“Thank you.” She then lifts on her toes and presses a deep, loving kiss to my lips while looping her arms around me, holding me close.
She rubs her hand over my chest. “I know it will take time to sift through everything you’re feeling and this won’t just magically disappear. That’s not how hurt works. But I will be here for you every step of the way. I’ll stand by your side, reminding you just how special you are to this world.”
Just then, there’s a knock on the door.
It has to be one of the guys.
“I’ll get it,” she says before giving me one more kiss and answering the door.
I finish buttoning my shirt just as Eli, Posey, Silas, and Pacey walk into the room, all shuffling inside wearing their suits.
All it takes is a moment of eye contact before they each walk up to me and pull me into a hug.
Posey is first. He pats me on the back and says, “I love you, man.”
Silas is next. He clasps my hand with his and gives me a shoulder hug before saying, “I love you.”
Pacey follows Silas and offers me a large hug while quietly saying, “I love you.”
Eli is last. And as I look him in his watery eyes, I realize just how much this path we’ve been down has wrecked us both. When he pulls me into a hug, I nearly feel myself crumble as he squeezes me tight. “You mean so much to us, to this team, to this world. You’re supposed to be here. You’re here for a reason, and never forget that.” When he pulls away, he grips my face and forces me to look him in the eyes. “Holden was an alcoholic. I knew that; you knew that. We tried to fucking help him, but he wouldn’t help himself. No one is to blame but him. Got that? No one.” More tears stream down my cheeks as I silently nod. “You have a family, right here in this room. You have brothers, you have sisters, and you have your girl. We are the ones who matter. Our opinions. And collectively, we need you walking by our sides because we love you, Halsey. Okay? We fucking love you.”
I nod, and Eli pulls me into a hug one more time, squeezing me tight.
The hold he has on me reminds me just how right he is.
I have everything I need right here in this room.
I have people who care.
People who love me.
Who want me to do well in this life.
I can’t dwell on the past and the spiteful words tossed my way from damaged people.
My brothers, they’re the ones that are important, they are my rocks, my foundation, and this is what I build on.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice so tight, I barely hear it. “I love you all.”
Posey sniffs off to the side, grabbing all of our attention. When he looks around the room, he says, “I think . . . I think there’s something in my eye.”
Silas pushes his shoulder. “Just fucking cry if you’re going to cry. Be a goddamn man about it.”
“Yeah, look at Halsey. He’s not trying to hide his emotions,” Pacey says. “Or Eli.”
“I’m not hiding it,” Posey says as he turns away and wipes at his eyes.
“You’re an idiot.” Silas loops his arm over Posey’s shoulders and guides him to the door. “See you downstairs, man.”
Pacey offers me a salute.
And Eli gives me one last hug before taking off, leaving me alone with Blakely.
With a large smile on her face, she walks up to me and says, “You are so lucky you have those nitwits in your life.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I am. But most importantly, I’m lucky to have you.” I loop my arms around her. “I’m assuming you’re going back to California, and I’ll see you there?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I told Huxley I needed time and if he fired me, I was okay with that, but I needed to be with you.”
