12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Felix

T he drive over was a discussion about the Flyers’ season so far. I’d managed to secure us tickets for the game next weekend, and I couldn’t wait. However, the closer we got to Kennett Square, the more my nerves buzzed. The first time I’d met his family, I had a blast pretending we were together, teasing Cor, and observing chaos.

But now I actually gave a fuck if they liked me. Not like they knew I’d slept with their son, but my intentions with him had changed. I wasn’t curious anymore. No, I wanted to see what destination this train chugged toward. Was I ready to leap headfirst into another relationship? Not quite because I still adjusted to the fact that I was bisexual, but I also didn’t want to stop whatever was going on between Cor and me.

Maybe not the bravest response, but hell, a few weeks back, I’d been licking my wounds over Aria dumping me.

“So, what seats did you get us? How much do I owe you?” Cor asked.

Watching him drive was porn, with the way sweat still glued his shirt to his chest and his forearms tensed with each motion. His brows were drawn together in concentration, the same focus when he was jacking us off—or frotting, as I’d learned one internet search later.

“Uh, nothing. This date is on me,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Ah, all part of your fake boyfriend duties,” Cor said, his voice wan but amused.

“Look, I can’t have your family thinking I’m some slouch.” I responded. Gratitude flushed through me that he wasn’t pushing for answers. That he allowed us to feel out this connection without labels.

“Don’t worry about them.” He wrinkled his nose. “I tend to fade into the background anyway.”

I arched a brow. “Now, that’s a goddamned lie.”

Cor shook his head. “They were just having fun teasing me when you met them. Normally, the rest of the family has bigger shit going on. Rory going into dramatics or Ollie fumbling into trouble. Or Declan missed some cues again and pissed off Ais. With how lively everyone else is, it’s easy to become wallpaper.”

“Don’t know how.” My chest burned in irritation at the shit way he saw himself. Just because he was a quiet, relaxed guy didn’t mean he fell into the background. “Every time I see you, you’re front and center.”

My heart thudded a little harder with the admission, which was too real for whatever was going on between us. I opened my mouth, then shut it again.

“Well, you’re pretty rare, Ruiz.” With that simple statement, he parked, turned off the car, and opened his door. Cor gave a glance back. “You joining me?”

I bobbed my head and grabbed the handle, even though my brain still processed his statement. My cheeks flushed from his genuine intensity, at the warmth flowing through me from head to toe. I sucked in a sharp breath and hopped out of his truck. My feet hit the asphalt of the driveway, which happened to be filled with cars.

The cape-style house held a lot of charm, with cranberry shutters and the same shade door. A stone pathway wound to the front door. Cor cut strides across the manicured lawn. Based on the set of his shoulders and his hands jammed in his pockets, he brimmed with the same nerves I did. I quick-walked to catch up with him and tugged one of his hands out to intertwine with mine.

Cor’s shoulders relaxed, and I bit my lip, ignoring the giddy swoop inside. I’d done that, just from a simple touch.

“Ready to deal with my family?” he asked, even as he didn’t let my hand go.

“They weren’t that scary,” I teased, even though they’d been the chaos bomb Cor warned me about. I didn’t mind that though. Random questions lobbed my way didn’t grate on me like getting treated like I was incapable.

He opened the door, and a wall of noise descended.

“I don’t care how popular piercings are. I’m not getting one,” Mrs. Brannon said to her youngest son…Rory? “You have hordes of loyal customers to jab needles into.” She walked up to us, sweeping her arms open for a hug. “Cor, Felix, good to see you both.”

Cor leaned in and gave his mother a hug, and I jumped in second, not sad in the slightest about how easily they’d welcomed me in. A little guilt throbbed through me that this wasn’t real, but I was aces at self-delusion.

“Cor, you didn’t tell me you were bringing Felix,” his mom said a bit accusatorily, even though her eyes danced with amusement.

“I’ll take another piercing,” Aislin said to Rory from one of the couches on the opposite side of the room. Rory stood in front of a mirror nearby, fiddling with his ear—most likely a piercing, if I had to guess.

“Same here,” I said.

Cor’s brows raised, and I didn’t miss the way he laser-focused on me. We’d barely stripped down the other night, so he hadn’t seen my nipple piercings. I winked at him, soaking up his slow perusal. Something about the deliberate way he watched me had my body sparking to life like nothing else.

“Cor, this one’s a keeper.” Rory whirled around. Unlike Ollie and Cor, who were both massive, Rory was more my size.

“You just want more guinea pigs for weird piercings,” Cor muttered, even though he passed me an affectionate look. I downright preened.

Declan peeked around the corner from another room. “Can someone help us carry dishes in?”

“Where are Ollie and Liam?” Cor asked.

“On their way,” Aislin said, already walking in the direction where Declan had disappeared. Rich scents wafted from what I assumed was the kitchen, and based on the fragrant spices, a roast. I couldn’t help but wonder how Cor would do with my mom’s asopao . To my surprise, the idea of bringing him around my family didn’t bother me. Normally, introducing a partner to my family had me breaking out in hives.

Except Cor didn’t trip that radar. Maybe because of the sheer comfort between us already or because I wasn’t worried about his perception of me changing after watching my folks fret left and right.

That in and of itself was rare.

“You know they’re probably banging.” Rory threw himself onto the sofa.

Mrs. Brannon shook her head and stared up at the ceiling. “Why? Why do we take it there?”

“Come on.” Cor wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go help Dad and Declan.” My heart thudded a little harder at the physical contact, at how easily we meshed together.

Cor’s phone buzzed in his pocket a little erratically as if he was getting bombarded with texts.

“You need to get that?” I asked, arching a brow.

Cor dipped his free hand into his pocket and checked the screen. “Ugh.”

“Luke?” My gut soured at the thought.

“Who else? Most of the people I talk to are in this house.”

I hip-checked him. “Dude, tell him to fuck off.”

Cor shrugged. “He’ll stop eventually.”

Irritation prickled through me, both at Luke for harassing him and Cor for accepting it. He’d mentioned getting overlooked in the past, so maybe he’d resigned himself to not speaking up, not going for what he wanted. However, life was short, and that approach was bullshit.

“How’s that been going for you so far?” My voice took on a sharper edge than intended.

Cor’s eyes widened, and he paused before entering the kitchen.

I bit my lip. Fuck. Not the best timing on my part. “Sorry.”

Cor shook his head and squeezed me against him. “You’re not wrong. Let’s go help with dinner for now though.”

We weren’t even dating, and here I was getting aggressive with him. The jealousy scorching through me at the mention of Luke surprised me. His ex had always annoyed me, even while I’d been with Aria, but I’d chalked that up to Cor deserving better. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if jealousy had been simmering on the back burner for a while now.

Declan hustled past us, the steam from the pot of green beans he carried fogging up his glasses.

“How is this taking it easy, Dad?” Cor asked. His father stood at the stove, one-handedly mixing something in a pot.

“Declan’s been helping me,” Mr. Brannon said. If I had to place bets, that was bullshit.

“Oh, so we’re all getting poisoned tonight?” Aislin grabbed a stack of plates and carried them toward the other room.

“I’m not that bad in the kitchen,” Declan yelled.

“My tenth birthday. I’ve never vomited so hard in my life,” Aislin called as she disappeared around the corner.

“Glad you joined us, Felix,” Mr. Brannon said, glancing back from the pot he stirred.

“Move over.” Cor stepped beside his dad and took the wooden spoon from him. My mouth watered at the creamy mashed potatoes, spread through with flecks of pepper and glistening with the golden sheen of butter.

“I can take it,” I said. Cor passed the potatoes to me by the handles, and he grabbed potholders and snagged the pork roast that hung out next to it.

“I’m not an invalid,” Mr. Brannon said, but instead of fighting us, he opened the fridge, most likely to grab something else he needed.

I followed the direction Declan and Aislin had gone and stepped into the dining room. Aislin was in the middle of putting out plates, and Declan fussed over where they were situated.

“Move that plate again, and I’m taking your fingers off,” Aislin snapped at him.

“Do it right the first time, and I wouldn’t have to,” he argued.

I bit back a snicker and placed the pot of mashed potatoes on one of the trivets. Cor followed suit, setting the roast down on the two potholders he’d used to carry it in on.

“You and Ollie need to tell him to retire.” Aislin nudged Cor’s side. “He shouldn’t be going to those jobs.”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Cor shot back. “I’m just second-in-command.”

The comment niggled in my brain, the same as the earlier one. I hated that he viewed himself that way, like he could be so easily overlooked. Putting up with Luke’s bullshit, not speaking up with his dad—did he not see how essential he was? Even with his family, he might be quieter, but Cor gave off a leveling force, keeping the more bombastic personalities in check. He worked through action, showed up when it counted, and the more I thought about it, the more that was what I responded best to.

“Well, you’re the oldest, Dec.” Aislin threw an accusatory finger at her other brother. “You tell him.”

Declan shook his head. “That’s like trying to lasso the wind. Hard pass. Last time I tried to give Dad advice, he showed me how to fix a plumbing issue in my house. It was torture.”

“Aren’t you a chemical engineer?” Rory said, meandering in from the other room. “You’d think you would be interested in how things work.”

“First off, not all engineering is the same. And sure, on a mental level, I am. Actually getting my hands on it? I’d rather listen to you talk about your piercing clients.”

Cor snorted. He didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, and the thought sent a shiver up my spine. What would he be up for tonight? If he offered a chance at his ass, I was all over that. Bending that big guy over and railing him into oblivion topped the number-one spot in my fantasy charts as of late.

I raised my hand. “I’m also on team white collar. Mostly because I’m hopeless at practical things.”

“That’s why you’ve got Cor.” Aislin plunked into a seat.

Cor pulled a chair out, gesturing for me to sit. As much as he’d always been a sweetheart with me as friends, ever since our fake boyfriend night at the gala, I saw a whole different side of him. Truthfully, I was becoming addicted.

“How did you meet again?” Declan slid into the seat across from me. A rustling sounded from the kitchen, and a moment later, Mrs. Brannon appeared with Mr. Brannon in tow.

“Sword fighting,” I said with a straight face.

“Okay, so when you say sword fighting…” Rory’s eyes twinkled.

Cor scrubbed his palms over his face, letting out a groan. “No, not that kind.”

“Children, could we have one dinner where your sex lives aren’t brought to the table?” Mrs. Brannon said sweetly, a sarcastic edge to her words. I snorted. As much as Marco and I could get like this, Mama and Papa would wring our necks if we delved into some of the topics of conversation the Brannon kids did. To say I was delighted by their antics was an understatement.

“HEMA classes in Philly,” I said, saving Cor from his current state of mortification.

“When did you get into that sort of thing?” Aislin asked. “Have you been holding out on me with cool hobbies?”

Cor clutched the back of his neck, a flush rising to his cheeks. Just like in the hospital, it was clear he wasn’t used to being in the spotlight. “Past year or so.”

“Why haven’t you shared that with us?” Mrs. Brannon said, and I had to agree. If I had to hazard a guess, Cor had grown so used to feeling second tier that he didn’t bother offering the information about himself. Part of me wanted to shake the man, while another part wanted to prove to him how wrong he was. How he didn’t need to hide his hobbies from the people who loved him or settle for less.

Cor shrugged. “It never really came up.”

“Uh, if you can listen to my rants about how declawing cats is a barbaric practice, I think we can handle your secret nerdery.” Rory jabbed a fork at Cor.

My chest warmed at the way his family all cared. I elbowed him in the side. “See? People besides me do want to hear about your hot takes on Viking swordsmanship, babe.” The endearment slipped off my tongue so effortlessly I almost forgot this was all a farce. Guilt trickled in, and I swallowed hard. Especially when Cor met my gaze, his eyes soft and incandescent. My heart zoomed like a car on ice, freewheeling in the most dangerous way possible.

How fake was this though? Because I recognized these feelings for what they were—and they weren’t ones of friendship.

“Aww, you guys are so cute.” Aislin bounced in her seat.

Before I could collect myself, the front door banged open.

“We’re here,” Ollie called, his booming voice echoing to the dining room.

A dog barked, and nails clacked on the hardwood floor.

“With company,” Liam said. “I’m so sorry.”

A second later, Ollie rounded the bend into the kitchen. Behind him, a little fumbly golden retriever pup raced in.

“Oh god, he’s adorable,” Mr. Brannon gushed, dropping out of his seat to grab the little guy.

Mrs. Brannon smacked him on the back of his head. “Mind the arm, jackass.”

I snorted. The way this family talked to each other was ridiculous, but I loved it.

“We just picked him up, but I didn’t want to bail on dinner,” Ollie explained, plunking into a seat. Rory had scrambled from his spot too and kneeled next to his dad, cooing over the adorable little fucker who rolled around on the carpet.

“Is anyone planning on eating dinner?” Declan asked as he dove in, not waiting any longer.

The puppy exposed his belly and let out a little bark, and that was game over. Everyone else scrambled over apart from Declan, me, and Cor. As much as I wanted to pet the puppy, he was a brand-new member of the Brannon family, and they deserved to welcome him in.

I was simply here for a spell.

That truth sank into my veins, weighing me down, and I threaded my fingers through Cor’s under the table. He looked at me, his blue eyes aglow with a warmth that flooded my system, and I squeezed our hands together tighter.

Hope whispered in my heart.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.