When I'm With You

“I told you, Ember, you have nothing to feel uneasy about.”

She gives me an adorable pout, and I have to remind myself that we really don’t have time for me to fuck her. Even if we did, I’m pretty sure her father would kill me if we show up smelling like sex, regardless of me having his blessing to be with his little girl.

“I know, logically. I just can’t help it.”

“What are you really worried about?”

She sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe that they won’t agree with our relationship. Or that it will be awkward.”

“And would it be a problem if someone did have an issue with us being together?” I ask. To me, fuck no, but Ember has always been treated a little differently as the baby of the group. The overprotective father acting like a giant guard more often than not, and I understand where she is coming from because of that. After all, I did use that as a reason for us not to be together in the past.

“Not even a little, to me, but like I said … it would be awkward.”

“Good thing for you, awkward is my middle name.”

She laughs, the mood lifting, and I give her another brief kiss before placing her on her feet.

“I love you, Ember, but so does every single other person who will be there tonight. They won’t even think twice because they can see with their own eyes that not only do you have my love, but I have yours. Give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise, and if they do, then we will deal. Together.”

“Together,” she echoes.

“You’re stuck with me, baby. If they give you any lip, then just light the fuse on that little firecracker temper of yours and put them in their place.”

She barks out a laugh, the heaviness of her mood dissipating instantly.

“I’ll go take Bam out. Come get me when you’re ready to leave.”

“Okay, Nate.”

The second her body passes by mine when she walks into the room, I let my hand fall back and give her ass a loud smack. She jumps and turns quickly. I wag my finger at her.

“Not fair, Nate!” she whines, the sound falling on my back as I walk out of the room.

“Foreplay is a good thing,” I call back, laughing to myself as I walk through the house and start tossing Bam his ball in the backyard.

“Everyone is already here,” she softly observes, looking through the windshield of my truck at the vehicles that line my parents’ driveway.

“Well, that’s what happens when your beast of a dog decides that he would rather hunt his own dinner than have that bag shit.”

She laughs nervously.

“Calm down. It’s going to be fine.”

Her head moves, but her eyes stay focused on the driveway.

“How many times do I have to remind you that this isn’t the first time they’ve seen us together?”

“My show doesn’t count. I hardly had time away from Annabelle parading me around to even be at your side.”

I hum, not responding. She has to work this out on her own, and nothing I say will ease her mind.

“Plus, this is so much different. This is our family, Nate. Someone is bound to say something. I just don’t want to cause any issues.”

Again, I just nod and make a noise in my throat.

“Then again, our parents are the only ones who it could cause issues with and they know about us, so it will probably be fine. I mean we’ve had the group over to the house and they’ve seen us together, so it’s not as if this is going to be shocking. But all of our parents, I mean … yeah, they haven’t really seen us together. But you know what, you’re right. We love each other and that’s all that matters. If someone has a problem with it, then screw them.”