I have to say, the way Maya looks at my home warms my heart for some reason.

We all sat in the living room for a while and just talked before Maya and I got up and I decided to show her here.

"Your family isn't that bad." She spoke as I led her towards the rooms.

"Don't believe a word that comes out of their mouths when it comes to me. They lie." I put my arm around her shoulders. "That's Lucy's room." I nodded my head towards one of the doors and as we turned the corner we stopped in front of my room. "And this is mine." I pointed to the door for her to open.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the doorknob and went inside. She stopped for a moment just inside the door before carefully inspecting the gray-colored room.

"Too many," I answered a question she didn't say out loud, but I could see it on her.

How many women have been here before me?

"But not one of them were you." I walked up to her and put my hands on her hips. "They will never be you."

"That's because..." She turned around and clasped her hands behind my neck, my hands still on her hips. "Theo only has one sister." She smiled. "But you have many brothers." She winked at me and at that moment I lifted her into the air and threw her onto my bed.

"Now you have a problem, Maya Carter." I reached for my belt. "And trust me when I tell you, you will regret those words."

Maya laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. "I don't think I'll regret anything about this."

Oh fuck, I love her.



I quietly slipped out of Acker's room so as not to wake him. I don't know what time it is, but judging by the fact that it's dark outside, it's not that much.

I headed to the kitchen for water and by pure chance happened to find it in this huge villa at first try.

I really don't understand why anyone needs so much space. It seems a little pointless to me.

"God." I stopped in the doorway when I noticed Killian standing at the counter.

I won't lie, he scared me a little. Maybe because he's standing there in the dark with only the moonlight illuminating him.

"Sorry." He laughed. "You okay?"

"Yes, it's just..." I breathed out. "You just scared me." I tried to calm my heart which was pounding in my chest.

"Again, sorry. Lyssa wanted some water." He held up a water bottle.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, this is your home." I shifted my weight to the other leg.

"Right." He nodded. "And you? Did you come to hide from Sebastian?"

"No." I laughed. "Only for water."

"Here." He walked over to me and handed me some chilled water. Before I could say anything to him, he turned to the fridge and went to get another one. "You know, when Sebastian said he was going to bring someone, I wasn't expecting you." He closed the fridge.

I should probably take that personally, right?

"You're so..."

"Young?" I jumped into his speech.

"No." He shook his head with a laugh. "I've seen worse in my line of work."

Oh yes, I forgot. Mafia.

I'm guessing that all the books that Julie reads may have something from real life.

"You're just...normal." I raised an eyebrow at his words. "Sorry, no, that sounded wrong." He laughed nervously. "Normal is good. I thought he would either find no one or someone from our circles. But that doesn't mean I'm disappointed." He blurted out.

I tried to hold back a smile by biting my lip.

"I'm screwing it up, aren't I." He laughed and grabbed the back of his head. "I just want to say I'm glad he has you. I'm glad he found someone. And it looks like he's happy. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I'm glad you're happy with me."

"No. Shit...I didn't mean it like that."

"Just kidding." I laughed. "I get what you mean. Thank you for giving me a chance. Mainly because of who I am."

"You mean Theo's sister?" He frowned.

"No. I meant that I wasn't..." I didn't finish, just pointed around me. "This."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't belong in..."

"I'll stop you there." He cut me off. "You're family. Either Theo's sister or Sebastian's girlfriend. You belong here with us. Even if you go back to Seattle."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Anytime, whatever you need, we're here. Me, Lyssa, Kai, Luna, and Theo. Maybe Lucy and Odin too."

I felt my chest tighten and tried not to look determined at his words.

"Thank you." I got out of myself. "You have no idea what this means to me."

"You're family now, Maya." He walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Anything, anytime. Good night." He slipped past me with a smile while I stood there for a moment looking like a fool.

You're family now, Maya.

Family.

I don't know if I want to cry or jump three meters for joy. And why? Because he told me right now that I belong somewhere. That I have a place and people to turn to.

I never thought I would ever feel this way.

Oh, Acker, I'm so glad you showed up in Seattle.

Because without him, none of this would be real.

Oh fuck, I love him.

*****

Five months later...

"Acker! Move! We're going to be late." I shouted at him from the door and looked at the time on my phone.

What the hell is he doing for so long? We must go.

"I'm going, I'm going." He emerged from the bathroom. "It would go faster if I knew where we were going." He stopped right in front of me, looking like a sex on a stick in a black shirt and pants.

"It's a surprise."

"Shocking." He frowned and placed his hands on my hips. "Especially since it's my birthday."

"We have to go." I grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the door.

"Are you sure we have to? You look damn good in that dress." I tried not to blush at his words.

But he's right, I look good in a black dress that hits my mid-thighs.

"And I won't even talk about those heels."

"Stop it." I laughed. "Let's go!"

I finally managed to drag him into the car and put him in the passenger seat while I drove.

But it was a little more difficult to follow the movement of his hand on my thigh. I hit his hand at least six times before we got to Eddie's. We don't have time for this.

I got out of the car and it didn't take long before Acker appeared next to me. "Get back inside." He pointed to the car.

"Are you serious?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Inside." He said sternly, at which I just rolled my eyes and sat back down.

He closed the door behind me and immediately opened it with a smile on his face.

Unbelievable.

He's really been trying to be a boyfriend gentleman lately. That means opening doors, massages after a long day, washing my hair, and so on.

I can't say I mind, but it's holding us up.

"My lady." He gave me his hand and I took it. "Now we can go." He winked at me, closed the door behind me, and began to drag me toward Eddie's.

I thought that's my job.

We went inside and that's when I started pulling him to the table where the others were already waiting for us.

"Happy birthday!" Julie shouted with open arms, balloons, ribbons around her, and a cake in front of her.

A few people looked at us but went back to their drinks.

"You didn't have to." Acker laughed before Julie ran to him and hugged him.

"Of course we had to." She pulled away from him. "It's your first birthday in Seattle."

"Believe me, I tried to convince her that this is too much." Eddie walked up to Julie and put his arm around her shoulders. "Happy birthday, man." He held out his hand, which Acker accepted with a smile.

"Oh stop it." Julie elbowed him in the ribs, at which Eddie just laughed and kissed her forehead. "Come blow out the candles before the wax gets on the cake." She turned and started walking back to the table.

"You really didn't have to." He whispered so that only I could hear.

"Yes, I did." I smiled. "Let's go." I dragged him to the table where, after a moment of persuasion, he blew out the candles.

We sat down and one of the waitresses brought us champagne.

"What did you wish for?" I asked Acker.

"If I say it out loud, it won't happen." He smiled.

It's interesting that he believes in this, but a few seconds ago he didn't want to blow out the candles because it seemed pointless and childish.

"Oh gift." Julie pulled the bag from behind the chair and threw it at him. "Open it."

I myself was curious about what she bought him. I didn't know what to buy him. What can I buy someone who has everything?

Acker took out a white cloth that looked like a T-shirt, from the golden bag. Correction, it's a T-shirt.

He grabbed the sleeves and only then did we notice the image on it. I was horrified to see me and Acker on my couch on the t-shirt.

"What is this?" I frowned.

"Theo and I found you once like that." She laughed. "I couldn't help but take a picture."

"Julie!" I gave her a stern look.

"Leave her." Acker laughed. "Thank you, Julie, I love it." He winked at her.

"Unbelievable." I almost whispered.



I've never been a big fan of celebrating birthdays. Mainly because I don't have the best memories of them.

When we were younger, we didn't have much, so we didn't have big celebrations and since there were five of us, we could be happy to have at least some small gifts and maybe some dessert.

And when we were older, something like birthdays didn't bother us much. That is, except for Val, who always baked enough cakes for the whole year.

But now it's different.

Now I have Maya.

And the look on her face when she brought me to Eddie's? I will celebrate my birthday every day just to see her smile like that.

I received the best gift from Julie in the form of a T-shirt, on which I was lying with Maya in my arms. I'll wear that to bed every night.

From Eddie, who I've grown closer to over the past few months than I thought possible, I got a watch that was an exact replica of my first one when I was eighteen.

And Maya? She didn't give me any physical gift, but her presence is all I need.

I know how cringe it sounds, but it's true. She gives me every second of her life and that's more than she could ever give me.

"This isn't the present, but I wanted to show you." She spoke as Julie and Eddie disappeared to the karaoke stage we set up at the bar.

Maya handed me a black notebook that I had seen in her hand more than once. She never allowed me to even touch it and now she wants me to open it?

"Are you serious?" I carefully reached for the notebook, giving her a chance to back out of this.

"Definitely." She thrust it into my hand. "You wanted to know what was in it. So now you can." She smiled at me.

"If you're sure..." I shrugged and opened the notebook's first few pages, which were full of drawings.

I can say with certainty that I have never drawn anything that compares to this.

Most of her drawings on the walls are just symbols and maybe some slightly more elaborate stuff, but this is realistic.

They were captured moments of nature, but also of memories.

On some, I found a guy she was drawing around. When he was just lying with a book in his hand, him with a dog, by a car, and in various other situations.

It must be Christian.

Maybe I should be annoyed that my girlfriend is showing me her ex's drawings, but I'm not. I don't know why, but I don't mind.

I also found a couple of pages that featured Julie, but my attention stopped at a double page.

It's me.

I was looking at my face. It looked like I was asleep. I went to the next page and found another copy of me in the kitchen shirtless in just sweatpants. And then another drawing, and another.

"Maya this is..." I started.

"I don't know why I started drawing you." She cut me off. "But then I couldn't stop. I wanted to capture a few small moments. So every time I had that notebook in my hand..."

"You were thinking of me." I finished for her and Maya just nodded.

I can't believe she's been drawing me all this time. Me!

She always seemed so calm and I always wanted to know why. Now I know why and I couldn't be happier.

I carefully placed the notebook on the table, pulled her by the nape of her neck, and kissed her gratefully. "Thank you."

"No, Acker." She smiled. "I thank you."

I don't know why, since I was the one who owed her everything.

The last few months I have felt more alive than ever. And all that only because of her.

I feel whole.

She is a piece of my soul that I didn't even know I was looking for and needed.

But now that I know what it's like, I'll never let her go.

How could I?

This woman is my life. I'm so out of it that I don't think I'd be able to breathe if I didn't have her close.

And you know what? I don't even care.

Because if she ever wants to break my heart, I'll gladly give it to her. It belongs to her anyway.