Page 153 of My Summer Girl

“Planned on leaving without me, little dove?” Vex tentatively asks, staring at my nostalgic face. This place is my home. My happiness. Along with the three people who’ve surprised me.

“I already said goodbye to Raev and Ver. I was hoping you’d come back with me. Meet my parents.”

“Really?” they ask, surprise and a smidgen of excitement in their expression. “I’d be honored.”

“Then come on,” I urge, reaching for their hand while gripping the Amantes port-path Raev made for me yesterday in preparation.

Their fingers tangle with mine and I smile dumbly at them, feeling so high on everything. Between them and my other mates, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like I belonged more. We’re meant to be. All of us.

Gripping the port, I squeeze their hands with nerves. “Here goes nothing.”

They grip me a little tighter, pulling my back flush with their front. “Wherever you go, I follow, dove. We’ll figure this out.”

“I believe you,” I sigh, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in days. They always know how to settle me.

We land in Amantes at the lake, and I wonder how Raev knew about this spot. Then my brain is hit with the image of the sunflower on my dress when I swam that last time before landing in Solera.

That little shit.

He watched me swim naked.

“You can chastise him when we’re home,” Vex jests, barely restraining their chuckle. When I glare at them, they tip their head back, laughing hard.

“What a little stalker,” I mutter, thinking of that day.

“Yeah, and now he’s your little stalker.”

“I’m going to tease him,” I promise, raising an eyebrow.

“Wouldn’t be you without it, dove.”

They hold my hand as I lead them through the streets of my home. It’s always so vibrant here. Not just the flowers and the buildings, being full of saturation and brightness, but the sky, the roads, everything.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Vex muses. “I didn’t get to admire it at the wedding.”

“That’s because you were avoiding me.”

They turn to me, their lips twitching as they lean forward and nip at my lips. “So you caught that?”

“I wanted you for so long,” I admit. “I wanted to climb into your arms and stay there.”

“I think I would’ve let you.” They pull me into their chest. “When we’d have our pain scenes, where you’d bruise, cry, and sometimes bleed... It was so hard for me.”

“How come?”

“Sometimes, I think I knew then that you were mine.” I bite my bottom lip, watching the sincerity in their eyes. “I’d hold you during the down time, after you came back from subspace, offering you aftercare, and I would just inhale your scent. Even then it brought comfort.”

“Vex,” I cry, my chin wobbling.

“I think when you left, part of me withered. So, the night you asked for me, I had already made the decision. I just needed to be certain you were ready too.”

Leaning forward, I kiss them. It’s slow and sensual, a meeting of lovers as if we’ve been separated for decades, rather than moments.

They grip my face, and I hold their waist, needing more, but knowing this is definitely not the place. PDA is frowned upon. I’m sure my mamá and papá are already aware I’m here.

We walk the streets and the vendors, along with the normal Cupids, wave and chat with me.

By the time we get to my family home, it’s been at least a half hour.

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