Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
B alancing two cake boxes as she exited her apartment, Lucky frowned as Griff appeared out of nowhere.
He grabbed the cakes from her hand and Lucky looked around and down the hallway.
If Griff was here, then that meant her mate was somewhere nearby.
She focused on the condo two doors from her, where she knew her security stayed.
The three of them had come to an agreement that Lucky would tell them before she left the apartment so that they wouldn’t have to stand at her door.
She suspected they had a camera somewhere near also, but fighting with Kaine about security now that she knew what he did for a living was foolish.
She would much rather be safe than sorry.
With no sign of Ezra, she marched to the security apartment and knocked on the door. Lucky looked back at Griff and he gave her a small smile as he held her cakes.
“He’s here, right?” she asked, just to be sure.
“He is, Mrs. Kaine,” he acknowledged.
Lucky reared back. Shit, she would be mated and that would be her last name.
Why, then, did it startle her? The door opened and Rah was in front of her in a pair of distressed jeans that still looked tailor-made for him and a Slick Rick t-shirt that looked like it had seen many washes with a durag tied around his head and tucked so the back wasn’t hanging low.
Lord have mercy, he looked fine as fuck in street clothes.
For a moment, she forgot to ask him why he was in her building and not her apartment.
He braced his arm on the door jamb and leaned forward, his scent filling her senses.
It was an expensive cologne that, despite his casual appearance, spoke of big money.
His beard was trimmed, framing his chiseled face.
Her panther swiped against her chest, the urge to rub herself along the front of his body making her muscles tremble. But then he smiled and Lucky melted.
What in the fuck was this man’s problem?!
He leaned forward and put a finger underneath her chin, closing her opened mouth. “Good morning, princess. You sleep okay?”
“When did you get here? No, why are you here and not my apartment?” She changed her question.
“I just got here and needed to take a call.”
She heard shuffling behind him. Two people, their faces damn near identical to his, peeked from over his shoulders. He’d told her that he had siblings, but from how close in age they looked, they were triplets? She smiled wide.
“Is that her?” the woman asked.
“You’re a triplet, Ezra?” Why was that so cute to her? “I’m Lucky. And let me guess, Eve and Ezekial?” She pointed at them.
Ezekial pushed his brother aside. “Wait now with the government, sis. Easy is what I go by. Are you sure you got the right triplet? Check with your panther to make sure I’m not the tiger you’re supposed to be with.”
Ezra growled and Lucky chuckled. “You want to be messy on our first meeting, brother -in-law?” she teased, and he laughed, rubbing his cheek along hers.
Eve moved her brother aside and nuzzled her other cheek. “I’m the sane one of these three. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Why are you hanging with my security?” Lucky asked.
“I told you, I had to take a call.” Rah dropped a soft kiss on her lips and guided her inside.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him again.
“In Eastfield? Didn’t you say we had plans with the family this weekend?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I said I had plans with my family.”
“Ain’t that what I said?” The innocent look on his face didn’t fool her as Ezra pulled her into his arms. “That’s what you’re wearing? Funny, we match and we weren’t even in the same apartment. Look how we already thinking alike.”
She looked down at her tattered jeans and sleeveless concert tee. The armholes were low, showing her bra at the sides. The shirt used to be black but had faded to a dark gray. It was one of her favorite shirts to chill in.
“Tiger.” She pushed against his forehead as he nuzzled into her neck.
He slid a hand through one of the armholes. “It’s just family, right?”
He spun her around and cupped her ass. The pants were just on the other side of indecent, with holes in the back that almost showed her ass, and she knew Sin would have some shit to say about his daughter’s clothes.
“I would hate to have to fuck up some people,” Rah said, slapping her ass. “God damn, kitty cat,” he murmured, and just like that, she folded.
Any objection she had to him meeting her family drifted away on the wind.
“Do we need to bring anything?” Eve interjected, breaking into their moment.
Lucky was happy for it because she was close to getting carried away in an apartment full of people.
She turned back around and swatted Ezra’s chest. “So, you just gon’ ignore the fact that I didn’t invite you.”
“Don’t do me like that, princess. You trying to hide me?” He nipped her ear and Lucky shivered.
“I haven’t told my parents about you yet.” She bit her lip nervously as her stomach pitched at her admission.
“No time like the present,” he said, turning her toward the front door.
She sighed. Okay then, they were doing this.
Thank God the kickback was at her parents’ house and she’d agreed to get there early.
No way would she blindside Sincere and Kathleen Bryant.
She was grown, but not that grown. They all piled into the elevator and she scripted the conversation she would have with her parents when she reached their house.
“I’m driving, so have your security follow behind us,” she told Ezra as the door opened at the parking structure.
Kaine walked past her small car and opened the door to his black extended SUV. She sighed and got into the back. Eve joined her in the third row, a smile on her face as she raked Lucky’s form.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you, you too.” Lucky wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.
“I hope we’re not imposing,” Eve said.
Lucky smiled and studied her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “You look like you’re not really sorry.”
Eve busted out laughing. “I’m not.”
Lucky joined her amusement, hoping her parents would have the same sense of humor.
They wouldn’t care about the extra people she was bringing.
All kinds of people liked to stop by their kickbacks, so that wouldn’t be the issue.
The fine ass tiger sitting directly in front of her was.
She didn’t have to give Griff her parents’ address, which had her narrowing her eyes as they pulled out into traffic headed in the right direction.
This man knew too much about her.
She texted Keisha, urging her and Devon to get to her house early just in case they were needed to break the ice. Her cousin just sent back eyeball emojis but no confirmation whether or not she would help Lucky.
Her stomach fluttered with nerves twenty minutes later as they pulled into her parents’ driveway. Kaine got out first and helped her out of the SUV.
Richie’s pickup truck was already in the driveway. Lucky groaned. It would be bad enough telling her father, but her brother would fan the flames. She debated whether or not to ask Kaine’s siblings to wait in the car until they got over the initial awkwardness but decided against that.
Maybe it would keep Sin from showing out.
Kaine’s siblings stepped from the truck, their eyes scanning the landscape, the lightheartedness from earlier gone from their faces.
It was a trait the triplets shared. They had a persona they had at home that was wiped away the moment they were in public.
It had to be a side effect of their jobs.
Taking a deep breath, Lucky prayed that she could get this over with before the rest of her family showed up.
Before she could pull out her key, her father opened the door, his gaze raking her company before settling on her.
He cocked his head to the side. “What’s going on, baby girl?” Sincere asked. His face was hard, showing none of the softness he normally had with his daughter.
“Dad.” She cleared her throat. “I want you to meet Ezra Kaine…my mate.”
Sin frowned and his eyes snapped from Lucky to Ezra, assessing him. His panther flashed for a moment before he suppressed it.
“Is that right? And the rest?” His eyes flickered behind them.
“His siblings, Eve and Easy. Griff is his head of security and the other car is filled with enforcers,” she provided.
Sin trained his gaze back onto his youngest child. “Mate, huh? When that happened?”
Lucky swallowed down the guilt. “I met him a few weeks ago.”
Kathleen came up behind her mate. “Why you hanging at the door?” Her eyes widened when she got a look at their company. Pulling her daughter into her arms, she whispered, “What’s going on?”
Lucky gave her mother a nervous smile.
“Your daughter brought her mate to meet us.”
“Mate!?” Kathleen stepped back from her daughter, a shocked look suffusing her face. Her gaze whipped between Lucky and Ezra before going to his siblings. “And which one would that be? All three of you?”
“Mom!”
“What, girl? I never know with you.”
Lucky’s cheeks burned.
“Hi, I’m Ezra.” He stepped forward, and Kathleen gave her a pleased smile.
“Well now, never let it be said my baby can’t pick ‘em.”
“Kat baby,” her father warned.
“What?” Her mother bumped her shoulder into Sin in amusement. “Come in. Our neighbors already finna be getting a show when my family gets here.”
So far, so good then. Lucky gave Ezra a nervous smile and followed her parents into her childhood home.
She could smell the charcoal from the grill and the side dishes that her mother was cooking in her kitchen.
For some silly reason, that made her more tense.
Perhaps because it was a reminder that soon, the house and backyard would be full of family, ready to interrogate Ezra themselves.
Her mate grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Relax,” he murmured, and she nodded.
“Y’all get settled into the living room,” her dad ordered his siblings and security. “You two, with me.”
Lucky realized that she’d relaxed a little too soon.
Sin led then into the kitchen and settled his hip against the island as he stared at them both.
Her father was in cargo shorts with a faded green sleeveless shirt on, the muscles of his arms flexing as he crossed his arms over his chest. The air was tense until finally, her father shook his head and took a deep breath.
“I knew this day was coming, but still, that’s my baby girl,” Sin told Ezra.
He nodded. “I understand.”
“You know what his family does?” Sin directed that question to his daughter.
Her eyes widened. “ You know what his family does?”
“So that’s a yes.” Sin visibly relaxed. “So, Kaine, where do you live?”
“In Oakridge,” Ezra answered.
“That’s a whole hour away,” her mother protested.
He smiled his most charming smile. “That’s not too far. I promise I won’t keep her from you. I know how important family is to Lucky.”
“You have a plan in place to keep her safe?” Sin asked, pulling Kathleen into his arms.
“I already have security assigned to her and her building,” Ezra informed her parents.
Sin nodded. “I don’t know how tigers treat their mates, but I bet’ not get no calls from my baby, hear?”
“Understood. She’s the most important person in my life,” he assured Sin.
“Then we’ll be straight. I’ma still have my eye on you, though. I don’t give a fuck who you are.”
Ezra smiled. “I would do the same.”
“Well, then, ain’t nothing else to say.” Sin nodded, done with the conversation.
Lucky released the breath she was holding. Her brother came in with an empty tray, bringing in the smell of cooked meats.
“Well, well, look who decided to come up from underneath her new situation,” he said as he entered. Richie’s gaze raked over Ezra for a moment, his dark eyes flashing with his panther. “This the mate?”
“Stop being messy, Richie,” their mother scolded.
He eyed Ezra and Lucky swallowed a groan. “Kaine, this is my brother, Richie.”
Her brother smirked and she already knew he would be on some shit.
“Mr. Money Bags. I know Sin already gave you the speech, but know that I better still see my sister on a regular basis or I’m driving down your fancy street leaning out the window.”
Ezra’s tiger lit his eyes at the threat, but he suppressed it with a nod. Her brother was good for a joke, but he took his job as the eldest very seriously.
“Who all them other people?” Richie asked, nodding toward the living room.
“His siblings and security,” Lucky told him.
“Security. That’s good. You gon’ need it for this one. She get into way too much shit when she’s bored,” Richie informed Ezra.
Lucky slapped his arm. “Don’t do me.”
“He ain’t lying, though,” Sin said as he straightened, kissing the top of Kathleen’s head. “I’m glad you came dressed to help,” he directed to Kaine. “We gotta get all them chairs out the garage.”
Lucky looked at Ezra, expecting to see irritation on his face, but he just kissed her temple and followed behind her father and brother, beckoning Easy and Griff as he passed them.
Eve came into the kitchen. “That seemed like it went well.”
Kathleen laughed. “Girl, we had to raise Lucinda. A surprise mate is par for the course.”
Eve’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and amusement. “Was she a handful?”
“Remind me to tell you some stories.”
“Ain’t no need for that,” Lucky interjected.
This time it was Eve who laughed. “Can I help with anything?”
“Of course. We about to have a house full of loud predators, so the more we can finish cooking before they get here, the better.” Her mother smiled at Eve.
Kathleen was at her sweetest and best behavior directing Eve where she wanted her. Lucky unclenched her muscles and took a deep breath. That was the hard part done. The rest of the afternoon should be fine enough.