Chapter 36
Lizzy
Bash’s hand grips mine from over the console of his car.
He gently rubs his thumb over mine. His calm demeanor about this has mollified me.
If he’s not worried about introducing me to his family, then I have no reason to be.
Plus, I’ve already met one brother and his wife, and they were incredibly welcoming.
When we pull through black gates, I’m reminded of who his family is. What they do. But it doesn’t bother me. Maybe it should, but I know my Bash. He’s a good man. He wouldn’t be a part of something cruel or wicked.
We park behind a minivan, which surprises me. I didn’t expect such a mundane vehicle from this family. Bash rolls his eyes at the cars parked ahead of us. He mutters something under his breath that I can’t quite make out.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He sighs then shakes his head. “I purposely came early so you could meet my parents before the chaos that is my brothers and their families show up. However, that minivan belongs to Roman.” He points ahead then moves his finger slightly.
“The convertible is Katerina’s, and the G-Wagon in front of the convertible is Matthias’s.
Looks like they were excited to meet you too. ”
“That’s not a bad thing, right?” I grab his hand as I ask. A smile appears on his face as he meets my gaze.
“It’s not. They’re just loud and crazy. And they’re going to give me hell after all I’ve given them over the years. Mom and Dad were going to be the calm before the storm, but the storm beat us here.” He leans across the console and presses a hard kiss to my lips. “It’s fine. It’s just my family.”
He opens his car door and steps out. Mindlessly, I do the same. He huffs at me, clearly peeved that I didn’t wait for him to do the gentlemanly thing.
“Do you want me to get back in so you can open my door?” I jokingly ask.
He pauses for a moment, reflecting on my question. Only to shake his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, that’d be asinine.”
“You considered it.” I squeeze his side teasingly, but he just pulls me in close. Pressing a kiss into my hair, I snuggle into his arms.
We must be making more noise than we realize walking up the steps to the front door because it swings open before we can even knock. A woman who can only be Bash’s mother steps out with a warm smile on her face. She’s absolutely gorgeous as she approaches, arms spread wide.
She pulls me into a tight hug, then pulls back to look me over. “Aren’t you just gorgeous! I have no idea why Bash has been keeping you from us.”
“Evelyn, give the girl some room to breathe,” the older man next to her says. He pulls his wife back and turns to us. “I’m Damien, Bash’s father. This is my wife, Evelyn. We’re grateful you’re able to join us. Come inside. We’d love to hear more about you. Everyone’s already here.”
“Of course they are,” Bash mumbles under his breath, causing my elbow to meet his stomach slyly. He readjusts us so my arm is trapped between us.
The four of us walk inside and make our way to their den. It’s overflowing with people. I should’ve expected this with how big Bash’s family is, but it still takes me off guard.
A little girl in a pink princess dress, one of his nieces, approaches with a sly smile on her face. “Are you Uncle Bash’s girlfriend?” Before I can answer, she turns to Bash. “Why does she have hair in her face? It’s weird.”
I let out a laugh as a beautiful, very pregnant woman waddles over. “?Sofia, pídele perdón ahora mismo!” she hisses at the girl in a tone only a mother is capable of. Then she turns to me. “I’m so sorry. She’s our firecracker.”
“Lo siento,” Sofia murmurs, looking scolded. “I’m sorry,” she repeats in English.
“It’s okay, Sofia. I’ll let you in on a secret.” She perks up as I lean down to whisper in her ear. “I have hair in my face, bangs, because I’m hiding my big forehead. Don’t tell anyone.”
I lean back but pause in time to hook my pinky around hers. “I pinky promise,” she says. Then she turns on her heels, tracking down her sisters to tell them about my bangs.
“You were so good with her,” her mother tells me. “I’m Cecilia, by the way. Roman’s wife.”
“Nice to meet you, Cecilia. I’m Lizzy, Bash’s girlfriend.” Bash’s chest puffs as I say it, clearly proud of the title.
Cecilia takes my hand and leads me into the room. “This is my husband, Roman,” she introduces me to a rough-looking man. But by the way this sweet woman looks at the tattoo-covered, buzz cut man, you’d think he was a teddy bear.
He immediately stands and pulls his wife into his chest. He tears his soft eyes from her to look at me curiously. “It’s nice to finally meet the girl who has my baby brother losing his head.”
I shake his offered hand as his words echo through my mind. Did he really tell his family about me? Which part? Do they know about the past six years?
“Don’t be an ass!” a tall blonde with a bob hisses at Roman.
She looks like a model. They all do. She approaches me with an older man at her side.
While she doesn’t look much older than me, he looks to be in his forties.
But I can tell by the way he looks at her that she’s his wife.
They remind me of lions. While the lion is the king of the jungle and the male does the hunting, the only creature he bows to is the lioness.
This woman is definitely a lioness. “I’m Katerina, and this is my husband, Dominic.
Welcome to family dinner. Be prepared, they’re a rowdy crew. ”
Katerina leans into her stoic lion. In her heels, she’s almost eye level with him. These two could take over the world. I’m sure of it.
“Thanks. I’m–” I start to introduce myself for the third time, only to be saved by Bash.
“This is Lizzy, my girlfriend.” Bash turns us to face the whole room. “I believe you’ve now met everyone except the little ones.”
I spot Margot and Matthias holding a toddler and wave at them. Margot perks up and thrusts her son into her husband’s arms. “It’s so good to see you again!”
As she stands to hug me, Bash redirects us to an empty bench seat. It seems out of place, so I’m guessing they made extra room in expectance of me.
“So Lizzy, tell us about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? What’s your family like?” Evelyn asks excitedly.
Bash tenses at the second and third questions, but I just bypass them. “I’m the secondary zookeeper of the reptilian exhibit at New Hope Zoo. I handle all my sweet animals at the zoo. In fact, I kind of brought work home with me. I have seven different reptilian pets.”
The room descends into silence, and as I look around, his family all have forced smiles clearly unsure how to respond. But my sweet boyfriend is beaming next to me.
“She’s amazing. Many schools ask for her by name for their field trips. That exhibit couldn’t function without her!” he boasts.
“Uncle Bash has a lizard too. Maybe that’s why he likes you,” a small voice interrupts the silence. I turn to see a girl identical to Sofia except her dress is orange.
“That’s right, Isabel. Uncle Bash does have a lizard. Which is crazy because he used to be so scared of them,” Roman’s tone confirms his daughter’s statement, but the gleam in his eyes means trouble.
I look questioningly at Bash, silently asking if it’s true. But how could it be? How could he be afraid of lizards but still want me?
He pulls me closer into him and whispers, “I’ll explain later.”
No one seems to notice because Matthias starts laughing and regales us with a time that Roman and he hid a lizard in Bash’s bed.
Evelyn gasps in horror. “I can’t believe you boys tormented your baby brother like that! The poor thing cried once when one fell onto him when he was outside.”
When I make eye contact with Margot who’s pretending a lizard is falling on her, I can’t stop the laugh from escaping. Which causes Margot to lose it as well. Bash clutches his heart with a look of utter betrayal, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes that alleviates my guilt.