I explain to Mara the events of the night before, leaving out the part about being a hybrid. I want to find out as much as I can before I tell anyone, even if she is my best friend. Mara's the kind of person who will ask and ask and ask, and I don't have any answers for her right now.

"Holy shit you met your mate!"

"Yes Mara, that's what I just explained to you," I sigh.

"And he spent the night!" I nod, letting her just come to terms with it on her own.

"And left a super cute note since he couldn't stay!" Once again, I nod. "CUTE!" I cover my ears at the screeching sound that fills the room.

"Ouch Mara," I wince. She shrugs and rolls her eyes, like I was the one being over dramatic. I wasn't originally nervous for how she would react when Max actually shows up, but given how excited and loud she's been just hearing about him, I might want to pass out noise canceling headphones to everyone in my family.

Speaking of my family, I didn't if I was going to tell them about Max or not? I feel like I should, especially my dad because he's been keeping this secret from me for my entire life. I love my dad, but I'm a combination of really hurt and angry right now because he kept something this big from me. Maybe I shouldn't tell him, just until Max and I figure some things out.

Ugh. I don't know.

"So when do I get to meet him?" Mara asks, her blue eyes wide with enthusiasm.

"I don't know," I laugh. "I don't know when he's coming back!" There's a slight twinge in my stomach as I said that. I want Max back with me with his arms holding onto me tightly. I miss him.

My bedroom door flies open and Carter catapults himself onto my bed. He's wearing dark blue pajama shorts with grey sharks on them and no shirt. There's chocolate all over his mouth, and his eyes are sparkling from a sugar high. "Mommy made pancakes! She said to come get you guys since Mara was taking too long."

Mara giggles and tries to tickle Carter, but he leaps off the bed and runs out of the room before she gets the chance. "I'm starving, let's go," I say, crawling off the bed. My stomach grumbles, as if agreeing with me and only proving my point. Mara follows me out of my room and down the stairs into the kitchen. My entire family is crowded around the huge island in the middle of the kitchen, everyone eating pancakes the way they like them. I personally like spreading peanut butter on them and then chocolate chips.

Mara and I help ourselves to the stack of pancakes that haven't been devoured yet. I make mine the way I like them while Mara drenches hers in syrup. I shake my head at her when she looks up. "Oh stop it," she laughs, rolling her eyes as a smile appears on her face.

"I didn't say anything." I put my hands up in surrender before taking a bit of my pancake.

"Are you excited for tonight?" My dad asks me as he wraps an arm around me and kisses my forehead.

"Yes. I'm ready for high school to be officially over," I laugh.

"You'll miss it when your my age and never get a break," he teases.

I shrug before bursting out into laughter. High school was fun, but I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. Mara and I will both be starting at the community college in the fall, and were planning on getting an apartment together near by. We had already started pinning some cute decoration ideas we found on Pinterest.

"Mom, after Brynn's graduation tonight can I go over to Mila's?" Violet asks. "She's having a couple girls sleep over tonight."

"Sure, we can drop you off after the ceremony," my mom says.

"Thanks," Violet smiles.

Carter is running around the island, chocolate still smeared across his face. The next time he runs by my dad, my dad shoots his arms out and grabs him, swinging him around. Carter lets out a laugh that sounds so evil a shiver goes down my spine.

After breakfast, Mara and I help my mom with the dishes and clean up. Mara goes home after that to shower so her hair will be dry in time to curl for the ceremony. I head back upstairs and take a shower myself, not really knowing what I want to do with my hair.

When I walk back to my room with only a towel wrapped around me, Max is sitting on my bed. My eyes widen and so do his, and the red rings appear around his eyes. "I'll be right out!" I squeak, rushing into the closet and closing the door. I don't think I'm embarrassed, but definitely surprised because I wasn't expecting him to be here.

I quickly throw on a pair of white denim shorts and a light pink tank top before heading back out into my room. Max is still sitting on my bed, and his eyes turn to me when he hears the door open.

"Hi," I smile,approaching him.

"Hi," he says back, standing up and wrapping me up in a hug. I relax immediately into the hug, feeling like I'm on cloud nine. Max buries his nose in my hair and inhales, letting out the simplest sigh. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," I say, pulling my head back from his chest to look up at him. He looks down at me, his eyes lighting up with happiness. "Where did you have to go this morning?"

"I just went back home to eat with my family. They're going out of town tonight to visit my aunt and cousins," he answers, then plants his lips on mine. I smile into the kiss, lacing one hand into his hair to bring his face closer to mine. One of his hands rests on my lower back and the other on my neck. He holds me like I'm the most fragile thing on the planet but also like he's never going to let me go.

He sits down on the bed and lifts me up onto his lap so I'm straddling him. Both my hands come up to cup his face and try and deepen the kiss even more. Max's hands are roaming all over my back and through my damp hair, like he can't get enough of me and just wants more. I'm able to relate to that feeling one hundred percent.

Gently, I place a hand on his chest and push him back onto the bed. Our lips separate during this, and Max just smirks up at me. I lunge forward and let my lips find his again, and suddenly everything we're doing is ten times more desperate. A deep, nearly silent growl escapes his mouth when my fingers slip under his shirt and began tracing the lines of his abs. "That was hottest sound I have ever heard," I whisper against his lips.

"Good," he says, not once taking his lips away from mine.

Later on, once we finally make the decision that we should stop because we don't want things to go any farther yet, we just lay on my bed tangled up together.

"Is it just you and your parents, or do you have an siblings?" I ask him quietly.

"I have a twin brother and sister who are six. Molly and Mason," he responds. "What about you?"

"Three younger sisters and six younger brothers," I sigh, watching as his eyes widen in surprise. "Hayden's sixteen, Violets fifteen, Ryder's fourteen, Lexi and Levi are twelve, Ben's eleven, Xavier's ten, Ellie's eight, and Carter's five." I think it takes me a minute to get all that out just because I have to remember how old everyone is. It's not that I don't know, but I don't know off the top of my head because there's so many.

"That's a lot," Max says.

"Yeah. It's crazy. Hopefully you'll be able to cope," I joke.

"I'll figure it out," he says, planting a kiss on my forehead. "After all, one day they'll be my family too."

My heart and stomach warm when he says that.