Sofia giggles again.
“What? It’s adorable.” I search Artemis’s now smirking again face and fight every single urge in my body to jump him right here in the living room surrounded by festive warmth, twinkly lights, and my entire family.
“It’s perfect.” Sofia can barely contain her amusement.
Roman looks at me like I’m a dumb shit. I’m missing something. NowIfeel like I’m the one who just woke up, confusion blurring my brain.
“It means sprite, mijo. Imp, pixie. Goblin.” Mom’s shoulders rise and fall with not-so-silent laughter.
Roman snorts like it tracks way too hard.
I speak Spanish. You can’t really be Texan without at least learning the basics, and okay, maybe I didn’t quite learn as much as Mom and my other siblings. And okay, maybe Ihadn’t gotten around to looking up what my new pet name meant, but my face is hot as Artemis levels me with a sexy shrug.
“I thought it was something romantic.”
Mom answers for everyone. “It is.” She elbows me. “It means he knows you and your Loki energy well.”
Artemis stands up and crosses the few feet between us. He pulls me into the strongest hug, and I honestly can’t tell which one of us needs it more. He doesn’t rush, or flinch, he just… stands here holding me in front of my whole family.
His sweater still smells like winter air and cedar.Him.
The hug separates too soon, but I suppose he needs to say hi to the rest of the group. “Mrs. Martinez.” He clears his throat. “If my mother knew I’d turned up at your door unannounced on Christmas Eve without so much as a bottle of wine with me, they’d never find my body.”
In his defense, he looks incredibly sheepish, as though he’s realized the gravity of his actions.
She waves him off, pulling him into a hug. “Any man who’s willing to drive across the country through the night for my Xavi is welcome any day of the year, Artemis. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” There’s a tremble in her voice she probably thinks no one hears—relief. That I’m loved? Who knows? Her bracelets clink against his back as she hugs him, and I hope that the elated smile on her face comes with a side of her approval.
My stomach clenches as the muscles visibly tighten in my boyfriend’s body. Yes, I told my family about him. No, I didn’t talk it over with him first. It’s not like they’re going to spill it onto socials, or the press, or tell a soul. Because I asked them not to.
Mom was bursting at the seams to tell my grandparents, and aunts, and cousins,especiallymy cousins, because they never stop giving me shit about just how much of a player Iam, and how they hope I didn’t bring an STD with me to Thanksgiving dinner.
Bastards.
I kind of want to stick it to them that I bagged a good one, thebestone, but he’s asked me not to tell, so I’ve kept the circle small. From the side-eye he’s giving me as he steps back from Mom’s embrace, it wasn’t small enough. His eyes dart to me, sharp and questioning—like he’s counting how many people know our secret and whether or not he should be terrified.
He doesn’t address it, instead, he sticks his hand out to Roman. “Martinez.”
Roman takes his hand, they shake in a very sturdy display of testosterone. “de la Peña.” Roman’s voice is every bit as serious as Artemis’s and then some. The Christmas decorations vomited all over the room around them makes the whole alpha-male standoff look aggressively festive.
Sofia doesn’t wait for their hands to separate before she launches herself at Arte. She has zero chill. She might be the oldest sibling, she might threaten to flay people if they so much as look at any of us sideways, but she is an utterly helpless romantic and thought I was going to be an old maid put out to pasture—before I even graduate college no less.
I love the faith my family have in me.
Sofia’s sweater has an anatomically incorrect reindeer on it, blinking lights included but to his credit, Artemis stays quiet. He’s used to having an unhinged older sister.
When he’s done introducing himself to my sister—in Spanish because she knows I struggle to keep up and am less likely to fully understand her threats to remove his penis from his body should he hurt me—he turns back to me. “Duende.” His lips twitch. He looks like he’s picturing exactly how impish I can get when there aren’t witnesses.
“At least he’s pretty.” Sofia pats my face.
“And decent at hockey.” Roman puffs his chest out. “Like his big brother.”
My insides turn to stone, but I hold my perfectly crafted, well-practiced smile in place. Artemis doesn’t take his eyes off my face as he steps toward me before threading his fingers into mine.
“If that’s all you think he has going for him you don’t know him like I do.” He brushes a kiss onto my fire-hot cheek. “And he’s arguably better at hockey than his big brother.” He turns back to Mom like he didn’t just bitch slap all of them with a well-placed, polite yet passive aggressive clap back. “Is there anything in the kitchen you need help with Mrs. Martinez?”
“Valentina,por favor, Artemis.” She shakes her head. “Mrs. Martinez is my mother-in-law. And if she knew about you, she’d be dying to meet you.” Oof. It’s not only Artemis punching heavy today.
He takes it in stride, though. “Once this deal at work is tied up, I don’t care who knows about our relationship.”
