Revolt (Legends and Love)

Reign fits effortlessly into our lives, especially here. Astro’s family has always been like our own, welcoming us when ours abandoned us. They showed us love, comfort, family, and friends. They showed us what family should be, and now they are showing Reign. Gloria fusses over her, constantly handing her food and blankets and drinks. She asks her about her music, her friends, and everything in between. Astro’s father, Glein, shows her around his land. He takes her shooting and even lets her sit in the car he’s working on, something Astro is shocked about since none of us are even allowed to step one foot in the garage.

No, Reign fits, and it’s clear they already love her. She belongs, and the radiant smile she gives me when she looks back from helping Gloria pound the cookies is all worth it.

This weekend away is good for her, for all of us. Here, we can be what we want. Here, we can be together, and by the way Gloria watches us, I know she knows. We should have known better than to think we could hide anything from that woman.

When Gloria goes outside to check on Raffiel and Astro, who are marinating the meat for tonight’s BBQ, I wrap my arms around my girl, placing my chin on her shoulder. The sigh of contentment she lets out is pure bliss, and I can’t help but turn my head and kiss her cheek.

“They look great, Reign,” I murmur.

“I’ve never made cookies before,” she admits.

“Well, you’re doing amazing,” I reply, “and Gloria loves you.”

“You think?” She perks up. “I hope so. I want them to like me since they mean so much to all of you.”

“I can assure you they do.” I kiss her neck just as Gloria comes back. She gives me a knowing smirk, and I move away, leaving them to bake.

I’m just sitting down to go over the police reports when an exhausted, scrub-wearing Cherry stumbles in. Astro’s sister blinks at Reign. “Who are you?” she asks.

I see Reign’s eyes widen. Cherry has been known to scare off all of Astro’s girlfriends, saying they aren’t good enough, so I stiffen, shooting her a glare. I love her like a sister, but if she hurts Reign, I won’t be happy.

“Hi, I’m Reign. You must be Cherry, right? Astro and Theo told me all about you.” Reign wipes her hand and offers it to Cherry to shake, not backing down from the frosty glare. Just as I’m about to jump up and intervene, Cherry’s whole expression changes.

“You’re Reign? The Reign?” She smiles wide and yanks her into a hug. “Theo told me so much about you. Anyone who looked after my kid like that is good with me.” She glances at Astro nervously as he steps inside, no doubt hearing her and worrying as well. “You did good, brother. Come on, Reign, sit with me and tell me everything, and let me spill all of Astro’s dirty secrets.”

Gaping in shock, we all watch as a giggling Reign and Cherry head outside to sit and talk. Even Gloria is covering her mouth. “That does it. She’s a miracle, that one. It’s definitely meant to be.” She nods before rushing upstairs. I’m still staring when she comes back down, thrusting a box at Astro. “Here, take your grandmother’s ring. If you don’t marry that one, you are a fool.”

“I plan to,” Astro replies but then hesitates. “But what if she says no?”

“Boy, that woman is crazy about you. Don’t let that darkness win, not this time.” She cups his face. “You look it right in the face and tell it to fuck off. It doesn’t get to ruin your happiness or your future.”

The smile he gives is wobbly. “I’ll wait. She will run the other way if I ask now, but I promise I will, Ma. I know she’s the one.” His smile is blinding. “She hates mushrooms.”

His mother whoops. “I knew it.”

“Sorry, what?” I ask.

Chuckling, Gloria heads my way and kisses my head. “I’ve always told him about the mushroom law. I hate them, but your father loves them, and that’s why we get on so well. Balance. Astro loves them.”

“And she hates them.” I grin. “I love them too.”

“See?” She points at me. “Perfect.”

It’s only when she wanders away to finish the cookies that I realize what I said.

I admitted I’m in love with Reign in a roundabout way.

Fuck.

Gloria doesn’t seem to care, though, and when Cherry and Reign come back in, she grins at us all. Cherry grabs her stuff and waves goodbye, while Reign gets back to making cookies.

“I hate mushrooms,” Dal says. I jump in shock. I didn’t even hear him come in. “Does that mean we aren’t right for one another?”

I glance over at him and grin. “Nah, you’ve always been one to break rules and so has she. I don’t think the rules apply to you two.”

He nods, his gaze going back to her. “You’re right, she revolts against any rules.”

“That she does, our little anarchist.”

RAFFIEL

The cookies are terrible.

They are burnt around the edges and somehow underbaked in the middle. One bite and I want to throw up, but the pride and hope in my girl’s eyes has me swallowing.

“Are they okay?” she asks nervously, twisting the tea towel she holds.

“They are amazing,” I tell her, swallowing hard again. There is no fucking way I will let my girl be upset over some fucking cookies. The fact that she made them for us at all makes me want to roar from the rooftop.

I turn back to the guys sitting around the table.

I narrow my gaze on every single one of them, warning them not to say a word. “Eat every single one,” I say when she looks away. When she comes back with more, I want to groan, but I shovel the cookies in with a big smile as Gloria and Reign watch, open-mouthed.

All four of us look like pigs, shoveling cookies in.

“Oh, can I try one before they are all gone?” Reign goes for one but I reach out, gripping it and shoving it in my mouth.

“Sorry,” I mumble around the bite.

I can see Gloria giggling as Reign just stares at us. “Um, maybe I should make more?”

“No!” we all say at the same time before I chew and swallow, ignoring my gag reflex. “Or we’ll eat them all,” I add to smooth it over. “And we have to stay fit.” I smack my abs, my stomach gurgling at the somehow overbaked and undercooked cookies.

“Oh, okay.” She shrugs. “Let me get you some drinks.” She watches us for another second before heading into the kitchen.

My girl is made to be a rock star, not a baker.

Chuckling, Gloria watches us. “Adorable,” she whispers loudly so Reign doesn’t hear. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her.” She winks as Astro shoves more in his mouth until nothing is left.

“I don’t know what they are talking about. They are amazing,” he says, and we all stare at him as he mops up all the crumbs. He genuinely meant it. That boy has a stomach made of iron.

“Your dad’s grilling the meat for the BBQ,” Gloria tells us. “Why don’t you go help while Reign and I finish up some bits in here before we join you?”

Happy to escape, I down some water on the way outside, leaving Reign with Gloria.

The food is delicious, and I sit back and listen to Glein’s stories with a grin, holding Reign’s hand under the table the entire time. I need to touch her, surrounded by my family, and the knots in my shoulders unfurl. When I glance at her as she laughs, my heart skips a beat.

I promised myself that I would find a partner to traverse this world with one day, but only when I was ready. I wasn’t ready, but she is right here, sitting at my side. Reign Harrow might be a rock star, but Rey is ours and so fucking beautiful, it hurts.

I love her more than anything in this world.

I wasn’t looking for her, but I’m lost without her, and alongside that realization comes fear—of losing her, of hurting her. Reign is so strong yet weak at the same time. If we hurt her, that would be it. She would shut down for good and never forgive us.

I can’t be the reason Reign Harrow gives up on love, so I keep those words to myself until I can prove to her that I’m not going anywhere.

“Right, kids, since we cooked, you clean. Glein and I are off for our date night drinks.” Gloria stands and points at us. “Behave. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.”

“So anything goes?” Astro grins, even as she hits the back of his head on her way by.

“Thanks for dinner, it was amazing,” Reign says.

Gloria kisses Reign’s head, and Glein winks at us as he follows his wife. We stay put for a bit longer. Reign nurses her wine while we watch nature and just find peace in each other’s company.

“Right, washing up before we can relax.” I sigh and stand. “Come on.”

Reign slowly stands and stretches, and we all turn our eyes to her. She giggles when she catches us. “I’ll fill my wine and get started inside.” She hurries away from us like we might pounce on her, which isn’t incorrect.

Grumbling, I start to stack the plates with the guys’ help and carry them inside to find Reign wiping down the table and piling up more plates from earlier.

Reign bites into a leftover cookie we must have missed, even as we all dive at her. “Oh my god, these are disgusting.” She spits it out and then turns to us. “You ate every single one.”

When we just stare, she steps closer. “You ate every single terrible cookie. Why?”

“So you wouldn’t know,” I admit. “You tried so hard, baby.”

“You’re fucking nuts.” She laughs, even as something blooms in her eyes. “Come on, Gloria said she and Glein are going out for the night and Cherry took Theo to a friend’s. Let me show you all how cute you are.”

With that and a wicked grin, she takes my and Astro’s hands and leads us outside.

Fuck cleaning up.

My girl needs us.