Mateo has a terrible, awful crush on Maia Jefferies, the painfully beautiful best-selling novelist who lives next door, but he promised himself he'd never fall for the kindness of a woman like her. Not again. He's been down that road and was left lo...
"You're going to be fine, liefje," Mateo said, pressing a kiss to her head. "Just be yourself."
"I know and I will," she whispered. "But I might grab your hand for reassurance."
Mateo chuckled softly. "You do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I'll be right here for you."
"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek before she took another deep breath. "Let's meet your family then."
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Maia had only ever imagined what it would be like to have dinner at a royal palace and sitting in a conservatory with the evening sun cascading into the windows of the room bursting with tall leafy green plants and a view of the sprawling immaculate gardens as a backdrop was better than what she'd weaves on the pages of her novels.
And for the most part, Mateo's family was as he said, quite normal. His father, Harald, was the spitting image of Mateo – save for his graying blonde hair but they had the same warm brown eyes and he was overjoyed that she and Mateo were engaged while his step mother, Anna, was a tall bubbly blonde who was was all too happy to plan their wedding after his sister Adrie's, of course.
Adrie was the quiet one out of Mateo's siblings, she spoke in hushed tones and pikes at her plate of food while her fiancé, Levi, was a boisterous and portly man who had no shame clearing his plate and hers while he spoke of his many business accounts.
"Enough, Levi." Jorien smirked. "Just because you're marrying my sister doesn't automatically get you a seat in the council. You don't need to pitch your business every time we get together."
"Oh leave him alone," Anna said, waving Jorien off. "He's proud of what he's accomplished and I think you could do more to support your brother-in-law in council."
"I agree," Mateo said, nodding as he topped up Maia's glass of wine. "What's so wrong with his conglomerate of local small businesses having a seat in the council?"
A strained smile curled over Jorien's face as he cut his gaze at Mateo. "Is that why you've come home? To tell me how I should conduct myself in the council?"
"Oh, here we go," Eline, Mateo's youngest sister, murmured beside Maia.
"No, I wanted everyone to meet my fiancée," Mateo said, shrugging as he took a drink of wine. "I have no intention of telling you how to run this country or the council."
"Right, so tell us again how you and Maia met?" Jorien said, sliding his blue eyed gaze at Maia. "Better yet, Maia, I'd love to know why you'd rather be with my brother who can't seem to keep his dick in his pants over that upstanding actor you were with?"
"Jorien!" Harald said, slapping his napkin on the table. "That is uncalled for young man."
"Agreed," Mateo said through gritted teeth as he slid his hand over Maia's thigh. "You don't need to answer my brother's disrespectful question."
