And she had.

“Hey, Lacey, sorry you had to see that, but your new husband keeps saying I’m gay, and I’m not fucking gay! I like dick, Karson! Shit! Now you made me look crazy in front of your new wife. Way to go, asshole!” Kacey yelled before stomping off to the house.

Lacey’s eyes were wide as she looked from Kacey’s retreating back to Karson. “Oh shit,” she muttered, bending down to make sure he was okay. “Baby, are you okay? She got you good, huh?”

“Give me a minute,” he begged and she felt helpless. If any other chick had the balls to hurt her husband, she would have been all about taking the chick out, but this chick was his sister. So that posed a problem. Plus, his sister was scary huge. Lacey didn’t go into a fight without knowing she could win.

“I should have seen it coming,” he muttered, sitting up and taking in a deep breath. “I’m gonna kick her ass, I swear.”

“That’s one option,” she agreed with a nod as she rubbed his back. “Or maybe you shouldn’t call her gay anymore. I don’t think she likes it,” she suggested and he glared up at her.

“You think?” he said dryly before shaking his head. “Crazy ass.” He then got up, readjusting his balls before shaking his head. “Hope you aren’t planning to try to have sex anytime soon. I’m pretty sure she broke my balls.”

Lacey snorted but then gave him an exaggerated wink. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I can fix you.”

He laughed as he bent down slowly to get their bags that he’d dropped. “You may be correct on that, but let’s not try for a couple hours. I’m still seeing stars.”

She couldn’t hold in her laughter as he wrapped his arm around her and led her inside. As soon as they walked through the door, the warmth and smell of a fire burning hit her right in the face. And for some reason, she felt at home. It was insane. She never felt at home anywhere but her childhood home, but the King home was just that. A home.

With a grin on her face, she looked straight ahead as a woman who mirrored Kacey came toward her. Her face was weathered but still beautiful, with dark brown eyes and even dark brown hair. She was tall like Kacey and looked the way Lacey had always imagined Karson’s mom would look like. She wore a pair of jeans and a purple Assassins sweatshirt, and of course, an unstoppable grin.

“Oh my goodness! She is beautiful!” she exclaimed before pushing Karson out of the way to wrap her arms around Lacey. “Just stunning,” she whispered as she hugged her warmly. Lacey hugged her back tightly. She wasn’t one to hug people, but it seemed right to be wrapped in Regina King’s arms. Pulling back, Regina cupped Lacey’s face and said, “You know, Karson always said you were the prettiest girl ever. He wasn’t lying.”

Lacey’s face flushed with embarrassment as she smiled at her new mother-in-law. “Thank you. It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. King.”

“Oh no, you call me Ma, and I swear, Lacey, it’s a blessing to meet you. Come here,” she said, almost on the brink of tears as she squeezed Lacey tightly again. Over her shoulder, Lacey could see Karson rolling his eyes but he wasn’t annoyed at all. She could see in his eyes he was loving every second of this.

“Karl!” Regina yelled, making Lacey jump as she backed away. “Karl, honey, come here and meet our new daughter.”

Lacey’s heart skipped a beat as Mrs. King’s hand slid into hers, holding it tightly. It had been so long since she’d felt a hand as soft as her mother’s. There had been something about her mom’s hand that, when Lacey held it, everything was right within a second. It had been slender and soft and held all the love in the world. She could, to this day, still remember holding her mother’s hand as she took her last breath. She hadn’t thought of that moment in a long time, and she knew it was because Mrs. King had the same kind of hand. It held love and happiness, something Lacey hadn’t been around in a really long time.

Soon Lacey was fighting back the tears as she swallowed loudly. She felt Karson’s eyes on her, and when she glanced up, his head cocked to the side. She shook her head, hoping to reassure him that she was fine. Nodding his head, he looked at his mother.

“Hi, Ma,” Karson said but Mrs. King waved him off. “Don’t speak to me right now, Karson Jett. I’ve told you so many times to stop calling your sister gay. I hope you can give me grandchildren now, you idiot,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Told you,” Lacey teased, sticking her tongue out at him and trying not to think too much in to what Mrs. King had just said.

He glared but shook his head as his mother said, “They fight like cats and dogs, these two. You’d think they hate each other, when really it’s the other way— Where the hell is that man? Karl!”

Lacey snickered as Mr. King hollered, “I mean, shit, Regina. I was on the can. Got to wash my hands before you kick my ass. Give me a damn minute!”

“I swear, they were all raised in a barn,” Mrs. King said with a shake of her head, while Lacey couldn’t help but laugh from her gut.

Finally, Karl King came around the corner, and looking at the older version of her husband, she couldn’t help but smile. Coming right to her, Mr. King grinned. “So this is my new daughter, huh?”

“She’s pretty, isn’t she, Pops?” Karson asked, his eyes locked on hers. She felt a little uncomfortable with all of them staring at her, but then she also felt like she belonged. Like she was a part of the family.