I’M NERVOUS AS hell. Even more so after my freak out at the service station. We’ve been back on the road for a couple of hours now, and I know we must be close to his parents’ home. I catch him looking over at me every now and then—no doubt wondering if I’m holding it together after my complete meltdown. I’d been doing so well. I haven’t been having nightmares or jumping at stupid stuff so much, but when they surrounded me and were so loud, jeering and heckling, my mind just took me back. A huge wave came over me, and I went into protective mode. Jesus, I’d been in a war with the kitsunes, and I didn’t freak out, but that had me on my knees in seconds.
An awful feeling of dread took over me and that feeling… of feeling dirty had overtaken me. I was right back in that fucking room. Being raped, beaten, pissed on, and burned. Even the smells of that place fogged my brain, I really truly felt like I was there again. And I couldn’t handle it.
Brad saved me again, from myself, I guess. I was folding inward, shutting down. And there he was, my dark knight. I smile at the reference. I look over at him. His eyes meet mine, and that look of uncertainty crosses his face. I smile widely, letting him know that I really am okay. But would I ever be okay? Fully, I mean. Would I have to live like this, in fear, for the rest of my life? In fear that something or someone could trigger those memories for me? Never living to the fullest? I sigh louder than I anticipate, and Brad’s eyes search mine.
‘I’m nervous,’ I tell him, shaking off my thoughts. ‘I’m scared they don’t like me,’ I say, honestly. Another thing that has my stomach in knots. His parents love him dearly. What if I’m not good enough for him? What if they hate me? I’m not a wolf. I don’t have a family, and I’m broken—possibly unfixable.
‘Babe, they will love you because I do.’
I laugh at his reasoning. ‘Just because you love me, doesn’t mean they will.’
‘I know my parents, and believe me, I know they are going to love you. You make me happy. That’s all they want.’
‘I do?’
‘Maiya, seriously, have you not listened to a word I’ve said since we’ve been together?’
‘Mmhmm, I have. I just like to hear you say it.’ I giggle, biting on my lip. He grins at me, presses the button for the window, leans his head out and yells at the top of his lungs.
‘I love Maiya Middleton.’
I slap his arm, and he gives me a goofy grin.
***
As we pull into Brad’s childhood home, it takes my breath away. It’s absolutely beautiful. It has a thatched roof, and the garden alone is just magical. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so pretty. It’s a cottage, but it’s big. There must be so many bedrooms in there. Each window has little shutters on them, and the garden, considering its Christmas Eve, is so full of colour. I have no idea how or what these plants are but the smell alone is out of this world. It’s fresh and crisp and just so inviting. I can see the forest at the back of the house and recall conversations Brad and I have had about how he would run there with his pack brothers. I take a deep breath as Brad closes the car door behind me and takes my hand.
‘Relax,’ he whispers in my ear, before giving me a chaste peck on the lips. I smooth down my top and wipe my palms on my jeans. He takes my hand and leads me over to the front door. As he reaches for the handle, the door swings open, and a woman almost bowls him over. He lets go of my hand in order to hug his mum, and over her shoulder, I see his huge smile as he rolls his eyes at me. Just through the doorway, his dad stands proudly watching his wife and son embrace. I stand back, a little awkwardly, not really knowing what I should do and feeling like I’m intruding on a family affair, but as I do, Brad clasps my hand. His parents now both look at me with smiles on their faces. I smile because I don’t know what the hell else to do.
‘Mum, dad, this is Maiya,’ Brad says like he’s as proud as anything. His mum looks like she might cry, but she seems happy, so that has to count for something. She opens her arms for me to step in for a hug. Something I’m honestly not used to outside of Brad and Devon. But I go and embrace her.
‘You don’t know how long we’ve waited for this day. I’m so happy to meet you, Maiya.’
‘You too, Mrs Beaumont.’
‘Oh tosh, call me Lilly.’ I nod as his father sticks out his hand in welcome, and I shake it.
‘Nice to meet you, Mr Beaumont.’
‘Lovely to meet you, Maiya. My dad was Mr Beaumont. You can call me Mike.’ He smiles. I nod. All the while Brad is beaming like I’ve never seen.
We have a warm drink before we head off to drop our bag in his room. As soon as we get through the door, he asks. ‘You okay? You need anything? You’re comfortable right?’
‘Stop fussing, I’m fine, honestly,’ I tell him, looking around his bedroom. He has a double bed, and even though it’s much smaller than his bed at home, it looks comfortable. I sit to find out.
‘Wow, this is a comfy bed.’ Brad sits by me, looking around his room.
‘You’re the first girl ever to come in here except my mother.’ he laughs. ‘Someone had to make my bed.’
I shake my head, smiling. ‘You never brought a date home?’
‘Didn’t date.’
I think back to the conversation we’d had about that and remember it was purely sex. I’m suddenly really giddy at the prospect that I’m the first girl in his bedroom, and I feel a little mischievous. Biting my lip, I stand and face him, remembering the promise he’d made to me, hours before when we were in the car at the side of the road. His eyes follow my every move as I sit on his lap like I did in the car. He smirks.
‘We’re alone,’ I whisper.
‘We are,’ he whispers back. I don’t expect him to act on anything because, well, we’re in his parents’ house. So when he does, I’m a little shocked. He lifts my top, up and over my head and unclasps my bra in one fluid movement. Slipping the straps down my arms, he then throws them to the floor. I look on at him with wide eyes.
‘How quiet can you be, beautiful?’ he says, latching onto my nipple. I close my eyes against the pleasure I get from his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. I take a deep breath in as he swirls his tongue around my nipple before letting it pop out of his mouth and moving to the other. The sensations from this go straight to my stomach, giving me a fluttering sensation. It feels like we’re being naughty but in the best kind of way. His fingers find the button on my jeans and the sound of my zipper seems so loud against the silence of the room. I gasp, as his fingers find my folds through the material of my knickers. Again, my eyes close against the desire I have coursing through me. It’s amazing how he can make me feel like this with just a few touches. His hands glide over my hips as he takes my jeans down and over my ass—his fingers leaving a tingling sensation in their wake as they journey down to my ankles. A little moan slips out before I catch myself and close my mouth tight, tucking both lips in over my teeth so as not to do it again. He chuckles from his position on the floor as he asks me to step out of my jeans. I do, and he pulls his phone out from his pocket and moves to the wall adjacent to the door. He turns on his sound system and then on his phone he presses some buttons, and the sound of Sia’s voice fills the room. He walks towards me, and that flutter goes crazy in my stomach. I bite my lip. His mouth comes over mine, and he sucks my lip into his mouth, grazing his teeth across it.
‘You know how much that turns me on?’ he asks.
I can’t answer, so I shake my head.
He takes my hand and guides me to his cock, which is pretty much bulging out of the fly of his jeans.
‘A fuck load,’ he answers, gliding his hands around my waist and to my ass. He sits me on the bed and unbuttons his fly. His jeans are gaping open, and for the first time, I look at the ‘V’ shape he has that practically points down to his dick. As he kicks off his jeans and boxers, I scoot backwards on his bed. He crawls up my body until we are eye to eye.
‘I love you,’ he says right before he captures my lips in a kiss that literally takes my breath away. Slow, sensual, and with so much meaning. He gives me all of his feelings in just that one kiss, and I answer, giving him my own. His fingers find my folds, and before I know it, I’m biting my lip again, to keep from making any sound.
‘Don’t hold back, Maiya. The music is loud enough.’ As he says it he puts pressure on my clit with his thumb and curls his fingers inside me. I moan, and I’m so thankful for the music. His lips take mine again, and I moan into his mouth, as he pulls out his fingers and pushes himself inside. He feels amazing, moving against me. His lips and tongue are so gentle. He’s loving me—making love to me. This is what I imagine the definition of making love to be. I am not in control, but I don’t feel like he’s taking it from me. It feels right. And so damn good. I am giving myself over to him, and it’s amazing. Every thrust is slow and determined. His kisses and nips along my neck all add to the sensations I’m feeling. His hand moves down my leg and pulls up my knee towards my chest, and, oh… he’s even deeper still. His eyes close minutely, and it gives me such a thrill because I’m the reason for the pleasure I am seeing on his face. ‘You feel so good, Maiya.’ I bite my lip in response. ‘So fucking good,’ he says again. I throw my head back and groan when I feel my climax approaching. Yes. Yes.
‘Ohh… Brad…’ I can’t get anything more out because it hits me like a tidal wave and affects my whole body all at once. ‘Aaahhhh… Yes…’
‘Come for me, beautiful,’ he hums in my ear, and that is my undoing. I shatter into a million pieces, and I’m not sure I will ever be the same again. I come back to my senses only to watch his orgasm take hold. His thrusts become harder and longer as he comes. He buries his face in my neck and kisses me there as his ragged breathing slows to normal. He is laid on top of me, and it feels amazing, I don’t feel trapped or restrained—I feel loved and cherished. I hold back the tears that threaten to come, and that damn tickling in my throat because I don’t want to ruin this moment. I feel free. It’s stupid, but I actually feel freer at this moment than I’ve ever felt my whole life.
‘I love you so much,’ I whisper. And as if he’s coming to his senses, he looks at me and realises that he’s on top of me. I see panic cross his face as he moves to get up, but I hold him in place with my arms around his neck. ‘Let’s just stay like this for a while?’
That gets me a cute smile, and holding his weight on his forearms, he tilts his head to the side as his eyes take me in.
‘How did I not see you coming?’ he asks.
I frown and giggle. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You came, and my whole life changed. My whole outlook on life. Everything just makes sense now. All the stuff my parents used to tell me that I thought was bullshit because I would never have what they had, but now I do, and I fucking love it, Maiya.’
‘I do too.’
‘Yeah? Good ‘cause you’re stuck with this schmuck for the rest of your life.’
‘I’m okay with that.’
‘I want to buy our own place, and have a family. Fuck, Maiya, I know it’s not urgent right now, but I want it all.’
The tears spill in rivers down both cheeks, and there is no stopping them now. I can’t even begin to put into words how happy that makes me.
‘I want it all too,’ I tell him, and his lips take mine in the most tender kiss we’ve ever shared.
That night we eat dinner with his parents. His mum gets all the baby photos out, and we go through each year and phase of his life.
‘Brad was meant to be the first of many children,’ his mum begins, ‘but after him, we were never able to conceive again.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ I tell her genuinely.
‘Mum, you know this is why I’m especially awesome right?’ Brad says, trying to lighten the mood as always.
‘Well, we did have our hands full with you,’ his dad says. ‘Into everything as a little one and never wanting to do anything unless he wasn’t supposed to,’ his dad tells me lovingly.
We reminisce for a big part of the night, and I hear stories of when Brad was a little boy and how he and Jared were inseparable, and the trouble they got themselves into. Some of the stories are hilarious, and I can picture them now I’ve seen the photos. They were both so handsome as young boys, and when I look at Brad and watch as he laughs and converses with his parents, I know this is the kind of love I want for our kids. For me and Brad to love each other like his parents do and to love our kids unconditionally. That doesn’t seem like a lot to ask anymore. Not after Brad’s words earlier. I smile as I watch him with his family.
‘And when you give us grandchildren, I will be over the moon,’ his mum says.
‘Lilly, you’ll scare the poor girl away.’
‘Yeah, mum, give us a chance…’ Brad says with a smile to his words as he takes my hand.
I smile and tell his mum. ‘One day.’
She grins like I’ve just told her we are already having a baby. My thoughts go back to the baby I never did have, but no sooner do I start to feel sad, Brad seems to notice, and pulls me over to sit in his lap. His parents both leave for the kitchen to ‘wash up’ and I hear them as the door closes.
‘Well she is lovely,’ Lilly says. ‘And so beautiful.’ I look at Brad, and he grins.
‘She is, Lilly, absolutely. I’m so happy for them.’ The door closes, and although I’m sure that isn’t the end of their conversation, I can’t hear anymore. Brad however can.
‘Grandkids,’ he says smirking. ‘They want a fuck load. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me, huh?’
I laugh and snuggle into his shoulder. He smells divine.