Chapter 19

Nineteen

I couldn't believehow nervous I was about meeting Bel's cousins.

This was big. Like mega-humongous-absolutely-enormous-big.

My Bel was trusting me with his family. With the people he cared about most in this world.

Holy fuck, I really couldn't fuck this up.

In the midst of my panic, I pulled my phone out and dialed my brother, Jorah. I only had a few minutes before we needed to leave, but I could spare a moment to talk to him while I was in the safety of my bedroom—with the silencing ward on.

"Hey, Rem, how are you?" Jorah asked when he answered the phone on the second ring.

"I'm freaking out."

Without missing a beat, he asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"I'm about to meet Bel's family, and I'm freaking the fuck out." Since I'd told my dads about Bel, there was no way in hell everyone in the entire family didn't already know about him.

Luckily, my brother was smart enough not to pretend he didn't know. Our whole family was filled with a bunch of gossips. "Isn't it a good thing that you're meeting them? From what Dad said, Bel's not very trusting."

Of course he'd tell everybody that. I sighed. "He's not. And yes, it's a good thing, but what if I fuck it up?"

"You're not going to fuck it up."

I snorted. "You don't know that. I'm pretty sure there are an infinite number of ways I can fuck everything up, and I… I can't do that. I can't… I can't lose him, Jor. I can't. I-I… I need him, okay?"

"Rem, is he your?—"

"Don't say it. You'll jinx it."

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "Holy shit, you finally found him."

"Jorah," I whined, sounding like the kid I used to be who loved following his big brothers around. "I said not to jinx it."

"You can't jinx things like this, you worrywart. And I didn't say it, but I get being anxious, so I'll drop it. For now."

"Stop making it sound like a threat."

"It's definitely a threat." I heard a voice in the background, and Jorah said quieter, "It's Remi. He's fine, but I need to help him with something. I'll meet you at the lake."

"Hi, Remi!" a voice yelled.

It made me smile. "Hi, Laiken!" I didn't know if he could hear me or not, but it was worth a try. Plus, yelling in my brother's ear was a bonus.

"AH! My ear!"

I snorted while he said something else to his mate.

Laiken was a siren and Jorah's viramore. He was a gentle soul and one of the best people I knew.

Jorah said to me, "There's no reason to be worried, Rem. You're an amazing person, so all you have to do is be yourself."

I blew out a breath. "I was afraid you'd say that."

He chuckled.

"How's Laiken doing?"

"He's great. The kids are keeping us busy." That sounded about right.

"That's good. I miss seeing the kids all the time."

"They miss you too, Rem. We all do." Jorah cleared his throat. "But it sounds like you're right where you're supposed to be."

"Yeah. Still miss you guys, though."

"That's because we're awesome."

I snorted. "Maybe you can bring the kids for a visit soon. It might be nice for them to get to explore the city, maybe go ice skating. There're a lot of rinks around here because it's so cold. Or if you want to wait till it's warmer out, Bel and I could show them around the city. There are a bunch of fun activities we could do."

He hesitated for a moment. "Sounds like you're planning on being there for a lot longer than a couple of months."

"Well… Bel's here, so… yeah."

He sucked in a breath. "Okay. We'll plan a visit. But, Rem?"

"Yeah?"

"You're gonna have to find a bigger apartment because you know at least half the family will wanna come."

I snorted. "Yeah, you're right."

We chatted for a few more minutes with Jorah telling me all the good family gossip before we hung up. I felt noticeably less anxious. I wasn't sure Jorah had really done anything other than distract me from my own thoughts, but it worked, so I was happy. And calmer.

With a deep breath, I walked out of the bedroom and met Bel in the living room. As soon as I saw him, I could tell that he was nervous too, and that made me feel a tad bit better.

Still, I didn't actually want him nervous, so I pulled him into a hug and whispered against his hair, "It's going to be great."

He blew out a breath and nodded against me, burrowing further into my hold. "It is." He kissed my neck. "Can we make a stop at a florist on the way?"

"Of course. What for?"

He released me and sent me a smile. "I always buy the girls flowers when they have any kind of performance. I've been setting aside money for it since the day she told me about it, so don't even think about offering like I know you're about to."

"I wasn't?—"

"Yes, you were."

I blew out a breath and didn't try to deny it again because I totally was.

He chuckled and led me out of the apartment and to the car. When we made it to the florist, I asked, "Is it okay if I get her a bouquet or something too?"

"Of course. That's sweet."

"Is it weird to get each of the girls a rose or something? It feels weird for me to bring one of them something but not the others."

He chuckled and helped me figure out what to get—a bouquet for Alsira and a little fake flower keepsake thing for her and each of her sisters. And when he wasn't looking, I bought a little guitar figurine that I'd give him later. It was too perfect for me not to grab it.

As we were walking out, I stopped in my tracks. "Shit."

"What?"

"I didn't get Keryth anything."

"You don't have to. Trust me, getting the girls somethin' is better than anything else you could possibly get him."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

We made our way to the concert hall, and I was surprised by how large the place was. It was a professional grade stage, not just a small high school performance. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised that Bel's cousin was so great at music after hearing him play and sing.

Bel pointed. "They're over there. Come on." He grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him, and I was so relieved he wasn't brushing me off or treating me like any other friend.

Bel released me to give three young girls and a young man each a hug, all of them staring at me with curiosity. After the last hug, he said, "Guys, this is Remi. Rem, this is Keryth, Princess, Pumpkin, and Peanut."

The oldest girl rolled her eyes with a small smile, and the two younger ones giggled, the middle one saying, "Be-el! Those aren't our names!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes!" The two little girls giggled some more, and I couldn't help but stare in awe of my Bel.

He was glowing with happiness around his family. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him look so… alive.

He said, "Okay, let's try that again. Remi, this is Ker, Gemma, Saranor, and Zellya. How's that?"

"Good!" Saranor yelled, while she and Zellya were laughing.

I grinned at them all and said, "It's so nice to meet you all." I held my hand out to Keryth. "I've heard so much about you."

He sent me a small smile and shook my hand even though most supes didn't tend to do handshakes. It was a sign of trust—because some species could take advantage and use their powers through touch—and the fact that he'd done it was proof of how much he trusted Bel.

"Good to meet you too," Keryth said.

Since I didn't want to make him uncomfortable, I didn't offer my hand to shake to the girls. Instead, I pulled out the big plush flowers I'd bought them. I handed Gemma hers, then squatted down so I was more on level with the younger girls, passing one flower to each. "These are for you. Thank you so much for letting me spend time with your family."

All three of them thanked me. I hadn't been sure about the older girls liking the silly toy, but I'd trusted Bel's opinion. And Gemma was fiddling with hers with a grin, so I counted it as a win.

I heard Keryth mutter to Bel, "Well, he's already won all three of them over."

Bel snorted. "Wouldn't have taken him long even without the gifts."

And wow. That was some huge praise from my Bel.

I sent him a smile, and he shrugged, his cheeks pinkening when he realized I'd heard him. I stood and kissed his cheek, grabbing onto his hand. Only after I'd done it did I cringe internally, worried Bel wouldn't want to show affection like that in front of them. But all he did was hold my hand tighter and send me a fond smile, so I figured I was okay.

We headed inside, and I was so grateful that Bel held my hand during the show. He pointed Alsira out—although she looked just like her siblings so I'd known it was her before he'd even pointed.

I was absolutely blown away with her talent. She was almost as good as Bel—he thought she was better, but she wasn't, not yet—and I could tell how much she truly loved it.

Afterward, she squealed when she saw Bel, ran up to him, and threw her arms around his neck in a hug, making me smile. He held her just as tightly, rocking her slightly as he told her how amazing she'd been.

When I congratulated her, said she played beautifully, and gave her the flowers I'd gotten her, she gave me a quick hug.

I'd kind of expected Bel's cousins to be as closed-off as he was, so I was caught off guard by the easy affection they showed one another, Bel, and even me. It was very clear the girls were growing up in a loving household and that they weren't hurting for affection the way Bel so clearly had growing up.

After the concert, we headed back to their place, and Bel and I picked up dinner for everyone on the way. Apparently, this was Bel's sneaky way of paying for one of their meals, and since he was already being sneaky about it, I somehow convinced him to let me pay for it.

"Just don't tell Ker, okay?" he said as we headed back to my car with armfuls of food.

"I won't."

"He'll be offended if he thinks you think he can't afford to buy us dinner."

I waved him off. "I won't say a word, may'ezza."

And then we were off to their apartment.

It was as small as Bel had warned me it'd be, but it was also clean and homey and had an abundance of plants. I'd completely forgotten that Ker was the one who'd sent us that amazing plant food that had managed to keep my plants alive and thriving. I'd have to see if I could order some more from him.

It didn't surprise me when Bel and Alsira decided to put on a little concert of their own for us. Bel had brought his guitar—he'd left it in the car for the show, which was a really big deal for him.

So now I got to watch my sweet Bel play and sing and melt me into goo with how adorable he was with his younger cousin. Mother of All, was he sweet.

Ker sidled up to me and leaned in close, speaking almost under his breath. If it wasn't for my shifter hearing, I doubted I'd be able to make out his words, but as it was, I could. "I've never met any of Bel's friends before."

My eyebrows shot up. "Um, what? You haven't?" How was that possible? Ker and the girls were the most important people in Bel's life. He had to have brought his friends over to meet them.

Ker continued, "Nope. And I definitely haven't met any boyfriends. Ever."

I was so shocked, a bomb could've gone off ten feet from me and I wouldn't have even noticed. "But he knew you wanted to meet me…?" We hadn't used the B word, but we were clearly together, so I let it go. Bel was my forever anyway.

Ker shook his head. "I've been asking to meet his friends for years. You're the first one I've ever met."

"H-how… how is that possible?"

Keryth shrugged. "Bel's not a trusting person, and my and the girls' safety has always been his priority. I guess he's just never trusted anyone enough to bring them ‘round."

Before I could respond to that, Ker stepped away and scooped the youngest sister up into his arms, giving her a tickle. I could only stare after him for a long moment before turning my gaze over to my Bel.

My Bel, who kept surprising me every time I turned around.

What did this mean exactly? Did it mean that my Bel actually… trusted me?

I stared at him, taking in the pure joy on his face as he played music and sang with his little cousin. Here, in this home, surrounded by the only family he had left, was the most relaxed I'd seen him.

It was clear to me that he felt like he belonged, like these were his people.

He glanced up and caught my eye, and his smile grew impossibly wider.

I could only swallow thickly and try to offer a smile back as my heart warmed and joy poured through my soul.

I'd caused that. That smile. He didn't look at anyone else like that. He reserved that smile for only me.

So maybe… maybe I was becoming one of his people too.

I could only hope and pray it was true.

When we got home latethat night, I gave him the small paper bag with the guitar figurine in it.

"What's this?" He opened the bag and the smile on his face sort of froze.

"Sorry if it's silly. I just… thought of you when I saw it."

He slowly plucked the mini-guitar out, staring at it for the longest time. I started bouncing from foot to foot, nervous. Was he mad? Was that why he was staring at it like it held all the answers to the universe?

Finally Bel's gaze lifted and met mine, and I sucked in a harsh breath.

He looked… on the verge of tears. I didn't understand why, but that didn't matter. He was upset, and I had to do… something.

"Bel." I hesitantly took a step toward him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to?—"

"Thank you."

I snapped my mouth shut, staring at him in confusion.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you, wolf boy. I… this is really sweet. I… I love it."

For some reason, the fact that he was so… shocked that I'd bought him something broke my heart a little.

I cupped his cheeks, stared into his eyes for a long moment, then pressed my lips to his. I ran my hands down his back, over his ass, to the back of his thighs. Then I lifted him and marveled at the fact that he easily wrapped his arms and legs around me, allowing me to carry him.

We kissed and touched and moved together slowly, tenderly.

I told him with every touch just how much I cherished him.