Page 51 of Hooves & HeartStrings

“I should go up there.” She grimaces. “I hope the room doesn’t smell like sex. They should really start renting a motel room or something.”

“Night, baby.” I give her another lingering kiss.

“Night.” She smiles before turning around and heading toward her dorm. I stay there until she goes in, followed by Brooks coming out.

He doesn’t look at me and I grin. “Look at you, you little sex god.”

“Fuck off.” He laughs, hitting me with one of his tentacles.

“Nah, seems like you're getting enough of that on your own.”

twenty two

As we pull up to Lucius’ parents’ house, my stomach churns violently. I feel like I might pass out or throw up at any moment. The car stops, and I grip the seatbelt, knuckles white. Lucius gives me a reassuring smile, but it does little to calm my nerves.

“It’s gonna be fine, Marley. Don’t be nervous,” Lucius says softly, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

“I can’t help it, Luci,” I murmur, my voice trembling.

I’m terrified his parents will hate me for what happened this summer, for the things I said to my friends about our relationship, for breaking Lucius' heart while he broke mine.

We step out of the taxi, and I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Lucius leads me up the steps, and before we can even knock, the door swings open. His mom stands there, a petite woman with a beaming smile, barely reaching Lucius’ chest.

“My little boy! I’ve missed you. Are you sure college is for you?” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around him.

I hold in a giggle at the sight; Lucius towers over her, his muscular frame almost comically larger than hers. He is, in fact, not her little boy.

She turns to me, her eyes sparkling. “You must be Marley. The elusive but certainly gorgeous mate. I’m Claire. You can call me Mom, though. Eeek!” She does a little clap and happy dance. “I’m so excited you’re here and I finally get to meet you.”

She is certainly a very vibrant personality and while I can tell it’s embarrassing to Luci, it’s putting me at ease. His mom is unequivocally herself and she loves her son.

“Mom,” Lucius groans, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Can you try to tone it down?”

“Sorry,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Come in.”

We follow her inside and head to the living room, where Lucius’ dad stands by a bookshelf with a beer in hand.

“Marley, this is Titan. Titan, this is our son’s girl. His mate.”

“Nice to meet you, young lady. You’ve made my boy very happy,” Titan rumbles.

He is massive, a full centaur, and I can’t help but wonder how his mom manages. His dad has a rugged, yet warm presence, with a deep, rumbling voice that fills the room.

“Titi! Be gentle, you forget how big you are. You’ll scare her,” Claire scolds.

“Sugarrrr,” Titan growls. “What have I told you about calling me Titi in front of guests? It’s not a manly centaur name.”

“Oh, please.” She rolls her eyes while shaking her head. “You look scary enough. But not to me. I’ll put you right in your place, mister. Now, leave me be. I’ve got to get to know our future daughter.”

She smiles and her brows dance as she looks at me.

“Infuriating sexy as hell woman,” Titan grumbles under his breath and I giggle.

Claire just smiles and motions for me to sit on the couch next to her. “Sit down, please. Let’s talk.”

“Son, let’s start the grill and cook the steaks. Your mother is going to do her own grilling and believe me, you don’t want to be in here for that,” his dad says, giving me a sympathetic look.

Lucius hesitates, glancing at me and then at his dad. “Thanks, Dad, but I don’t want to leave Marley alone.”

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