Falling For Her Enemy [Book #5]

Chapter 30

Harper's POV
It's Sunday. And so far, things are going well. Landon seems to be fitting in nicely. My mom and sister love him. He's managed to win my aunt Ivy over with his charm. And my dad is starting to come around.

Hayden tolerates him, and he and Declan quickly bonded over art. I had no idea Landon was a fan until now.

As for Mason and my uncle, they stand with their arms crossed over their chest and a scowl on their face. I knew they wouldn't be so easy to win over.

"Your brother hasn't stopped staring at me since I walked in," Landon whispers from beside me. "And your uncle looks like he wants to skin me alive."

"They're harmless. I promise."

Out of everyone in my family, Mason and my uncle have the biggest hearts of all. Mason's secretly a teddy bear, and my uncle likes to act all tough, but he's a big softie, too.

"Mind if we borrow your boyfriend for a bit, little sis?" Mason asks, tossing his arm around Landon.

Landon gives me a "please save me" look, and I smile. He can't avoid them forever. So I nod, giving them the okay to borrow him. He'll be fine.

They disappear out to the backyard, and my mom swoops in to pull me into the kitchen where my aunts, sister, Harlynn, and Aya are almost done preparing dinner. We're having tacos tonight. Mason's request.

All of them have this girlish smile on their face. A blush blooms onto my cheeks because I know they have been talking about me and Landon.

I open my mouth to speak only to be bombarded with questions and comments.

"He's really cute. Love the birthmark."

"Is he really going to the pros?"

"What are his parents like?"

"He's perfect for you."

"Will we see him all the time?"

My eyes dart between my family as they excitedly talk over each other. Their overlapping voices overwhelm me, but I do my best to remember the questions that were asked.

I go down the list. "He hasn't been drafted yet, but that's the plan. His mom is amazing. His dad? Yeah, that's for another time. And, hopefully." The blush on my face returns at the thought of having Landon around my family all the time. It makes everything so real. So permanent.

Adeleine's eyes sparkle. "I can't believe you're actually dating Landon Avery."

I can't believe it either. And to think we've known each other since the ninth grade. Of course, we didn't interact as much as him and Hayden did. If you consider interacting with fists a thing.

"Where is he anyway?" Aya asked.

"Outside with Uncle Everett and Mason."

Harlynn and my aunt Haley both share a glance. Their faces said, "Oh shit."

It made me worried. "I should probably go and rescue him, huh?"

They both nod and race out to the backyard. What I find isn't at all what I was expecting. Smiles. Laughter. No interrogation or threats. Just a cold one in hand and talk about sports. I'm not even the topic of conversation.

Landon's smile reaches his eyes when he sees me. I approach them cautiously, examining my boyfriend to make sure my brother and uncle haven't jumped him while I was away. He appears to be just as I left him.

I don't know why I'm even worried. I knew he would be fine. I guess I just didn't realize how well they would get along. And so fast.

Landon plants a kiss on my temple. "Hey, freckles."

Mason explodes with laughter. "Freckles? I love it."

I punch him in his rib cage, and he keels over. A pained groan is drawn out of him.

"I don't even know why you're laughing. You have freckles, too."

"No, I don't," he replies in a strained voice.

"Really? So Harlynn was lying when she said you have freckles on your ass cheeks?"

My uncle spits out his beer. Everyone's laughing except Mason, whose face has become as red as a cherry. "She was supposed to keep that between us," he mumbles.

"Next time you want to make fun of me, just know I know things."

Mason's features pull into a frown. "I'm so going to kill her," he grumbles out before heading back into the house.

My uncle pauses mid sip of his beer, his blue eyes widening in fear. "You don't know any secrets about me, do you?"

I give my shoulders a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe. Maybe not."

My uncle swallows. "Fuck. I'll be back. I'm going to go tell my wife I love her." A chuckle escapes me as my uncle rushes back inside.

Landon's arm muscled arms wrap around me. I look up into his eyes. He's got this look in his eyes, like he's thinking about something.

"What?"

"Your family is... well, a family. A lot more than I can say for my own."

Landon told me he was never close with his dad's side, and his mom grew up an only child like he did. He did say he speaks to his grandparents on his mother's side every now and again. But I could tell from the yearning gaze in his eyes that he's always wanted a family like this.

"If it makes you feel any better, my family approves of you, which technically makes you an Isaacs now."

He smiled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Mhm."

He kissed my forehead. "Thank you."

My brows lower. "For what?"

"Showing me what kind of family I look forward to having in the future."

"Of course. Wait. Not for a long time right? Because I still have so much I want to do with my life before settling down. And unless you want Hayden to murder you, then-"

"Freckles?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Okay."

Landon drops his hands and slips his fingers in mine. I glance down at our entwined hands just as he tugs us back into the house with the rest of my family.

A brief image flashes in mind. Maybe I'm moving too fast, but I can definitely see us together with our little team of athletes. The idea puts the dopiest grin on my face. And for the rest of the evening, like a psycho, I start to plan our future internally for the next ten years.