Page 24 of Enter if you Dare: Part Three

“Both, or maybe we save the threats for when Cave gets back. It will have a lot more impact.”

“I can be scary and intimidating when I need to be,” I say, holding up my fists, which sends everyone into fits of laughter.

Okay, so maybe I’m not all that scary, but if it comes down to it, I know how to dig the perfect hole. It’s just the right size for a body and the best way to cover my tracks. That should be enough to cause concern at the very least.

Valli

Noa waltzes into the bathroom as I’m brushing my teeth and smiles at me. It’s bigger than normal, and he is practically buzzing with excitement.

“Spill,” I say after removing the toothbrush from my mouth.

“My family is coming for Christmas.” I look at him in the mirror and continue brushing my teeth. “And Cipher’s parents.” I stop brushing. “Just for a few days. Nixie organized extra rooms for them. It’s going to be great, and everyone is going to love you . . . Why are you looking at me like that?”

I rinse, then put the toothbrush down. “Your parents are coming?”

“Just my mom. I only have a mom, as I grew up with a deadbeat dad. But she’s amazing, you wait and see.”

I’m not exactly worried about meeting their parents, but . . . “Do they know about our situation?”

Noa opens his mouth and closes it, confirming just as I thought—they don’t know that he shares me. “My family knows I’m happy and that there is someone I want them to meet,” he finally says.

“Does your mother know you are sharing a girlfriend with two other men?”

There is a pause, and he makes a sound as if all the air has left his lungs at once. “Did you just say girlfriend?”

“That is not the point of what I said.”

“I think it is—this is huge. Say it again, Valli.”

“No.”

He steps further into the bathroom, no longer lingering at the door. “Just once more, for me.”

“I am not saying it again.”

“You called yourself our girlfriend, of your own free will.”

“Noa, focus.”

He winces. “Sorry, she knows I love you, and she knows Cipher loves you. She also knows Cave is coming home soon, and that he is very important to you. The specifics of our relationship are no one’s business, but if they ask, we can tell them in person.”

I give him a look that says his words don’t make me feel better.

“Has anyone told you today how beautiful you are?”

I snort. “Get out of the bathroom.”

He laughs as he leaves the bathroom, and I can’t believe meeting their families has just been sprung on me. I head out to the main area of the shed in search of Cipher, finding him at his workbench with his back turned to me.

“Did you know your parents were coming for Christmas?”

He looks up. “Yes.”

“Do they know about me?”

“Yes.”

“Do they know about our situation?”