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“Sup.”

My mouth twitched as I gave him a polite nod back. “Hey. I’m Seb.”

“Nolan.” He pulled his gangly legs up, hunching in on himself a little shyly just like an awkward teenager, but he added, “Nice to meet you.”

“Silas, he’s here!” a soft, ethereal voice called, drawing my attention to the kitchen.

Larkin’s mom, Delphine, was gliding over to us, dressed in a floaty beige kaftan and sandals. Her wings were stunning, much bigger and more pointed than Larkin’s cute little rounded ones, and her skin was a light sage green, not pale blue like his.

She was already beaming at me. I smiled back and awkwardly held out the flowers.

“Hi, Mrs. Fairchild.” God, I felt like an awkward teenager myself. “Uh, these are for you.”

“Oh, sweetpeas!” She gasped in delight as she took them, her big blue eyes turning to her son. “One of my favourites. They remind me of you, flower.”

“I know, Mom.” Larkin huffed in embarrassment.

“Thank you so much, Seb. And it’s wonderful to see you again. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am. Thank you.” My hand was sweating a little, still clutched in Larkin’s.

Despite his mother giving no indication that she was thinking anything negative, little worries kept niggling at me. What if they thought I was too old for him? What if they would prefer that he dated a fae? Even the most easy-going of people could have hang-ups and unflinching beliefs. From what he’d told me, my dad’s parents had never seemed prejudiced until he’d started dating my mom, the “lame wolf,” and suddenly all the ugly parts of them had started to show.

I knew I was possibly projecting a little, so I tried to push all those worries down. Delphine was smiling openly at me, her eyes clear and unguarded just like her son’s. I glanced down at him to steady my nerves, relaxing when he smiled up at me and squeezed my hand.

“Let me put these in some water and drag Silas back inside.” Delphine gave my forearm a gentle pat in thanks, then went back into the kitchen.

“What’s the honey for?” Larkin whispered with a teasing smile.

I chuckled, glancing down at it. “I thought I could give it to—”

“Sorry, sorry. I was just picking some basil for the caprese salad!” Larkin’s dad bustled into the kitchen from outside, dropping a big bunch of fresh basil and a pair of herb snippers on the island.

I tensed up again with a fresh bout of nerves. Despite having his mom’s hair and eyes, Larkin looked so much like his dad. They had the same narrow features, same lanky, lean build, same skin tone and the same hues to their wings, though Silas’s were much bigger. His long mauve hair was loose, a daisy tucked behind one pointed ear, and he was wearing a pair of brown corduroy pants and a baggy salmon-pink shirt that looked older than Larkin, with a rip on one sleeve and a fraying hem.

“Dad, Seb’s here,” Larkin said, squeezing my hand again as he tugged me toward the kitchen.

Silas looked up, his eyes wide and dancing with excitement already. He hurriedly scrubbed his hands on his pants as he made his way over.

“So lovely to meet you, Seb.” He shook my hand vigorously, the scents of lavender and rosemary and basil wafting off him. “I’m Silas. I’m sure Larkin’s already told you about his embarrassing old dad.”

“You’re not embarrassing,” Larkin said in exasperation, even though he told me all the time that both his parents were.

I shot him a quick grin before smiling at Silas. “Nice to meet you too. Thank you for having me. Oh, uh…” I held out the jar of honey, heat creeping into my cheeks. “I saw this and thought you might… uh, like it.”

Silas gasped like I’d just offered to buy him a new car. “Oh, fantastic! Thank you. We can have it with the dessert. You know, I’ve always wanted to keep bees. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“You’ll never come in the house if you start keeping bees,” Delphine said as she finished preparing lunch at the counter.

“Seb.” I looked back at Silas to see him glancing between me and Larkin, looking a little emotional. “I’d like to give you a hug. Is that alright?”

“Dad,” Larkin groaned, tipping his head back.

I chuckled. “That’s fine.”

He pulled me into a brief but tight hug, patting me on the back as we parted. His eyes looked a little glassy. “It’s just so nice to have you here, and to see my Larkin so… Anyway. Alright, brunch. Although it’s more like an early lunch. Do you like caprese salad, Seb?”

“Yes. I like pretty much anything.”