Page 11 of Titus (Big Hot Alphas 2)

It literallydoesonly take a few minutes before Luca’s truck pulls into the lot and flies into a nearby parking spot. When he gets out of the driver’s seat, we greet each other with a hug. Luca might be my younger brother, but he’s nolittlebrother—he’s as tall and big as I am.

“Don’t tell me you skipped class to pick me up,” I say. Luca’s a college senior at the small university right here in town.

Luca grins. “Nope. Don’t worry. I was just working on a paper. And it’s not due for another week.”

“Atta boy,” I say, slapping his shoulder.

We get into Luca’s truck and head to the house, making just one quick pit stop along the way so I can pick up some flowers. As we drive, Luca catches me up about the usual stuff—school and parties and girls. I never did the whole college thing—just wasn’t for me—but Luca’s stories never cease to keep me entertained.

“How’s the road been?” he asks.

“Good,” I say.

“Still not sick of it yet?”

“Nah.” I shift in my seat. “I actually met someone, though. A few weeks ago. Someone who makes me want to just stay in one place.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Madison. She’s…” I look out the window. Shake my head. Look back over at Luca. “She’s incredible, man. There’s nobody else like her.”

“That’s awesome,” Luca says, grinning over at me. “I’m happy for you.”

Luca makes the last turn and pulls up to our parents’ house. Their place looks the same as always, and it feels great to be home.

I grab the flowers and the bag I packed and we head up to the house. As I ring the doorbell, Luca stands off to the side. Our mom’s voice calls out that she’s on her way, and then the door is opening and she’s standing there, wiping her hands on a towel, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Titus!”

“Hey, Ma.”

“I can’t believe you’re here!” she says, stepping forward to give me a hug. I give her a good squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

“These are for you,” I say, handing her the flowers.

“So sweet of you, honey. Come in, boys.” She turns to call over her shoulder. “Michael! Come downstairs and see who’s here!”

My dad breaks out in a big smile when he comes downstairs and sees me. We move into the kitchen as a group. While my mom gets the flowers into some water, my dad gets beers for us and asks about the road.

I tell him and my mom the same stuff I told Luca in the car, ending with telling them about Madison. When I talk about her, my parents exchange a happy look, which I’m not surprised by. They’ve never been the sort to nag Luca or I about settling down and giving them grandchildren, but I’ve always had a feeling it’s something they secretly hoped for.

“Well, we look forward to meeting her one day,” my mom says.

I nod. “I look forward to it, too.”

Madison may have insisted that our night together was a one-time thing. But I could see in her eyes that deep down, she didn’t want that to be true. And when I told her I was coming back, I meant exactly that.

I’m going back.

I’m putting a ring on her finger.

And I’m making that sweet girl mine. Forever.

Later that night,while Luca and my dad are watching TV, I take the opportunity to talk to my mom alone. She’s in the kitchen drying dishes, keeping busy as usual.

“Hey, Ma,” I say. “Let me help you.”

“No, no,” she says. “You’re a guest.”

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