Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 54~

~Colby~

~July 9th~

Meeting your girlfriend's mom is one of those life events that should come with a warning label. Or a flask. Or a pre-written will.

I wasn't nervous. Not exactly. But this wasn't like meeting a professor or sitting down with your average middle-aged mom who collects pumpkin-shaped mugs and gossips about the neighbors.

This was *Brielle Young*.
Elegant. Mysterious. Protective.
And—let's be honest—probably capable of killing a man with a silk scarf and a glass of Bordeaux.

We'd finished packing late last night, and now we were halfway across the damn world, coasting down a narrow, foggy road through the London countryside. The rental car rattled over cobblestone and wet gravel, the rain still streaking down the windshield in lazy arcs.

Raelyn was behind the wheel, calm as ever. I wasn't sure if it was confidence or denial.

I drummed my fingers against my thigh, watching the mist settle between the trees like smoke. "So... what's the game plan?"

She gave me a side glance, lips twitching. "Be yourself. Don't say anything dumb."

"Cool. So we're already off to a terrible start."

She smirked but didn't respond.

"Seriously," I pressed. "What am I walking into?"

She shrugged. "She's sweet. Super relaxed. Honestly, she might be more excited to see you than me."

I didn't believe that for a second. Raelyn might've inherited her mother's chill exterior, but underneath that calm was *fire*. And if Rae had that fire... well, it came from somewhere.

I wasn't afraid. I just respected the battlefield.

Raelyn's childhood home came into view—set back from the road, nestled into the trees like it had grown there over the years instead of being built. Ivy crawled up brick walls, window boxes overflowed with herbs and lavender, and the wraparound porch had a soft golden glow in the fog.

It looked peaceful. Which, for some reason, made it more terrifying.

The second we parked, I stepped out and stretched—

Only to be *tackled*.

Something massive and *alive* slammed into my chest, sending me straight into a puddle with a dull thud.

"What the hell—?!"

"*Athena!*" Raelyn shouted from behind me. "*Off! Off!*"

I stared up at the sky as a cloud of white fur panted in my face, a tail wagging so hard it nearly knocked me unconscious. The dog licked me once, then again, each sloppy kiss like a declaration of ownership.

"Is this a welcome... or a warning?" I mumbled as the dog—Athena—planted herself directly on my chest.

"She likes you," Raelyn said breathlessly, trying (and failing) to pull her off. "Which is... good?"

"I think my ribcage disagrees."

A soft voice, laced with amusement, floated from the porch. "She's mostly Great Pyrenees. Very affectionate, unfortunately."

I turned my head—and there she was.

**Brielle.**

She looked exactly how I expected and somehow *nothing* like it. Older than Rae, but only in the graceful way that made her seem carved from time instead of aged by it. Her hair fell in soft waves of deep auburn, and her features were sharp but warm—like glass that had been melted into something beautiful.