38
Vidar told himself he could do this. His hand twitched slightly as a reflex almost had him going for his gun. The problem was he didn’t have a gun. Well, the real problem was that even if he had a gun, he suspected Charlie would be less than thrilled if he had pulled it. He gripped the steering wheel to the point it objected. f**k, he was a thousand and two hundred years old. He was a f**king mafia boss; he had fought in countless wars, survived the Inquisition and more internal squabbles than he could count. Charlie reached out a hand and placed it on his right one on the steering wheel. He felt himself relax.
“It will be fine,” she told him.
“I know,” he almost growled. Then he felt bad he let his bad mood affect her. “Sorry,” he said, taking her hand and k*ssing the back of it.
“It’s okay,” she said, and he heard the amusement in her voice.
“Do you think this is funny?” he asked.
“I find it hilarious that my big bad… vampire is so nervous about meeting my brother and his family that he is trying to strangle the car,” she admitted. Vidar hadn’t missed the brief pause she had done. He heard a small sigh from her. “How do I introduce you?” she asked. He
glanced in her direction.
“You mean who I am in relation to you?”
“Yes. Do I call you my boyfriend?”
“What do you want to call me?” he asked. She thought about it.
“I think I’ll go with boyfriend, even if it feels too weak,” she said. Vidar nodded. He understood what she meant. The bond they shared went beyond boyfriend and girlfriend. He would have asked her to be his wife if he didn’t think she would think it was moving too fast.
And her brother would probably try to kill him.
“In my old language, we have the word kærustu,” he told her.
2
1/5
“What does it mean?”
“I think it would translate to girlfriend, but the literal meaning is closer to ‘the one I hold dear“,” he told her. She squeezed his hand.
“I like that,” she told him. “But I think will go with boyfriend if that is okay.”
“I’m more than happy to be named your boyfriend. It means you have a claim on me.”
“And you have one on me. We’re here. It’s the big white house on the left,” she said. Vidar knew exactly what house it was. He had a thorough investigation done the moment he first had learnt she would stay with her brother and his family. He turned off the road and drove the car down the driveway. It was a nice house in a nice area. Vidar had chosen to drive one of his more discreet cars. No need to stand out more than he had to. That’s also why he was driving instead of having Malcom do it. “You can do this,” Charlie told him when he had parked the car. She k*ssed his cheek and got out of the car. I can do this, Vidar repeated to himself as he got out of the car and walked up to her. Together they walked towards the door. and Charlie took his hand. Vidar briefly felt like he was the one that was supposed to protect her. But he would gratefully take her support today. The door opened before they had knocked. Vidar found himself looking at a man who had the same features as Charlie, only more angular and less feminine. It was impossible to miss that they were related. Vidar had met their father, and he came to the conclusion they both took after their mother. “Huxton, hi,” Charlie said.
“Hi, Charlie,” Huxton said, not taking his eyes off Vidar. Huxton was a little shorter than Vidar, but Vidar still found him somewhat intimidating. He realised it was all in his head.
“This is Vidar, my boyfriend. Vidar, this is my brother,” Charlie introduced them. “Be nice,” she added to her brother when he was about to open his mouth.
“Nice to meet you,” Vidar said, holding out his hand.
“The same,” Huxton said, shaking Vidar’s hand with a firm grip. The handshake lasted a little too long
Huxton looked him in the eyes the whole time. Vidar didn’t look away. This man. may be Charlie’s brother, but Vidar was the dominant male, and he wouldn’t back down.
“Hux, babe, you are hogging the guest. Let him come inside so I can take a look at him,”
2/5
38
someone called from inside. Huxton sighed and rolled his eyes. But he stepped aside.
“Please come in,” he said. Charlie, who was still holding Vidar’s hand, guided him into the house. As she passed by her brother, she shoved an elbow in his stomach.
“I told you to be nice,” she hissed.
“Fine, fine,” her brother grunted and rubbed his stomach as he closed the door. Charlie took Vid into a large kitchen that felt homey. It was a kitchen that was used and that looked to be the core of the household. Walking towards them was a big man with ebony skin and cornrows. Vidar recognised him. He had seen him fight more than once when Tyson had been active in the MMA. He was an amazing fighter.
“Baby sister,” the man said and gave Charlie a brilliant smile.
“Favorite brother,” Charlie greeted him and let go of Vidar’s hand to give her brother–in–law at hug. Vidar had to stop himself from pulling her away from the man. He was proud of himself, as he didn’t even growl. When Tyson let go of her, she took Vidar’s hand and introduced the
two.
“Welcome to our home, Vidar. Please forgive my husband for his bad mood. He’s grumpy and has switched into big brother protection mode,” Tyson said as they shook hands.
“Thank you. I don’t mind, I understand. It’s an honour to meet you. I have seen you fight. It was some of the best matches I have seen,” Vidar told him.
“A fan, how nice. I like you already. The angels are in the living room. Why don’t we go and get them? They will be thrilled to see you, Charlie,” Tyson said. Vidar followed Charlie and
Tyson into the living room and was greeted by a sight that wasn’t that far from the picture Charlie had sent to him. The two blond, cherub looking toddlers where crawling all over the big bear. It looked a little worse for wear, but still in one piece.
“You little rascals,” Charlie said with a laugh. Both boys turned towards her and then got up on unstable legs and wobbled towards her. Vidar could clearly see the bond between Charlie and the two of them. Charlie got down on her knees and held open her arms towards her nephews. The boy closes to Vidar wobbled and Vidar saw him lose his balance. Before the boy fell, Vidar had reached out a hand and steadied him. The boy looked up at Vidar with eyes
3/5
almost as blue as Vidar’s own. There was a moment when Vidar thought the boy would burst out crying and he feared he had frightened the child.
“Aiden has a hard time accepting strangers,” Charlie said, as she apparently expected him to cry as well. But Aiden seemed to have changed his mind and instead he smiled at Vidar and raised his little hands and flexed them. “He likes you. He wants you to pick him up,” Charlie told him. Vidar looked at her like she had spoken an obscured language.
“Go on, it’s rare he asks to be picked up by others than me and Hux,” Tyson encouraged Vidar. I can do this, Vidar thought and reached down to gently pick the boy up. Charlie had picked up his brother and Vidar tried to copy her. When Aiden sat on his arm, the little boy leaned into him and found a comfortable spot.
“Oh my gosh, so adorable,” Charlie cooed and walked closer to Vidar. She caressed the little one in Vidar’s arms over the hair and smiled as Aiden looked at her. She leaned in closer to Vidar. “You are doing great. If Aiden likes you, my brother and Tyson will melt like ice cream in Sahara,” she whispered to him. “Aiden has always had the best taste in people to trust,” she said out loud and k*ssed the boy on the head and then gave his brother in her arm a k*ss as well.
“You only say that because he adores you,” Huxton pointed out.
“That may be true,” she admitted.
“You are holding your biggest competitor,” Tyson told Vidar and smiled. Vidar looked down at the boy on his arm, and Aiden looked up at him.
“I know when I’m beat. I guess I have to settle for third place,” Vidar said and ruffled the hair on Liam’s head. Tyson and Charlie laughed, and Vidar thought he saw the corner of Huxton’s mouth twitch. Charlie had been right. Vidar could win her brother over.
“As someone is being a drag and insisting on working on a Sunday,” Tyson started, looking pointedly at Charlie. “I think it’s best we get eating,” he continued, and they were shown into the dining room where the table was set and two high chairs were placed. “Let me take the little rascal from you,” Tyson said, taking Aiden and placing him in a highchair.
“Can I help with something?” Vidar asked.
4/5
“You are a guest. You sit down and relax,” Tyson insisted. Charlie took Vidar’s hand again as she had placed Liam in the second high chair. She guided him to a chair and sat down in the
one next to him..
“Feeling better?” she asked quietly as her brother, and Tyson was getting the food.
“Yes, thank you for not abandoning me,” he whispered back and raised their joint hands so he
could k*ss the back of hers.
“That is just too cute,” Tyson said as he came walking with a large serving tray full of fried. chicken in one hand and what looked like a skillet of cornbread in the other.