Sitting with my legs crossed on my bed, I stare down at the objects Jace threw at my feet last night; a can of pepper spray and a small switchblade. Pepper spray makes sense. Every woman should probably have a can in today's world. But the switchblade is different. It's dangerous, scary even, and makes me wonder why in the hell Jace thinks I would need it.

Better yet, how the hell do I use it?

It can't have anything to do with Derek. As much as I hate the bastard, he hasn't hurt me physically. Which leaves the Vipers. Though I'm sure Jace would've warned me if he thought I was in their crosshairs.

He's just being protective.

That's it. He can't keep an eye on me the way he'd like too so he got me these for emergencies.

"Lex," Mom calls as she knocks on my bedroom door.

I quickly shove Jace's presents under my pillow. "Come in."

The door swings open and Mom steps in, her dark mahogany brown hair spilling down her shoulders in waves that must have taken her hours to perfect. She's decked out in a casual sweater dress and leggings that say, 'I'm trying hard to not look like I'm trying hard.' Even her light layers of makeup are borderline over the top, applied with perfection but sparingly.

Her awkward stance screams with anxiety and her honey hazel eyes are wide like an animal that's in fear of its life.

"Mom, you have got to relax." I climb off my bed and walk over to grab her shaking hand. "This isn't their first time meeting you. They were here most of the summer and loved you. So, chill."

Well, Mila loved her. Kwan's a harder nut to crack.

Mom nods and walks over to the blow-up mattress we had set up for Mila at the end of my bed. It's nearly as tall and supposedly one of the best, but it's only temporary. Come summertime, we'll have to get her a real bed and fit it in here. My plans after graduation are up in the air but we'll share the room for a few months while the guest bedroom will become Kwan's.

"I know you're right, honey. This is just different." She straightens out the sheets and pillow on the blowup mattress. "Carl said they were a little surprised when he told them he moved in."

Understandable.

"I just don't want the news to upset them, not after everything they've been through."

"When are you two gonna do it?" I ask, pulling her away from the bed before she decides to remake the whole thing.

"At dinner."

"Oh." My eyes widen.

"Oh no. That's too soon isn't it?" She tries to rush back over to the blowup mattress again but I grab her arm.

"I don't think there's really a right time for these kinds of things. They'll either be happy about it or they won't, or it could just be a shock and they'll need time to digest the news. Like you said, they've been through a lot and so many things in their lives are changing. But sooner is probably better than later...I just didn't realize we were doing it today." I shrug, hoping to calm some of her nerves.

A smile graces her face and the worry lines between her brows smooth out, making her look younger than a few minutes ago. With an emotional gleam in her eyes, she grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. "When did my little girl get so mature?"

"Mmm...last night. I binged a lot of Dr. Phil."

Her laugh fills my room, making me chuckle in return. When she's better composed, she gives me a peck on the cheek and walks towards my door but stops with her hand on the knob.

"Speaking of last night..."

My stomach sinks.

"Derek came over?"

I can't meet her eyes. Not only have I not told her about breaking up with Jace, but I also haven't told her I'm kind-of-sort-of dating Derek. I'd honestly rather her not know so that if I ever get Jace back, it won't look so bad. I don't want her thinking her daughter flip-flops between boys like they're going out of style.

"Yeah...we watched some TV and then he left." Now I'm the one nervously fidgeting with the duvet on the blowup mattress.

"Haven't seen him around in a while."

"Mhmm."

She must get I don't want to talk about it but my mom's never one to give up so quickly. Sometimes that's a great thing, but right now it just fills me with anxiety.

"And how's Jace?"

My eyes sting at the mention of his name and I cast her a pleading look. "Mom...please..."

"Alright, alright." She nods and holds her hands up in surrender. "I get it. You don't want to talk about it. But if you change your mind, you know I'm here."

"Thanks, Mom."

She cuts me one last smile and leaves me to once again replay last night's events in my head; the haunting look in Jace's eyes, the hurtful way he suggested I'd sleep with Derek. It was all too much for one night and when I tried to call Derek and ask him to change his plans, I got a resounding "no."

I don't get why he was so insistent on coming over, to begin with. We watched TV in silence for about an hour while I stayed to the far side of the couch. Then he left. It was a lot of stress for a short moment of wasted time. But I was just happy he didn't stick around longer. It could've been worse.

With a deep sigh, I fetch my emergency items from under my pillow and find a quick hiding place for them in my underwear drawer. Not the most creative place to stash something but it'll have to do.

"Lexi, they're gonna pull up at any moment. Come downstairs!" Mom yells.

Forcing all doom-and-gloom thoughts from my mind, I leave my room and head downstairs. At the bottom, the front door is wide open, giving me a view of Mom and Carl huddled together on the porch. She doesn't seem nervous anymore with his arm around her shoulders and I find myself thankful for small miracles. I want today to go well for her.

She hasn't planned anything for the wedding—other than the date—in hopes that Mila and Kwan might want to be involved. For her, today is the first step in that direction, and the first step for all of us to become a family.

I join them out on the porch just as a black car turns onto the street. The music coming from it bumps so hard I can feel the vibrations from the bass from here and windows are so tinted I can't make out who's inside. Though as it gets closer, the plates on the front bumper come into focus.

New York.

The three of us walk down the porch steps and the walkway leading to the road. Just as we reach the sidewalk, the car pulls up in front of us but before it can fully stop, the passenger door bursts open. Blaring music spills from the open door along with a petite, leggy storm of black hair and high heels.

"Never again!" She wails, jabbing a finger in the direction of the driver. "Nearly twenty hours in the car with him is enough to drive me insane!"

I bite back a laugh at Mila's dramatics while Carl looks at his daughter with a mix of shock and amusement. Mom, on the other hand, looks like she's still bouncing between happy and nervous with a genuine smile on her face despite the anxious shine in her eyes.

The car shuts off quickly, along with the music and the driver's side door opens slowly.

"You're tired and cranky, Noona. That's what's driving you insane. I've been a freaking saint the whole time," Kwan says, climbing out and stretching his arms over his head as he glances at his dad. "She's the one who insisted on driving straight through instead of getting a hotel for the night."

"I'm not wasting money on a hotel," Mila fires back, slamming her door shut.

"Aye! Don't slam," Kwan snaps. "And I said I'd pay."

Mila sticks out her tongue at him before skipping around the front of the car and hugging Carl. "Hey, Dad."

The small smile on Carl's face as he hugs her back is both touching and painful.

I don't remember my dad so I've never really missed him the way Mom does. But sometimes seeing moments like this—between other girls and their dads— can be a little bitter-sweet.

"Hi, sweety." Carl's grip tightens around her for a second before he lets go. "And you two should've flown. It would've been less tiring."

Mila freezes beside him while Kwan rolls his eyes.

"Noona's scared of flying. Remember?" Kwan asks Carl with a slight bite to his words.

Carl cringes. "Right. Sorry, Mimi."

Mila just smiles back at her dad and shrugs, but the tension rolling off of Kwan is practically tangible as he huffs and walks around to the trunk of his car.

"Well, I'm so happy you're both finally here," Mom speaks up, attempting to brighten the mood.

She walks over to Mila and gives her a big motherly hug the Mila returns with a sweet smile. Kwan nods his greeting while grabbing a bag.

"Here, let me help with those." Carl jobs over to him, eyeing up the sleek car in the process. "This yours?"

"Yup," Kwan quickly answers.

Questions flit across Carl's face but he doesn't ask them out loud. "Nice."

It's way more than nice. I don't know much about cars but I know this one is a Mustang, well kept, and beautiful. Black paint shines in the sunlight while two wide silver stripes stretch across the middle of the car from the front bumper to the back, both of which are trimmed in slim red lines. Add that tinted windows and black rims, and I say this car must've cost as much as my old Lexus if not more.

"Lexi!"

I take my eyes off of Kwan's car just in time to be nearly tackled by Mila. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes with more strength than I would've thought she could.

"It's so great to see you," she says excitedly as she lets go.

"You too. I've missed you guys."

And I have. Hanging out with them during the summer was a blast and I've been looking forward to them coming back. But no matter how excited I've been to see them, I figured it was best to hang back while Mom and Carl welcome them first. I've heard of new siblings getting jealous of having to share their parents with other kids, and though I don't think the twins are the type, it seemed like the respectful thing to do.

But there's a definite shift in them since the last time I saw them, a sadness in their eyes that wasn't there before.

Their mom.

My throat closes up as I attempt to keep the remorse from showing on my face. I want so badly to tell them that I'm sorry they lost their mom, but I also don't want to bring them down after they just got here.

So instead, I force a smile on my face. "You look great, Mila. Love the new hair."

"Thanks." Her eyes light up. "You too, Lex."

A grateful smile forms on my lips.

I know I'm nothing hard to look at but the twins have a uniquely stunning appearance with the perfect blend of Carl's American, Russian, Sweetish, and lord knows what else background and their mother's Korean genes.

They both have raven hair though Mila's was nearly down to her waist last summer and now is up to her shoulders with perfect bangs that frame her heart-shaped face. Kwan's is a bit shaggy but in a clean stylized way, grazing just past his ears and nearly into his eyes.

And it's their eyes that I think resemble each other the most; big, round with just the slightest almond shaped edges, and so dark they almost look black. It gives them both a doe-eyed youthfulness to their faces, even when Kwan is glaring at someone as if he'd want to beat the crap out of them.

But where Mila's face still has some of that roundness that makes her look sweet and innocent, Kwan's is thin. His jaw is much sharper than before as his looks are shifting into maturity. Amazing how much someone can change and grow up over the course of just five months.

Their figures are like everything else about them, the same and yet different all at once. Both slim yet toned, a dancer's body with a hidden strength. But Mila's nearly two inches short than me, standing at five-six, while Kwan is two inches taller than me, standing at five-ten. Put the three of us together and we'll look like perfectly even stepping stones.

"So, tell me, did you cook something yummy today?" Mila says with a playful grin as she links her arm with mine and steers us towards the house. "I'm starving. Between fast food and the crap you can get at gas stations, my body is in desperate need of Chef Lexi's delicious and nutritious cooking."

I laugh, like actually laugh for the first time in what feels like weeks. "Yes. We got smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes, and a green bean casserole."

"Oh my god, my mouth is watering."

"And I made a cake for dessert but I don't think that's very nutritious," I add with a fake grimace.

"Screw it. Still better than anything I've had in the last two days."

I open the front door as we reach it and wave her in. "Then right this way, Ms. Mila. Let me show you to your table."

"I'm gonna pop." Mila takes a deep breath and leans back in her chair, folding her hands over her stomach.

"You're not the only one," Carl says while Mom nods her agreement beside him.

With a somber look on his face, Kwan pushes away from the table. "Thanks for cooking, Lex. It was really good."

"No problem."

Cooking dinner is just normal for me but Mom might've let it slip that they don't get many home-cooked meals like this nowadays. Not since their mom anyway.

"Um, Kwan, can you sit back down?" Carl asks.

Kwan stops in his tracks., slowly turning around with a raised brow that gets lost underneath the hair brushing over his forehead.

Oh, shit. This is it.

"What's going on?" Kwan asks, unmoving.

Carl nods to the chair. "Just, have a seat." His hand reaches across the table to grab onto Mom's. "We have a few things we need to talk about."

The twins lock eyes, both of them on high alert while I try to keep my face blank. I don't want to give anything away or have them thinking this is an us against them thing. It's not and I want nothing more than for them to feel welcomed and at home here.

Instead of sitting down, Kwan braces himself on the back of the chair, both hands tightly holding onto the wood back."Just say it."

Carl gulps but his grip on Mom's hand tightens, looking for reassurance that she willingly gives by scooting closer to him. "Okay...I know a lot of things have been changing for both of you lately and it's not going to be easy moving away from everyone you know this summer, and I'm sure my moving in here was a bit of a surprise as well. "

Just rip off the band-aid already.

The tension in the kitchen is so thick you could cut it with a knife, it's suffocating, and if someone doesn't drop the bomb soon, I might just pass out. I nervously chew on my lip, my eyes bouncing between the two siblings as they stoically listen to their father.

"But...well..." Carl looks over at my mom and smiles so wide his eyes crinkle with adoration and love. "I asked Cheryl to marry me and she said yes."

Mila's mouth drops just a fraction as her wide eyes turn to her brother and the room falls silent. The uneasy feeling in the air doesn't grow or lesson any, just staying constant as my future step-brother is frozen in place, not even his eyes moving to look at anything other than our parents' conjoined hands.

After a couple minutes of just the clock on the wall ticking away, Kwan finally stands up all the way and shrugs. "Okay. Great. Congratulations."

His words are a relief but it's the tone of his voice that shows his true feelings, or lack thereof. Monotone and casual like he's just been told his dad bought him a new pair of shoes or something.

"That really is great," Mila chimes in, her voice bright and happy, making up for her brother. "I'm so happy for you both."

"I need some air," Kwan whispers, walking away.

"Kwan," Mom hesitantly calls out, stilling him before he can reach the hall. "I...I love your father, and Mila, and you. But I promise I'm not trying to take your mother's place. Cho was one of a kind and an amazing mother. Nothing will ever change that."

My mom's words bring a tear to my eyes, and when I glance over at Mila I can see the same shine in hers. I know this was one of Mom's biggest fears, that the twins would think she was trying to take their mother's place. She'd never do that. She loves them and wants to be a family but she fully understands that her place in their lives will be different. She'll be their step-mother but not their mother, and she's okay with that.

Kwan looks over his shoulder, the side of his face lit by the kitchen lights as he nods. "Thank you, Ms. Cheryl."

With that, he leaves, the sound of the front door opening and closing quickly following.

"I should follow him." Mila quickly gets up from her seat, her eyes wide with worry. But as she walks through the kitchen, she stops to flash our parents one more smile. "I really am happy for you both, and I'm sure Kwan is too. He just...needs time."

Rushing the rest of the way, Mile disappears into the hall, the front door sounding her exit.

"Well," Carl lets out a deep breath like he's been holding it in this whole time. "That went better than expected."

Not sure exactly what he was expecting but it definitely could've gone worse. The fact that at least Mila seems alright with the news is reassuring, and like she said, Kwan will probably come around too. Hopefully.

"Yup," I reply and get up from my seat.

I don't have long before I have to meet Derek at the bonfire, and truth be told, I actually want to get there on time. Not for him though. Oh, hell no. I'm excited because Ava and Marcel both agreed to come too. I'm prepared to share them with Jace and the Guardians though. I mean Marcel is a prospect after all and Ava is...doing whatever it is she's doing with Roman.

I should really talk to her about that.

But I know they'll make time to hang with me too and save me from having to deal with Derek and the other jockstraps all on my own.

Going as fast as possible, I clean up the table and put away the leftovers. Mom and Carl head into the living room, the sound of the TV spilling into the hall, but the twins still haven't returned. So, with the final Tupperware bowl packed in the fridge, I grab my purse and keys, announce my departure to Mom, and walk outside.

The front porch light is off, leaving the moon to bathe the little bit it can touch under the roof. I expect to hear the twins talking but the only sounds are the chirping of bugs and the soft hoots from an owl in the tree across the road. When I look around, I finally notice them sitting on the porch railing off to the side. Kwan has his back propped against the house with one foot balancing the rail and the other hanging off the side while Mila sits across from him with both her knees drawn up as she rests against the corner post.

Before I can clear my throat to break the silence and let them know I'm out here, Kwan turns his head to find me in the dark.

"Hey, Lex."

"Hey." I offer a small smile and walk over to them. "How's....everything?"

He shrugs and looks back up at the sky. "S'Okay."

Mila doesn't say anything but her eyes fall on me as a soft smile forms on her face and she nods. I don't know if they have that twin telepathy thing but I have the feeling that Mila knows her brother like no one else. If she gives the sign he's good, then I believe her.

"Actually." Kwan looks back at me. "I could really blow off some steam. Anything going on around here tonight?"

"Ugh, I'm so happy you asked. I'm dying to do something." Mila groans, swinging her legs over and jumping down from the railing.

I chuckle as she begins to bounce on her heels. "I thought you were tired from that long drive?"

She sticks her hip out and crosses her arms with a roll of her eyes. "Lexi, Lexi, Lexi, I'm from the city that never sleeps. I stopped being tired the minute I jumped outta the car."

It's hard not to laugh at her sassy attitude. Even Kwan seems to be struggling to hold back a grin.

"Well, you're in luck. That or your brother is psychic." I jiggle my keys in front of me. "Wanna go to a bonfire?"

"Hell yeah!" Mila shouts while Kwan jumps onto the porch without a word.

I turn around and start walking down the porch and towards my car. "Follow me then."

💘____________________________________💘

Hey, loves!!! Oh look it's....DOUBLE UPDATE NIGHT!!!

I don't always get to do these but since this chapter got really long, I decided to split it into two chapters and post them back to back. Hope you all enjoyed!

Before I get to my questions, I want to give a little note about the twins. As it says, they're are half Korean and will sometimes use Korean words or phrases. Not a lot right now but in order for English readers to pronounce the words, I will write them as either romanized or just using the English alphabet if I can find it that way online. When this happens, I want to respect and honor the language by giving its traditional Hangul spelling at the bottom of the chapters as well as the definitions. (If I at all get my information wrong and you notice, please do not rip me apart, I'm getting most of my information online and from shows while I am currently attempting to learn the language in my spare time. Simply pointing out my mistake so that I can fix it works just fine.) So far there's only been one word used, Noona.

Noona ( 누나 ) (Nuna) the Korean word noona means 'older sister' : used by males speaking to older females

In this case, Mila is the oldest twin so Kwan likes to address her as "Noona". 

Anyway, now onto the questions!!!

First off, what did you think of the twins? What did you think of Jace's gifts to Lexi? Do you think she'll need those gifts? Do you think her mother approves of Derek? How was the engagement reveal for you? Do you think the dynamics in the house will change? And what do you think will happen at the bonfire?

You can leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!

P.S. Big news all around:

1. DME made it to the second round in the Punk Rock Awards in the teen fiction category! Fingers crossed it grabs one of the top three winning spots!

2. DME reached 10k reads!!!!!

3. KME reached 300k reads!!!

Seriously, I just thank you all so much for support both these books. You guys make this whole writing process so exciting and rewarding. Thank you SO MUCH! Seriously, you lovelies are the best!!!! 😊😘❤️️💜

And of course, there will be no teaser for chapter 11 cause I am posting it right...NOW!

💜 xoxo