Page 75 of Captured Love

The rest of the drive passes in a blur filled with Willow's embarrassing stories and Selene's laughter. I try to interject in an effort to defend myself, but it's a losing battle. By the time we pull up to the house, I'm seriously questioning my life choices.

“Home sweet home,” Willow declares as she hops out of the car. “Ready for the chaos, Selene?”

Selene glances at me. I can see her nervousness before she covers it with a grin. “As ready as I'll ever be.”

“Wills, can you give Selene and me a moment?”

Willow raises an eyebrow, glancing between us with a knowing smirk. “Sure thing. I'll just be inside, waiting to embarrass you further.” She grabs her bag and heads for the front door, leaving Selene and me alone in the car.

I turn to face Selene “Hey, you doing okay? I know this is a lot.”

She takes a deep breath and throws a small smile my way. “Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little nervous, I guess. Meeting the family is kind of a big deal.”

I reach out and take her hand in mine. It’s done to soothe her nerves, but it helps me as well. This is the first time I’ve brought anyone home since Tessa. “You've got nothing to worry about. They're going to love you.” I pause, a grin tugging at my lips. “Well, maybe not as much as Willow seems to.”

Selene laughs, squeezing my hand. “I can handle Willow. It's your grandmother and mom I'm worried about impressing.”

“Trust me, just be yourself and they’ll adore you.” I lean in and press a soft kiss to her cheek. “You ready?”

She nods. “Let's do this.”

We climb out of the car, and I grab our bags from the trunk. The sound of music and laughter grows louder as we walk toward my front door. I can feel Selene's hand tighten in mine as we climb the porch steps.

Before I can knock, the door swings open, revealing my mom's beaming face. “Knox! Finally!” She pulls me into a tight hug before turning her attention to Selene. “And you must be Selene! We've heard so much about you.”

Selene throws me a surprised look before smiling at my mom. “It's so nice to meet you, Dr. Sanchez. Thank you for having me.”

“You’re welcome,” Mom waves us inside. “Come in, come in! Just about everyone is here.”

The first thing I notice is the smell of Mamita's cooking filling the air. It feels so much like home that I’m taken back by how much I actually missed this.

In the kitchen, we find Mamita watching the last of the cooking . Mom walks over to her, taps her on the shoulder and points at us. As soon as her eyes meet mine, her face lights up.“Mijo! There you are!” She pulls me down for a kiss on the cheek before turning to Selene. “And who is this beautiful girl?”

“Mamita, this is Selene. Selene, this is the birthday girl herself.”

Selene extends her hand, but Mamita pulls her into a warm embrace. “Welcome. We're so happy to have you here.”

Selene returns the hug. “Thank you so much. It's wonderful to meet you. Happy birthday!”

Mamita pulls back, patting Selene's cheek affectionately. “Thank you. Now, let me get a good look at you.” She studies Selene appraisingly, then nods in approval. “Beautiful and polite. Knox, you've done well.”

I feel my cheeks warm at the praise. “Thanks, Mamita. I think so too.”

Selene blushes, her eyes meeting mine briefly before she looks away.

“Now, you two go get settled,” Mamita commands. “Dinner will be ready soon, and then the real party begins!” She shoos us out of the kitchen.

Since I need to bring our bags upstairs, I decide to give Selene a quick tour of the house and show her where she’ll be sleeping for the night. The stairwell leading up is packed with framed photos, several of them featuring a much younger me with different hockey teams. Selene pauses to look at a few.

“You were such a cute kid,” she teases, pointing at a photo of me missing my two front teeth.

“Were?” I pretend to be offended.

“Cute isn’t exactly how I would describe you now. Handsome and hot are what come to mind first.”

“Excellent save.”

She rolls her eyes but smiles as she moves on to the next set of pictures. “Your family is really tight knit, huh? It must have been nice, moving around together like that.”

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