Page 76 of Bleeding Hearts

My whole family, aunts and uncles included, are an open, talkative family. There isn’t anything off-limits when it comes to them. It’s something you have to get used to pretty quickly, or else you should expect to be sitting around with your jaw on the floor in shock the entire time.

I lead Demi down the long hallway to my childhood bedroom. I open the door for her, allowing her to go in first.

She steps through the doorway and into the middle of the room, stopping and looking around. The room hasn’t changed much since I left years ago. The walls are a light gray, with a bed with navy-blue bedding pushed against the right wall with a nightstand next to it.

My old desk sits against the wall across from it next to the door that leads to the bathroom and a dresser sits on the opposite wall next to the closet.

The walls are bare aside from the flat-screen TV hanging high above the desk, which is across from the bed.

It’s a pretty plain room, but to be fair, it hasn’t been lived in in a long time.

“I feel like I was expecting the walls to be covered in artwork or maybe pictures of half-naked girls.” Demi turns, looking back at me. “I’m kind of underwhelmed.” She frowns.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” I laugh. “I haven’t lived here since I was a kid though. I didn’t get into art and tattooing the way I am now until I was a little older.” I pause. “The half-naked girl posters used to be here, but I took those down a few years ago when I came back for Christmas if it makes you feel better.”

“Surprisingly, it does.” She laughs. “So, any childhood fantasies you’d like to re-create in here?” She smirks at me as she sits on my bed.

“With you?” I smirk back, walking toward her. “So fucking many. But there’s no way it’s happening under my parents’ roof; knowing them, they’d hear us and then proceed to bring it up in casual conversation as if our sex life is any of their business.” I reach for her hand, pulling her up from the bed and out of the room to show her the rest of the house.

“At least they’d approve.” She laughs as she follows me out of the room and down the stairs.

I show her through the rest of downstairs, passing by my mom in the kitchen before heading outside for her to meet my dad.

“Wow, it’s beautiful out here,” is the first thing she says as we walk onto the porch. Her eyes wide as she explores the outdoor space.

“Yeah, it’s my parents’ favorite part of the house. The reason they bought it in the first place,” I respond. I look over to see my dad raking the last of a pile of leaves into the corner of the yard before turning to make his way toward us.

“My boy.” He smiles wide, pulling me in for a hug and slapping me on the back as he reaches us.

Where my mom is small, my dad is huge. He’s an inch or two taller than me and bulky where I’m leaner. He has brown hair, a little lighter than my own that now has grays peeking through it, and darker brown eyes.

His face is covered in overgrown scruff and if you didn’t know him, he’d probably look like an intimidating guy. But once you do know him, you realize he’s all bark and no bite.

“How are you, son?” he asks as he pulls away.

“I’m doing good, Dad. It’s good to see you,” I say before turning to Demi, placing a hand on her lower back to pull her into me. “This is my girlfriend, Demi.” I watch the way the blush coats her cheeks and she fights a smile at my use of the word girlfriend, having been the first time I’ve said it out loud.

“Elias Gray.” He smiles at her, reaching his hand out for her to shake, which she does. “Pleasure to meet you, Demi.”

“It’s great to meet you too, Mr. Gray,” she responds kindly.

“Ah hell, my father is Mr. Gray. Call me Elias,” he says, and she nods. “So, tell me how you managed to tie this one down. His mother was starting to think we’d never see our only son with a woman.” He laughs and I just roll my eyes at him.

“Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you are.” She pauses, biting her lip between her teeth. “Not to be crude, but your son was a bit of a fuckboy before me. I’m honestly not sure how I managed to get him to change his ways. Magic powers or something.” She shrugs and my dad throws his head back in a loud laugh.

“Yeah, you’re gonna fit in just fine here.” My dad smiles, throwing his arm over Demi’s shoulder, pulling her away from me. “Come with me. We got to go tell Emma about my fuckboy son and your magical powers. She’s gonna love it.” He laughs, ushering her back into the house.

He turns over his shoulder, giving me a knowing smile as he does, and I can see the exact moment it clicks for him.

When he realizes how perfectly she fits in with us, with me. When he realizes why the rest of the world stopped mattering because somewhere along the way, she’s become all that I can see.

And when he realizes exactly why I’m in love with her and probably have been for longer than I’m willing to admit.

I follow them into the kitchen a moment later, catching the tail end of Dad reciting the words Demi had just said and Mom's loud laugh as she listens. I come up behind Demi, wrapping my arms around her stomach and my mom smiles wide at the two of us.

“I’m so happy the two of you are here,” she says, emotion showing through her voice and her eyes becoming glossy.

“Mom,” I warn, begging her to not scare Demi off with her excitement.

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