Matéo Santiago's POV

I'm shitting bricks.

I am meeting James' parents and a few of Isabelle's family members.

They all, according to James, love Adeline so much, meaning I will be under some serious scrutiny.

Adeline and I are standing outside of the Sokolov household and I am so nervous that I could possibly pass out from the pressure.

I knock a couple of times on the door.

I only realise that my hands are shaking, when Adeline holds my hand gently.

"Matéo, there is nothing to worry about, okay? They are pretty nice people" she tells me.

"Oh that's easy for you to say!" I tell her.

"You've known them for- -" I am cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

I look at who stands in the doorway and all my breath leaves my body.

This must be James' father.

He is really tall!

He practically fills up the entire doorway!

He glares down at me, making me feel about 4 centimetres tall!

I am a gang leader!

One of the most notorious gang in all of America!

I am not meant to be scared of anybody at all!

But this isn't just anybody...

"Pops!" Adeline squeals, jumping into his arms.

"Hey, princess, this is him?" He asks her, his blue- grey melted arctic water eyes never leaving my face.

I gulp.

"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Matéo, Adeline's..." he cuts me off.

"I know who you are" He says cooly and I shut up, gulping.

"Pops!" Adeline whines.

He scowls at me.

"Very articulate, isn't he Ade? You really know how to pick 'em, huh?" He says to her.

Well at least, now I know what Eleanor felt like.

The two of them are getting married soon and they have decided to keep it small.

"Let's go, Anna is waiting for you... Both of you" He says.

He lets us inside his massive house.

Adeline pulls me by my hand towards the front room.

We walk in and a tall woman runs up to us.

"Ade! How are you my dear?" She asks, hugging her gently.

Adeline hugs her back and the woman kisses her forehead.

"This is Matéo, my husband" she says, holding my torso.

I smile at the woman.

She must be Anna, James' mother.

"Aw, hello there, young man" she says, holding out her arms for a hug.

Anna pinches my cheek and looks at Adeline.

"Aw, look how cute he is!" She squeals.

Adeline giggles at my probably red face.

"Babe, why don't you take a seat, I'll go get us some drinks." She tells me.

She can't leave me alone! 

Is she crazy?!

"Sure amore, go ahead, I'll wait for you" I say, before my brain can catch up with my mouth.

She smiles genuinely at me then walks off.

I sit down in the couch and moment later, I feel a nudge.

I turn and see James grinning next to you.

"So you made it past my parents!" He teases.

I scowl at him.

"They must really like you!" He continues and I turn to him as if he is mental.

"James! At one point, I was scared that your dad was going to punch the crap out of me!" I tell him.

He makes a face.

"Well... You wouldn't be the first!" He tells me, before walking off.

I wouldn't be the...

"What?!" I call after him, but he and his smug face have disappeared somewhere.

I sit back down and then after a good 10 minuets, it suddenly occurs to me.

Where has my wife gone?

                     ***

Adeline Santiago's POV.

10 minuets earlier...

I leave Matéo, in order for me to get us some drinks.

I obviously won't take any alcohol, so I grab a bottle of water.

I look around in the fridge, further, to see if I can find a drink for Matéo.

"Need some help there, pretty lady?" I hear a voice say.

The voice sounds incredibly familiar.

"No, I don't want any of your help and how the hell do you know what I look like if you can't even see my fa-"

I start to say, when I am cut off by myself when I stand face to face with the owner of the voice.

^^ Xavier Allen

(One of Isabelle's older brothers)

He squints his eyes at me, then they suddenly widen.

"Ade!" He yells, grabbing me into a massive hug.

"Xavier" I choke, pulling away from his grasp gently.

He holds my arms and takes a look at me, scanning me from head to toe.

"You look... Different" He says to me.

I nod, completely tongue tied. 

"Yeah... Erm, I mean you do too" I tell him.

"I've missed you so much!" He tells me, moving closer to me.

I step back.

"You have a funny way of showing it, Xavier" I nearly snap.

Xavier and I go way back.

I would go to Isabelle's house to play almost every day so I saw him a lot.

I hated him at first, because he wasn't always very nice to Belle and I.

He interrupted our games or just scared us at any point in time.

But it was always me mostly.

I was always the subject of absolute torture on his part, until one day, when Elijah beat the absolute shit out of Xavier, after one of his stunts went too far, and I got physically hurt.

After that, Xavier started being a lot nicer to me.

He always spent time with me when I was sick, even if that meant him getting sick himself.

When he got his first car, Belle and I were the first passengers and a lot of the time, we would just go off on drives together.

We grew very close and I started to really fall for him.

But I never told him.

Or anybody.

I didn't need to.

He told me...

He told me how he felt about me and he told me that he would do anything for me.

But then all of his friends would come around and he was the complete opposite.

He would act as if he didn't know me.

Or he would join them when they bullied me.

I didn't need that in my life.

That was the turning point of my weight-loss idea.

I wanted to do it to prove him and everyone else wrong.

"Adeline, I'm sorry" he says stepping closer.

I step back.

"A bit late for that Xavier" I mutter.

He pulls me closer.

"Ade, come on, I know you love me" He says and my heart freezes.

"What, did you just say?" I ask him, unsure of what I just heard.

"You heard me Ade. You love me and I love you... So be with me. Just like old times" He says.

I am about to slap him hard across the face, when he leans forward to kiss me.

I put my hand in front of his face, when his face is only centimetres away from mine, covering his mouth with my hand.

"Xavier, I can't" I tell him.

He pulls away, looking hurt.

"Why?" He whispered.

"Because-" I start to say, but I don't get that far.

"What the hell is going on?!" I hear someone ask.

It's Matéo.

He pulls me behind him, his height and size obscuring my view.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Xavier asks.

He is slightly taller than Matéo, but Matéo doesn't care.

"I should ask you the same thing!" Matéo scowls.

"Who is he babe?" Xavier asks me.

I can almost feel the smirk in his voice.

I sigh, and walk out from behind Matéo.

He also has a small smirk on his face.

I hold Matéo's hand, entwining our fingers together.

"Xavier, this is my husband, Matéo" I tell him.

Xavier's face falls and he looks like he has been slapped.

"You're a lucky man" he tells Matéo.

He doesn't look at either of us.

Matéo pulls me closer to his side.

"I know" he responds coldly.

Before either myself or Xavier can say anything further, Matéo hauls me out of the kitchen, leaving our drinks on the counter top.

He pulls me along a corridor into a random room.

"Listen, Matéo it's not even like-"

I start, but I don't get to finish.

"I'm not mad, I promise" he says.

I relax.

"As long as he knows and you know that you're mine, I have no reason to get mad." He tells me.

His soft lips are right up against my ear, his hands either side of my head and my back is up against the wall behind me.

How did I even get here?

I look at him then I give him a gentle kiss.

He slowly smirks.

"There are so many things I could do to you right now!" He says.

"Matéo..." I whisper. His lips are so close to mine.

I can't take him anywhere.

"Let's go" He says, pulling away.

I breath out the breath I have been holding in.

This should be interesting....

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