"Listen, before we go in there and introduce you, I need to let you know that my family can be...a lot." Sitting parked in my parent's driveway has never made me more nervous. I'm drumming my fingers rapidly on the steering wheel as Aria peeks out the windshield at the huge, daunting mansion before her. I don't know what her childhood was like, but I suddenly regret not asking. Was she wealthy? Is she used to this lifestyle? Or is seeing my childhood home going to make her think differently of me?

"Connor, I'm ready to meet them," Aria says, reaching over to interlock her fingers with mine. "I wouldn't be here if I felt like I wasn't."

A wicked grin forms on my lips. "Trust me, I know how strong-willed you are, Aria. Nobody can talk you into anything you don't want to do."

"So why the sudden reluctance for me to meet them?"

Fuck. I despise the way she's second-guessing herself. The very second she flicks her gaze from my eyes to the house again, her brows knitted together, I tug open the car door and head over to her side to help her out. "There's no reluctance. I've been wanting you to meet them for a long time, baby. Let's go."

But walking around the stone path that winds around a fountain in the courtyard, I can't help but feel a sense of unease. Aria came from a small family, and now that her sister passed, she hasn't been around anyone in years. She's been lonely and has kept herself closed off. As soon as I open the front door, all hell is going to break loose, and my biggest fear is overwhelming her. We're taking this at her pace, and when—not if—my family swarms her with questions, I don't want her to run. I've worked so fucking hard for us to be right where we are.

"They're here!" My sister's voice echoes from behind the large mahogany door, and fuck me sideways. This is going to be worse than I imagined.

Aria giggles softly when Everett swings the door open, a teasing smile coating his face as he glances between us. I'm still trying to get used to my brother smiling in general. He used to be a miserable asshole before he made things official with his now-wife Emery, but this new and improved version almost scares me more than the old one. I never know if what he's about to say will be heartfelt or dick-like and dripping with sarcasm.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you under the right circumstances, Aria. I'm thrilled Connor finally got his head out of his ass. I'm Everett, his older brother."

Dick-like it is, then.

"It's nice to meet you," she replies sweetly. The gentleness and softness of her voice travels straight to my cock. It's not the time to imagine her coaxing me through an orgasm with that voice, but here I am, staring up at the cathedral ceilings of the foyer as I try to count to ten and calm myself down.

Nobody can blame me when she looks like that in a sweater dress skin-tight to her body and those same fucking tights. I want to peel them off of her. I wanted to rip them open with my teeth on that damn park bench less than an hour ago. It's a tease and a shame for her most pleasurable spot to be covered up by so many layers.

"Aria!" Izzy comes running into the foyer, her blonde curls bouncing with every step she takes. Even being six months pregnant, the woman is still in red-bottom heels. My sister is the kind of person to light up any room she enters, and this one is no different. The lights from the chandelier above seem to follow her path to Aria. "I can't tell you how long I've waited to meet you!" Before Aria can object, Izzy throws her arms around her and pulls her in for an overbearing hug.

Mason rounds the corner from the kitchen, looking exasperated. "Jesus, you need to slow down! Will you take the heels off for five seconds? Please?"

Izzy rolls her eyes and pats him on the chest. "This is my overprotective husband, Mason. I swear, these men act as if women can't do the things they used to do before getting pregnant! I'm fine. My feet don't hurt in the slightest."

"Speak for yourself." Emery, who is also six months pregnant, waddles into the foyer with a hand on her lower back. Marco, my nephew, is trying to keep up with her, and when they reach Everett, she sighs louder than usual. Her appearance tonight is vastly different from my sister's. Rather than wearing a form-fitting dress and heels like my sister, Emery is dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt with her hair tied up in a messy bun. "I know I said I wanted a big family, but each pregnancy continues to get worse. I feel like my back is going to give out at any second."

Everett scowls. "I told you I could give you a massage. You refused."

She turns to face him fully, both hands now covering her belly. "And how would that have ended, Ev? My back would be even more pulled out than it is now." Even with her trying to sound hateful about that potential ending, her eyes spark at the idea.

Aria tugs on her lip, fighting a smile when she glances up at me. My brave, beautiful girl is handling their sexual innuendos with grace. I don't know why I was so nervous when she's so clearly awesome.

Marco tugs on Emery's pants, his eyes filling with tears when he tries to reach for her. Everett attempts to pick him up instead, which results in a shrill cry that seems to shake these very walls. And when Janie shrieks from two rooms over to join in, I'm aware that chaos has officially started.

And yet, Aria continues to be confident with her chin held high and hands clasped in front of her politely, watching everyone interact with ample interest. My hand snakes around her waist before I pull her into my side, and just the contact has the tension evaporating from my body.

Emery jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "Janie is waiting for you both in the kitchen with your mom. They're getting everything set up for the cookies."

Everett turns his attention to Aria. "Why don't you head in with the girls? I have to speak with my little brother about something important first."

My eyes narrow into slits, and the others must notice the tension because one after another, they file back into the kitchen, leaving Everett, me, and Aria alone. "Anything you need to say to me can be said of in front of her."

Everett quirks a brow. "Really? Are you sure about that?"

Aria stiffens beneath my arm, and the act has me going into protection mode. Everett wouldn't deliberately do anything to piss her off because he knows how important she is to me, but what could he possibly want to speak with me about alone and not in front of her?

"What the fuck do you have to say, Everett? Out with it."

He chuckles and points to my jeans. "I was going to tell you to go upstairs and throw on a pair of dad's sweatpants since you have your girlfriend's come stain above your knee. " His head quirks to the side, debating. "Or is it your come stain? Regardless, I highly doubt you want our parents to meet her with incriminating evidence of whatever activities you partook in before coming here."

Fucking hell. Sure enough, there's a stain on the denim fabric exactly where he's pointing, and Aria sucks in a sharp breath. I can feel the embarrassment rolling off of her in thick waves, but just when I'm about to try and console her, she takes a step towards the kitchen and says, "I'm, uh... I'm going to go join the girls in the kitchen while you...While you change. Is it through the archway?"

"Just keep going straight," Everett says. "You'll run right into it."

With a slight dip of her chin, she scurries off faster than I can blink. My cheeks are flaming hot, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Aria is feeling the same way. My murderous demeanor must be noticeable because Everett throws his hands up innocently. "You told me I could say anything in front of her, so I did. Your choice. Not mine."

"I'm going to kill you," I mutter.

"For what? Saving your ass from mom's judgmental glare? She might even pull you aside before you leave and have the talk again with you. If I were you, I'd be thanking me." He takes a step closer and slaps me on the shoulder. "I've never seen you so uptight, Connor. It's creeping me out. Relax. We love her. Mom and Dad are going to love her, too."

Releasing a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in, I give him a nod despite the anxiety eating me alive. I want her to love them. I want my family to love her, too. This is the only piece of the puzzle that needs to click. It's the last piece, and I showed up to Thanksgiving with Aria's orgasm stained on my knee.

Not a great start.

***

After rummaging through my dad's drawers and changing into a pair of his sweatpants, I'm walking through the hallway to the kitchen when I hear Aria's laugh carry along the walls. The sound fills my chest with a warmth I've been missing my entire life. Her genuine laughs are rare, so whenever I hear them, I make sure to savor them and the feeling they bring me.

"Connor is very full of himself," she says along with another laugh, "but it's one of the things I like the most about him. He's confident in who he is, and if you combine that with all his other layers? He's a catch. I knew it when I first met him."

I peek around the corner into the kitchen and try to keep myself hidden. Aria is standing by the island with a wooden spatula in hand. Janie is sitting on the island with her tiny legs dangling off the side as my mom grabs a carton of eggs from the fridge.

"Uncle Connie is my favorite," Janie brags. "He's the best Uncle in the universe."

Aria widens her eyes. "The whole universe? That's a lot of Uncles to beat, Janie."

"He beats them," she affirms. "Trust me."

There's a weird tingling in my chest that has me feeling...oddly emotional. I blink away the burning in my eyes and the hammering of my heart against my ribcage, attempting to focus back on the conversation.

"I'll have to take your word for it," Aria teases before booping her nose.

My mom joins her by the island with the eggs and a mixing bowl. "You're right about the layers. Connor has always been a sweet boy, especially when he was younger. He was quiet and loved to read before—"

"He discovered the romance novels on the top shelf in your library?"

My mom's head is thrown back with laughter before she squeals with delight. "Ah, yes! I can't believe he told you about that. My secret collection. He thought I never noticed, but he never quite got the hang of putting them back in the right order. Here, sweetie. Crack two of these eggs while I get the water measured."

With the lull of conversation, I take the opportunity to make my appearance. Aria's eyes dart to me before dropping to the sweatpants, and in response, she pulls her lip between her teeth before glancing nervously at my mother.

"Oh, honey!" She races over to wrap me in a warm embrace, too caught up in the moment to notice. "I'm so happy you could join us." She brings her lips close to my ear and whispers, "I adore her."

My niece interrupts our conversation before I can respond by squealing and nearly falls off the island. "You made it in time for cookies!"

"Of course, I made it in time for cookies, Janie bug. I wouldn't miss our tradition for the world." Picking her up from the island, I spin her around in circles and set her back down. "What flavor are we making this time?"

Her blue eyes twinkle. "Chocolate chip."

"Why am I not surprised?" I turn to Aria and add, "It's chocolate chip every year."

"Because it's the best flavor!" Janie protests.

Aria shrugs. "I have to agree with her on this one. Chocolate chip is my favorite, too."

Chocolate chip. Her favorite cookie. Noted.

My mom sets the measuring cup down and gives the three of us a knowing smile. "I'm going to head back out to the living room. Everett is helping your dad set up the charades, but I will be putting together the suggestions for the hat. God help us if they win again this year. The two of them together on a team is..."

"We have to beat them, Mom. This is the third year in a row they'll win. Not going to happen again. Not on my watch."

Aria smirks a devilish grin. "You'll have me this year. I'm a secret weapon. Especially when it comes to charades."

"Hear that, Cam? You're getting your asses whooped!"

Janie bounces up and down when my mom disappears out of sight to join them. "Swear jar! I'm going to pee before we make the cookies."

"Gotta love the bluntness of kids," I say after I help her down. It's just Aria and me alone in the kitchen now, so I pull her close and kiss her deeply. The feeling her lips bring me is like a drug. I'm in a full-blown addiction and will never get enough of her. "Are you doing okay? Feeling overwhelmed at all?"

She shakes her head, still wearing a dazed expression from our kiss. "No. I love them, Connor. I love all of them. I love..."

No part of me is functioning as I wait for her to finish her sentence. I can't breathe. I can't speak. All I can do is stare at her with my chest heaving, throat clogged, and I swear I'm about to pass out until she whispers, "Were you planning on going back home after this?"

I place a hand on her waist and pull her into me until she's fully pressed against my chest. She has to crane her neck back to stare up at me, those beautiful brown eyes stealing my breath every time. "Home is wherever you are, Aria. I plan on following wherever you want to go after this if that's alright with you."

"That's perfect. We can go back to my place."

My eyes dart down to her cleavage on display to me, and I zero in on a bit of red lace poking out from beneath her dress. "What is that?" I hardly manage to ask. My voice feels thick, and the room is suddenly ten degrees warmer.

"Oh, this?" She moves her dress out of the way to reveal more of the red, lacy bra. "I bought this set last weekend. I'm not really into lingerie considering girls barely have the time to wear it before it gets stripped off, but this one has cutouts, so you'll have easy access, and—"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

Aria blinks her eyes up at me all innocently and deviously. She knows exactly what she's doing. "Is it working?"

"Cookie time!" Janie bounds back into the kitchen, completely unaware of the conversation she just interrupted. "I'll grab the chocolate chips!"

I want to describe to Aria all the ways I'm picturing fucking her in this set. However, I have a niece to bake cookies with, so that lust is going to have to be put on the back burner.

Even if I'm sporting a half-chub while making cookie dough.

With Janie escaping into the pantry for the chocolate, I cage Aria in on the counter with my hands placed on either side of her. My lips brush against her ear, sending a shiver through her body when I say, "I'm going to take you home as soon as these cookies are out of the damn oven, and then we're going to fuck until morning."

She elicits a fake little gasp. "If you think I'm going to miss charades you're out of your damn mind, Holden. Besides, don't we have a record to beat?"

Despite the fact I'll have to prolong the fucking until morning part of my plans, tonight has gone perfect.

The final piece to the puzzle has officially settled into place.

Now all I have to do is seal the deal for good. 

Author's Note:

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