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“Sure,” I say, going to the counter and putting a pan of Hawaiian rolls into the oven.
“Thanks, honey.”
“You’re welcome.” I smile, feeling warm inside. I wonder if my mom would have been like her if she were alive. All of the memories of my mom are happy; she was always laughing and smiling.
“What’s wrong?” Nico’s arms wrap around me. I hug him back, breathing him in before bringing my hands to my face, wiping my eyes. “Talk to me,” he says against my ear before kissing it.
“Nothing. Just thinking about my mom and wondering if she would be like yours,” I tell him.
He tilts my head back with a finger under my chin. “You gonna be okay being here? If not, we can go,” he says quietly, searching my face. Hearing him say that only makes me love him that much more. I know how much his family means to him. I know how much he wants me to get to know them, so his asking if I need to leave says more than words ever could.
“You love me,” I whisper. It isn’t a question; I know he does because I can see it in his eyes. I don’t know how I missed it before.
“I do.” He smiles, his mouth touching mine. “I love you, Sophie,” he says softly for only me to hear.
“I love you too,” I whisper, closing my eyes. I feel him smile against my lips before he kisses me again.
“Well, shit.” He lifts his mouth from mine and I turn my head. “It is true. Fuck me—I thought Mom was kidding,” a guy says, looking between Nico and me.
“Trevor, this is Sophie. Sophie, this is my brother, Trevor.”
“Nice to meet you,” I tell him, pressing closer to Nico.
Trevor is big, and we were in a kitchen, so I can’t help but feel some fear as the thought of my attack in my childhood home’s kitchen drifts into my mind. I try to fight it, remembering what my counselor said about not letting it control me, and I take a deep breath and put my hand out to Trevor, who immediately takes it. I scream when he suddenly pulls me to him, and it takes a second to realize that he’s hugging me. My heart is pounding in my chest, but my breaths, which were coming in rough pants, slow, and I return his hug for a second before being pulled back by Nico’s strong, tattooed arms.
“Aw, now you get it.” Trevor smirks, shaking his head.
“I get it, and you got your own woman, so keep your hands off mine,” Nico says, tucking me back under his arm.
Then a very pretty woman with long blond hair comes into the kitchen holding a little girl—well, trying to; it appears more like the girl is being detained, and the woman looks like if she moves wrong, her very pregnant stomach would explode.
“What did I tell you about picking her up, babe?” Trevor scolds her, taking the little girl from her and whispering something into her ear, making her laugh and yell out, “Daddy!”
“It was either pick her up or have your mom’s house destroyed. She’s just like you. She never wants to listen when I tell her no,” she snaps at Trevor.
“You don’t like telling me no,” Trevor tells her with a smirk before gently pulling her forward by the back of the neck and kissing her. When his mouth leaves hers, she smiles then looks at Nico and me.
“Um,” she mumbles, and I can’t help but giggle. I totally get it; Nico has the same effect on me.
“Sophie, this is my wife, Liz, and my daughter, Hanna.”
“Hi,” I greet softly, lifting my hand in a small wave.
Nico pulls me fully against him until Hanna reaches out from Trevor’s hold, latching on to Nico. I love seeing him with the little girl, who seems so fascinated by him.
“Oh my God, they were telling the truth,” Liz says quietly.
My eyes go to hers, and she starts to laugh, making her whole belly bounce. I’m starting to wonder if she should even be out of bed with how large she is.
“Should you be doing that?” I ask her, watching her belly, afraid the baby is going to somehow become dislodged and come flying out.
“Do what? Laugh?” she asks, my eyes returning to hers as she smiles and shakes her head, laughing even harder. “I still have a ways to go, but this guy here is apparently going to be the biggest baby in the history of babies.” She starts rubbing her belly, and I really want to rub it too to see what it feels like. “He’s kicking. Do you wanna feel?” she asks, reading my face.
I take two small steps towards her, gently placing my hand on her belly. “Does it hurt?”
“No. It feels strange and uncomfortable, but never really painful, except childbirth. Now that is horrible, and anyone who says differently is a liar.” She grabs my hand, pulling it around to her side and holding it there. That’s when I feel a small kick, and then another, this one much harder.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“Yeah. He’s going to be a soccer player.”
“He’s going to be a football player,” Trevor says, narrowing his eyes on his wife.
“Sure, honey.” She smiles then rolls her eyes. “How long have you been seeing Nico?”
“Um…” Shit. What should I say? I look at Nico; he’s so caught up trying to control the little girl in his arms and talking to Trevor that he’s basically no help at all.
“You are seeing him, right? I mean, he’s not just joking, is he?” she asks, confused.
“No, no, it’s not a joke.” I shake my head, my eyebrows coming together in concentration as I try to figure out what to say.
“Hey, I was just curious. You don’t have to tell me anything,” she says gently.
“I…I just feel bad. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months, but I just couldn’t meet you guys yet. I was trying to work through some stuff first,” I tell her quietly.
“I understand that. I had to work through some stuff for a while as well, so I know how you feel. Nico’s a good guy though, so he’ll help you.”
“Yeah, he’s kind of relentless,” I reply, scrunching up my nose.
She smiles genuinely, transforming her whole face from pretty to stunning. “Well then I guess I should say welcome to the family.” She shocks me, pulling me in for a hug.
“What?”