Page 109 of Manhattan Tormentor

He smirks. “Let’s head to your parents and do another.”

Fucking love this guy.

* * *

Finn

There’s one thing you need to know about the Fierro’s.

The one thing I saw for myself when I’d been inside their home for only a few minutes. Sena Fierro is their queen.

The family revolves around her.

She’s not shy and invisible like my mom.

She doesn’t yell and scream; she doesn’t have to. They all gravitate toward helping even before she’s asked. Their family work like a well-oiled machine. They’re tight, that much is clear. Funny and loud too. They crack jokes at each other’s expense, and they’re not afraid of hugging.

Sena Fierro is the epitome of family.

She’s their center, and I know she’s the one I have to win over.

Sena and Noah are at the island, passing bowls of food down to the table everyone is sitting around. It’s as awkward as I imagined it to be, though his parents welcomed me in. It’s the Fierro siblings staring bullets through my brain. I arch a brow across to Lachlan before shifting my eyes to the dark-haired woman at his side. “Good to see you again, Miss Sloan.” She smiles back. “You too, Finn. You can call me Laney.”

“He’ll call you Delaney,” Lachlan growls, like he thinks I want to cross into his territory.

“Lachie, we discussed this, didn’t we?” She says to him. I thought it might be weird seeing him with a former teacher, but they look suited. Delaney knows how to put him in his place when he groans and rests his forehead to her neck. No one hears what he mumbles to her, but she chuckles, beams red, and smacks his chest before he reaches across the table and hooks up the bowl of mashed potatoes for her. “How’s your photography coming along, Finn?”

“Sage tells us you’re good with a camera.” Noah adds.

“Not sure about that, but I enjoy it.” I tell Delaney about my classes and she seems interested to listen. Even as I fend off death stares from the brothers Grimm.

Bread rolls and biscuits, slices of thick-cut ham, creamy mashed potatoes and carrots appear on the table. It’s Theo who puts a jug of garlic gravy down near me. I sense he has something to say, so I face it head on. “You wanna take a turn, QB?”

He snorts. Grabbing a seat opposite before he leans over and wipes spit from the drooling kid’s face sitting on Raene’s lap. I knew he had a kid, still a shock to see him being a dad. Lachlan and Delaney are heading back to Chicago and Theo to the Carolinas in a day or two. This dinner is the only time I can face the firing squad en masse.

“Nah, I’ll wait until you screw up.”

“Knock it off, Theo.” Sage tells him.

“We’re having a nice dinner, cub.” Noah remarks.

“S’all I’m saying. Sage might wanna forgive this guy so easily but I don’t have to.”

My guy hisses and swear to god, it’s so sexy.

I’m not offended, I expected worse than a few hard glares, but I don’t wanna start a potato throwing war in the Fierro’s house. Not when I intend to be around for more dinners.

And as bad as the animosity is, this house is warmer than my own.

“Swear to Christ, you and me outside now.” Sage issues and I burst out laughing. Theo cocks an eyebrow. “Think your puny arms can take me?”

“Do you want me to pin him down?” I sort-of joke to Sage and he cracks a grin, the tension breaks. It’s then I cast my eyes to the island and find mama Fierro’s gaze on me, she’s unreadable but she doesn’t look pissed off.

“Do you mind if I address the elephant in the room?”

“Go ahead, we don’t stand on ceremony here.”

“Oh, this should be good,” pipes Raene. Passing the babbling kid to Theo, who shushes her with pats to her butt as she nestles into his neck.

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