Page 115 of Pucking Revenge

With a deep laugh, he moves in until our lips are only a breath apart. “Yeah, crazy girl. The sex is definitely a nice bonus. But it’s only this good because it’s with you. Because you’re the woman I’m crazy in love with. I don’t need to test that out to know it’s true.”

“It’s true, you know.” I pull back a little, my confidence growing. “No one else would be as good as me.”

His resounding laugh is silenced when I crash my mouth to his. We’re going to be a little late to meet my family.

“Now who’s the nervous one?” I tease as we stand outside the door to my mother’s apartment.

“I just—” Brooks straightens and stares me down. “I’ve never met a girlfriend’s family before.”

My heart flips over in my chest. Because he’s never had a girlfriend.

I squeeze his hand. “They’re going to love you. It’s just my mom and Ethan.” I take a deep breath and search his face. “Ethan has MS.”

Brooks’s broad shoulders lower, and suddenly, instead of me easing his nerves, he’s the one comforting me. A squeeze of my hand, a palm slipped around the back of my head. Then he’s pulling me close until his lips land on my forehead with a gentle kiss.

Is this what it’ll always be like? Us being there for one another. Us as a team? Because that’s what it feels like.

“It’s one of the many reasons my job means so much to me,” I admit. It’s time to give him this piece of me.

He deserves to have more of me than anyone else. My worries, my concerns, my truths.

I take a deep breath and swallow past the lump in my throat. “It’s just Ethan and my mom and me. We don’t have a big family like yours, and we never had much. My mom works herself to the bone every day for Ethan. My job makes it possible for me to help her pay for his care. It means he can have more than I ever did.”

“You’re an amazing person, Sar.” His words are soft, but his gaze is intent, heavy with meaning. “Thank you for bringing me to meet them.” He leans in and kisses me softly. “Thank you for opening up to me.”

Stronger than either of us were moments before, we smile at one another.

“Ready?”

He nods and turns toward the door. “Ready.”

The apartment hasn’t changed since the last time I was here. Pillows with sayings like thankful and blessed adorn the second-hand brown couch my mother bought when I still lived at home. The beige recliner in the corner is worn, and the wall behind it is covered in photos that span my entire life. The scents of crisp apple pie and fall hit me as I step farther into the room, and the sound of my brother’s cheers make me smile.

“He must be playing Xbox,” I tell Brooks, gently leading him through the open space, going in search of my family.

The apartment is small. Two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a modest-sized living room. Since he moved from a crib to a regular bed, my brother has had his own room. For years, my mom and I shared.

It’s not glamorous. It doesn’t resemble Brooks’s life in any aspect. But it worked for us. It still works for them.

My mother pops out of the bathroom with a surprised squeal. “You’re home!” She lunges at me and wraps me in a tight embrace. The feel of her arms around me is a comfort, and I immediately sink against her. We’re about the same height and build. Her hair is the same blond color mine was until a few days ago, and she has it pulled back in a ponytail.

I squeeze her once more, then pull away. “Mom, this is Brooks, my boyfriend.”

Brooks holds out his hand and smiles.

My mother beams back at him. She’s practically glowing when she gives me a quick assessment, but then she’s focused on him again. “It’s so nice to meet you, Brooks. We’ve certainly heard a lot about you.”

His responding grin is boyish and almost shy. “Thank you for having me over. It’s nice to finally meet Sara’s family.”

“Sar, why don’t you go introduce Brooks to your brother, then come help me with lunch?” my mother suggests. “I’m sure you two don’t have a ton of time before the game tonight.”

“No rush, ma’am.”

My mother swats at the air between her and Brooks. “Don’t ma’am me. Makes me feel old. Call me Nancy.”

“All right, Nancy.” He gives her a sheepish smile and a nod, but I’m already dragging him down the hall in search of my other favorite person. “She’s nice,” he says softly.

I stop outside my brother’s room and knock.

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