Jaxon

I was sitting between Hunter and Davin, who were silent and terrifying. They did not utter a word since we got into the car, and I felt tired and drained already. Ariel sent me pitiful looks through the rearview mirror, and I would just smile. She was sitting in the passenger seat next to Owen.

Noah was with Aaron and Felix, and Ariel's dad was in my car. I hope he's a good driver. I can't say no to my future dad-in-law. Don't comment.

I was sweating my butt over her; trust me, it's not from the heat. Her brothers were scary, but they will not scare me away from my Carino. "So Davin, Hunter, how are mom and my fluff bear?" Ariel asked, trying to lift the mood up. I think it's working because the monsters are smiling.

"They are fine and can't wait to see you, especially Adrian," Davin replied with a chuckle. Then we were back to complete silence. I wanted to always be with her. Even if she goes back to Canada, I'll go with her. After all, Canada was my birthplace, and I have nothing to lose except her.

"We are here," Owen announced and parked in his driveway. He did have a big house.

"Great," Hunter and Davin said, then looked at me.

"Yeah, great," I replied with a nervous laugh. We got out of the car and walked to the house. They were still crushing me.

"Owen, we need a private room to talk with Jaxon," Hunter smiled at Owen. I think that smile is not a kind smile. Yeah, no shit!

"Yeah, sure, man. Just a second." Owen opened the door and led us to a room. He looked at me and mouthed good luck. Before we entered, I heard Owen ask Ariel if they were that bad, and she said: "So bad, I'm just praying for Jaxon that he will come out of there with just a punch and no fractures."

I'm doomed.

"Get in, Jax," Davin said, and I entered the room, and Hunter locked it.

"So..." Davin began as we sat on the chairs. Well, they sat me across from them, not so far. They were within hand-reach. Meaning they could hit me without them standing up. Awesome!

"You are her proud boyfriend, huh?" Hunter finished.

"Yes, I am," I replied with confidence. I can't be weak now.

"Confident now, are we?" Davin asked with a sly grin.

"I'm in love with your sister, so I am confident, yes," I answered calmly.

They narrowed their eyes at me, then shook their heads. "Okay, kid, how old are you?" Davin asked. And the integration started.

"19."

"What do you do for a living?" Hunter asked.

"I'm an author, but no one knows that besides Ariel," I answered honestly. If I want to win them over, I must speak the truth.

"Name me one novel, one known novel that you have written," Davin requested but more like demanded.

"I wrote One more thought." They froze. So, they knew it. My odds were improving.

I smirked at that. "Okay, how many girlfriends did you have?" Asked Davin.

"None. Ariel is my first. I don't do one-night stands or hook up with girls. I just love Ariel. Only her," I replied with a genuine smile.

They narrowed their eyes. "He's too good," Hunter said to Davin, and I sighed in relief. Davin rubbed his neck and nodded.

"He did support Ariel back then, and he's the one who called us," he muttered to his brother.

"So..." I trailed off to gain their attention once again. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Welcome to the family, kiddo."

"Thank you," I replied and shook their hands, but they squeezed my hands.

"But if you ever hurt her in any way, we won't hesitate to kill you. I mean it," Davin threatened, and I grinned.

"No way I'm hurting her, ever. Cross my words!" I swore with a firm expression.

"Good, but one more thing," Hunter added.

"Yes?" I replied.

"You realize that we live in Canada, in Hamilton, which is far away from here, right?" he stated, and I nodded.

"Yes, I do, and I was thinking of moving back there, especially to Hamilton," I replied, feeling like a champion.

"Move back?" They asked together. That's creepy. Now I know what Ariel meant by that.

"Yes, I was born there," I said, and they nodded.

"Not bad," Davin said, and we got out of the room, and I finally breathed. Ariel was waiting by the door with Noah, Owen, Aaron, Felix, and her dad. She ran to me and held my face in her tiny hands.

She was worried, and she inspected my face. "No cuts, no bruises, no nothing," she whispered like she was stunned and in disbelief.

"Hey, we are not murderers," Hunter commented with a laugh.

Wow, he just laughed. Mood swings?

"Well, sorry. Whenever a guy tries to talk to me, he somehow gets a fracture or a bruise." She raised her eyebrows at them.

She hugged me, and her brother frowned. "Ariel, do not touch him when we are around. No PDA," Hunter said, and he held her close to him.

I frowned, but it was better than not being her boyfriend. "So, he's okay?" Ariel asked with eager eyes.

"Yes," Davin replied.

She jumped in her place, then in my arms, and kissed me. I was surprised, but I kissed her back but not for long because her dad cleared his throat.

"Um-um, hello, he just told you no PDA," he said and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized and let go of me but stayed near me.

"So what do we do now?" Noah asked, breaking the tension. We all looked at him, and Lilly clapped her hands.

"Aaron explained everything to me, and he earned himself a slap, so Ariel wanna go shopping?" Lilly asked her, and Ariel smiled weakly at her, and that was because Lilly was a shopaholic. She shops till she drops, literally.

"S-sure" Ariel replied, and I signed. I could not help her with that. Then she looked at me with an evil smirk. Oh, no!

"Come on, Jaxon let's go. You and Aaron are coming with us," she said, and we facepalmed ourselves.

"What's wrong with going with my princess to the mall?" Hunter asked, and I sighed in defeat.

I shook my head. "The problem is not with your princess. Lilly is a shopaholic, and Ariel doesn't want to be the only one who drops after shopping. No one can say no to Lilly," I explained, and he nodded.

"Well, good luck, mate." And they were out of sight. Great.

"Let's hope for the best," Aaron whispered.

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