Her hands hold onto either side of my neck as I spin around to the hood, letting her down and pushing her onto her back as I continue to pour everything I feel into one kiss.
“I love you, too,” I breathe out when I pull back, my eyes drifting over her swollen lips and up to her beautiful hazel eyes.
We stare at each other for several seconds before I lift her up and hold her against me not willing to let her go: the lifeline that I’ve been searching for all of these years.
“Thank you for telling me,” she whispers, her breath flowing over my neck.
I don’t answer her, instead I pull her closer, telling her without words what I want to say to her: that I’d tell her everything if I could.
I close my eyes, basking in the feel of his arms around me as my heart breaks for the little boy who was mistreated so badly by the one person who should have loved him unconditionally.
His hands shake as he pulls back and frames my face, letting me see everything in his honey eyes, the gold darker as he stares at me for several seconds before leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine softly.
“Evan!” Both of our heads whip to the side and toward the big house that sits opposite the warehouse. “Are you ever gonna come in? I’m wasting away here!” Luke shouts, leaning against the railing of the wraparound porch.
I swallow, my nerves taking over as I turn back around to Evan, my gaze clashing with his.
“Come on,” he says, his voice gruff as he places his arm around my shoulders.
We walk over the gravel and toward Luke, his eyes firmly on us before his hand reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell. I tilt my head as I watch him pace back and forth as he ignores it and pushes it back into his jeans pocket and storms into the house, leaving the door open for us.
“So…” Evan starts as we step inside the house. “Kay has a…”
I gasp as a black dog trots over to us, sitting down and watching us, his head tilting to the side as he tries to make a decision whether we’re a threat or not. Evan’s hand grips my shoulder, his muscles tense as his breath skitters out of him.
“A dog,” I whisper, finishing his sentence for him.
I frown, wondering why they would have a dog when they know what Evan went through, but when my gaze snaps up to Evan’s, I realize that they don’t know.
Does that mean that I’m the only one that… my stomach tumbles and a warmth flows through me, feeling like I’m even closer to him.
“Monty!” We hear Kay’s voice before we see her and then she comes barreling toward us. “Heel.”
Monty—the dog—looks up at her and then seems to silently communicate something with her before he spins around and trots through the door that Kay came out of.
“Hey,” she says, stepping forward and pulling me in for a hug. “I’m so glad you came—”
“Mom! Luke said we can watch a movie before we eat.”
Kay rolls her eyes but a smile lifts the corner of her lips as she turns to face the boy who is coming out of a room to the right.
“Eli? Come and say hello to Evan’s girl—” She stops suddenly, her eyes wide as her gaze bats back and forth between Evan and me.
I smile at the boy who comes to stand beside Kay, his green eyes so bright that I nearly gasp. “Hey.” I wave, not knowing what else to say or do. I haven’t been around kids for so long that I’m not sure how to act.
“You’re Lexi?” he asks, giving nothing away in his features.
“I…” I turn my gaze back toward Evan before looking down at the boy. “I am.”
He nods, seeming to think of something before he steps forward and holds his hand out. “I’m Eli.”
“Nice to meet you, Eli,” I say, confused by the offer of his hand. I go to place mine in his but he pulls it away and swipes it through his hair, his eyes lighting up with laughter.
I can’t help the chuckle that bubbles up and slips free.
“I taught him that,” Evan whispers, and when I look back up at him, I see how proud he is of that fact.
His lips quirk up into a smirk as he holds his hand up for a high five to Eli. The grin on my face spreads wider at seeing him acting so carefree. After what he’s just told me, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to be here around the people who he’s made his family. But I can see now that it’s exactly where he needs to be.
“I’m guessing you’re Evan’s girlfriend.” Eli raises a brow.
“I—”
“She is,” Evan answers, snaking his arm around my waist and squeezing gently.
“Would you like a drink, Lexi?” Kay asks, wiping her hands on the towel that is hanging over her shoulder.
“Water, please.”
I smile softly before she nods and spins around shouting over her shoulder, “Make yourself at home!”
I nod even though she can’t see me and then turn my gaze back toward Eli who is watching me—studying me.
“There’s one important question before you come any farther inside.” I swallow at his serious tone—how old is this kid? Like seven?
“O-okay.” I shuffle on the spot.
“Which superhero are you?”
“Which-what?” I frown, my gaze snapping back to Evan but all he does is smile encouragingly before Ty calls him. He plants a kiss on my temple, wandering off and leaving me alone in this intense interrogation.
He huffs, planting his hands on his hips as he shakes his head. “Which superhero are you going to be?”
“I-I’m not—”
“Eli! Come on, it’s about to start,” I hear Luke call, and when I spin around, I see him sitting on the sofa, the TV on pause as he stares at us. “Come sit,” he says, his ice-blue eyes focused on mine.
The first time I met Luke, I was sure that he was a broody asshole who hated me, but every time after that, I realize that it’s a front of sorts. I see the pain masked in his eyes all of the time, and although he tries to act relaxed right now, I can see his eyes dipping to the screen of his cell that sits on his thigh and the way his muscles tense when it vibrates.
Eli steps forward, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to the large sofa that takes up most of the space in the room before sitting down next to Luke and patting the spot next to him.
I feel so out of my element it’s unreal, but I can’t see or hear Evan or anyone else right now and I don’t want to go wandering around someone else’s house looking for him. I have no choice but to sit down and watch whatever it is they’re going to watch.
“So,” Luke starts. “Which superhero are you?”
“I—”
“I’m Captain America,” Eli says, his gaze clashing with mine. “I used to love Spiderman, but Captain America is sooo much cooler.” I nod, listening intently. “Uncle Luke is Thor… because he has blond hair and is huge!” I chuckle at his analysis before he places his finger on his chin, tapping away as he stares at me. “I think you’d be Scarlet Witch.”
I’m lost, so lost that I feel like I just entered another universe and they’re talking a completely different language.
“I can see that,” Luke says, nodding his head before he presses a button on the remote.
“But…” I bite my bottom lip when Luke snaps his head to mine and pauses the TV, his gaze batting back and forth between us. “Who is she?”
“Okay.” Eli huffs before standing up and turning around as he stares between Luke and me and holds his hands out in front of him. “Scarlet Witch is Magneto’s daughter—”
“Who?” I ask, getting more confused by the second but deciding to lean back on the sofa to get comfortable.
“Magneto is the bad guy in X-Men.” Eli rolls his eyes and turns toward Luke, his face expressing “how does she not know this.” Luke smiles, a chuckle breaking free as he leans back too, watching our conversation.
“The X-Men?” I ask, completely enthralled with all of this new information that is being thrown at me.
“That’s another conversation,” he
says, holding his hand up and then swiping it through the air. “Back to Scarlet Witch. So...” He clears his throat. “She’s Magneto’s daughter—he controls metal.” He smirks, raising a brow. “Now that is freaking cool.”
“Eli!” Kay shouts from the kitchen. “I hope you didn’t just curse.”
He rolls his eyes, letting his head fall back before he shouts back, “No, Mom! I said freaking.”
I lean to the side, catching Luke’s gaze before I whisper, “Do I need to know all of this?”
“Yeah,” he says, his face a mask of seriousness. “There’ll be a test before you leave.”
My eyes widen and then I see his lips quirk. My hand lifts and I push him before he holds his arm, portraying that I really hurt him.
“That—”
“Uncle Luke.” We both turn back toward Eli. “Can’t you see I’m teaching Lexi important stuff here?” He throws his hands up in the air, shaking his head before he looks back at me. “Where were we?”
“Magneto controls metal,” I supply, proud that I remembered.
“Right.” He nods. “So Scarlet Witch is his daughter so she has powers too.”
“She has powers?” I ask, clutching my hands on my knees as I watch him intently.
“Yep.” He nods his head, opening his mouth before Kay shouts that dinner is ready. None of us move as Eli continues explaining who she is.
“She can make things all of a sudden turn to flames or rust.” He jumps up and down on the spot. “She also studied witchcraft, so she can do… witchy things too.” He gasps all of a sudden, his eyes swinging between the both of us before he runs off.
“What—”
Luke chuckles and shakes his head before he stands up, tilting his head at me to signal for me to follow him. My eyes wander over the walls, seeing photographs of men in uniform and also of Eli and Kay. There’s one of the three of them—Ty, Kay, and Eli—huge smiles on their faces, but I can’t help see that Eli looks nothing like Ty.
I step inside the room behind Luke, and when he moves to the side, I see the table is full of people. Ty sits at the head with Kay next to him, Kitty and Dean sitting to the left and Evan to the right with two seats empty next to him.
Luke sits in the chair at the opposite head and my gaze turns to Eli as he stands there, all attention focused on him. “Lexi is Scarlet Witch,” he says, pointing at me and then turning to Evan. “Which makes Evan the Vision!”
There’s a beat of silence before Luke says, “Holy shit!”
“Luke!” Kay scolds.
“Sorry.” He widens his eyes before he holds his hand up to Eli. “That was a perfect choice in her being Scarlet Witch.”
“I’m a genius!” Eli shouts.
“Does that mean I get to wear the green suit that Vision wears?” Evan asks, holding his arm in the air and flexing his muscles. “I’d totally wear it all the time.”
Eli sits down next to Evan before turning toward me and pointing at the empty chair between him and Luke.
I sit down, looking around. “Hey, everyone.”
I get “heys” back before Eli blurts out, “Mom can make you one, she’s making Uncle Luke a Thor cape.”
“I am?” she asks, her brows raised.
“Yeah.” He nods, scooping a spoonful of potatoes onto his plate. “I asked you last week.”
“I don’t remember you—”
He shrugs and tilts his head to the side. “Or did I dream that?”
The room fills with laughter as we all start passing food around and the conversations go on around me. I’m more than content with sitting here and listening to them all talk as Eli continues to expand on who Vision is, ending with, “He and Scarlet Witch get married.”
I almost choke on my drink but manage to keep it down as Evan’s arm extends behind Eli’s chair and to my shoulder to gain my attention.
I turn toward him, giving him a soft smile and basking in the atmosphere that surrounds us. This right here is a family, a family that has been manmade but you can feel the love and respect that surrounds all of them.
Chatter surrounds the ladies from my Friday self-defense class as they file out of the door. My gaze lingers on the hallway, knowing that Lexi is close by. I haven’t seen her since Tuesday at the family meal. I don’t know if it’s a conscious decision or not. Whether I’m pulling away, afraid that she’ll see me differently after everything that I told her.
I don’t want her to think I’m weak: I’m not that same child who begged to be fed to no avail. I like to think I’m a different person now, but sometimes I feel just as scared as I did back then. Scared that I’ll lose her, that she won’t want to be with me now that she knows how my life started out.
Once they’ve all left out of the main door, I dip down, grabbing one of the mats and rolling it up as I try to quiet the thoughts that are bashing around in my head.
A throat clearing gains my attention, and I whip my head up.
“Hey.” Lexi smiles, leaning on the doorframe to the room and watching me with knowing eyes. She opens her mouth and I prepare for her to call me out for avoiding her, because that’s what I’ve been doing, not wanting to confront the possibility that she won’t look at me the same way she did before. “Teach me.”
I frown, not understanding what she’s saying until she steps toward me, stopping a few feet away.
“What?”
“Teach me some self-defense.”
I tilt my head to the side, studying her. What is she doing?
“Lex, I’m sor—”
Her finger lands on my lips, effectively shutting me up before she shakes her head, her eyes shining with understanding.
“Show me some moves.”
I swallow, placing my hand around her wrist and bringing it up to my lips, planting a soft kiss there and not taking my gaze off hers. I watch as her eyes flutter shut before they open back up.
“Have you ever done any self-defense?” I ask, deciding that if she wants to not bring it up then I won’t either.
She shakes her head, her eyes glazing over as she stares over my head. “No.”
I want to ask her what that look is for but I can see she’s inside her own head, so instead, I place my hands on her shoulders, spinning her around to face the mirrored wall as I stand behind her.
“I teach people the easiest and fastest ways to get away from a possible attacker. Injure them enough to escape and call for help.”
“What if you can’t run away?” she asks, her voice low as she meets my gaze in the mirror. “Never mind, continue.” She waves her hand in the air, cutting me off.
I’m silent for a beat as I study her before I take a breath. “There’s several body parts that are considered the weak points, these are three that I teach first.” I point to her eyes. “The first are the eyes.” I hold my hands out in front of me, thumbs out sideways. “You push your thumbs into them as hard as you can.”
I take her hands in mine, placing them in the correct position before letting go and placing my hand on her stomach under her breasts. I watch as her breath falters, her eyes flicking down to where I’m holding her.
I push closer, letting my front touch her back as I say, “The second is the solar plexus. One hard hit will knock the wind out of someone, giving you time to flee.”
Her eyes come back up to mine, hesitating. “Okay,” she says on a breath. “What’s the third?”
My other hand grips her hip as I step even closer to her, feeling the curve of her ass pressed against me. I hold her still, soaking her in. Her legs shine with a slight tan, the white ripped jean shorts making the color pop. My hand on her stomach fists the pale-yellow flowing top, wanting nothing more than to feel her skin under the palm of my hand.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she watches me, her hand coming to rest behind her on my thigh. I stutter a shaky breath at the contact.
“Groin,” I finally say, my voice deep and gruff. My hand wanders over her shorts, laying my palm flat again
st her. “A kick to the groin,” I barely manage to choke out.
The room spins as we stand here, holding each other up. Images of the last time we were in this room with my hands on her assault me. The sounds she made, the way she fit so perfectly against me.
I dip my head down, placing a soft kiss where her shoulder meets her neck all the while staring deep into her eyes in the mirror. “Lex.”
“Mmmm?”
“I’m sorry.” She frowns as I lift my head up, moving my hands and wrapping them around her waist from behind. “I’ve been avoiding you after—”
She spins around, cutting me off. “I know,” she says softly. “I understand.”
I work my throat, trying to swallow against the building lump. “I’ve never… I’ve never told anyone.”
The palm of her hand cups the side of my face, her thumb brushing along the top of my cheek as she stands on her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Thank you for telling me.” She pulls away slightly, letting her breath fan over me and eliciting a shiver to roll through me. “For trusting me.”
A sound escapes my throat as I crush her body to mine, holding onto her like she’s a raft and I’m in the middle of the ocean stranded. She’s the thing that will bring me to safety: make sure I stay afloat and not drown in my memories.
“Come to Sunday drinks,” she whispers in my ear, holding me just as tight as I’m holding her.
I pull back slightly. “They still do Sunday drinks?” I ask, chuckling to myself. Ever since I can remember, Dad, Pop, and Livvy have had Sunday drinks.
“Yeah.” She lifts her hands up, capturing my face. “Will you come?”
My nostrils flare as I try to hold in my laughter. I could make a joke here, it’s on the tip of my tongue, but I refrain. Her eyes shine with apprehension as she waits for my answer.
“I’ll come… to Sunday drinks.”
A breath whooshes out of her at my answer before she steps back. “I need to finish cleaning.” She hesitates a second before shaking her head. “You’re so distracting.” She walks past me, letting her hand trail along my arm before leaving me standing in the middle of the room, wondering if I’ll ever get enough of her.
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