He was so full of shit.

They’d totally adopted me, not to mention took on a project they wanted to see through, and Tack was laying a trip on me so I’d let them do what they wanted to do.

I did not get into this with Tack.

I said, “They wanna keep helping, I buy lunch.”

I thought he’d balk or hand me another line of bullshit.

Nope.

He’d said, “Deal.”

And then he hung up.

Truth be told, it kinda messed with my head to have free labor (ish, feeding the boys every day wasn’t cheap, it still didn’t cost as much as skilled labor).

But who was I to deny a biker a change of scenery?

This meant the walls were painted. The floors were down in the rooms that needed no further work. Hound had taught me how to tile, and after the kitchen cabinets were up, I’d done the backsplash (and it looked awesome).

The electrician was coming in that next week to do her thing. The plumber was coming back the week after to do the bathrooms and finish work in the kitchen.

It wasn’t like I had a ten-guy crew. We had some significant work to do and it was a lot more time-consuming than I thought it would be (of which, I took note for budgetary and scheduling purposes for the next one).

But if we kept going at this clip, we’d be on the market before summer’s end.

And I hoped that meant we’d be on the market to buy the next house by autumn.

Because seriously.

This flipping houses shit was a blast.

I loved my girls, Smithie and Dorian.

But it was way, way better than stripping.

And the best part of the goodness that had become of life was that wasn’t all the goodness.

It kept on flowing.

Evie and Mag were now engaged.

Plans were heating up for Lottie and Mo’s wedding.

Though, Pepper and Auggie were still being stupid. But I sensed Pepper was taking in the Evie and Mag thing, the Boone and me thing, and having a good think (so I was laying off to give her time to have that think, and come to the right conclusion, and if she didn’t, I was laying right back on again).

The only downer was the fact that Hattie had pretty much instituted an all-around friend divorce.

She wasn’t being mean.

She just didn’t return texts for days, was always busy when we tried to make plans, and denied there was anything to talk about at direct requests to do just that.

It was getting on Pepper’s nerves.

It was concerning Evie.

And it was making Lottie plot (I could see it every time her eyes fell on Hattie).

So I was pretty chill about it, because Lottie plotting got me Boone.

Enough said.

I couldn’t say all was right in the world.

I was still out of Angelica’s life, which meant Portia and Jethro’s. My brother still wasn’t talking to me (and now wasn’t talking to Mom). And I still didn’t know what to do about all of that.

But at least I wasn’t under a 24/7 security detail anymore.

A plus.

And I got to spend a Saturday, which was the day before a Brunch in Bed with Boone Sunday, watching my hot, built, alpha, Dom boyfriend lugging boxes.

A total plus.

I took in the show of Boone squatting to put down the load he was carrying (sweet) and pulled my ringing phone out of my back pocket.

I tore my eyes away from Boone’s thigh, looked at my cell, and at what I saw on the screen, I couldn’t stop my “Oh shit.”

“What?” Boone asked.

I pressed my lips together, rubbed them a bit, looked at Boone, and said, “Brian,” timing it to come out right before I put my phone to my ear (so he wouldn’t stop me from putting my phone to my ear) and greeted with a tentative, “Hey.”

“Ryn,” he said quietly.

His tone made me drop my head and listen hard.

“Okay, I…I need you,” he said.

I lifted my head instantly and saw Boone, my sweet Boone, right there in front of me.

“You need me for what, Brian?” I asked softly.

Boone lifted a hand and wrapped it around the side of my neck.

“I just got back from seeing the kids and I’m, well…I’m sober, Ryn. It’s just been a little while, eight days, and I didn’t wanna say anything to you or Mom until I knew that it was gonna kinda…take. But Ang has been…I couldn’t see the kids until…” He trailed off.

“I know. She mentioned she was going to do that,” I said.

“Yeah, so, um…yeah. She did that. And so I went to a meeting and it took a little…you know, a little bit to, you know, uh…lay off the sauce. I kinda fell off the wagon every day for, you know, some time there, but I just, you know…” I heard him suck in breath and my heart bled at how hard this was for him, but I didn’t interrupt. “Fuck, Ryn, I just needed to see my kids.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“So she let me see them today and…and…Christ!” he suddenly exploded.

I went solid, but when Brian didn’t go on, I pushed out, “What?”

“She’s like, I don’t know, maybe thirty-five, forty pounds.”

What?

“Who?” I asked.

“Portia,” he answered.

“What?” I shrieked.

Boone wrapped his fingers around the wrist of my hand that was holding the phone.

I shook my head at him, hard.

His mouth got tight.

Through this, Brian spoke.

“She’s skinny, Ryn. Like, super skinny. Eyes all hollowed out. I…it’s freaking me out.”

“What the fuck is happening, Brian?” I demanded.

“She wants to see you.”

I pulled away from Boone, started toward the door and declared, “I’m going there right now.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there,” Brian said readily.

I was nearing the door, Boone at my side.

“Portia’s not eating because I’m not around?” I asked my brother just to confirm I was getting this right.

“Fuck,” Boone hissed.

“Angie says no. Angie says she’s just going through a phase. But I asked her, Portia, direct, and she says she’s on a hunger strike until her mother lets her see you.”

“Goddamn Jesus Christ,” I bit out. I shouldn’t have stayed away. I should have made the peace. Goddamn it! “How long has this been happening?” I asked as Boone beeped the locks on Mo’s truck that we’d borrowed to pick up the lighting.

“I don’t know, Ryn, because I,” his voice cracked, “fucked shit right the fuck up and I haven’t seen my babies.”

“Okay, Brian, you go there, and I’ll go there, and I won’t go in until you get there. And I’m calling Mom. I’m also calling fucking Brenda,” I said, hauling myself up into the cab after Boone opened my door.

He also closed it the second I cleared.

Wasting no time.

Loved my man.

“Okay, Ryn, but I’ll call Brenda. You call Mom,” Brian told me.

“You got it, bro,” I bit off. “See you soon.”

“Ryn,” he called.

“What?” I asked.

“I love you so fucking much too.”

I stopped breathing entirely.

Brian disconnected.