Page 45 of Bright Like Midnight (Savage U)

Chapter Twelve

Amir

Ihadaproblem.

I reacted first, thought second.

Driving down Main Street, seeing my girl chasing after a big dude and then throwing herself at him, I didn’t think. I parked, flew out, and reacted.

And I fucked up.

“Hey! Get off my sister,” the big dude hollered.

Zadie twisted her head to meet my shocked eyes. “Amir, meet my brother, Eli. My little, sixteen-year-old brother.”

Zadie’s face was blotchy, her eyes red, tears at the edges. When I looked up at her brother, I saw the same. If I’d taken a second before flipping the fuck out at seeing Zadie in another man’s arms, I would have realized this wasn’t a man at all. Eli was tall and wide, but there was no mistaking he was still a kid. A kid who was clearly going through something rough. Something Zadie was going through too. Something she hadn’t told me about. Fuck, I didn’t even know she had a brother or that he was coming to visit her today.

“I apologize.” Tipping my chin down, I met Zadie’s eyes again. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“What’s going on?” Eli demanded. “Who are you?”

“Eli—” Zadie started in warning, but I cut her off with a squeeze to her waist. Then I shifted her to my side, keeping my arm firmly around her shoulders.

I wasn’t someone who took kindly to demands, but in this case, I didn’t mind. Eli was looking out for his sister, and I was the stranger who’d ripped her from his arms. If I had a sister like Zadie, I’d burn it all down for her. I got the feeling if Eli didn’t like what I had to say, he just might try to douse me with gasoline and strike a match. So, today, he’d get my patience and respect for looking out for Zadie the way she deserved.

“It’s okay, man. I’m Amir, Zadie’s boyfriend. I hope you can understand, I saw my girlfriend in another man’s arms and lost my mind for a minute.” I stroked her shoulder with my thumb. “I really am sorry, man. Someone forgot to tell me she was seeing her brother this morning.”

Zadie stiffened, but she didn’t put up an argument. No doubt she’d rather me call her my girlfriend than my pet in front of her brother.

Eli frowned, his eyes flicking back and forth between us. “Does Felicity know you have a boyfriend?”

“Not yet. It’s new, and with everything happening, I haven’t…” She looked up at me, scrunching her nose. “I haven’t told my mom about us yet. Sorry.”

I tapped the end of her nose. “That’s okay, baby. You’ll tell her soon.”

Eli tipped his chin. “You can tell her now. Here she comes.”

I grinned down at Zadie, who did not look amused. In fact, it seemed like she was snarling, but on her, it came out so cute, there was nothing threatening about it. “I get to meet your mom today?”

Her expression crumpled. “Be nice, please?” she whispered.

The sorrow behind her eyes sobered me. “You got it, mama. Best behavior. Promise.”

We turned around to greet the tall, thin, older version of Zadie. Same sweet, beautiful face, shiny chestnut waves, bright smile. And when she spoke, she had a slightly deeper version of Zadie’s honeyed voice.

“Hey, kids. Did you make a new friend?” She stopped in front of me, her gaze bouncing from my arm around her daughter to my face. “Who might you be?”

I held out my hand. “Amir Vasquez. I’m Zadie’s.”

“Oh, I like that.” She slipped her hand in mine, giving it a firm shake. “Felicity Elks. My daughter is a secret keeper apparently.”

“Mom, I was going to tell you, but it’s new. I knew you’d want to meet him, but it’s too early, so—”

“She thought I’d freak out. You know, too much, too soon.” I smiled at Zadie. “But she doesn’t get there’s never enough of her.”

I could tell she wanted to step on my foot, but with her mom and brother watching with keen eyes, she only returned my smile.

“He thought I was hitting on Zadie,” Eli added, smirking at me. The little shit wasn’t going to let me play it off, which I also respected.

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