Meeting (feat. Hawthorne Brothers and Avery Grambs)

Paedyn 

I blink. Once. Twice. This isn't the castle. The room I'm standing in has huge windows and bookshelves lining the walls, filled with books. Kai is standing across from me, and instinctively reaches for his sword. 

"What the hell just happened?" I breathe.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Kai mutters. Before I can even process what's happening, the door swings open, and two people step in – a boy around the same height as Kai, with messy brown hair and green eyes, and a girl with hazel eyes and medium-length brown hair. 

"Oh," the boy says, tilting his head. "Well, this is new."

Jameson 

A lot of weird things have happened in my life. A random girl off the streets becoming my grandfather's heiress, random puzzles, but a medieval couple in my wife's library? Definitely a first. 

"Where are we?" she demands.

"Better question," I counter, crossing my arms. "Who are you?"

The guy's grip tightens on her hand . "Answer her first."

I glance at Avery. She's got that look—the one that means she's already running a million calculations in her head.

"This is Hawthorne House," she says carefully. "And you are?"

The girl exhales sharply. "Paedyn." Then she gestures at the guy beside her. "This is Kai."

"You're not in your world anymore, are you?" Avery asks. 

Paedyn presses a hand to her stomach. "No. No, we are definitely not."

I flash a grin, because what else are you supposed to do when there are strangers in your library?

"Well then," I say, clapping my hands together. "Welcome to Texas."

Paedyn

Texas.

That means absolutely nothing to me.

Kai pulls me in by the waist. His entire body is rigid beside me. I can practically hear the gears turning in his head, trying to assess the threat level of the situation.

Jameson watches us with a grin, like this is all some big joke. Avery, on the other hand, looks more serious. She crosses her arms.

Kai clears his throat. "How do we get back?"

Avery and Jameson exchange a look. Not a good sign.

"We don't know," Avery says finally. "But we'll figure it out."

Kai's jaw clenches. "That's not an answer."

Jameson shrugs. "It's the best we've got."

I take a deep breath, pressing a hand to my stomach. "Okay. So, what now?"

Jameson lights up. "Now, we give you a tour."

Avery groans. "Jameson—"

"What? They're stuck here. Might as well show them around." He turns back to us. "Welcome to Hawthorne House, by the way. Biggest estate in the state. Maybe the country."

Kai doesn't look impressed. "That's nice. Can it get us home?"

Jameson smirks. "Nope. But it does have a bowling alley."

I blink. "A what?"

Avery shakes her head. "Never mind that. First, let's go somewhere private where people won't ask questions." She eyes us. "You don't exactly blend in."

I look down at my dress. Okay, fair point.

Kai sighs. "Lead the way."

Jameson grins. "Gladly."

"What the hell is going on?"

I spin around just as two more guys enter. One has silver eyes that scan the room like he's calculating a thousand possibilities at once. The other is taller, more relaxed, with a faint Southern drawl.

"These are my brothers, Grayson, and Nash," Jameson points at each of them. "Xander is probably around here somewhere."

"Who are they?" Grayson asks.

"I'm Kai, and this is my fiancée, Paedyn. 

"They popped into the library," Jameson says, way too amused. "Like, poof."

Nash raises an eyebrow. "Right. And you're sure they ain't here to kill us?"

Kai makes an offended sound. "We literally just got here."

Grayson doesn't look convinced. "That's exactly what someone trying to kill us would say."

"Oh, come on," Xander's voice pipes up as he slips into the room, hands full of what looks like...a half-built robot? "If they were assassins, they'd at least be dressed better."

Kai scowls. "What is wrong with you people?"

Jameson claps a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to the Hawthorne family."

Avery

Paedyn looks tense. Her hand is hovering over her stomach like she's trying to physically keep herself calm. Kai stands next to her like he's ready to take on all four Hawthorne brothers at once if necessary. 

I get it.

When I first arrived at Hawthorne House, I was constantly on edge. It took months before I stopped feeling like I had to prove I deserved to be here. And Paedyn? She's not just in a new house—she's in a new world.

"Okay," I say, lifting my hands. "Let's all relax for a second." Paedyn takes a slow breath. Something about Paedyn reminds me of Libby when she was pregnant—like she's trying so hard to carry everything, even when she shouldn't have to. "You should sit down," I tell her, nodding toward one of the ridiculously comfortable armchairs. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," she says.

I sigh. "Right. And Libby was 'fine' when she insisted on reorganizing the entire house at eight months pregnant."

That gets her attention. "Libby?"

"My sister." I shrug. "She had a baby last year."

After a beat, she sighs and sinks into the chair.

Kai hovers beside her, still watching everyone like they might attack at any moment.

"Do you need anything?" I ask Paedyn.

She hesitates, then glances at Kai before answering. "Water would be nice."

Jameson nudges Grayson. "You hear that, big brother? Our guest wants water." Grayson stiffens, then rolls his eyes as he walks out. 

word count - 866

sorry guys there basically have been no romance in the past few chapters but i swear, this is gonna build i promise. 

also for story suggestions, here is the link:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2TSYrDbJdHAHw0YjBxJnNOBYWluFFVlDpKyZWgNO6t-5bZA/viewform?usp=dialog

i'll also post the link in my little description

thankssss