Page 54 of Together Again

“It’s not, I mean, it won’t be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess you’ve been spoiled by David in the last few months.”

“Nope, it’s not David’s food. You, Isaac. You’re the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

His lips crashed into mine, taking my breath away. I’m not sure how he managed to turn completely around to face me without breaking the kiss. My brain was short-circuiting to a point that I wouldn’t know my name.

There were no coherent thoughts, just the feel of Isaac’s lips pressed against mine, his gentle biting, and his seeking tongue. Fuck.

A whistle and some cheering got us adding a few inches between us.

Isaac’s eyes were lidded like he was being consumed by lust and had forgotten where he was. When they finally focused on mine, he stared for a moment, running his hands across my short hair.

“Why did you have it cut?”

“For different reasons, mostly practical, but also whenever I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw your hands running through it, and it was too painful to think about. I didn’t know if I would ever see you again.”

“Will you let it grow now?” I closed my eyes as his blunt nails ran across my scalp making my skin tingle all the way down my spine.

“Yes.” I breathed out. “Isaac?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d love to meet your brother.”

As it turned out, Alex only lived a couple of miles away. I don’t know what I expected, but definitely not a small house with a garden full of flower pots and a couple of fruit trees.

Joana explained that it had been her grandparents’ house. When her grandmother had passed away, Alex and Joana had just gotten married, so the family decided it would be the perfect place for them to settle in and raise their family.

I could see they had put their stamp on it with some modern furniture but had also kept some of the older items. It was cozy. A proper home where the love was so palpable you could almost squeeze it with your hand.

Portuguese people were very hospitable. I’d felt it from the day I first met Joel’s parents, to when I came to Portugal earlier in the summer, and now, with Isaac’s family.

There was one small difference. With Joel’s family, his grandmother had insisted on us taking a seat and watching her do everything for us, which was a concept I struggled with.

In Joana’s household, it was an entirely different story.

“You got to get these boys in line, Max,” she said to me while I helped her with dinner and Alex and Isaac were setting the table. “They’re good, but if I don’t give them jobs to do, they’ll disappear into the garden and chat all day. They’re worse than two old ladies.”

I thought it was adorable how Isaac and his brother got along. They looked so alike with their curly hair and unique-colored eyes. I didn’t have any siblings, so when my parents kicked me out, there was nothing left for me to go back to or fight for.

“Do you have any siblings, Joana?”

“No, I’m an only child. My parents were older when they had me. Isaac kinda became my brother when Alex and I got together.”

The sound coming from the baby monitor told us Sofia was awake from her nap.

“Want to come meet the princess?”

“Definitely.”

When we walked past the dining room toward the bedroom, we noticed the table only half set and Isaac and Alex in the garden picking weeds from the flower pots.

“Guys!” Joana cried out, and they both jumped.

I laughed. They looked so guilty I wondered what they’d been talking about.

Sofia was the most adorable baby I’d ever seen. She’d been giggling and chatting in her baby speech ever since she’d woken up.