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CHAPTER FIVE. ❝ GOT THAT FIRE IN YOU ? ❞
I watched Papa as he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, his hands running through his hair, visibly on edge. It was almost funny, seeing the man who had once been a force to be reckoned with, reduced to a bundle of nerves. This was the same man who had nearly killed someone for looking at Mama the wrong way. It was hard to believe sometimes.
“Neither of us are coming with you—” he finally burst out, his voice strained as he ran a hand over his face, his frustration mounting. His dark hair was tousled now from all his fidgeting, making him look even more frazzled than usual. Across the room, Mama shook her head, a soft, patient smile on her lips.
I pressed my palms against my face, my knees pulled tightly to my chest as I sat on the couch, watching him unravel for the hundredth time. He was losing his mind over me traveling to New York—new country, new continent, how could I possibly take care of myself?
“She can take care of herself, Aiden,” Mama interjected, her voice calm and reassuring as she stepped closer to him, her hand gently resting on his shoulder. It was a simple touch, but it was enough to steady him. “You know that.”
This was how it always was. Papa was a ball of anxiety, and Mama, as always, was the calm anchor holding him together. He’d been overprotective of me for as long as I could remember, but after what happened in the Red Room, that protectiveness turned into something fiercer, something deeper. He couldn’t shake the idea that something bad would happen again. And while I understood where he was coming from, I wasn’t thirteen anymore. I was stronger, tougher. Mama knew that. I knew Papa did too, even if he couldn’t admit it.
My brothers, Eli and Creigh, weren’t exactly much better. Ever since they found out I was heading to New York for the international football tournament, they’d joined Papa in his overprotective crusade. Big brother instincts, I supposed.
Of course, they had also taken every opportunity to remind me of Papa’s legendary status. “Of course, she’s in for international football. How could she not be, when the great Aiden King is her father?” Eli had quipped when he first found out, smirking at me.
I wasn’t about to argue with that—Papa was a football icon. But this wasn’t about him; it was about me. And as much as I loved them all, this trip was supposed to be about me and the girls. I didn’t need Papa or my brothers trailing behind me like some sort of security detail. This was my chance to stand on my own.
Papa, however, had grown more protective than ever since the Red Room incident. What Dreykov had tried to turn me into, the horrors I endured there—it haunted him. It haunted all of us. But I wasn’t that broken girl anymore. I’d survived. I’d fought my way back. And I needed to prove to them—and to myself—that I could take care of things.
Shoving the dark memories aside, I focused on the lively atmosphere around me. The house felt warm, alive, and chaotic, with Mama and Papa volleying back and forth over my impending trip.
“I’ll be fine, Papa,” I insisted, trying to keep my voice calm but confident. “The girls are coming with me too.” I offered a small, awkward grin, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze on me. Eli and Creigh exchanged looks that made me want to shrink into the couch.
Eli raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. “Big words for someone who nearly got lost coming back from Nan’s house.”
I groaned loudly, throwing my head back against the couch. “That was years ago, Eli!” I exclaimed, exasperation creeping into my voice.
“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re an id—” Creigh started, but Mama, ever the peacekeeper, cut him off before he could finish.
“Anna is old enough to handle herself, gentlemen,” she said firmly, though there was warmth in her tone. She reached out to pat Eli’s shoulder, a soft reprimand.
I shot her a grateful smile. Mama had always been the one to stand up for me. She trusted me, probably more than anyone else in the family, to handle myself. She knew what I’d been through. She knew how far I’d come.
Papa, meanwhile, had grown quiet, his gaze fixed on the high, vaulted ceiling above. He seemed lost in thought for a few moments before finally turning his attention back to me. His expression softened, though his voice still carried a hint of concern. “Don’t get into trouble, Anna,” he said, his lips twitching into a faint smile despite himself.
Before I could respond, Mama chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “We raised her to cause trouble, Aiden,” she teased, her smile warm and full of love.
I couldn’t help but grin at that. People always said I had Mama’s smile—bright and inviting, like sunshine. I got my blue-grey eyes from Papa, but my smile, that was all Mama. And honestly, I couldn’t be more grateful.
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the front door swinging open, followed by the unmistakable chatter of familiar voices filling the room. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was.
Uncle Levi and Aunt Astrid swept into the house, trailed by Lan, Bran, and Glyndon. Of course, they’d come by as soon as they got wind of the news.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the arrogant bastard,” Eli muttered under his breath, smirking as he eyed Lan. The tension between them was always palpable—an endless rivalry that neither one of them could seem to let go of.
Lan opened his mouth to fire back, but Bran, ever the level-headed one, stepped in, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Bran had always been the calm to Lan’s storm, a soothing presence that could diffuse even the most heated situations.
Uncle Levi was the first to reach me, ruffling my hair in that way he always did. “I knew you had it in you, champ!” he cheered, his grin as wide as ever before plopping down beside Creigh on the grey couch.
I gave him a small smile in return, appreciating his enthusiasm. When I’d first told Uncle Levi about the tournament, he’d freaked out just like Papa, downing enough whiskey that Aunt Astrid had to drag him off to bed. It seemed overreacting ran in the family.
Bran followed his father’s lead, offering me a soft smile as he patted my head and settled into a seat beside Mama. His presence was always comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold day. Then Aunt Astrid leaned down from behind the couch, pressing a kiss to my cheek. She’d always treated me like one of her own, and I never tired of the motherly affection she showered on me.
I kissed her back, watching as she sat down beside me. That was when Lan finally made his move. He sauntered over, smirking in that cocky way of his before lightly smacking the back of my head. “Kick ass there, Anna,” he murmured under his breath before making his way over to sit by Papa.
Lan and Papa had always shared a special bond. Lan’s wild, unpredictable nature didn’t seem to bother Papa the way it did everyone else. If anything, they understood each other, which made them inseparable at times.
Finally, Glyndon slid into the seat beside me, her excitement palpable as she let out a quiet squeal just for my ears. “I’m so excited!” she whispered, her eyes lighting up as she beamed at me.
I grinned back at her, mentally preparing myself for what I knew was coming: six protective men who would insist on coming with me to New York, while the women, wise and supportive, would try to convince them I could handle it.
At this point, I was banking on Grandpa to back me and Glyn up. We were his favorites, after all. Hopefully, Nan would understand too, though she usually sided with Papa in these matters. Either way, I knew this trip wasn’t going to be as simple as I had hoped.
