“Are you nervous?” he asks as we sit outside another ridiculous mansion on Sanibel Island.

“Of course I am,” I chuckle. “I’m going to meet your family!”

It’s been four days since the memorial, and while I’ve loved it being just Eli and me, I’m excited to spend some time with other people. I wish it wasn’t the first time meeting them and it wasn’t his famous brother’s family. It’s Eli’s nephew, Adriel’s birthday, so his family is having the adults over to celebrate.

“They’ll love you,” he assures me for the fifth time, and I know I can’t put this off any longer.

When we climb out of the car, a little girl comes barreling forward. “Untle Eli!” she screams as her brown curls bounce in the wind.

“Daria!” He scoops her in his arms and twirls her around. “I want you to meet someone.” He moves over to me. “This is Heather, can you say hi?”

“Hello.” She smiles sweetly.

“Hi, you are even prettier than your uncle said.”

She giggles and tucks her hands under her chin. “Untle Eli always tells me I’m going to be big trouble.”

Daria wraps her tiny arms around his neck and squeezes. “You already are trouble,” Eli says before blowing raspberries in her neck.

“You’re silly!” Her sweet laughter fills the air.

“Look who’s late again!” A woman with long brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a loving smile comes walking down the drive. From what he’s told me, I assume this is Savannah. She’s much shorter than I imagined, though.

“Look who’s busting my balls, as always,” Eli retorts.

She rolls her eyes at him and then turns to me. “Hi, I’m Savannah, I’m so glad you came.”

“Thank you for having me. It’s really nice to meet you,” I say as she pulls me in her arms.

“We’re all huggers, honey. Be ready, this family is small but crazy as hell.” I laugh, and Eli grumbles about her being the leader. “Anyway . . .” She dismisses him. “I’m so sorry to hear about your sister.”

“Thank you.” I do my best to give her a small smile, but bringing up Stephanie is like a knife to my heart.

“We wanted to come for the memorial, but Eli said it would be better if Randy wasn’t in Tampa when he was. The press goes a little crazy when both Walsh brothers are around. One is much easier to hide. I hope you understand.”

I never knew they had planned to come. He never mentioned a word about it, and it touches me more than she’ll know. It also reiterates what Kristin said about him showing me how he feels. He told his family, and they thought I was important enough to him to come to my sister’s memorial.

“Of course. I’m so grateful you even thought to come.” I glance at Eli with surprise and then back to Savannah.

Eli puts Daria to his side and grips my shoulder. “Savannah has a strong sense of family. She was adamant until I put her in her place.”

She snorts, and her eyes narrow playfully. “You wish.”

Their banter is hilarious to watch.

“You don’t scare me, Vannah.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” she whispers conspiratorially. “He knows who reigns supreme and it isn’t either of the Walsh boys.”

“Good to know.” I laugh and jab his side.

“Everyone’s out back,” Savannah tells us and leads us through the house.

Eli holds my hand as I, once again, get lost in the wealth that he and his family have. This house is a little smaller than his, but it feels like a home. There are toys, warm colors on the walls, and it’s clear a family lives here. Even with the size, it feels cozy.

We exit out back, and Randy puts his beer down and comes forward. “Heather, I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Thank you for having me.”

Randy pushes Eli to the side and gives me a big hug. “Thank you.” I look up, not sure what he’s thanking me for until his gaze moves to his brother.

My cheeks burn, and I give a short nod.

“All right, asshole, stop embarrassing my girlfriend.”

I won’t lie, the fact that he called me his girlfriend gives me a thrill. Eli pulls me away from Randy, who chuckles over the possessive gesture. I meet his nephew, who reminds me of Danni’s son, all proud and a total boy. He fist bumps Eli and gives me the chin lift.

Then Eli places his hand on my back and leads me over to who I assume is his mother. She has light brown hair, green eyes that match Eli’s, and the sweetest smile. She’s exactly like I pictured. Her hands are delicate, and she keeps them folded on the table. When she sees Eli approach, her entire face lights up.

“Mom.” His smile is wide as he greets her.

She gets to her feet and takes his face in her hands. “Eli! My sweet boy!” His mother kisses both his cheeks before releasing him. “Are you eating? You look too skinny. I don’t like you too skinny.”

“I’m fine, Ma.”

For the first time, he looks a little embarrassed. I didn’t think that was something I’d ever see.

“He’s all skin and bones,” she says to the lady sitting next to her. When her eyes go back to him, she seems to notice me. She claps her hands together and then touches Eli’s chest. “Is this her?”

“Ma, this is Heather, my girlfriend. Heather, this is my mother, Claudia.”

Twice, but who’s counting?

“She’s so pretty.” She’s talking to Eli but looking at me.

“I’m so happy to meet you.”

His mother walks over and takes my hands in hers. “I have waited a long time for Ellington to bring a girl to me, and here you are.”

I’m not sure what that means, other than he told me that he hasn’t really dated since his ex. Did she never meet her? I would’ve assumed they knew her considering how close to marriage they were.

I glance at Eli, and he rolls his eyes. “Don’t start,” he warns her.

“Oh, you hush. You don’t date, and you don’t call your mother. I have to read about your antics in those magazines. My Eli is too important to find a good girl. Makes his mother have to worry about being all alone without someone to take care of him.”

I laugh as she gives him shit. He doesn’t fight her back, he just tucks her in his side. “You love me.”

She smacks his stomach and laughs. “Come sit, Heather. This is my sister, Martha.”

I take the seat next to her, and Eli leans in, kisses my cheek, and wishes me luck. I watch him grin as he walks off. Asshole. Way to feed me to the lions.

His mother is absolutely perfect. She asks me a million questions about my job, my family, and her eyes fill with sympathy when I tell her about Stephanie. Her entire being is filled with warmth, and it’s comforting being around her. Claudia tells me a little about Eli before he was famous, and I can’t picture him that way. She talks about how scrawny he was, and that Randy was his only and best friend, which is something I assume followed him into adulthood.

He doesn’t talk about any friends, and now, I can’t imagine it’s easy for him to trust anyone. When you’re as successful as he is, it’s probably impossible to figure out who wants to be your friend because they gain something from you and who genuinely cares about you. It’s easier to shut them all out and not worry about it.

“You surviving?” Savannah says, handing me a beer before sitting.

“It’s been such a great day so far.”

“I’m glad. I have to tell you, we were shocked when Eli said he was bringing you to the party.”

I’m not sure if I should be upset or relieved that he doesn’t bring random girls here. I take a drink, hoping to mask my emotions. “I guess I was, too.”

“Don’t take that the wrong way.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “We’re all a little protective of Eli and haven’t been a fan of his past choices. That said, judging by everything he told us, you’re nothing like that. We were really happy he was finally going to get his head out of his ass and bring you around.”

“Vannah,” Claudia chastises her.

“You know you were happy, too, Mom. He’s been so weird since the she-bitch.”

I nearly choke on my drink. I think I love this girl. “I take it you don’t like his ex?”

She lets out a loud laugh. “No. I hated her from the first second I saw her. You know how it is, I’m sure, women can read other women pretty easily.”

“Oh, for sure,” I agree. I feel like that’s one of the advantages that make me a good cop. I have a pretty good gauge for whether someone is pulling crap or if they made a mistake.

“Guys are stupid and only care about one thing . . .”

Claudia scoffs. “Not my boys. They were raised right.”

Savannah side eyes me and grins. “Yes, Randall and Ellington would never care about that.”

If she only knew that’s what Eli and I did after knowing each other twenty minutes.

Speak of the Devils, and they shall appear. Eli and Randy walk over with a plate of burgers and hotdogs.

“Don’t scare her off with your evil ways.” Eli points at his sister-in-law. “I’m watching you.”

I inch closer to Savannah. “Don’t be mean to my new friend.”

“Great,” Eli groans. “Now I’m really screwed.”

Laughter fills the air and then we dig in. The family dynamic is fun and loving. They all make fun of themselves along with each other, and the conversation flows effortlessly. Randy dotes on his wife, showering her with little tokens of love. It’s clear where his brother learned how to treat a woman.

It’s like watching Eli with me. He hands her a drink before she asks, or takes her hand for no reason. Once again, the Walsh brother’s surprise me. People paint Randy as anything but a family man, but that’s exactly what he is.

After the sun goes down, Savannah and I head inside to start cleaning up.

“You know that when your relationship goes public, things won’t be easy,” Savannah says as we wash dishes.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

She rests her hip on the counter, giving me her full attention. “It means that women are crazy, and Eli has been this attainable guy in some of their minds. You’re not an actress or movie star, you’re relatable to them, and you need to have some thick skin if you’re going to get serious with him.” She sighs. “I don’t want to scare you, but I do want you to be prepared. Eli truly cares for you, believe me, I’ve never seen him like this. He may not understand this side of dating a famous person, but I do. I’ve been called horrible names, had photos photoshopped to make me look fat, and seen stories upon stories of Randy cheating.”

“You don’t think I can handle it?” I’ve wondered the same. I think back to the jogger and how uncomfortable I felt with her touching him. That isn’t even what Savannah is talking about.

“I don’t doubt you can if you want to. I’m sure there are awful things said about you being a female cop, right?”

I laugh. “You have no idea.”

“Well, amplify that by a thousand. In the beginning, it’ll be bad, but then it’ll calm down. Just be ready, be on guard, and seriously don’t listen to anything they say. It’s truly disgusting the way the media portrays us, how people get a sick joy in watching famous people flounder. They will actually root for you and Eli to fail. Drama sells, and everything is about money in this world.”

I hear the pain and disgust in her voice. She’s been living this for a long time and must’ve experienced a lot of hurt at people’s hands. “How do you deal with it?”

She looks out the window at her husband and smiles. “I love him. For better or worse, that man is my entire world. I deal with it because music is who he is.” Her eyes turn back to me. “It’s who Eli is, too. So, keep your head down and be open with each other. If you love him, he’s worth it.”

Without a shadow of a doubt, I know I love him. The mere thought of walking away from Eli is enough to make me want to cry. It could’ve been easier to fall in love with anyone else, but nothing in my life has been easy. I’ve had to bury my parents, my sister, endure a divorce, and been so broke I wasn’t sure I could afford to eat, so dealing with people hating me is a cake walk. Nothing will ever compare to the pain of losing my sister. If they want to hate me because I love him, then so be it.

He’s worth the risk, he’s worth it all.

Hours pass, and his mother takes the kids upstairs for baths. Eli, Savannah, Randy, and I have been playing rummy for the last hour. I’m kicking ass.

“Well,” Randy tosses his cards down as I win another round, “on that note. Heather is clearly a hustler.”

“Never!” I pretend to be offended.

“Liar.” He laughs and then turns to his brother. “Eli, you should search her for hidden cards.”

“Are you cheating, baby?”

My jaw drops. “I would never. I’m an officer of the law.” Savannah and I have been passing each other cards under the table.

His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t refute me. I watch him look over at Savannah, and he yells. “I knew it! You little cheats!”

Savannah bursts out laughing, and I follow. “You guys are so blind.”

“Unreal, Ran, we’ve been played by our women.”

Randy smirks at his wife and kisses her. “She’s been playing me since we were kids.”

“Mommy!” Daria comes running in wearing her pajamas, her hair still dripping from her bath. “Will you read me a story?”

Savannah hoists her daughter up and gives an apologetic smile. “It’s that time, Randall.”

“We’re going to hit the road.”

“Don’t be a stranger, you’re welcome here anytime,” Savannah says and pulls me in for a hug. “He doesn’t need to be present, we don’t like him much anyway.”

Eli snorts and then we all say our goodbyes.

Today was a day I’ll never forget. It was a family welcoming me without knowing me at all. I had worried before that meeting Eli’s family would remind me that I was alone in the world, but instead, it showed me the opposite. Once again, Eli provided me with something I didn’t even have to ask for.