I woke to a tingling sensation running down my arm. My eyes fluttered open to see Jimmy sitting on the edge of the bed. He had on a hoodie and a pair of jeans. He must have not set an alarm again.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes." I dug the heel of my palm into my eye.

"Good, but you need to get up now."

I propped myself up on my elbow, and he leaned down to kiss me.

"We're going to Uncle Noah's for breakfast," he said. "You can meet the rest of the family."

"Okay," I said, leaning in for one more kiss.

I got out of bed and I put on the clothes that Jimmy had laid out for me. I was surprised to see that it was another dress. Jimmy must want me to look nice for the family. I slipped on the long black and white striped dress. There were no sleeves, so I rubbed my arms to try and generate some heat. Jimmy pulled out one of his sweaters and handed it to me. I slipped my arms through the thick warm sleeves.

When I was done, Jimmy grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. We went down into their living room. Emme and Taylor were sitting on the couch.

"Morning," Taylor said.

He got up off the couch, and he helped Emme stand. She stretched out her back and dragged her feet toward us. Jimmy had my hand in a tight grip.

"You ready to head to my Dad's?" Taylor asked.

"Sure," Jimmy said. "Let's go."

Taylor opened the front door, and Emme followed him out. Jimmy guided me along beside him.

Taylor opened the door to the truck in the driveway. Emme opened the back door and slid in, so I followed her. Jimmy sat in the passenger seat.

"So you're thinking about getting another house?" Taylor asked Jimmy as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "I am hoping to get one before Julie is pregnant."

I subconsciously put my hand over my stomach. It could soon be as large as Emme's. She hasn't been with Taylor much longer than I have been with Jimmy, so I should be pregnant soon. Jimmy must be thinking the same thing.

The truck shook violently as we drove over the rough road. Emme had her hand on the seat to keep her balance, so I did the same thing. It stopped my shoulder from slamming into the window.

The drive was short. I tried to ignore Jimmy and Taylor's conversation. If I kept listening to how I could be pregnant I would probably be sick.

When the truck stopped, I helped Emme get out of the backseat. I looked at the house to see it was larger than either of the houses I have seen. The dirty white paint was flaking off. A wooden deck was wrapped around the house. Long pieces of grass were sticking up from the gravel driveway.

A little boy, only about five-years-old, came running out of the house. He was skinny, and he had on a pair of jeans with the bottoms rolled up. His shirt had a picture of Spider-Man on it, and I wondered if he even knew who that was.

"Uncle Taylor!" he squealed as he ran down the steps. Taylor picked him up as soon as he came near, and I watched as Emme went into the house.

"Hey, Buddy," Taylor said. "You remember Jimmy, right?"

The boy nodded his head and a smile appeared on his lips. Taylor handed him over to Jimmy, and Jimmy balanced him on his hip. Taylor went into the house. Jimmy said something to the boy and he looked over Jimmy's shoulder at me.

"Jared, this is my girl, Julie," Jimmy said. "Julie, this is Jared."

"Hi," he said quietly.

"Hello." I gave him a small wave.

"Are your parents inside?" Jimmy asked Jared.

He nodded and put two fingers in his mouth.

"Mom is helping Grandma," he said. "They are waiting for you."

"Then we should go in," Jimmy said.

Jimmy put Jared back on the ground, and we watched as he ran into the house. Jimmy put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

"Remember what I said yesterday," he said. "They do things a little differently, but it's all okay. I love you."

"I love you," I said.

I had no idea what he was trying to warn me about, but I knew that it was alright. I have to have faith in my family and remember that everything they are doing is to keep me safe.

The porch creaked as we walked across it. Jimmy opened up the flimsy screen door and walked in. Jimmy grabbed my hand, pulled me through the hallway and into the kitchen.

Emme was standing beside the counter talking to another woman. She must be Lindsay. Her dark hair ended just below her ears. She had large blue eyes that made the rest of her features seem small. She had on a pair of jeans, and the sleeves of her sweater were rolled up. She was cutting apples, and looked up and smiled. Emme must have been giving her opinion on me. I was nervous about what it might be.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Jimmy said. He pulled me so that I was standing in front of him. My feet skidded across the floor. "Julie, this is Lindsay. Lindsay, this is Julie. Do you know where Gabe is?"

"He's outside with Tommy and Dylan."

Jimmy let go of my hand and left the kitchen. He let go of me, so he must want me to stay here. Lindsay wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked toward me.

My eyes darted around the kitchen and I noticed a large curtain jutting out from the wall. The flimsy plastic formed a semi-circle. It looked like a shower curtain. I wondered why it would be in the kitchen.

"I need to hug you," Lindsay said as she extended her arms out toward me. I opened my arms and we were embracing each other.

"Mom!" Emme yelled out. "Jimmy's wife is here!"

I could hear a door open, and the floor creaked as someone walked across the house. Another woman entered the kitchen. She was in her fifties and her long grey hair was messy and pinned up. Her face lit up when she saw me.

"You're such a beautiful girl," she said. "I'm Jenny."

She reached out her arms and I was caught in another hug.

"Welcome to our home," Jenny said. "It's always nice to have another girl in the house."

She put her hands on my stomach and I jumped back.

"Are you pregnant yet?" she asked.

"No." I shook my head.

"Don't worry," she said. "It'll happen soon. It took Lindsay two years."

She patted my stomach. She grabbed my wrist and flipped my arm over. She pulled up the sleeve of my sweater. She traced her fingers along my tattoo.

"It's true. You did scar yourself," she said. "It's beautiful though. Why'd you get it?"

I bit down on my lip as I smiled. No one in the family has ever complimented my tattoo before. Jimmy said it was beautiful, but he also said that he wished I did not have it.

"I got it for my birth family," I said.

"Why?" Emme asked.

"They died when I was little."

Lindsay put her arm around her shoulders and leaned her head against me. I took in a quick breath of her sweet scent.

"You'll always be part of our family," she said.

The hinges on the door squeaked as someone ran through the house. Jared came flying into the kitchen. He stopped in front of Lindsay and looked up at her.

"Daddy wants to know if breakfast is ready soon," he said.

"Tell him we'll be out in a few minutes," she said. "But first put your jacket on."

She grabbed a small sweater that was crumpled on the kitchen table. She forced Jared's arms through the sleeves before she zipped it up. She kissed his temple and he ran back outside. Lindsay chuckled as she watched him.

"We better get outside," she said. "Julie, can you help us?"

"Of course," I said.

She handed me a bowl of fruit and she had a bowl of eggs in her arms. Emme was carrying a pitcher of water and a pitcher of juice.

I raised an eyebrow when I watched Lindsay open the back door.

It was not locked.

They did not lock their girls in the house like how Jimmy locks me in the house.

There was a glass table sitting on the wooden back porch. All of the boys were already sitting around it. I found a clear spot on the table and set down my bowl, like the rest of the girls did. Jimmy pulled out the empty chair next to him and motioned for me to sit down.

Tommy and Dylan were sitting across from us. Dylan appeared to only be fifteen. His cheeks were covered in pockets of acne. He had a baby on his lap.

Charles sat at one end of the table and Noah sat at the other end. They both had the same tanned sagging skin and dark eyes.

"Lindsay, take your child," Dylan said as he lifted the baby up into the air.

The baby whined and Lindsay scooped him up in her arms.

"What's Uncle Dylan doing, Theo?" she asked. He giggled and reached up at her face.

"Where's Gabe?" Tommy asked.

I looked around the table. I did not notice the two empty seats. One was across from me and the other was beside Charles.

"Hey, look what I found!" someone yelled from below the deck.

It must be Gabe.

He walked up the stairs of the porch and had Jared hanging upside down by one leg. Jared was giggling and his face was turning red. Lindsay's jaw dropped and her face went pale, but there was laughter coming from the rest of the table.

Gabe lowered Jared down onto his back. Jared rolled over and ran to the table giggling. He sat down in the spot next to Charles. Gabe looked over at me and smirked.

"So you must be Juliet," he said. I nodded my head. "You're a shy one, aren't you?"

"Only at first," Jimmy said.

Jimmy slid his hand down my leg and patted my knee. I smiled as Gabe pulled out the seat across from me and sat down.

Everyone passed the bowls of food around. I put some fruit and eggs on my plate. I passed the plate of meat to Jimmy and he put two pieces of meat onto my plate.

The sounds of forks clanging against plates filled the air. Gabe picked up a piece of meat off of his plate and ripped into it with his teeth. He had an intense stare on me.

"Three months," he said. "That must be some kind of record. Who would have thought that it would have come from Jimmy."

Jimmy scowled. Tommy, Taylor, and Dylan laughed. Gabe glanced over at them before looking over at me.

"He must have gotten lucky," Gabe said. "Beautiful and not a fighter either."

Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, but Charles spoke first.

"She did put up quite a fight at first," Charles said. "She was quick. Jimmy showed her that this is where she belongs."

Jimmy was chewing on his bottom lip. His fingers curled into my knee. I ran my hand down his arm, and he flipped over his hand so that I could lace our fingers together.

"Three months is still pretty fast," Dylan said.

"Jules is a natural at this," Tommy said. "Aren't you?"

Jimmy's grip tightened on my hand. I shrugged and was unsure of what to say.

"Sure you are," he said. "You fit right in."

"Of course she does," Jenny said with a smile. "She's part of our family."

"We are lucky to have her here," Lindsay said. I looked over at her to see that she had her arms around Jared and was cutting up his meat. "And she's lucky to be here."

"Tommy's got quite an expectation to live up to now," Gabe said.

"Why's that?" Tommy asked.

"Jimmy's the oldest and he tamed his girl in three months," he said. "You've got to do better than that."

Tommy gave Jimmy an angry stare. Jimmy's grip tightened even more on my hand. I gasped, but he did not let go.

"I can do what Jimmy does, but better," he said. "Always have and always will."

Jimmy squeezed my hand tighter and I bit down on my lip to stop from screaming in pain.

"Shut up, Tommy," he said.

"Make me," Tommy said.

"Boys!" Noah shouted from the end of the table. "We are having a nice meal as a family. Don't ruin it."

"You two better behave," Charles said.

Jimmy loosened his grip, but not by much. At least now it was bearable. I straightened my back in the seat, and Jimmy let go of my hand.

We ate the rest of the meal in silence.

--

I helped the girls clean breakfast while the men stayed outside. I washed the dishes as Lindsay dried them and put them away. Jenny and Emme wrapped up the rest of the leftover food and placed it in the fridge.

"Julie, don't let what happened at breakfast bother you," Lindsay said. She had a towel in her hand and was drying a plate. "The boys get a little touchy with their masculinity."

"Does it happen a lot?" I asked.

Jenny laughed. I turned around to see her shaking her head. Emme pulled out one of the chairs, and sat down rubbing her belly.

"It happens all the time," Jenny said. "I was here before Charles and Marilyn moved out of this house. You wouldn't believe the fights that they would get into all the time."

"What would they fight about?" I asked.

"Anything and everything," she told me. "It could be something about the farm or comparing girls. The important part is that after every one of those fights they never stopped loving each other. I think that is so nice. My birth family was never like that."

"They weren't?"

"Nope, not at all. My parents wasted all of their money on booze and cigarettes. I tried to take care of my sisters, but it was hard. They picked up all of my parents' bad habits."

"Isn't it nice to have someone to look after you?" Emme asked. "I have never felt safer than when I am with Taylor. I'll admit that the meat thing did freak me out at first, but it really isn't that bad. It actually tastes pretty good. I think more people should do it. It's actually such a waste not to."

I finished washing all of the dishes. I pulled the plug out of the drain. Lindsay handed me a towel to wipe my hands on.

"Jimmy and Tommy don't normally fight?" Lindsay asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They've gotten into a few fights," I said.

"About what?" Emme asked. I bit down on my lip. I did not want to tell them about the way that Tommy had touched me. Luckily, Emme kept talking. "It's probably because of how different they are. Tommy is really rough, and Jimmy is more of the sensitive kind."

"Yes," I said. "That is exactly what it is."

"I always felt bad for him," Jenny said. "All of the boys used to pick on him for the way that he is."

"Tommy?" I asked.

"Jimmy," she said.

"Why's that?"

"He has always been more sensitive than the rest of them. He helped with the killings, but you could see that he never got the same satisfaction from it. They used to always pick on him and he would get really upset whenever someone questioned his masculinity."

"They were really scared about Jimmy turning twenty," Lindsay said. "They did not think that he would be able to tame you. That's why they are all shocked he did it so quickly."

Jimmy did not enjoy killing? Maybe when we moved out of Charles' house I could convince him to stop killing. I wanted to be in that house safe with Jimmy.