Family ties
“I’m nervous.”
My eyebrows tug together. “Why?”
Madeline sighs. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve met someone’s parents,” she says, making my body tighten at the thought of there being anyone before me. My whole past was erased the minute she entered my life. No other girls existed, past, present, or future. Only Madeline. “What if I mess it up?”
“You have nothing to worry about,” I tell her. “My mom already loves you. And my sister…” I shrug, knowing Adrianna is already halfway in love with her, too. “She’s easily entertained.” Madeline laughs at that.
“I really hope she likes me,” Madeline says. “I know how much she loves Leila.”
I lean down and kiss my girlfriend’s lips. “She wouldn’t stop talking about you,” I tell her. “I might even have to fight for your attention.”
She smiles, her eyes lighting up. “That’s fine by me.”
“Yeah?” I chuckle. “You like having my attention?” I ask her. I shake my head, pressing my lips to her cheek. “You had it that very first day in the elevator. Even when you were being a pain in my ass, you caught it.”
Her lips part and she looks up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes that I get lost in. I need some control, or I’ll end up canceling on my own mother to go back to my apartment and spend the rest of the day buried inside of her. “Let’s go, or we’re going to be late.”
Her eyes widen. “What? That’s impossible. I checked the time before we left. I’m never late.” She pulls out her phone and narrows her eyes when she sees we’re still early. “You’re an asshole.”
I let out a laugh. “Is it weird that I find it hot as fuck when you call me that?”
“Might be.”
I shrug. “Don’t care. I love it.” I lean down to kiss her.
She rolls her eyes when we pull back, but I see the smile on her lips. “Let’s go before we really are late.”
When we’re finally at my mom’s house, I reach out and knock on the door. Being here always brings back memories of my dad. He was the greatest father a kid could have. We used to watch futebol together all the time – I will never call it soccer. It’s such a shame that Adrianna never got to meet him. He died when she was still a baby, and unfortunately, she’s never going to know what it was like to have him as a father.
I interlock my hand with Madeline’s when I hear her blow out a breath, and I lean in to brush her hair behind her ear. She’s so damn beautiful. I can’t wait to introduce her to my family.
“Mãe, já chegaram.” Mom, they’re here. I turn to see my little sister standing at the door with a smile on her face.
“Hey, froggy.” I ruffle her hair as I walk inside the house.
She narrows her eyes. “Can you not call me that?” she says, her cheeks tinting with pink.
I laugh, pulling her in for a hug, which she fights against. She’s so much like Leila I wonder if she’s secretly just a clone. “Nah,” I tell her. “It’s my duty as a big brother.” I leave a sloppy kiss on her cheek, which she wipes off dramatically when I pull back. “Where’s mom?” I ask her.
“In the kitchen.” She grins. “You better be hungry because she’s cooked enough to last until next Christmas.”
I sigh. “Great.” I’m going to be eating leftovers for months.
My little sister’s attention turns to Madeline and she smiles. “Hi, you’re my brother’s girlfriend.”
Madeline laughs. “I am. You must be Adrianna. He’s told me so much about you.”
Froggy’s eyebrows lift, glancing at me. “You have?”
“Yeah,” Madi replies. “Your brother can’t stop talking about you.”
Adrianna’s eyes narrow. “What’s he been saying about me?”
“That you stink,” I reply, ruffling her hair once more. I love this little girl. I’m the closest thing she has to a father figure, and honestly, she feels more like a daughter than a sibling.
“I do not stink,” she says, fixing her hair. I can’t believe how big she’s gotten. I still remember feeding her and changing her diapers, and now here she is, a teenager. Christ. I just know my mom is going to have her hands full with her.
I let out a laugh. “Come on, let’s go say hi to mom before she starts making another meal.”
Madeline’s hand finds mine, and I squeeze, her touch searing me from head to toe. “Does your mom always cook for ten?” Madi asks.
I turn to my girlfriend and give her a smile. “My mom loves feeding people. It’s how she shows love, but this isn’t a regular occurrence for me, Mads. I’ve never brought a girl here before.” I give her hand another squeeze. “You’re the first.”
Her face lights up, a grin sprouting on those pretty lips of hers. “I’m the first?”
I nod, pressing my lips to her cheek. “You’re the only one,” I correct. “You’re going to do great. She’s going to love you.” It’s impossible not to.
“Okay,” she breathes out.
When I round the kitchen, my mom is holding a wooden spoon to James’ mouth, and he’s nodding at her with a grin on his face.
“Mãe,” I call out to my mom. She turns around with a grin and drops the bowl on the counter, opening her arms.
“Ai, meu amor.” She engulfs me in a hug, crushing my ribs in the process. Don’t be fooled by my sweet, 5’4 Brazilian mother. She’s strong as hell. She plants two kisses on my cheeks and turns to Madeline with a grin. “Nossa, ela é ainda mais bonita em pessoa.” She’s even more beautiful in person.
Yeah, mom. I know.
“Come here, give me a hug.” She opens her arms out to Madeline and wraps her arms around her, squeezing her. Madeline’s laughing, but I swear I see her wincing with pain.
Jesus, I need to pull my mom off her, or she’ll end up killing my girlfriend. I grin at the sight of all the women I love – and James – in the same room. I like her here. I want her here forever.
A smile creeps onto my face at the realization that I’m falling for Madi, and fuck, it’s nothing like I expected. I thought I’d freak out or something. I never expected to fall for anyone, but something in me settles knowing Madeline is the first girl I fell in love with and the last because there’s no way I’m ever letting go of her.
“Hi, Madi,” James says, walking slowly over to her. He’s starting to use the crutches less and less, and honestly, It’s a relief off my chest. “Nice to see you again.”
She gives him a smile. “You too.”
“Come eat,” my mom says, placing five different serving dishes of food on the table. There’s barely any room for the plates, but with the smile on my mom’s face, there’s no way I’m telling her that. “I forgot to ask Lucas if you had any dietary requirements, so there’s a vegetarian dish, a vegan one, and the rest have meat.”
Madeline smiles, tucking her hands on her lap. “I’ll eat anything.”
My mom gives her a smile back. “That’s great because someone’s going to have to eat all of this.”
“Don’t you worry, mama Silva,” James says, grabbing some pão de queijo from the basket. “I’m starving.”
“Me too.” I dig into the feijoada, which makes my mouth water. My mom hasn’t made feijoada in a long time. It was my dad’s favorite, and I know how much it reminds her of him whenever she makes it. “And I can give the vegetarian one to Leila.”
“This looks amazing,” Madeline says, taking some of everything onto her plate. I grin. I don’t even think she knows what half of it is. She just piles it on, knowing my mom wasted herself in the kitchen cooking for her. “Thank you so much.”
My mom scoffs, waving a hand. “Nonsense. Lucas bringing a girl home for the first time is reason enough to celebrate.” Her eyes meet mine, and she smiles. “I’m so happy he’s found someone.” Tears start to brim in her eyes. “Seu pai teria ficado tão feliz, filho.” Your dad would have been so happy, son.
Madi glances at me, and I know she doesn’t know what my mom just said, but she knows it is important because her hand sneaks under the table, and she places it on top of mine, intertwining our fingers together before she gives it a squeeze.
I look over at her and see her looking at me with those big brown eyes and a beautiful smile on her face. Fuck, I want to kiss her. And not the PG kiss that’s appropriate for when you’re having dinner with your family, but the wet, slobbery kiss that ends with me inside her until she cries out in pleasure.
I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could have gone back to that day in the elevator and told myself, this is the day. This is the day you’ll meet the girl you’ll want to spend the rest of your life with.
I’m sure I wouldn’t have believed it, but now here I am, sitting with my sister, my mother, my brother, and the woman I love, who makes my heart beat faster whenever she looks at me.
She extends her hands when my mom starts to pray, and I open my eyes, glancing at Madeline, to see that she’s already looking at me. She gives me a smile and mouths, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I mouth back.
“For letting me meet your family. I love them.”
Fuck. My heart aches with the love I have for her.
“They love you too.”
So do I.
When I turn my head, I see my mom look between us and give me a knowing smile. James is grinning, and he pouts his lips, imitating a kiss. I’m tempted to throw some bread at his face, but I know how hard my mom worked on it, so I drop the bread, letting out a laugh instead.
The rest of the day is filled with laughter and jokes, just spending time with my family and finally being able to kiss the girl I’m obsessed with.
My little sister shares my obsession since she begs Madeline to paint her nails the same color she has on, dragging her away from me. Can’t keep the smile off my face, though. Seeing her with my family is the best thing ever.
My mom passes the wet dishes, and I run the towel over them, storing them away when they’re dry. “Nunca te vi tão feliz.” I’ve never seen you so happy.
Her voice cracks and pulls at my heart. “Mãe.”
She sighs. “I know I’m getting emotional,” she says in Portuguese. “But I never thought I’d see the day.”
I let out a scoff, drying my hands. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She tuts. “Don’t be stupid. I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean, I didn’t think you’d ever allow yourself to open up to anyone. After your father died, you were just so focused on your career and taking care of us that you stopped thinking about yourself. Like James,” she says. “You smother the kid.”
I might be a little protective over him, but it’s for good reason. “He lost everyone, mom. We’re all he has.”
She nods. “I know that. He might not have come out of me, but he’s just as much my son as you are.”
I grimace, wiping a hand down my face. “Jesus, Mom. Can you not say it like that?”
She lets out a laugh. “But he’s strong, Lucas. You know that. He’s stronger than all of us, and he’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” I relent. “But what about you? You needed me. Adrianna needed me.”
My mom scoffs. “Adrianna is a teenager. She’ll always need you. But we don’t want you to give up thinking about yourself for us.” Her words mimic James’ from the night of the gala.
I always thought this was the only path for me. Get a job that paid well and take care of my family, even if it stopped making me happy a while ago. Actually, I don’t think it ever did. I was good at what I did, but it didn’t bring me any joy or challenge me in any way, and I was tired of thinking it was all I had to offer.
“So, if I wanted to go back to school,” I suggest. “How would you feel about that?” My heart starts to race, anticipating what she’ll say. Honestly, it’s something I’ve wanted for a while, and after talking to Madeline and knowing that I could be better for her, I know it’s the right decision.
Her eyes widen, and a smile appears on her face. “Don’t play with me,” she says, pulling me in for a hug. “That would be amazing, Lucas.”
I chuckle, tightening my arms around her, my shoulders dropping from relief. “It’s all thanks to Madeline. She’s the one that talked me into it.”
My mom’s smile matches mine when she pulls back. “I really like that girl,” she says.
“Well, that’s good since she’s my girlfriend and all.”
My mom grins. “I called it from the beginning.”
“You just said she was pretty.”
“She’s beautiful,” she agrees. “But that’s not what I was talking about. I knew she’d be good for you.” She smiles, patting my cheek. “It’s nice to see you with a girlfriend instead of having those horrible headlines with all of those different girls.”
My body turns hot at the memory. “That won’t ever happen again.” I won’t let it. Madeline is the only girl that will be seen with me from now on.
“Good,” my mom says. “You know you’re falling for her, right?”
I let out a laugh. “Sim, Mãe. Eu sei.” Yes, Mom. I know.
I already have.
