“It’s about damn time,” I tease, and Victoria makes a face at me. I finish packing up the box and carry it to the door. “Seriously, help me,” I say and she rolls her eyes at me.

“Oh, I see. Now you want my help.” There’s a smile on her lips and a fire in her eyes that threatens to undo me.

“Open the door, woman,” I say and her eyes darken. But she walks over and opens the door to the mother in law. “Good girl,” I follow up with as I step outside. We’re working to slowly pack up her few belongings and move them over to the main house.

Which is where I want her; right next to me in my bed. Beside me in the kitchen. In the shower with me. And just like that, my cock is ready for her again as I think about the shower we’d taken this morning.

She’d been as sweet and nuzzling as a kitten. And I’d rubbed every inch of her down with soap until she purred with pleasure. Having her in every inch of my life is a welcome intrusion; she seems to just fit perfectly, as if I’ve always had a spot for her but never knew it.

And as she smiles at me and quickly opens the door to the house, I know that this spot for her is permeant. But we haven’t worked out any details yet. There’s still that lingering fear she’ll decide to move on with her life, that she’ll finally be ready to move up north into some apartment while she searches for a new job.

But while she’s here, I’m going to do my best to stop her from wanting to leave. I will make sure she has opportunity after opportunity to do what she loves and hopefully that, along with my love of her, will be enough to keep her here.

And if it’s not, I’ll follow her anywhere.

“So Kieran told you,” She says as if testing whether or not I know.

I unload the box of food stuff and begin to arrange it all in the spots I’d cleared in the fridge. “That Em is pregnant? Yeah. She told you?” I ask, not at all surprised.

Victoria nods, her face excited. “I thought it was weird how deeply invested I am in the lives of these strangers. I love Em, I really do.”

I nod. “Yeah, that’s easy to do.”

To my surprise, Victoria leans into me, placing her face on my arm. I see the look and know what she’s going for. “I don’t love her like that anymore.” I’m not just saying it to make her happy. I realized that with her and Kieran so happy that I’m just no longer hanging onto fear he’ll hurt her and she’ll come to me.

And if she does, I’ll help her. But it’s nothing beyond family love. She’s my sister now, and having my brother back reminds me of that.

“You know, you’ve never even met Connor,” I tell her.

She blinks. “Who’s Connor?”

“My other brother.”

Her brow crinkles and I sense humor incoming. “Sheesh, how many of you are there?”

I put the half gallon of milk in the fridge and glare at her. She giggles and shakes her head. “Don’t tell me you two hate each other too.”

The thought of Connor’s never ending support of Kieran and how he always tries to keep us close to mom fills my mind. I haven’t heard from him in a while, and it hits me now that he’s never gone so long without calling.

But I’m sure he’s busy. He’s got a life too, a job, things.

And it occurs to me how little I know of my own brother. He’s as closed lipped as they come and he’s never one to talk about himself. Now, wondering where he is and what he’s doing, I make a mental note to call him.

“Do it,” Victoria says, shouldering me out of the way so she can put things away.

“How do you do that?” I ask her, ever amazed at how she seems to know what I’m thinking.

She winks at me. “It’s a gift. Go call this mystery brother.”

I sit down at the kitchen table, watching a nicely-healing Sentinel get up and stretch before walking into the kitchen to see what Victoria is up to. I smile that he’s doing so well and that she sneakily offers him a bit of turkey.

“I saw that,” I tease her.

“You saw nothing,” She says, tossing me a playful glance over her shoulder as I dial Connor’s number. It goes straight to voice mail and that sense of dread in my gut grows a little bit. So I call mom.

She answers, her voice light and happy. “Kyle!”

“Hi mom,” I say, realizing I owe her a bit of an explanation. And I see Victoria peeking at me like she’s curious how this is going to play out.

“How are you?” Mom asks, and I stare Victoria in the eyes as I answer.

“Mom, I’ve met someone. Someone amazing.”

I hear mom laugh on the other end. “She’s not tied up in your basement, is she?”

“What the hell, mom, no.” What is wrong with all the women in my life right now? And then I get it. “Em already called you didn’t she?” Of course Emma would put mom up to saying something silly like that. I bet they planned it as retaliation for me not telling mom sooner.

“She did!” Mom sounds so excited I know what other news Emma leaked. “And she’s going to make me a grandma again. When are you going to give me grandkids?” she asks, her voice playfully petulant.

“Never. I’m going to die alone, a lonely old man.” They’re her words, of course, but I’m going to tease her with them. But now, Victoria is watching me, her brown eyes wide, as if this phone call is what makes it real for her. “Mom, I love you, I have to go, I say, recognizing the panic in Victoria’s eyes.

I hang up the phone and am at her side in a flash. Pulling her into a supportive hug, I feel her cling to me. “You’re okay,” I whisper, feeling her breaths coming quick.

“You told your mom,” she says, her voice breathless. I feel her heart hammering against my ribs and I want to apologize, to fix what I’ve broken. But I let her speak. “What if we don’t work out?” she says, her brown eyes locking on mine.

“Then she’ll accept that.” It seems so simple in my head, but I understand that things I don’t understand are valid points of panic for her. Part of loving her is being patient. Being understanding. Accepting her imperfections as features, not bugs. And, as I press a kiss to her forehead, I know the next words are going to hurt. “You’re here as long as you want to be.”

“What if you get tired of me first?” she asks, her eyes worried.

I can’t help but smile. “I can’t imagine ever getting tired of you.” And it’s true. She’s an amazing woman.

“But I have so much baggage, so many issues,” she says, her voice little more than a humiliated whisper.

I shrug. “Who doesn’t? You accepted mine and my crazy ass, broken family. I think I can handle whatever you throw at me and it’ll never be as bad as what I’ve put you through.”

She nods and I feign insult. “Well fuck, you could have told me they aren’t that bad.”

She looks up at me with an incredulous expression. You’d know that was bullshit,” She says, a smile tickling the corners of her lips. I nod in agreement, glad the humor helped ease her panic and worry. Even now, her breaths seem to be coming back to normal and her heart is slowing, matching the steady, strong pace of mine.

“Remember,” I tell her, waiting until she looks up at me with all of her attention before continuing, “I’m not interested in where you came from, but where you’re going.”