Page 76 of The Fractured

I placed my hands on his sides and curled my fingers into his leather riding jacket for something to hold on to. Seb took my hands and pulled them around himself. In turn, pulling me flush against his back.

“Gotta hold on tighter than that.”

I laughed and scooted closer to him, finally feeling that familiar comfort from before any of this — the sex and the miscommunication — started. There was something more to the hug too.

Safety. Trust. The L word?

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kira. Try to take some things slowly, at least. Allow your heart some grace before you fall head over heels for this man.

My heart skipped anyway.

Anita and Don’s home was a quaint, two-story, cream brick house with a cute little front garden that featured a tree swingand powder blue shutters on the windows. Like all the other homes in the street, they were built close to their neighbors, but each home had its own personality. This one reminded me of something from a storybook. It was cozy and inviting.

Seb and I made our way to the front porch.

The nerves about meeting his family began to sink in properly. They weren’t enough to make me change my mind. Instead, they only fed the happy anticipation growing in my chest. I couldn’t wait to meet the people he cared so much for. The fact that he was more than happy to introduce me to them made my heart swell.

Before we reached the top of the stairs, the front door was opened by a gorgeous woman I could only assume was Seb’s younger sister, Anita.

She smiled radiantly and stepped out to greet us with her arms out wide. The gesture erased any nerves I had, and I hugged her in greeting. She smelled like all things summer and fresh.

“Hi, Kira.” She pulled back, holding me at arm’s length, and looked at Seb. Her smile fell, and she raised a brow. “You’re telling me, you had this fine woman waiting for you to reach out, and you didn’t think to go visit her?”

Straight to the point. I loved her already.

I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.

Seb stammered. “Okay, yes, I was a dumbass for that. But I didn’t hear you complaining about me being here to help out.”

“Seb, kids sleep. You had plenty of time to go see her. Or invite her here.” Anita narrowed her eyes on him. “Treat her that way again and I’ll ring your ears.”

Seb nodded once. “Noted.”

Anita looked at me and smiled sweetly. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

“You too. It’s also nice to meet another hugger,” I said.

“Oh, we’re all about hugs in this house.” She kept an arm around my shoulder and led me inside.

“Nice to see you too, sis,” Seb said sarcastically as he followed us.

I looked back briefly, catching his smile as he watched the two of us proudly. I think any worries he had about this meeting also faded.

Anita brought us through to the first room on the left, opposite the stairs in the hallway, and I spotted her eldest daughter, Chloe, in a recliner wearing a full leg cast. She was playing a game on her Switch before she looked up. Her face brightened with a smile, much like her mother’s, and she waved.

I gave her a small wave back.

Seb went straight to Mia, the chubby baby sitting on the floor playing with colorful blocks. He scooped her up, and she giggled when she realized who he was.

My heart backflipped at the sight of him casually holding a baby in one arm as he walked over to his other niece and kissed the top of her head.

“She looks like a fairy princess,” Chloe whispered to Seb after looking me over with eyes full of awe.

I think it was my hair. It was out, and despite wearing a helmet, it managed to look completely windswept. The curls were unruly at best, and today they wanted to be a little extra. I gave up trying to tame them at the apartment earlier, but I was happy someone appreciated them.

“Hi,” I smiled at the girl.

“I’m going to assume Seb told you what happened?” Anita asked me, referring to Chloe’s leg.