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The fact that I haven’t makes me hate myself even more.
The food has been delicious. His mother really knows how to cook. I eye the last of the potatoes, hoping to mop up my gravy with them. My eyes battle with Kaleb’s, a smile playing on our lips, and we both reach for the pot. We grab hold at the same time and playfully glare at one another.
“Hey, hey. Guests first.” Helen smiles.
“I’m a growing boy! It’s not my fault she could eat a horse,” Kaleb sasses.
A loud clatter startles us all, and Kaleb’s chair tilts onto the back legs, causing him to let go of the dish and flail before the chair quickly slams back down onto all four legs. Everyone laughs.
A large hand covers my own, lifting the potatoes and placing them next to my plate.
I watch with wide eyes as Daniel winks down at me. Leaning in, he places a sweet and gentle kiss on my lips, motioning for me to eat. Then he sits back, looking at his youngest brother as if daring him to even try something.
My face heats, and the other ladies at the table melt.
“You’re a good boy, Daniel,” his mother whispers.
“Aw, Dan Dan. You’re so cute!”
“Don’t ever call me that again.”
“Dan Dan,” I whisper, earning myself a poke in the ribs. Not pleased when I laugh, Daniel leans down and bites my neck, his teeth latching onto my skin in full view of his family. My face flames.
“Movie night!” Sam demands, thankfully taking everyone’s eyes off us, clapping as she stands.
Everyone either agrees quickly or groans like they know it is inevitable.
“Fine, but not a fucking rom-com. Horror, it is Halloween after all,” Michael tells her.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Daniel
My knee twitches, and I have to remind myself to calm the fuck down.
So much for bringing Charlotte down to meet my family when I was ready. Rolling my eyes, I peek back into the kitchen, where my girl stands with my mom and sister preparing snacks.
Friday the 13thremains paused on the television. Samantha made it around thirty minutes in before she got so scared that she needed a break. Of course, she didn’t say that. No, she went with needing a snack despite eating a full meal not even an hour earlier.
My father should have known better than to close the curtains and dim the lights. We all know what my sister is like watching a scary movie at this time of night. But it’s not my bed she will be crawling into for comfort. At nineteen, it is something that she still hasn’t grown out of, and according to our dad, the reason we do not have any more siblings.
Of course, we know that is not true, nor is it something he would ever put a stop to, no matter how old she gets. Being the baby and the only girl in the family has its perks.
Kaleb hasn’t fucking helped by talking about how he agreed with Jason and that they all deserved it. Our father laughed, but Mother, not so much, which is why she had been more than happy to make nachos.
I smile at the thought of my sister being scared, given who was in the room with her. Samantha couldn’t be in a safer house. Even if someone managed to get past my brothers and me, my father would lay down his life for her. Not that he’d need to.
I know Michael has been praying for a home invasion for years, someone to justifiably kill between our yearly hunts, and while I would normally agree, the thought of someone in my home, in Charlotte’s and my home, fills me with fear more than rage.
Usually one to avoid these movie nights, I find myself grateful and hopeful for the future. Charlotte had been quick to curl up against me, her head buried in my neck when the killing started.
I had watched the beginning of the film with my girl in my arms and a smile on my face. It was perfect, but now she’s hidden away in the kitchen, and my mind won’t stop racing with what-ifs.
Samantha skips into the room, happily chewing on a corn chip smothered in salsa.
“Ready to continue?” Dad asks.
“Mm-hmm.” She nods, but we’ve lost her to the nachos. She won’t even notice when the film has been put back on.
