Chapter 29 #2

Savvy sighs. “I’ll tell you what I’ve been telling Grey. It wasn’t your fault, Roman. You were hired to do a job, and you did everything you could have done…given the circumstances.”

Roman swallows and breaks eye contact, focusing on the ground.

“Damn stubborn assholes,” Savvy mutters as their other friend joins them.

“Now that’s something I hear a lot of,” Elle says, holding out her hand to Grant. “Hi, I’m Elle, we met briefly…before. Welcome to Happiness. We’re not usually this, ah, intense.”

“Yes, we are,” Madi corrects. “But we’re also excellent hosts. You guys must be starving. I’ve got lunch ready at the inn, and—” She glances at the wagon. “Pie. Obviously. We’re just dropping off some extras for Blissy to sell off for the girls’ basketball team.”

“I love pie.” Freaking Chase. He just can’t help but be goofily charming.

“Great,” Madi beams up at him. “Help me drag these inside, and then we can head over to the inn for lunch.”

“We’d like that,” Sterling says, and even he appears more relaxed than I’ve seen him in days. Perhaps there’s something in the air here.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” Madi says, handing them a pie for each hand. “Get these to Blissy. I’ve got rooms ready for you at the inn, hot food, and approximately seven thousand questions.”

“Madi,” Clover groans.

“What?” she huffs, still taking my measure.

“I’m just being honest. You show up from your road trip with five hot men, one of whom looks as though he’s declared himself your possessive boyfriend who won’t let you out of his sight, and in this case, I don’t mind that particular trait, but did you seriously think I wouldn’t have questions? ”

“Boyfriend?” Chase mouths at me while waggling his eyebrows. He stopped maturing at the age of thirteen.

I flip him off behind Clover’s back, carry the pies inside, then follow Clover’s directions back to the inn.

Madi leads the way, and even though I’ve been here before, it hits different when I look at it as a family home and not something I have to secure.

Roman’s gaze darts from one window to the next, and I relax even further, knowing he’s doing the job I’m not prepared to do right now—not when I’m so…invested.

Madi’s place may double as an inn, but it’s more of a home than any place I’ve ever owned.

The hardwood floors gleam, but it’s the photographs on every wall showing the family they’ve created that stops me in my tracks.

No wonder Clover feels so comfortable around these people. If the photos are any indication, this entire damn town adopted her and never let her go.

“Your rooms are upstairs, and don’t even think about telling me you’re staying at the old cracked-up Airbnb.

” She scolds Grant with a finger pointed at his chest. “Moose was over there yesterday. He said there isn’t even hot water.

And hear me when I say this, we’re all sticking together this time. ”

She winks, and one of my cousins audibly gulps. “Clover and Valen will be on the third floor. On the second floor, I’ve got three doubles and two singles available. You boys work out sleeping arrangements while I finish setting the table.”

“I’ll help,” Clover says, following her friend.

“No, you won’t.” Savvy grabs her arm. “You’re going to sit on that couch and tell us everything. Don’t even think about arguing.” She waves at herself in her wheelchair. “I almost died for my secrets. We’re not doing that shit anymore. Learn from my mistakes, Clover, and let us in.”

Clover appears so lost as she stares around the room, her gaze falling on me.

“Go,” I tell her, since we have teams surrounding the property. “I’ll referee the room negotiations.”

Chase scoffs.

“You can’t even correctly call a touchdown,” Grant mutters as Clover’s pulled into the sitting room, Elle and Savvy flanking her like bodyguards would.

As much as I don’t want to leave her side, I know she needs this time with them, so I begrudgingly follow my idiots up the stairs while she talks to hers.

Twenty minutes later, we’re seated around a dining table that rivals the conference tables at Harrington Bank and Trust in Charlotte, and food covers every inch of available space.

Clover wasn’t exaggerating about Madi’s stress cooking. There’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, gravy, sweet tea, mac and cheese that’s still bubbling in the pan, and something she calls funeral potatoes that Chief immediately declares as the best thing he’s ever eaten.

“Good to have you back, Chief.” Madi smiles. “Pops was missing you.”

“Bull hooey,” her grandfather, Pops, scoffs from the head of the table. “He wants to have adventures, he can have ’em. Not like I missed his ornery ass or nothing.”

“Sure,” Chief says around a mouthful of potatoes. “Whatever you say.”

Pops holds his fork like a weapon and scowls down the table. “I didn’t miss ya, you numb nut. I just don’t want to have to pick up your body somewhere. It woulda upset the girls, and then I’da killed ya myself, you old fuck.”

“Who are you calling old?” Chief fires back. I’ve landed in a weird version of The Golden Girls. “You’ve got five years on me.”

“Enough, you two,” Braxton chides the two oldest men at the table while gently cradling a newborn to his chest with ease.

It sets off a spark of…something as I stare at him, at how naturally he maneuvers with a tiny human in his arms. “We all know you missed each other, and we’re not dealing in that masculine toxicity crap anymore, so admit you were worried about each other, missed each other, and are happy to have each other back, and move on. ”

Pops scoffs but nods. “What he said. Glad ya didn’t die.”

“Glad I didn’t die too. Poker tomorrow night?” Chief asks as though they weren’t just bickering like an old married couple.

“Yup. Braxton’ll get our beers.”

Braxton rolls his eyes. “Sure thing, Pops.”

Staring at the shitshow before us, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have a grandfather growing up. Hell, what would it have been like to have an active father?

My skin tingles, and I scan the table to find who’s watching me. Greyson. The prick still blames us for Savvy’s condition, even though he’s the one who tried to send her entire protection detail home. If it hadn’t been for Roman’s quick thinking, Savvy might not even be here.

“Thank you for taking care of Clover,” he says. Surprise must register on my face because he lifts a brow, silently daring me to argue.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. Clover’s my priority.”

“Good.” His gaze narrows. He’s a shark in his world, but so am I. “Don’t fuck it up. We all love her, which means if anything happens to her, it’ll happen to you too. Are we clear?”