Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

find it a very intimidating stance.
“You don’t scare me with that Big Red gun show, so just relax.”
He drops his arms. “I want this to be nice for you.” He gestures to the house
again. “And we’re starting it off with a quarter-mile walk to the house. You put
on a tough show, Frankie, but I know walking on stuff like this hurts you. And
you’re hurting right now.”
“Eh. I have the Elder Wand, and I’ll grab your arm if I’m about to biff it.
Okay?”
He sighs. “Fine.”
I take his arm to placate him. Immediately, he squeezes it to his side.
Ren tugs his ball cap lower and scratches his neck. “It’ll be fine,” he says, as
if to himself.
I smile up at him. “Exactly.”
The walk isn’t terrible, but Ren’s not wrong. My hip would have been
happier without having gone that far on uneven ground. Ren doesn’t knock,
doesn’t hesitate, just throws open the front door of the house and yells something
in Swedish that I don’t understand.
A chorus of the same phrase echoes back, making me startle.
He grins down at me. “I told you we’re weird.”
“You’re here! Finally. You’re late.” Ren’s mom strides toward me, hugging
me hard.
“Oh—” I start to say, but Ren cuts in.
“Mom, I told you I had a practice.” He catches my eye and sighs. I was
forewarned that his mother is brutally blunt. I reassured him blunt is the last
thing that’s going to bother me. “Hey,” he says to his mom. “Easy on her.”
Elin’s hands loosen. “Right. Sorry! I hug hard. But you—” She clasps my
shoulders lightly, pinning me with the same wintry eyes she gave her son. “I
must be gentle with you.”
Ren massages the bridge of his nose.
“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Bergman—”
“Oh, just Elin. Please,” she says on a bright smile.
I tap Ren’s stomach. “You have my purse.”
“Ah. Right.” Sliding my bag off his other arm, he hands it to me.
I have to set it down so I can grip the straps, pull them open, and extract the
wine I brought. Straightening, I swallow a groan of discomfort in my back and
hand her the bottle. “Thank you.”
“How kind.” Elin takes it, gives me a smile, and then slinks her arm in mine.
“You take my arm, now, Frankie.”
My eyes travel to the wide-open room. The massive, rough-hewn dining