“It’s more than just his mom dying. It’s the realization his family is gone, and I think it’s only hitting him now that his grandma’s house is sold.”
“You think he regrets selling it?” Saint asks, tipping beer into his mouth.
“No, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t sad. Galen has a lot of memories tied up in that house.”
“Not all of them good,” Saint says, speaking the truth.
Two months ago, Galen sold the house and half the grounds to a property developer, because he didn’t want to live in a home where so many had died. He made a deal that gave him the maze and enough land to build his own house, including a separate entrance via the rear of the property, so if we want to build a house there in the future, we can.
The developer is building high-quality condos, catered for the upper end of the market, and he’s already walled off the property, so the part Galen still owns is completely private and inaccessible until he decides what to do with it.
Right now, none of us has any burning desire to return to Lowell, but who knows what the future holds? We have the barn, I still have the cabin and Galen has the land, so we have options, which feels good.
“Did you hear anything from David Jennings?” Saint asks, rubbing his fingers up and down my arm.
I shake my head. “No, but I don’t expect to. He owes me nothing.”
Lincoln helped Mom and me free David Jennings from prison with assistance from Diesel, who has been promoted to the head of VERO.
David Jennings is the man who was convicted of kidnapping and torturing me as a kid—an injustice I needed to set right. Luckily, Dad left me a large inheritance, and I hadn’t dipped into the compensation fund David was forced to pay me—one I received when I turned eighteen—so I transferred it back to Jennings. With interest, it has grown considerably over the years, and I hope it helps compensatehimin some way, for all the years he spent languishing in a jail cell.
Saint clicks his fingers in my face. “Earth to queenie. Where’d you go?”
“I drifted off,Saintly.” I poke him in the chest.
“You okay?” Concern stretches across his face.
“I’m perfect. I was just thinking of everything that’s happened since you guys left The Sainthood, we graduated, and we moved here.”
He tilts my face around as Caz approaches, carrying a platter of steaks. “You have any regrets?”
I tweak his nose. “Not a single one. I love my life.”
“Life is good,” Caz agrees, setting the steaks down as Theo materializes with an overflowing bread basket and a generous salad bowl.
Caz inserts two fingers into his mouth, shrilly whistling, drawing Galen’s attention. Galen strolls across the garden with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.
I slide onto the seat beside Saint as Theo and Caz distribute the food. They’re the unofficial chefs in the house, because the rest of us can’t cook for shit. I lower my face to the plate, sniffing the succulent chargrilled aroma. My tummy rumbles appreciatively. “This smells delicious.”
“Only the best for our queenie.” Caz cheekily grabs my boob, and I shoot him a faux glare.
“Hands off the girls.” I pin him with a seductive grin. “At least until we’ve eaten.”
“Fuck. Now I’m hard again.” He rubs at his crotch, rounding the table to sit beside Theo.
“You’re always hard,” Saint drawls, popping a piece of steak in his mouth. “You should get that checked out.”
“Nothing wrong with my dick.” Caz leans back, grinning smugly. “Maybe you should seek medical assistance for your erectile dysfunction.”
Theo almost chokes on his food. Caz chuckles while running a gentle hand back and forth across Theo’s back.
I pat the seat beside me when Galen approaches. “Sit here, babe.”
Waves of dark messy hair fall into his eyes as he ambles toward me, and my heart swells with love for my broody guy. Galen drops into the seat, and I grab his face, kissing him softly. “I love you,” I whisper, knowing he needs to hear that right now.
He pulls me to his chest, cradling me against him, his hand finding the nape of my neck as he holds me close. “Love you too, angel. More and more with every passing day.”
Fuck. These guys slay me in all the best ways.
