Page 13 of Raise 'Em Up

“Has anyone let Trevor know what’s going on?” I ask, looking at all of them.

Donny’s face falls. “Shit, I knew we were forgetting something.”

My mom is all smiles the moment we knock on her door and she swings it open. I don’t think I have seen her look so happy, and non-stressed, since my dad passed away. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun, and she has some color in her cheeks from the sun. She looks amazing.

“Ma.” I grunt as she squeezes me as tight as she can.

“Oh, Nino, I have missed you so much,” she mumbles against my chest, before moving back and pressing along my stomach. “You’re too thin. Have you been eating?” she grumbles and I laugh.

There is a whirl of dark hair out of the corner of my eye, and soon, Nando is clutching my legs, almost knocking me onto my ass, causing me to grunt.

Donny holds me up. “Wow, I feel left out,” he mumbles and Len scoffs. My mom lets me go completely and I waddle inside the best I can with Nando now sitting on my feet.

“You’re getting too big for this,” I grumble, and he looks up at me with the biggest smile. I know that them moving here was for the best, but I have missed seeing them whenever I wanted.

“Come in,” my mom says, ushering us all into the small but tidy kitchen area. The walls are covered with framed pictures of her and Nando enjoying the beach, smiling. I wish Brenna were here too, but I knew it would be a battle not worth fighting.

I just hope she knows what she’s doing, but regardless, I will always be here for her.

She’s family.

“Teo, you have to come see my room!” Nando says excitedly, climbing to his feet. He takes my hand and pulls me down a short hallway to the bedrooms. Rylee laughs at something my mom says, but I’m too far away to hear it.

We stop at a door that has a sign on it with Nando’s name. He swings open the door with a huge smile, and I make an exaggerated gasp at how cool it looks. He has a bunk bed with a huge Lego table in the corner.

“Wow, I know what Donny is going to be doing later,” I say with a laugh. You would never know it, but he is obsessed with Lego. We have kits hidden in the closet, and a few Harry Potter builds on a shelf in the living room.

I take a seat on Nando’s desk chair and watch him for a few minutes as he shows me all the new things he’s acquired. He’s like a kid on Christmas morning, and I find some of the tension leaving my shoulders.

Rylee’s mom has gone above and beyond to make my family feel welcome and safe here. I owe them more than they will ever know.

“Knock, knock,” Rylee says as she walks into the room and plops down onto my lap, giving me a smile. I know we fight, but that’s just how we do foreplay. Truth is, I would be lost without this girl in my arms.

“Your mom wants to take us all to Chili’s to get something to eat,” she whispers, a breath away from my lips. If my little brother wasn’t right there, I would kiss her.

“Yes!” Nando yells. “Mac and cheese,” he says, standing and racing back into the kitchen. Rylee laughs, watching him go as I wrap my arms around her a little tighter.

“Thank you,” I whisper. she gently pushes me away, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips.

I know she’s about to sass back, but I stop her before she can.

“Such a fucking brat,” I growl before taking her lips and biting on the bottom one until she whimpers. I lick away the sting and she moans softly, making my cock ache.

“I’m trying to be nice here and show you how much I appreciate what you did for my family, but you are making my palm twitch,” I mumble and she laughs, then sighs, looking me in the eyes.

Running her nails along the back of my neck, she leans a little closer, whispering against my lips.

“You would think by now, Teo, you would know that I love you guys, and I would have helped your family regardless of if we were fighting or not. Plus, now that I know who my granddad is, it makes sense that they welcomed your mom and brother so easily,” she says, then furrows her brows.

Shaking her head, she looks up at the ceiling. I know she’s been through a lot lately, and I still haven’t wrapped my head around her meeting her father, so I can only imagine how she’s feeling right now.

Gripping her hips, I place her feet onto the carpet and stand, taking her hand.

“Come on. Let’s get some food. I know Donny is going to start complaining of starvation soon.” Rylee laughs once more, but this time it’s hollow as she leads me back down to the kitchen, to where my family waits for us.

Glancing around at the people surrounding us, I can’t help but smile.

This is my family. It may not be perfect, but it’s mine, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

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