The weekend came way too soon, and I had packed and repacked my overnight bag three times when Patrick took it away from me. "It's my mom's birthday party, so we don't need to worry about formal dress; it's just going to be casual." "Wait, I don't have pajamas in there." I hadn't been able to decide between sleep shorts and a tank top or something with more coverage.

"You don't need them," Patrick said firmly, and I stared at him. "Trust me, if you are worried, you can wear my shirt. "I've got you, I promise. I'm even bringing a little surprise for you." He gave me a heated look and I just gaped at him. The thought of sex at his family's beach house, while it was filled with his family, had never crossed his mind.noveldrama

Patrick wrapped his hand around my nape and pulled me to him, then his mouth was lowering over mine, and he was taking advantage of my shock to stroke my tongue with his. He slid his hand over my ass, squeezing it. I completely forgot about packing and where we were going as he sucked on my tongue before slowly releasing me. I swayed for a moment.

"There better?" He wore the most devilish grin, and his eyes seemed brighter than usual.

"Yes," I mumbled, though my pulse was racing for an entirely different reason. "Why am I so stressed about this?"

"Because you have never had a family that loved you. You learned from an early age to be unobtrusive, to do everything you could to make your abusive father happy so he wouldn't hurt you." Okay, the truth hurt, but I didn't deny any of it.

"What's the difference now?" Patrick continued gently kissing my forehead. "You have us now. We are your family and love every bit of you, even your quirks. The other difference? My parents want you there. My parents are just as much your family now, and they want you there."

Patrick slid his hands down to my shoulders." This is a new normal, and it's okay to be scared, but I will be there with you. You're not alone. And you like my parents, yeah?"

I nodded because I did.

"Let's go, and don't forget your phone and charger; I don't want to get yelled at because the guys can't reach you on the phone." He hugged me and then grabbed my bag from where he had tossed it.

"I already promised to check in every time we stop there and back," I groaned. I wouldn't be surprised if Mike and Josh had set up the GPS in the car to track our progress for the entire drive.

The rest of the guys were waiting for us by the front door downstairs, and I wrapped my arms around Mike as I got to the last step, and he picked me up. The tightness of his hug gave me a clue about how worried he was.

"I'll send you so many updates it will get annoying," I promised him quietly." "I will even send pictures," I teased.

"Good, I can't wait," he murmured against my throat. "Thank you, baby," he whispered.

"I love you," I murmured as he set me down and gently kissed me.

Josh scooped me up into a hug. "Make sure Patrick takes good care of you," he instructed me before kissing me and setting me back on my feet.

"Have fun," Drew told me as I wrapped my arms around him. "You can always call if you need us, and remember, I love you." I nodded as I moved on to Jake.

"Don't worry about the guys," he whispered as he hugged me.

"I already miss you guys," I said into his chest.

"Good," Jake teased, kissing me softly and then letting me go. "That means we will get lots of welcome home sex when you get back."

"Sounds good to me," Drew commented from where he had been leaning against the door jam.

"But only if I'm a good girl?" I grinned because I just couldn't help it.

Mike and Josh's eyes both darkened. "Be a bad girl and find out," Mike growled.

"Oh, I think that was a challenge." I winked at them as they both took a step toward me. Giggling, I hurried out the door after Patrick.

Darren was waiting at the bottom of the stairs outside, and I blushed, hoping he hadn't heard our exchange inside. He probably had, but Darren would never say anything, and I loved him for it.

"I thought you and Mr. Patrick would enjoy having snacks for your drive, so I made up a few treats and put them in a cooler with some ice packs to keep them fresh."

"Thank you, Darren. You think of everything." I stood on my tiptoes to hug him, which he accepted, only looking a little uncomfortable.

"I promised the guys we would call when we got there and if we stopped along the way, but I can also send you updates if you would like."

"Thank you, Miss Emmy. I would like that very much," Darren said, trying to hide his relief behind a serene expression.

"Very good. Now, have a lovely weekend." Darren opened the car door for me. No matter how much I pretended, I don't think I would ever get used to this life.

We wouldn't be gone that long, and the whole production of saying goodbye had me giggling. I gave everyone one last wave before I climbed into the car before my giggles could turn into full-blown laughter. Patrick was no help, and he was still laughing when we reached the bottom of the driveway and waited to turn onto the main road.

"Stop it." I scolded.

He grinned. "I can't help it. I know I'd be just as bad if I were one of the ones waiting for you to come back, but I think it was killing them not to tell me everything to do and not to do before we left." "Well, I think it's sweet," I said.

"Yep, sweet," Patrick said, smirking as he held up his phone and snapping a picture of me. My phone dinged as Patrick turned onto the main road. I dug my phone out of my pocket and had to fight back a laugh. Patrick: Safe at the bottom of the driveway. Also smiling. Jealous yet?"

The sting of middle finger emojis made me snort, and I glanced over to see Patrick grinning.

"You are enjoying this way too much," I told him.

"Of course I am; they have been so far up my ass this week; they could probably tell me what my colon looks like. This is just them getting what they asked for."