn’t very enthusiastic and said that I shouldn’t expect a lot from her because she was still so heartbroken.

I understood that a divorce was something difficult to deal with, but she was still my big sister whose support I hoped to count on. But the way she acted sometimes was discouraging and disappointing.

“I’ll make sure she behaves tomorrow. Don’t you worry, darling.”

“I hope so,” I muttered before smiling at Sin. “Would you like to join us with your men and Luca?”

“I would love to, but we’re leaving town for the weekend.”

“Really? Where are you going?”

“Aspen. We’re going skiing. Well, Ford, Tabor, and I will. Link and Archer will stay with Luca.”

“Oh, that sounds fun! We haven’t been skiing in a while, Dad. We should go someday soon,” I suggested.

“We’ll see, Bennie. Maybe next month.”

“Okay. Well…I’ll definitely let you know how things go tomorrow with my sister. I truly hope she won’t start unnecessary arguments.”

Maybe my sister would for once realize that not everything was about her. And maybe once, she would show me the affection I always wanted from her. I wanted her to be happy for me because I’ve always been happy for her.

***

I observed Joska as he took in my childhood bedroom. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were filled with amusement.

“Say something,” I urged with a nervous laugh.

“It’s cute.” He turned around to look at me and grinned. “Very different from how you furnished your apartment.”

“Well, I kinda grew out of this color,” I said, looking around my very pink room.

“I can see little Bennie playing with her dolls though. I bet you were the sweetest kid.”

I laughed softly and wrapped my arms around his shoulders when he pulled me to him. “I was very quiet. Not shy, but quiet. I observed a lot, but I could also be very loud and exhausting.”

“Yeah? In what situations?” He put his hands on my lower back, his eyes staying on mine the whole time.

“I was obsessed with playgrounds, especially the ones that had themes, like, a pirate ship or castle. Dad used to take me on weekend trips to the biggest playgrounds around all of Colorado, and I basically turned into a hyper energized kid whenever I got to play on those playgrounds. I never wanted to leave, and Dad had to literally drag me to the car.”

Joska chuckled. “Adorable. You’re kind of the same now when you’re at my place. Full of energy when we have sex, and extremely unbearable when I try to get rid of you.”

I rolled my eyes at him and slapped his chest. “Rude!”

He grinned and tightened his arms around me before trailing kisses all over my face. “You know I’m just messing with you,” he murmured. “I never want to be apart from you.”

My smile was bright as he love-bombed me, and all the emotions I was feeling were overwhelming but nice. At times, I still couldn’t believe that Joska loved me, and wanted to be with me. But he proved to me every day that he was devoted to this relationship.

His mouth covered mine, and I melted into him, letting him kiss me passionately as we stood in my childhood bedroom. I’ve made many bad memories in this room. I spent years being sick in this room, and every time I got to return from the hospital, it felt less and less like the bedroom I grew up in.

Once I moved out, I thought that was all this room would ever be. A room holding bad memories. But now, I would look back to this moment, remembering this passionate kiss with the man I loved.

We looked into each other’s eyes longingly after breaking the kiss, not wanting this moment to end. But it had to, because Dad was downstairs, and I just heard my sister’s car drive up outside.

“We should go back downstairs. I think my sister’s here,” I told him, my voice quiet.

“Okay,” he whispered back, his expression soft.

We walked downstairs with our fingers interlocked. I felt so much joy lately, and I knew that not even my sister’s bad mood could change that. Not that I wanted her to be in a bad mood, but I knew her well enough, and how she’s been lately.

“Your sister’s here,” Dad said as we reached the bottom of the stairs. “She called just five minutes ago, yelling at me because some woman cut her off on the street. She’s not in a good mood,” he added with a tight expression.

I pressed my lips together and looked up at Joska. I wished I could tell him that tonight would be fine, but if this was how it started, I couldn’t promise him anything. I looked back at Dad and sighed. “Maybe she’s calmed down now.”

“I doubt it.” He looked at Joska. “I give you my permission to talk back to my oldest daughter and put her in her place if she tries to be rude to you.”

Joska chuckled and waved a hand. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“I hope so,” I whispered under my breath.

The door opened without a warning. No ringing, no knocking. My sister appeared in the doorway, announcing herself in the most obnoxious way possible.

She let out the heaviest sigh as she took off her sunglasses, which I wasn’t sure why she was wearing when the sun wasn’t even out, then she looked at Dad and said, “I literally hate everyone. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to drive a car.”

Dad cleared his throat and raised his brows, giving her the chance to acknowledge Joska and me standing right there. But she wouldn’t look at us. She raised her brows too, her eyes like sharp knives digging into Dad’s. “What? Am I wrong? You complain about people all the time too.”

He didn’t.

Dad was nothing like Alexis. And neither was I. Actually, she was nothing like any of us in the family. For a thirty-seven-year-old, Alexis still acted like a teenager.

“Hi, Alexis,” I said, trying to catch her attention.

She sighed again as she turned around, and her eyes glared in Joska’s direction. She took him in, head to toe, then something in her fiery eyes changed.

She looked intrigued.

That’s the Joska-effect.

“You’re her boyfriend?” she asked, still not looking at me.

I could feel Joska tense next to me. He didn’t like how Alexis was treating us, but he kept calm. He held his hand out to her, waiting for her to place hers into it, and once she did, he said, “I’m Joska. Nice to meet you, Alexis.”

He was friendly. Joska had manners.

“Joska…” She said his name slowly, dragging the first part with a sensual undertone. “What is a man like you doing with someone like my baby sister? Aren’t you a bit too old for her?”

I pursed my lips. I took that as a win. I was the lucky one here, and Alexis was clearly jealous. It didn’t show on her face, but I could see it in her eyes.

“You don’t have to answer that. It’s a stupid question,” Dad said, shooting Alexis a glare. “Dinner is almost ready. Go sit down at the dining table.”

I nodded and wrapped my hands around Joska’s arm, looking up at him with a gentle smile. “Hungry?”

“Very. Smells amazing already,” he said, complimenting Dad’s cooking. I was sure he’d like it. Dad was a great cook.

Alexis followed Dad into the kitchen while Joska and I headed to the dining room to sit down at the table. I set it earlier, and I put a lot of detail into all the decorations. And while I loved how it ended up looking, the Peonies Joska brought made it even more perfect.

“You keep buying me flowers,” I stated as we sat down at the table. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I loved whenever he stood there with a bunch of Peonies in his hand, smiling brightly because he knew how much I loved those flowers.

Joska placed his hand on my thigh, squeezing gently. “And I’ll keep buying them for you. It has become a habit. One I don’t want to break.”

I smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You’re the most amazing man I have ever had the honor to meet. Well…besides Dad.”

He laughed and shrugged with one shoulder. “I accept and understand that. Your father’s a good man. Your sister, on the other hand…”

“I know. I’m sorry about her. She’s…I think she’s just unhappy with life and lets it all out on others. Dad said he’ll talk with her after tonight. I just wish she would acknowledge me a little more.”

It broke my heart every time Alexis ignored me. Sometimes she acted like I wasn’t even there. Even when I was little and fighting cancer, she rarely came to visit me at the hospital. I used to think she hated me, but Dad always assured me that she didn’t. Still, it was hard for me to see my big sister be so cold, when it had been two times where I was close to death.

Joska took my hand and lifted it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. “The important thing is that you know you’ve always been respectful and loving toward her. You’ve done everything right, and you have nothing to feel bad about. The rest is for her to figure out. And sometimes, people need time to realize how hurtful their behavior can be toward others.”

He always said the right things to make me feel better.

And I loved him for that.