“I know you do and that is why I am leaving her alone with you. It was a stupid decision to leave it this long to introduce your family to her, and you will have to live with that. But hear me, Luca, when I say Meadow won’t allow any man to treat her like she is an embarrassment, and neither will her family.”
“She isn’t an embarrassment to me,” I clipped, “she is everything to me.”
“She better be, Luca, because I know people. And trust me, the police won’t find your body.” With that ominous warning, Prue sashayed down the steps to her vehicle and got in without glancing my way.
“That was pleasant,” I mumbled, “she knows people, hey?” Laughing silently while entering the house to find it quiet. Shutting the door, turning the deadbolt, and engaging the chain, I was here for the night so locking up now means I didn’t have to get out of bed later to do it.
Guessing Meadow was in the bedroom, I did a quick run around checking windows and the back door, then headed back into the lounge to shut off the lights when I noticed the couch was not empty. Lying on her side with a blanket pulled up to her chin, my beautiful stunner was asleep. A worrying notion crept into my brain, all the noise I’d made stomping around the house going from room to room, and Meadow didn’t stir once. What if it wasn’t me but someone breaking into her house? If the noises didn’t wake her and they were happening in the same room as her, she definitely couldn’t hear all the way down the back of the house in her room. My idea to get her into my place cemented right there and then. My timeline also shot up as well as my heartbeat.
I would literally die if something bad happened to her, something that would take her away from me forever. Her arm was tucked under the blanket, so I couldn’t see the bandage, which suited me just fine. Any reminder that I was not always going to be there to protect her always haunted me.
Walking quietly to the couch, taking off my shirt, shoes and jeans along the way, thanking god that Meadow decided on an oversized deep couch for her lounge. I carefully pulled back the blanket and slowly wiggled onto the cushions, positioning myself, so I was facing her, the blanket over both of us.
“You mean the world to me, baby, you have to know that,” I whispered, bringing my hand to her face and tracing the line of her nose with a finger.
“I knew the minute you smiled at me, you were the one. I knew that you would make it impossible for me to live without you in my life.” A tiny shudder left her lips, a frown appearing on her forehead.
“I didn’t handle things well today with Mum,” I admitted quietly, using my fingertips to smooth away the frown lines from her perfect skin. “I didn’t deal with any of what happened this morning very well; in fact, I fucked up so bad you felt like you had to leave.” The gutted feeling that Meadow ran from what was going to be her home one day soon stayed with me all day and still now. Doubly now, seeing her face pale and frowning even in her sleep.
“I’m going to make this up to you, baby, and I already told Naomi she is no longer welcome in my house, then read the riot act to my family. They aren’t going to be rude anymore, and they have agreed to accept our relationship and that you are incredibly important to me and that I love you and you love me. I promise, from now on, it is going to be different.” The lies tumbled out of my mouth, not the part about our love that was true, the lies I told about my family. Saying them out loud, putting them out there, I was suddenly overcome with a desire to make it happen. Mum and the girls were going to accept Meadow as my life choice, come hell or high water.
“You lie, but I love you for thinking it can happen,” Meadow whispered, startling me.
“Baby?”
Green sparkling eyes looked at me through lowered lashes, still lazy with sleep but green and bright.
“Hey you,” she sassed in that way that made me glad to be alive.
“Meadow, I don’t know … what to say to you other than I am so sorry,” I stammered, cupping her face gently.
“I don’t know, what you said already was kind of perfect.”
“You heard me? I thought you were asleep.”
Meadow scoffed, her face turning to kiss the palm of my hand.
“Spunk, you made so much noise when you locked the door, I could have heard you at Lennie and Trish’s house.”
“Spunk? Not arsehole, wanker or douche?” I asked hopefully.
Meadow smiled again, this time accompanied by a sweet giggle.
“No, that is for Spring and Prue to call you. You know, best friend code? They have to give you a hard time because they had to listen to me complaining about your snotty family all day.”
“Ah, I get it and totally agree.” Getting serious, I pressed my lips to hers, loving the way she melted against me.
“I would apologise for their behaviour, but that would be a waste of time. Meadow, baby, I can’t guarantee that won’t happen again. My mother is stubborn and my sisters are the same way. Mum has strong ideas and a plan for me and has since my birth. She pushes and pushes, and sometimes, in the past, I gave in to keep the peace. She .. they have a tendency to—"
"Derail you like a freight train on a path of destruction?” Meadow quipped, laughing, “Yeah, I kind of got that impression when she looked me up and down with distaste then sniffed so many times I was tempted to offer
